Link education with career. Make yourself employable.

Posted on November 28, 2011 by b4iapply

Before you apply for a university degree, choose carefully what to study and link your education with specific career options.

Think how to link education with career

The WRONG reasons to study a subject at University are:

  • It’s one of my A-levels and I do ok
  • It’s a very popular subject
  • I don’t like anything in particular
  • My parents want me to do it
  • This is the only one I can get with my grades
  • I just want to study something so I don’t have to work

Usually, it is a combination of those reasons. In my case, two of the above applied (3 & 4 to be specific).

Nowadays, this decision cannot be taken in a light-hearted way.

  1. Tuition fees will increase considerably from 2012/13. As a result, you will have a significant debt that will follow you when you graduate and for most of your working life.
  2. Graduate unemployment hits 15 year high . Having a degree doesn’t guarantee you a job anymore. The number of jobs applicants outnumbers the number of available jobs. Employers are aware of that and are selective.

It’s not about getting a degree anymore. It’s about getting the degree that will lead you to a fulfilling career with good job prospects. Employability is the name of the game.

No doubt, there are people who are passionate about a subject and they would commit to it irrespective of whether all the boxes of rationale decision-making are checked or not. Good for them!

In reality though,  the majority is good at many things but not passionate about a specific subject. They can follow many career paths but they are not sure what they REALLY want to do in their life. A similar situation may apply to you.

Nevertheless, you still have to make a decision.

Before you apply, consider the following:

  • Find out what the long-term prospects of the sector you are interested in are (when a sector is growing, personnel will be needed and opportunities will come. For example, the renewable energy sector is likely to attract both government and private investment and maybe be hiring more people in the future).
  • Check which types of jobs are in demand in that sector. Avoid jobs where there too many people out there who can do them. By the time you graduate, there will be even more competition for the same jobs.
  • Get a degree with a specialization. There is a move from generalists to experts. Companies are rather looking for depth than breadth. Don’t go though for a super niche specialization.

The steps above will help you choose degrees that will increase your employability.

If you are still uncertain, it might be worth working for a while.

Don’t go to university because you don’t know what else to do. Higher education has become expensive. So, before you apply, make sure it’s worth your investment by studying a degree that makes you more employable. Link education with career.

Korina Karampela is the founder of b4iapply, author of 2 books, consultant and speaker.

Posted in b4iapply to college, b4iapply to uni, Before I apply, Higher Education, Link education with career | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

How to get a job: Practical tips to increase your chances

Posted on November 20, 2011 by b4iapply

We constantly hear about stories of young people who cannot get a job. The Office of National Statistics (ONS) confirmed this. Youth unemployment (aged 16-24) increased to a record of 1.02m. Even those who found a job, they ended up with positions far away from their dream jobs.

The government is trying to put in place initiatives to provide opportunities to this age group (e.g. by giving incentives to employers to increase the number of apprenticeships & internships)

The question is: What can you do to increase your chances to get a job?

Here are some tips that can help you stand out from the crowd.

1. Improve your resume. This is key. The resume is the main tool you have to convince a potential employer to ask you for an interview. Some tips:

  • Give examples of what you actually did and what the result was.  Don’t list the responsibilities you had. Describe the achievements that are relevant to the position you apply. The employer wants to know what YOU actually did and what the outcome was (e.g. Reviewed the newspapers every day and sent an email to my manager with a summary of X).
  • Use bullet points. They are much easier to read. Also be concise. No need to write a long story about your achievements. You will have the opportunity to elaborate on them when you get the interview.
  • Use action verbs in past tense. It implies that the activity took place in the past and is already completed (e.g. contributed to the development of Y website, wrote weekly reports).

2. Make your ‘elevator pitch’ perfect.  Imagine you met a senior manager of a company you want to work in an elevator. You have a few seconds to communicate to him what you can offer. What would you tell him?

