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Career Checklist - school and college students
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Advice is available from school, college and Connexions careers advisors
You don't need to do all of these activities but you should try to find out about them and include as many as you can, if they are relevant to you:
Career Planning:
- Arrange a careers guidance interview or interview with careers or guidance advisor or Connexions personal advisor as early as possible in the year, as you may get information or advice you want to think about or research.
- Identify your abilities, interests, skills and values, using a variety of methods. Discuss this with your careers advisor.
- Review your careers guidance action plan, if you have one, with your Connexions, careers or guidance advisor or tutor as early as possible to give yourself time to think about options or change your mind.
- Use a computer-aided guidance program, available in schools and colleges, and from Connexions and careers officers. It is more helpful if you can discuss any outcomes with an advisor but you can usually use them as often as you want for ideas.
- Look at careers books or leaflets in the Learning Resources Centre, Library, Careers or Connexions Offices
- Attend any Careers Fairs, Careers Conventions, Higher Education Fairs and events for ideas, information or job opportunities. Prepare before you go, such as looking at the programme, deciding who you want to talk to, and thinking about questions you want to ask. Bring copies of your CV (Curriculum Vitae) to hand out. Make sure you have a pen and paper with you, so you can take notes.
- Do an aptitude test, if appropriate, which will need to be completed with a careers advisor
- Complete career planning modules in your tutorial or educational programme, if available to you.
- Keep your Progress File (if you've been given one by your school or college) up-to-date and keep any documents or records showing your activities, interests and achievements. These will be useful in preparing for any interviews, and will remind you about useful background information for CVs and application forms.
- Join a mentoring programme, if it is available in your school or college and you are eligible. It provides personal advice and support from people who are usually working outside of schools and colleges.
- Keep a record of all temporary or part-time jobs you have done and any references from employers.
- Keep copies of any applications to courses or jobs.
- Check that you know about money issues, such as opening a bank account, loans and credit cards, managing debt, money for further learning in colleges or universities or learning while working, benefits or other money issues. Information is available from tutors, careers advisers, Connexions and welfare rights advisors.
- Keep a record of other careers activities available to you and you have completed.
Applying to Further and Higher Education:
- Attend any College Open Days, Careers Fairs, Careers Conventions, Higher Education Fairs and events for ideas, information or job opportunities. Prepare before you go, such as looking at the programme, deciding who you want to talk to, and thinking about questions you want to ask. Make sure you have a pen and paper with you, so you can take notes.
- Keep your Progress File up to date and keep any documents or records showing your activities, interests and achievements. These will be useful in preparing for any interviews.
- Consider applying to a Further Education course.
- Visit your local college and speak to some of the students and tutors on the courses you are interested in. Discuss this with your school careers advisor or Connexions Personal Advisor.
- Consider applying to a Higher Education course.
- Attend workshops on applying to Higher Education, if appropriate to you.
- Discuss your personal statement for any UCAS applications to Higher Education with a tutor or careers or guidance advisor
- Keep copies of any applications to courses or jobs.
Finding jobs and work opportunities:
- Keep your Progress File (if you have been given one by your school or college) up-to-date and keep any documents or records showing your activities, interests and achievements. These will be useful in preparing for any interviews, and will remind you about useful background information for CVs and application forms.
- Complete a work placement, work experience or work shadowing opportunity and keep any records of what you have achieved and learnt.
- Join a mentoring programme, if it is available in your school or college and you are eligible. It provides personal advice and support from people who are usually working outside of schools and colleges.
- Consider doing voluntary work to build up a range of skills and work experience.
- Keep a record of all temporary or part-time jobs you have done and any references from employers.
- Attend any workshops on getting a job, which will give you some jobsearch skills.
- Find out more about specific jobs, work programmes such as Modern Apprenticeships, New Deal, employers or gap year or year out opportunities. Ask about further training opportunities available to you while you are working.
- Prepare a basic CV and adjust it for each job you apply for. Help is available from careers or Connexions advisors. Also practice completing application forms and meeting each element of a person specification, where appropriate. These are often used as part of the application form by public sector and large organisations.
- Prepare cover letters to send with CVs. Help is available from careers or Connexions advisors.
- Prepare letters of application to employers who may have vacancies available but have not advertised
- Practice interviews, applications, selection tests, group and leadership exercises, presentations and activities
- Keep copies of any applications to courses or jobs.
- Check that you know about money issues, such as opening a bank account, loans and credit cards, managing debt, tax and insurance, money for further learning in colleges or universities or learning while working, benefits or other money issues. Information is available from tutors, careers advisors, Connexions and welfare rights advisors.
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