4 Tips for Kick-starting Your Career this August!

It can be easy to avoid setting time aside to work on your future when balancing things like assignments, work, exams and a social life can take all of your attention in the present. However, there are a few simple steps you can take to give yourself a head-start on achieving career success.

August is shaping up to be an exciting and career-centric month, so read on for some tips on how to navigate the modern career world, and find out more about what’s on offer!

Managing your online brand

In today’s world, your online presence plays a large part in achieving your career goals, and a LinkedIn profile is a great way to get your name out there! When a potential employer searches your name online, your LinkedIn profile will be one of the highest ranking search results, so you want to make sure your profile is engaging.

Setting up a LinkedIn profile takes little time and shows you’re serious about entering the professional landscape. If you haven’t already, it’s a very simple process – all you really need is internet access and a working email address. Follow the prompts and try connecting with people from your industry or workplace, and start taking your professional networking online!

If you already have a LinkedIn profile set up, ensure you achievements and skills are up to date, and make sure your summary is concise – if you’re finding yourself at a loss of what to say, check out this awesome article from The Muse for some templates.

If you want some more tips on how LinkedIn can work for you, check out our website, and learn about how UTS:Careers’ LinkedIn Labs could help you master your LinkedIn profile!

Update your resume

Most people don’t update their resume until they’re looking for a new job. Have you ever gone to prepare for an interview, or tried to add skills you’ve acquired to a job application and found yourself coming up blank? If you’ve never had a job before, or been in the same one for more than a few months, it can be easy to forget all the skills you’ve developed and accomplishments you’ve achieved.

If this sounds like you, take some time out of your day to reflect on any skills or achievements you have accomplished in the last few months. What new employability skills have you developed since last updating your resume? Have you done any volunteer work, or helped a colleague out with a task? Have you been involved in any interesting events or projects where you showed initiative or skills that would impress a potential employer? Add these points to your resume, and set a reminder in your phone for 3 months in the future so you can review these questions again.

You could also keep a notepad at work and take note of any interesting tasks you complete, so you have a running list of your accomplishments on-hand, if updating your resume every few months sounds a bit too daunting. That way, you have an easy list available to you when you do get around to updating it!

Know your industry

When you’re a student it can be easy to forget that starting a career in your chosen field often takes more than simply achieving good grades in your degree. Many industries hire internally or advertise through society websites, so knowing your industry’s preferred hiring methods is essential. Have a look at our website for more tips on effective jobsearch strategies for advertised jobs, and information on the hidden job market.

With technology advancing so quickly, and university degrees becoming more common in jobseekers, knowing the skills that could help you stand out from the crowd is important. A few quick online searches can often yield a wealth of information about what employers are looking for, so start searching!

It’s also a good idea to find leaders in your industry – people who are successful, breaking new ground, or encouraging new ideas – and look at what they have done to get to where they are today. What steps have they taken that has helped them achieve success?  How do these moves reflect changes in your industry? Knowing how your chosen field is advancing, and thinking about what skills are becoming more relevant are useful bits of information to have, and can help you navigate your own learning to accommodate and predict future challenges you may face in your career.

Take part in The Festival of Future You

The Festival of Future You is a month-long festival in August, aimed at getting YOU career-ready! From inspiring and informative talks with industry professionals, to faculty-specific events, careers fairs, and workshops – taking part in the festival is a great idea to help build your confidence and employability skills.

From August 8^th, there will be daily online challenges designed to get you actively engaged in thinking about your future, and taking small but vital steps towards achieving success. PLUS completing the challenges gives you the chance to WIN an amazing secret giveaway! (Seriously, you’re going to want to be involved. Trust me.)

For more information, check out The Festival of Future You website, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for updates!

Featured image courtesy of Pexels