A Few Simple Steps to Help You Start Your Career

The decline in economy for various countries has meant that employment for anyone is golden. We are all still feeling the effects of the recession and it has become a struggle to find work so if you are employed you need to be counting yourself as very fortunate (even if you hate the job) but it seems that the younger generation are finding now a particularly difficult time to start their careers.

The realisation of the matter is that unfortunately, the demand for employment is larger than the vacancies our countries actually have available. Before the decline many people would choose to migrate to another country for employment or experience if finding a job locally was proving difficult but due to the recession spreading across further than the UK, the boundaries set by Immigration for entry into another country have tightened and your prospective employer can find themselves having to answer why you should be employed over a native citizen.

In an ideal world you need a job that is relatively local to you and pays (so you can live). So what are the first steps to take towards a career?

It’s a question that many of us remember being asked when we were at the start of our education. “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Common answers we provided:

• “An Astronaut"
• “A Princess"
• “A Cowboy"
• “A Pop Star"

Hmmm, what realistic aspirations we had as innocent children! Ask yourself this question now and becomes a lot more difficult to answer. In order for you to take the first steps towards building your career though you need to have some idea as to what you actually want to do in life. This is something you need to take some time to think about and make a decision before weighing out your options on how to start such a career.

Many people are put off applying for Internships because they are either misguided into thinking that their degrees already qualify them for the job or the fact that many of them are deterred by the knowledge that most Internships are un-paid programmes.

The truth of the matter is that there is not a job in the world that does not require or look at previous experience.  Internships will provide you with the experience that you need in the real world and teach you new skills in your desired field so although there is not always a job guaranteed at the end of it, it is experience that you can add to your CV for prospective employers.

If you are finding it difficult to find employment or have moved to a new area and cannot afford to be unemployed, then Temping may be an option for you. There are lots of agencies out there that you can sign up with that can find you work straight away. You’ll probably find that you work in more than one role and at more than one company but this is great if you are doing some soul searching to decide on what you really want to do. You get to meet new people and try new things all the while building up your CV. You’ll usually be paid at an hourly rate and a very small percentage of this will be retained by the Temp Agency via the recruiter, usually only approx £1 per hour.

It may feel a little strange going from one job to another especially if you find a role that you rather enjoy. The good thing though is that Temping presents you with the opportunity to impress employers and sometimes find permanent employment.

If you have just finished school or university then you are going to think it strange that I recommend even more training. As I’ve mentioned before though, your degree does not necessarily provide you with enough knowledge or experience in your desired profession for an employer to hire you straight away. Enhancing your training, especially in niche criteria’s can help you get ahead of other applicants when applying for a position.

Some training courses over work placements or practical qualifications; many of these tend to be in a line of trade work. Plastering courses, electrical courses or plumbing courses are widely available and are good trades to be considered as a choice of career as their services will always be required. Other practical qualifications include Beauty, Hairdressing, Child Care, Nursing or First Aid (a highly recommended qualification which is often sought after in applicant by employers) to name a few if these are of more interest to you.

Practical courses due usually require you to pay a fee or purchase equipment required but they are much cheaper than university tuition fees and are shorter lived (usually only require a few months as opposed to years). This means that you can spread the cost of the course into affordable monthly repayments should you need a loan. Re-training or learning new skills shows employers you are actively trying to enhance your knowledge in their field of expertise and are pro-active when it comes to making yourself a valuable employee, even if you do not eventually choose to work in the trade you have trained in it shows you are willing to learn.

Think of your CV as a prospectus. You will have looked at many of these when trying to decide on where to further your education or training. All universities, schools or training centres have to sell themselves to you and that is exactly what you are doing to an employer.

There is nothing more frustrating than reading a document that is completely out of date so it is of the upmost importance to keep your CV up to date with all of your qualifications and previous/current employment.

Keep the detail of each job description in a bullet point format or short paragraph. You want to try and keep your CV to two pages if possible. Don’t think that you are going to stand out if you send your CV in for a job application on quirky paper, or written in a crazy format as 9 times out of 10 you will stand out for all of the wrong reasons and it’s possible the employer won’t even bother reading it. Add a small ‘About Me’ section to give a personal profile of yourself where you can also list hobbies or areas of interest to you as it gives an employer an insight into who you are as a person.

Most importantly, spell check! There is no excuse for spelling mistakes when practically every software now has a spell checker available. It does not reflect well on you if you submit a CV full of mistakes as it gives the impression you have taken no time at all to put it together, which usually mean employers will take no time at all to finish reading it. Keep it positive, brief but relevant as the aim of your CV is to get you an interview.

Interviews are difficult and nerve racking so it helps to prepare before attending one to settle your nerves a little. When offered an interview it is always a good idea to ask if there is anything you need to think about beforehand or bring with you (this will put you ahead of other applicants that have not asked these questions).

If the employer doesn’t ask you to put anything together or think about any topics in particular then you can breathe a small sigh of relief that you don’t have to do some intense cramming. I would always recommend researching the company interviewing you though if you are aware of them (some job advertisements through agencies do not list the company only the post of the vacancy). This way you can relate some of your interview answers to their company and it shows you have done your research and taken time to prepare. It shows you care about the job!

Think of some questions that you may want to ask the person interviewing you as it shows you are interested and also provides some new engagement between you and the interviewer, allowing you to discuss a little more and possibly learn something new.

• Confidence is good but don’t let this turn into arrogance. If you are too cocky then the employer will most likely see through your façade and won’t appreciate it much. Yes that means you won’t get the job!

• Don’t let your nerves get the better of you. A little nerves are normal but can also turn you into a fidget. Try and make sure you sit comfortably when you arrive, cup your hands in your lap so you don’t fidget too much (and it saves you sitting on them). It’s okay to make hand gestures when talking but don’t look like your hands are doing the Charleston.

• ‘Ummmmm’ – Try not to say this much before answering a question. Most employers will look past this if you happen to say it occasionally but don’t be afraid to take some time to think about your answer before speaking. As long as there isn’t a long awkward silence you are okay to have a little silence.

Looking for a job can be deflating and stressful as well as working in a job where you feel like you’ve reached a dead end. The important thing to remember is that it isn’t forever! Try and keep calm so that you can think logically when searching for employment or reassessing your career path.

Follow these basic steps and some opportunities will present themselves eventually. Good luck!