Graduating from a university can be an incredibly valuable asset in surviving today’s competitive labor market. Even though there is still a global labor shortage, the most sought-after and high-paying positions are often found in extremely competitive niches.
Given this reality, it’s important to remember that a university degree alone may not be enough to land the job you want. To kick-start your career, it’s essential to take some proactive steps while you’re still in school or just finishing up your studies.
Let’s explore a few tips and strategies that can help point you in the right direction.
Look for internship opportunities
Having a university degree is great. Having some valuable work experience coupled with that official document, however, is what gives you an edge over the other similarly qualified job candidates.
Check your area for internship opportunities and get that important hands-on experience. You can start by networking with the selected professionals and attending the industry, career, and internship fairs.
Also, make sure you’ve developed strong skills in scheduling, time management, and efficient learning. Your workload will increase significantly, and you’ll need to handle it smoothly.
Expand your personal skill set
In today’s job market, professional skills are slowly fading into the background. Just to be clear – what you learn at your university will still make the main pillar of your career.
But, with all industries evolving at a lightning pace and employers demanding a great level of flexibility, this main pillar needs to be supported with other valuable skills, such as the ability for:
- continuous learning,
- critical and analytical thinking,
- emotional intelligence,
- effective communication.
Be sure then to hone these valuable assets in day-to-day activities and communication. Your efforts will more than pay out.
Make your foothold in a prospective area
To put it simply, some locations offer much better opportunities for networking and are under the closer eye of talent hunters than others. These hubs are usually concentrated around established universities.
For instance, if you are enrolling in studies in Australia, you should consider some of the heavy hitters like the University of New South Wales and experience student life on the UNSW campus.
Here, you will be able to meet future leaders, mingle, establish a strong professional profile, and easily build your resume. This counts for all popular universities and their adjoined campuses.
Keep pace with current trends
What you study in university quickly becomes yesterday’s news. While it provides a solid foundation for expanding your knowledge throughout your career, that’s all it does. By the time new technology or disruptive business trends make it into educational programs, the train has already left the station, and something new has taken its place.
Modern industries move too fast to rely solely on academic knowledge. So, pay attention to your classes and build that foundation, but always stay tuned to what’s happening in the ‘real world’.
Focus on the things you are passionate about
The famous Chinese philosopher Confucius once said, ‘Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.’ The same applies to your studies and building your future career. You need to be passionate about what you’re doing.
If you have that inner drive, learning will come more easily, your internship will be enjoyable, and you’ll naturally connect with like-minded professionals. And rest assured, every study program, profession, and industry has enough flexibility to find something that excites you. So, choose your niche and set your goals.
Set clear goals and stay motivated
These two things are naturally connected so we chose to wrap them together. To put it simply, goals are what push us forward and give us a clear idea about what we need to do to get from point A to point B.
They help us network, level up our skills, handle our busy schedules, and break down large, seemingly endless tasks into smaller and more manageable chunks. The clearer, more defined, and time-constrained are, the better.
So, make your career road map, break it down into shorter-term tasks, and start making tangible progress on this elusive road. Each one you accomplish will just keep you pumped.
Well, there you have it –the top six tips that will help you use your time at the university not only to learn and build an immensely important professional skill arsenal but also to make the first steps toward a long and successful career.
And, if you think that thinking about a future career at this stage is too early you are wrong. The present-day labor market is highly competitive and hectic. If you want to truly stand out, you need to make a splash even before you get your degree. We hope the tips we gave you above will get you started in the right direction.
⸻ Author Bio ⸻ ⸻
Brigitte Evans is a lifestyle blogger with a passion for design, culture, and health. She is a regular writer and contributor to numerous lifestyle blogs and online magazines. She also loves to travel and enjoy the great outdoors.