  • Decide which 2-3 points you want to come across.
  • Make sure they are relevant to the position you apply for.
  • Rehearse, rehearse and rehearse!

3. Network as much as you can. Talk to family members, your parents’ friends, your teachers.

  • Tell them what you are looking for.
  • Tell them what you can offer.

So when they come across to an opportunity that might be interesting for you, they will let you know.

4. Get a mentor. Ask somebody you respect  to be your mentor (ideally in the sector you want to work). He/she will be able to provide you advice on how to position yourself. Also, if you convince them that you learn fast and you are willing to work hard, they might be able to refer you to somebody in their network.

5. Get some work experience under your belt. Try to get an internship (paid or unpaid), volunteer for a non-for-profit company or a small business in an area you are passionate. Take initiative. Show you are willing to do more than what you are asked for.

Act on the points above and your chances to get a job will increase. Also, make sure you stay positive. We all prefer to have happy people around us.

Good luck!

Korina Karampela is the founder of b4iapply, author of 2 books, consultant and speaker.

Posted in b4iapply to college, b4iapply to uni, Career Advice, Job search | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

4+1 ways to find your strengths

Posted on November 13, 2011 by b4iapply

Imagine you have a job where your strengths are used.

  • Would you be good at it? YES
  • Would you be successful? YES
  • Would you enjoy it? YES

Then, why the majority of us don’t take these into consideration when we choose what to study and ultimately our career?

The answer is simple.

We are simply not aware of what our strengths are.

I was already 25 years old when I was asked this question for the first time. I worked at GlaxoWellcome at that point.

My response  to my manager was the following; ‘I can’t tell you what my strengths are but I can elaborate a lot about my weaknesses.’

WRONG ANSWER. WRONG ATTITUDE.

For some strange reason, we are more used to focus on our weaknesses than our strengths; maybe because they are easier to identify.

So how can you find your strengths?

Here are 4+1 ways. Pick the ones that fit best with your personality.

  1. Understand yourself better. Observe how you deal with various situations and draw your conclusions. e.g. when you go to a party, do you want to mingle and talk with everybody or do you prefer to sit at a corner and observe what is going on? Remember there is no right or wrong answer.
  2. Ask your friends to write down 1 positive thing about you on a post-it note. Do the same for them. This is a good exercise to understand how you are perceived by others. Keep the responses in your journal. Review them a couple of months later and reflect.
  3. Get a mentor. He/she will be able to give you a more objective view than your parents. (who might be a bit biased – well, I may be wrong!)
  4. Work experience. What feedback did you get while you were doing your summer job? Remember, our strengths come to us naturally. At young age, we may wrongly assume that everybody else is the same. An external perspective is useful.

And,

  1. Personality tests. There are many around (some are pretty good.). However, I’d use them at a later stage. It’s important you develop the habit of self-analysis and reflection. (it’s not as difficult as it sounds. BTW, you do this already!)

Write down all your strengths you discovered in this process in your journal. Rank them with 1 being the best. Then, pick the top 5.

If you want to become an engineer and analytical thinking is not one of your top strengths, I would suggest you think again.

Find a career that plays to your strengths. In this way, you will enjoy what you will be doing and you will be great at it.

Korina Karampela is the author of ‘b4iapply to college‘ and ‘b4iapply to uni‘. 

Posted in b4iapply to college, b4iapply to uni, Before I apply, Career Advice | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

What to study? First things first

Posted on November 6, 2011 by b4iapply

What to study? It is a very simple question. The decision making process  though can be quite complex if you think that there are more than 1,000 separate subjects and over 18,000 Joint and combined Honours courses in the UK.

I’d like to share with you how I took mine (a long time ago). It is a great example of how NOT to take yours.

