Trinity In Twelve Weeks

Why Start Career Planning Now?

It might seem a bit early to start thinking about what you want to do after College given that you haven't even finished your first semester, but it's a good idea to consider where you would like to go after you finish studying and how you might get there. This includes thinking about what kind of job you might like to have, and what you can do while in College to increase the chances of you being successful.

You don't need to lay out a master plan and follow it to the letter, but it's not too early to be looking into internships and summer work that might benefit you in finding a job after college, and to actively be thinking about what you are enjoying learning or working on and what you think won't be for you.

How To Do It

Start by thinking about the following:

• What really motivates you in work? Your beliefs and values are important here!
• Your interests from both an academic and extracurricular perspective
• What type of career and work culture might suit you best
• Where your strengths lie in terms of skillset.
• Your emotional intelligence. This refers to how you manage your own emotions and the emotions of others. Reflecting on how emotionally intelligent you are, in combination with the other factors above, may also help you to choose or eliminate certain careers or work settings.

A four-stage, cyclical career planning process can assist you in making career decisions throughout your time in College and afterwards:

• Know Yourself
• Explore Opportunities
• Make Choices
• Take Action

There are some questions below that will help you with these four stages.

Useful Tools

The Careers Service provide access to a number of online tools to support you in career planning. There are also several publicly available tools which may be of help. Some of those most relevant for first years are:

• MyCareer
  (Only available to TCD students and graduates)
• Database of career opportunities and events available to Trinity students.

MyCareer

• Profiling for Success Personal Assessment Programme
  (Only available to TCD students and graduates)
• Identify your learning style, career interests, and more!

  Profiling for Success

• CareersPortal.ie
• Particularly useful for people considering changing their course of study.
• Identify and explore which career sectors your degree course best helps to prepare you for.
• Identify and explore courses which best prepare you for your dream career sector.
• Shortlist careers and courses that match your interests.
• Database of generic job descriptions (including many video case studies), with information on the current state of the labour market and how to get into the area.

CareersPortal

• Qualifax
• Particularly useful for people considering changing their course of study, or researching postgraduate qualifications.
• As the National Learners' database for Ireland, it provides the most comprehensive information on further and higher education and training courses.
• Offers calendar of further/higher education informational events, and information on grants.

Qualifax

What are CVs and Cover Letters?

Your CV (which stands for Curriculum Vitae) is used to introduce yourself to a prospective employer, providing an overview and confirmation of your skills, abilities, and experience with the goal of being invited for an interview.

Your cover letter highlights elements of your CV, skillset, and experiences which may be of particular relevance and interest for the prospective employer, demonstrating your research of the role and organisation, and how you specifically meet some of their important requirements.

What should be in your CV?

Your CV should be no more than 2 A4 sides, and should be clear and concise. It should be visually appealing, but you should tailor the look of it to the organisations you are applying to and what their corporate culture is.

Types of CV

There are a few different ways to present your CV depending on what you are applying for, and your own skills and experience. Two of them would be the most relevant for you writing your CV as a student.

Chronological/Combination CV

List your jobs and work experiences in chronological order - most recent first. List duties and/or achievements and skills gained after each work experience or educational 'entry.' Be succinct in your wording (less is more in terms of impact!) and start each phrase with a verb, e.g. assisting, completed, dealing with, awarded etc.

Advantages: Emphasises continuity and career growth. Highlights name of employer and position held, and is easy to follow. Highlights achievements.

Disadvantages: When your work history is irregular, or if you have changed employers frequently.

Best used: When your career direction is clear and the target job is directly in line with your work history/experience. (However, when the career objective and skills profile are utilised effectively, this form of CV can also be used where the job target is not directly in line with your studies/experience).

Combination CV Example

Skills-Based CV

Here you categorise your work experience and education according to your skills and capabilities. This style of CV highlights major areas of accomplishment and strength, and organises them in a way that will best support your application for a specific role.

Advantages: Gives you flexibility in emphasising skills and abilities. Eliminates repetitive work experience details.

Disadvantages: Not suitable for employers who would prefer a more traditional CV, or if you have a limited range of experience.

Best used: In cases of career change or re-entry into the job market. Can be very effective when you wish to stress a particularly strong area of ability.

