Shape your career in the direction you’d like it to go.
Tailor your training
Graduate employers offer a variety of training opportunities because they hire young people with the hope that they will go on to become the company’s future leaders.
Taking training opportunities and asking for training in areas that interest you is essential to your career development. It will allow you to gain the skills and abilities you need to shape your career in the direction you’d like it to go.
“Be interested in what everyone else is doing and you’ll be offered plenty of juicy and challenging opportunities. Every time I took on something new, I gained important new skills” – Graduate at Atkins
Be flexible – nothing is set in stone!
Early careers programmes are often rotational and give you the chance to work on multiple projects. This will allow you to discover the types of work and areas of the business that most interest you.
Take every opportunity to rotate or get involved in something new – even if you think you know what you’d like to do long-term – because you could come across something that surprises you.
“When you’re going through your rotations, focus on finding things that interest you because you should develop your career in an area that you’re passionate about” – Zurich
Gain professional qualifications
There are a number of professional qualifications you can achieve to progress in your career. Many employers will support you to complete a master’s degree and PhD and also to achieve Chartered status – all alongside your day-job. Completing these kinds of professional qualifications will grow your skillset and experience, driving you up the career ladder.
“Completing a master’s degree or a PhD will allow you to gain further knowledge and they are great stepping stones towards becoming a Chartered engineer” – Cummins
Develop your soft skills
When it comes to career development, soft skills are just as important as technical knowledge and expertise. You’ll need to learn how to communicate effectively, work well with others, prioritise tasks, solve problems and make decisions if you want to continue to progress – so always be on the lookout for opportunities that will allow you to develop these types of skills.
“Alongside your technical learning, there are also opportunities to develop your teamworking, communication and public-speaking skills, and to become a STEM ambassador and learn how to speak to different groups of people…” – STFC