Well,  the situation was the following. I was between two subjects:

  1. Chemical Engineering: it was the hype at that time. My best friend wanted to study this (and she did). I had no idea what a chemical engineer does and I was so busy studying to get the grades needed that I didn’t bother to find out either. And
  2.  Agricultural studies: in order to follow the family business. I am not against working at the family business (although I didn’t do it in the end despite studying agricultural engineering; smart eh?) but I had no passion about agriculture. I’d never being in a field, I had no particular interest in plants, flowers, vegetables…

The last minute I chose the most reasonable option (or so I thought) and spent one afternoon deciding at which specific subject/university  to apply based only on the name of the course and the location – no internet available those days!!

Yep, it is embarrassing. I know. Anyway, I have moved on:)

So, how to decide what to study?

First things first.

Refrain from the urge to go to the specifics of each course (you will have to do it at a later stage). Step back and think what particular career you want to have.

No point in trying to decide whether you want to study Television Studio Production or Digital Media. First, decide whether you want to be in broadcasting!

To give an analogy; before you decide whether to buy Cheerios or Cocoa Krispies (both brands chosen by chance; no adverting involved), decide whether you want to have cereals in the first place.

Make sure you adore Cereals because you will have to eat them for many many years!

It sounds the logical thing to do but most of us completely ignore this step. The student guides available provide tons of information about the universities and the courses on offer but very little on how to decide what subject is suitable for you.

This is your responsiblity. Don’t shy away.

I’ve seen many people trapped in careers they don’t like. It took me a long time to correct the wrong steps I undertook when I was young. It wasn’t impossible but it took effort, time and money.

Due to the increased tuition fees from 2012/13, it will be more difficult to do a masters degree in order to make a career change. So better get it right from the start.

Korina Karampela is the founder of b4iapply, author of 2 books, consultant and speaker.

Posted in b4iapply to college, b4iapply to uni, Before I apply, Career Advice, Higher Education, What to study | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

What to study? 4 ways to find out what you love doing

Posted on October 30, 2011 by b4iapply

There are many factors to take into consideration in order to decide what to study at university; interests, skills, entry requirements, salary expectations after graduation, etc. The most important of all though is that you study a subject that will help you land a job that you love doing.

You will be spending most of your time at work. Many are expected to work much longer than 9am-5pm and they do! So, it is crucial that you get a job that not only pays the bills but also you love doing it.

The big question of course is how do you find out what you love doing?

1.  Understand yourself better (I can hear you laughing…yes, I agree it’s not that easy but here are some questions that may help you)

  • What do you like doing when you have free time? Do you play football, read a novel or try to find out how the radio works?
  • Is there a subject at school that you really enjoy?
  • What are the things that you are naturally good at? Ask friends and family (those you trust and respect) what they think your natural skills are. Their perspective might be quite useful.

2. Find information about the various jobs. There is a lot available on the internet. You can find some useful websites on this blog under Resources.

3. Get insights from the people you admire regarding their jobs. Ask them:

  • to describe you a typical day at work
  • what they like about their job and what they don’t
  • what skills are necessary to be successful in their current job
  • what they studied and why
  • what they would recommend you study if you want to end up in a similar position
  • what they would study with the knowledge they have now if they were able to back in time? (This is my favorite. You might be surprised by the answers!  Be aware though that not everybody will be open enough to admit if they’ve made a mistake.)

TIP: Don’t limit yourself to the experiences of your parents and their close friends. There are many exciting jobs out there worth exploring.

4. Summer jobs, internships can be also very useful. It may take some time to understand if you are like a job but it will only take you a couple of days to realize if you DON’T like it.

Keep a journal of your findings  (Yes, I know it’s boring but it’s necessary. After two weeks you will have forgotten everything. It’s 2 hours in my case!) and review them every month. You will see a pattern after a while.

Invest time on your research. Remember it takes longer when you don’t know what you are looking for. It’s worth though figuring out what you love doing and study the subject that will help you have a career in an area you are passionate about.

Korina Karampela is the founder of b4iapply, author of 2 books, consultant and speaker.

Posted in b4iapply to college, b4iapply to uni, Before I apply | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments