Careers and Employability Service
Services for current students

Career in mind?

I have a career in mind

Do you know what you want to do but not sure how to get into it? 

To help you explore the routes into the career you have in mind, you need to establish whether:

  • you have a well-defined job or career in mind, or
  • you are considering a sector or broad career area

An example would be: are you thinking about becoming a field trials officer or are you considering an environmental career? 

A specific job in mind

If you know the job you want to go into, the next step is to find out about the routes in:

  • Do you need a postgraduate or professional qualification? Is it a requirement or would it boost your knowledge and job prospects?
  • Do you know which companies advertise the vacancies you're looking for? 
  • Where do they advertise job vacancies? Generic job boards such as Indeed or specialist recruitment agencies or job boards such as the New Scientist?
  • Are there any application deadlines for jobs or further study options?
  • How will I fund my studies?
  • Do employers expect applicants to have some experience in the job or a similar area?

Answer these questions, using:

 
 

A sector or broad career area

If you've got a broad career area in mind, then the first place to start is to get a sense of the types of roles within the sector and where your interests lie.

For example, if you want to work for a charity, what jobs are there in charitable organisations? Are you passionate about a specific cause - animal welfare, vulnerable adults, or overseas aid?

If you're interested in finance, are you interested in accountancy, banking and finance, financial planning, investment banking, insurance or tax?

Good starting points are:

 
 

Your next steps

You've found out more about the career or careers that interest you and now you have other questions perhaps about your next steps, gaining work experience, or applying for jobs and further study courses. 

There is a wealth of information on the other pages of this website to answer your questions. However, if you want to talk to an adviser, simply book an appointment with one of our team through MyCareer or call in to one of our drop-ins..

 

 

Careers and Employability Service

University of Nottingham
Portland Building, Level D
University Park
Nottingham, NG7 2RD

telephone: +44 (0) 115 951 3680
fax: +44 (0) 115 951 3679
email: careers-team@nottingham.ac.uk