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Make your career plan while in college
Graduating from college marks an end of formal education and beginning of the most productive years in one’s life. Whether you opt for further specialisation or take up a job, college education is the deciding credential. The knowledge acquired during college years is the foundation for your career. This is also an important time when the decisions you take can make or mar your career.
For most students, a career plan is an obvious one- do a bachelor’s or master’s degree and take up a job. Students step into the professional world with high aims, expectations and also certain preconceived notions about their abilities and prospects. But most of them do not have the right picture of the job market and its expectations, as they do not attempt to know the same till they finish their course or at least till the final semester. And at that point, they realise that they have made the wrong choice or lost the way. Some choose or accidentally land up in jobs for which they are perfect misfits. This is either because they do not have the required skills or interest in it. Thus, career planning must be done at an early stage.
Here are some pointers to help you:
Contemplate: Factors like interests of parents, family profession, social status, demand of professionals in the specific field and financial constraints must be considered along with passion and abilities. Listen to yourself and be flexible to align your career plans along with these factors. For example your financial constraints might not allow you to opt for a job you are passionate about but which offers less monetary benefits. In this situation you should either put in extra efforts like a part-time job or take up a better paying job and pursue the job of your interest as an avocation and plan a transition later.
Focus: You must have sound knowledge on where you want to be at least five years from now and a fair idea of ten years from now. Also, consider the steps you should take to ensure your progress.
Additional knowledge: Remember that the knowledge you acquire from textbooks is not sufficient to begin your career. So seek the help of people in your field. If you are opting for a job that is not directly related to your education, you need to acquire the additional credentials to establish yourself in the field.
And after you pass out from college, here are some ways to find a job:
Campus placements: Many colleges provide campus placement facility to their students. But you need to have a good academic record and must fare well at the interview. Once hired, the companies train you according to their requirements and your further progress depends on your efforts.
Recruitment agencies: Recruitment agencies act as a bridge between job seekers and companies. They not only select suitable candidates for companies but also guide you through the process of recruitment. As they know precisely what the company is expecting from the prospective employees, they can offer you counsel on facing the tests and interviews and areas to work on. Some recruitment agencies even offer training in some specific areas like soft skills or technical skills for eligible candidates.
References: Referrals from your employed friends give you an edge over others in getting a job. So, post your resume to all your friends and relatives in your desired companies. They can also guide you on the hiring process.
Job sites: Job sites introduce the job seekers and companies to one another. Today, they play a vital role in the initial process of recruitment and have almost replaced the traditional methods.
Internship: An internship gives you an insight into the technicalities of a job in your field. By the end you would have learnt the work and also gained some amount of formal work experience.
Short-term projects: Short-term projects help you to get practical knowledge of your vocation. This will later help you to handle interviews in a better way.
Apprenticeships: Professions like law and chartered accountancy facilitate students to learn the technicalities by working under a professional.
However, one must realise that in the initial stages of your career you must invest your efforts to learn the skills required without being too choosy about the pay or waiting endlessly for a dream offer. At the same time you must also be flexible enough to slightly alter your career path according to changing requirements of the field.
NITYA SAI SOUMYA
faqs@cnkonline.com
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