• Get ready for your career in science
• You and the job you want
• Employers and the labour market
• Practical Skills to Find Work
• Useful Resources
  • Additional support (mentoring, career counselling, helpful others)
  • Accepting job offers
  • Performance as a Newcomer
  • Useful websites
    • Job search databases
    • World of work
    • Discipline associations
    • Education and training
    • Information from the Faculty of Science
  • Tips for managing your career

Useful Resources

Tips for managing your career

Spending time to develop goals and a plan of action to undertake your job searching will enable you to take advantage of the opportunities presented to graduates by employers and industry.

Building your confidence in taking charge of your own career is often called career management.  Good career management skills help you adapt to change as well as embrace new opportunities as they arise.

Here are a few hints on managing your career.

• Take complete responsibility for your own career and be proactive in your job searching.  Career management is a personal process and whilst you will benefit from the experience and expertise of other people, and accessing resources is encouraged, you are the only person who can generate your career plan and put it into action.
• Complete a self-assessment for career development – an honest evaluation of your interests, skills, values, needs and personality and use this information as a foundation for building realistic career goals.  Keep updating it as some of your preferences will change, as your skills and knowledge become more extensive. 
• Be informed about the labour market and make efforts to stay up to date in your field.  Having knowledge of workplace trends through self learning practices and engagement with professional associations will allow you to seize new opportunities and progress within your field and explore brand new possibilities.
• Be career resilient – sometimes people change jobs voluntarily, sometimes involuntarily.  Recognising that job change is inevitable, you should aim to access as many personal and professional development opportunities as you can.  Continuing to review your interests, skills, needs and options will also help you adapt to job change.
• Developing good job seeking skills, including the ability to write applications and a confident interview technique will take some pressure off when it comes to making job changes.
• Keep your networks alive.  As well as providing good sources of information they can offer timely encouragement and support.
• Take good care of yourself – good self management is important so ensure that your lifestyle includes personal time to do the things you love to do and to spend time with people you care about.