Making it to the end of university and achieving your degree is a great feeling and something to celebrate. However, deciding what comes next is a new challenge that many graduates find daunting.
As you enter the real world of work, there are hundreds of different industries, locations and graduate opportunities to choose from. If you’re unsure about where to start, make sure to check out our graduate careers advice hub that will help you with each step.
No matter what industry you are looking to enter, there are a few things that you should look for in a graduate role if you want it to be the starting point for building a successful career. Let’s take a look at what all graduates should be looking for in their first career opportunity.
If you’re looking for your first graduate job after university, then you should definitely be looking for an opportunity that offers thorough training. This is particularly important as proper training will enable you to develop the skills and knowledge that will build the foundations of your career.
If you find a role that you are interested in, find out as much as you can about what training you will undertake. It’s also worth trying to speak to someone in the business that has gone through the training already so you can get a clear picture of how it will benefit you.
As a graduate entering your first role, it’s important to have a good mentor that you can look up to. A good mentor will:
While you may only just be getting started with your career, you want to be able to see how you can move up and progress professionally from any graduate role. In some instances, your progression path may be straightforward and fairly obvious. However, if you’re not sure you could look into the hierarchy structure of the company you are interested in and see if this suggests a progression path. You could also ask about what progression the company offers when you attend an interview.
Ensuring that an opportunity offers these three things will ensure that your career kicks off on the right foot and will enable you to start achieving your career goals and ambitions.
If you’re currently looking for a graduate job, be sure to check out our commercial opportunities with market-leading businesses across the UK and Ireland here.
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