At Apprentice Nation we believe that landing a career you love is key to your future success. After all, why shouldn’t you love your career?
To help you with that, Jodie from Careermap has given us some top tips for landing a career you love. Read her blog and leave a comment on which tips you found most helpful.
Tips for Landing a Career You Love
Written by Jodie Hill – Careermap
“Do what you love”… this is career advice which we hear all the time, you’ve most likely heard it before. The challenge is how do you land your dream job? We spend a large amount of time in work, in fact, on average you will spend ⅓ of your life at work. This is without taking into account overtime and commuting to and from work!
Making sure you land your dream career can be important. Make the answer to ‘are you happy at the one place you are spending the majority of your life’ a YES! Whether you’ve just finished school, college, university or fancy a career change, there is nothing stopping you from going after what you want.
Set goals
If you don’t know what it is you want to do then it’s going to be difficult to navigate and accomplish landing your dream job. Setting clear goals can act as a stepping stone to help you build a successful career. Make sure to keep in mind that your dream job won’t necessarily be your first job and that you may have to work up the ladder.
Everyone has to start somewhere and by setting your long term career goal you can decide how you’re going to get there step by step. Worried about choosing the wrong path? Don’t stress about it! It’s important not to be discouraged and be prepared to learn lessons along the way.. Taking the wrong route doesn’t mean you’ve failed, it means you’ve tried, you’ve taken the risk and now learned from it.
After all, Sir Winston Churchill: Prime Minister twice of the United Kingdom, writer, politician and army office once said:
“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.”
Be Willing to Learn
Sometimes your goals may not match your qualifications and experience. Showing a will to learn and advance your capabilities is a must. Apprenticeships are a fantastic route which can help you to progress your career and reach your goals – depending on what they are!
There are some routes which you will need to go to university for such as becoming a doctor. However, there are other medical professions which you can get into via an apprenticeship. Or perhaps you’d like to build a career in engineering or in teaching. These can be done via an apprenticeship too!
Degree apprenticeships are also on the rise, so if you need a degree qualification to take a step closer to your career goal then a degree apprenticeship can offer a credible alternative to not going to university full time.
Improve Your CV and Tailor Your Application
Employers read through hundreds of CVs before selecting candidates to attend an interview. To increase your likelihood of application success you’ll need to ensure your CV is of a high standard and remember – it’s about quality, not quantity!
Your CV is all about selling yourself and standing out from the crowd. Your CV is often the first point of contact with someone who could potentially be your employer, make sure you check for spelling and grammar errors, ensure it’s presented nicely and that your CV really does showcase your potential and drive to succeed.
Use LinkedIn
LinkedIn can be an incredibly useful social media channel if you utilise it to its full potential. It’s a great chance to network and show your skills and experience and allows you to build an online presence in the professional world.
Make sure your profile stands out. To do this you’ll need to:
- Pick a clear, professional photo
- Ensure your headline uses keywords related to your dream job
- Highlight your achievements
- Get recommendations and endorsements
- Job search on LinkedIn
- Share articles and write your own
Network
They often say ‘it’s not what you know, it’s who you know’ and to a certain extent this is true. Building connections can be extremely important so networking, attending events and getting to know people in the industry is crucial.
But how do you build a network? All you need to do is get out there! Talk to people in the industry you’re trying to break into, find out their story – did they go to university, do an apprenticeship or have they started at the bottom and worked their way up? Ask them what type of skills their companies have, discuss values – this is your chance to find out more about life in the industry.
A great way to find people in your chosen sector is to look out for professional bodies. There are literally thousands and many welcome the addition of young members. Some even offer discounted membership fees and information about careers specific to their industry.
Be Prepared to Start at the Bottom and Work to the Top
It can actually be a very good place to start at the bottom when beginning your career journey. It gives you the chance to learn the ropes and gain experience. Jobs higher up the hierarchy are much easier to handle when you’ve been there and done it. It can teach you a lot and help you to understand each role. For example, if you’re working in retail you’ll appreciate the long and unsociable hours which store assistants work as you’ve been in the role yourself.
Don’t ever be afraid to start at the bottom, learning as you go can increase career success and give you the chance to learn from the bottom right to the top.
Consider Work Experience
Work experience can help build your reputation and show the employer your true potential. Doing work experience gives you the chance to convey your skills, drive and commitment to succeed.
Many companies offer work experience programmes which provide you with the opportunity to learn the ropes and develop an in-depth understanding of the industry. Careermap.co.uk offer a wide range of opportunities from leading companies.
Research the Company
If you’ve been invited to an interview then you must do your research! It goes without saying that you should always know what the company does at the very least. To increase your chance of interview success learn about the companies values, mission and culture. This will usually be in the ‘about us’ section on their website. This will also give you a better understanding of the company and whether it really is the right fit for you.
If you really want to impress you could also look into their latest news and events. Knowing this will highlight your enthusiasm and you can also mention it briefly in your interview. Learn more about questions you may be asked in an interview here.
Ask for Feedback
Don’t be discouraged if you didn’t land your dream job straight away. There will be plenty of other opportunities which you can nail. Asking for feedback is vital. Find out areas you need to improve and apply this in your next interview.
You might even learn something new about yourself. For example, an interviewer may have picked up on your constant fidgeting or a bad habit of finishing off other people’s sentences. Receiving constructive feedback will allow you to work on these areas.
Asking for feedback also shows your willingness to improve, develop and learn – something all employers want in a candidate! Remember, just because you didn’t get this job doesn’t mean you won’t ever find your dream job. Who knows? It could be putting you on the right path to bigger and better opportunities, so it’s important to stay motivated and keep looking!
Be Persistent and Self-Aware
A strong desire to succeed sometimes means overcoming multiple obstacles. Self-awareness and persistence go hand in hand with finding your dream career. Knowing your skills and what you stand for is important for finding the right company for you.
Persistence is equally as important when faced with rejection, it’s easy to become disheartened but don’t be! Whether you’re looking for an apprenticeship, fancy a career change or looking to progress, the secret to success is persistence.
Keep searching, be determined and remain persistent in your job hunt!
Who are Careermap?
Careermap is an online resource filled with live apprenticeship and graduate opportunities. We also provide career guidance and advice through Careermag for School Leavers, Careermag for Graduates and Careermag for Parents. If you’re looking for inspiration then search our website for more information: https://careermap.co.uk/
By now we’re you are on board with not just landing the job you want but also landing a career you love. At our Apprentice Nation Action Days, you will be able to get even more advice on landing a career you love. Jaykae knows all about that, and you can watch him perform live at Gorilla, Manchester. Sign up here limited places