Skills CV Example

Cover Letters

A standard covering letter:

• Is formatted as a letter, with the date and address of composition given.
• Is a single typed side of A4 paper only.
• Refers to where you saw/identified the job: 'I enclose my CV in response to your advertisement in...'
• Outlines your current situation: 'I am looking for summer work in 2024.'
• Highlights your suitability. Reflect the needs of the company as outlined in the advertisement or job description, and indicate how your skills, qualities, and experience 'match' these needs.
• Displays a positive and enthusiastic tone throughout.
• Concludes with 'I am available for interview at your convenience,' or 'between dates X and Y.'
• Features a typed or printed version of your name underneath your signature.

What Is It and Why Is It Important?

You might think of networking as simply a business transaction. You go to a networking event, you try to meet people who are useful to you, have a free sandwich, and go home. However, networking is actually something you do every day; every new person you speak to, and every connection you deepen, are adding to your social network. You are always meeting people, so learning how to break the ice and have a conversation with a stranger is an invaluable skill.

Aside from the social benefits of having friends, there are two other reasons to build your network through your life (starting now!):

1. For opportunities
2. For support

1. While it is great to meet an important person who may be able to offer you a job today, it is also important to build professional relationships with people who don't seem to have any immediate benefit for you. As your life and circumstances change, and as their lives and circumstances change, you may find yourself in a position to take advantage of an opportunity they have for you, or you may have an opportunity for someone else. And you may find yourself with a new friend!

2. Your network is also a source of support when things go wrong. The more authentic your relationships are with your network, the more you will find yourself able to rely on support - whether you didn't get a job you wanted, or perhaps lost one. Your network can support you in your work; everybody looks at the world through a different lens, and discussing the project you are working on with a classmate or colleague may provide some new ideas.

Where To Talk To People

One of the easiest places to start a conversation with someone is in a queue, or - more generally - whilst you're both waiting for something. When you're leaving your lecture theatres, for example, and you're waiting for everyone to get onto the stairs and out the door. Or, when you sit down next to someone when you arrive to class. Waiting for food or drink at a bar or a counter is another time you can start a conversation with the person next to you. Or standing in a bathroom queue! If you stand sideways in a queue, it's easy to start a conversation with the person behind you (we'll get on to what to say shortly).

If you are at an event (and you don't see any obvious queue you can join!), it can be difficult to know if a group of people talking will welcome a newcomer or not, but there is a way to tell. You need to look at the body language of the groups in the room. A group that is standing facing each other, with their backs to the rest of the room and no gaps between members, is a closed group. Closed groups are more difficult to approach and start a conversation with, as you will likely have to ask someone to move to let you in. They may also be having a more private conversation.

You should look for open groups. Open groups will leave gaps for other people to approach the group and join in the conversation. They will tend to face outwards to the room as well. The diagram below is an illustration of what that means.

What To Say

Now that you have identified someone to talk to, you need to have something to say. This doesn't have to be elaborate - after all, you are only starting a conversation! Say hello and introduce yourself.

Typically the first thing anyone asks of a stranger is 'what do you do'. Everyone wants to know what other people do. This may lead to a natural conversation all by itself, and, if so, good work, you are now networking!

Sometimes the question 'what do you do' produces awkwardness, and maybe they don't want to talk about it. This is not an opportunity for you to talk at length about what you do, rather you should have some backup conversation topics. Two very simple ones that anyone will relate to are

1. What has just happened?
2. What is happening next?

So if you are leaving a lecture, you can discuss what just happened in class, and the shared experience should make the conversation easier to keep going. You can also talk about what is about to happen - what class is up next and what do they think about it? If this sounds suspiciously like making friends, that's because it basically is. It's important when networking, as when making friends, to listen more than you talk, and to be genuine.

When you are confident approaching strangers and starting conversations, then you should practice what you want to say, and keep developing your skills from there!

How To Get Away From Someone

So you've done it, you have successfully networked, but now you're in a conversation with someone you've realised you do not want to be talking to. How do you escape gracefully?

Easy.

The two most-used excuses are two of the most reliable and least rude: 'I need to get a drink' and 'I must go to the bathroom'. If you don't intend on coming back to speak to them, choose your excuse, say 'It was lovely to meet you,' and walk away.

Now that you have escaped, you can start your networking again in the queue at the bar or the bathroom!