How to choose a career

Feeling unsure about your career? Whether you're just starting out or considering a change, creating a clear career development plan can help you move forward with confidence. Here's how to do it in four simple steps

A career plan is an evolving strategy to guide your learning and progression throughout your working life. These four stages help you map out clear actions toward your career goals:Ìý

• identify your skills and interestsÌý
• explore career ideasÌý
• make a decisionÌý
• set achievable goals.Ìý

Career planning matters - it helps you avoid impulsive decisions and recognise the right time to look for new career opportunities or develop new skills.Ìý

This model can be used by anyone - from school leavers to students, graduates and career changers.Ìý

1. Identify your skills and interests

Your career choice plays a major role in your long-term happiness and success. You'll spend a significant amount of your life at work and so in order to enjoy your job, remain motivated and fulfil your potential, you need to choose wisely.Ìý

It's important to understand your range of skills and knowledge, so you can see if they're a good fit for the job you'd like to do. Being aware of the skills you have also helps to highlight any gaps that may need to be filled to achieve your career goals.Ìý

List your key skills with real-life examples. An honest self-assessment will help narrow your options in the next step. You can also see where you measure up in terms of the skills employers are looking for.Ìý

Consider where you are now, where you want to be and how you're going to get there. If you're uncertain about your direction, reflect on the following questions:Ìý

• What am I good at?Ìý
• What are my interests, motivations and values?Ìý
• What kind of work environment do I thrive in?Ìý
• What kind of lifestyle do I want?Ìý
• What do I want from my career?Ìý
• What is important to me?Ìý

If you're struggling to identify your strengths, weaknesses and character traits, try taking practice psychometric tests or doing our Job Match quiz.Ìý

By the end of this step, you'll have identified the sort of jobs that will suit you but won't yet have enough information to make a decision on which to pursue.

2. Explore career ideas

This step involves researching the job market and narrowing down career paths that align with your interests.ÌýÌý

Explore your ideal job sector and stay on top of its trends by researching the local, national and global jobs market. This will help you to discover more potential career paths, and understand which roles are expanding or declining.Ìý

There are three overarching job sectors. These are:Ìý

• private - sole traders, partnerships and limited companiesÌý
• public - local and national governments, plus their agencies and chartered bodiesÌý
• not-for-profit - often referred to as the third sector, or the charity and voluntary work sector.Ìý

µþ°ù´Ç·É²õ¾±²Ô²µâ€¯job profiles may introduce you to some less obvious career paths where your skills and qualifications could be useful.Ìý

You could also try:Ìý

• listening to industry podcasts - listen to Prospect's Future You podcast for insights into professional career journeysÌý
• searching job boards - explore platforms like Indeed, LinkedIn, and Glassdoor to see real job postings, salaries, and company reviewsÌý
• watching YouTube channels - many professionals share 'a day in the life' videos, giving you inside looks at various roles. Watch our graduate insights videos on the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ»ÆƬ - YouTube channel.Ìý

Compile a shortlist of around five to ten jobs, before considering the advantages and disadvantages of each in terms of:Ìý

• career developmentÌý
• employment outlookÌý
• entry requirementsÌý
• job descriptionÌý
• related jobsÌý
• salary and conditionsÌý
• training.Ìý

Think about whether you'd thrive working in startups, for large companies, or self-employment.Ìý

This is the perfect time to consider work experience and internships, work shadowing a²Ô»å volunteering opportunities. They'll help you to gain an insight into the areas you're interested in before committing yourself to a certain career path.Ìý

3. Make a decision

Combine what you've learned about yourself with what you've discovered about your options and the graduate jobs market.Ìý

Choose your top career option and a couple of strong backups. To help make a decision, ask yourself the following questions:Ìý

• Will I enjoy doing the job every day?Ìý
• Does it meet most of my preferences?Ìý
• Do I have the right skills?Ìý
• Does the company fit with my values?Ìý
• Are there clear paths for advancement?Ìý
• Are there any location/financial/skills limitations I need to take into account?Ìý
• Is the job realistic in terms of salary?Ìý
• Is this field growing or declining?Ìý

If you're struggling to reach a conclusion, try strategies to support your decision-making. Listing the pros and cons of a particular job or career is often useful, as is completing a personal SWOT analysis:Ìý

• Strengths - What skills, traits, certifications and connections would you bring to the role that nobody else could? What makes you unique?Ìý
• Weaknesses - What areas could you improve on? Do you lack any skills holding you back from excelling in the role you'd like to pursue?Ìý
• Opportunities - Is your industry growing? Could you take advantage of your competitors' mistakes or gaps in the market?Ìý
• Threats - Could your weaknesses slow your progression at work? Is there anything else that may stand in the way of your development, such as changes in technology?Ìý

Remember, you're not alone in making this decision - there's plenty of support out there to guide you. Look to:Ìý

• company websitesÌý
• family and friendsÌý
• newspaper articlesÌý
• professional bodies and industry conferencesÌý
• ³Ù³Ü³Ù´Ç°ù²õÌý
• university careers and employability services.Ìý

Keep in mind that you'll probably be suited to more than one career and today's jobseekers usually change career direction more than once in their working life. The key to being employable is having the ability to adapt and learn new skills.Ìý

Learn more about making a career change.Ìý

4. Set achievable goals

Your career plan should outline how you'll get to where you want to be, what actions are needed and when, and separated into your short, medium and long-term goals. Constantly review your progress, especially after each short-term goal is reached.Ìý

You must also establish a backup career development plan, in case your situation changes. Map several alternative paths to your long-term goal, considering how you'll overcome the types of problems you might encounter - such as training requirements - at each step.Ìý

Your first short-term goal may involve improving your CV and cover letter. Other short or medium-term targets could include:Ìý

• ²¹³Ù³Ù±ð²Ô»å¾±²Ô²µâ€¯careers fairsÌý
• gaining volunteering experienceÌý
• undertaking relevant internships.Ìý

Book time with your university careers team to review your plan and get feedback if you feel you need some professional reassurance.Ìý

Career planning is ongoing. As you grow, keep refining your path - a solid plan helps you navigate new opportunities with clarity.Ìý

Find out more

• Read The Topic to stay up-to-date on news, insights and opinions.
• Learn more about how to find a job.
• Get more career ideas by considering what can I do with my degree?