How to Plan Your Future Career For a few months before graduation, university students are busy with job hunting. Several poi

Good morning, everybody. The new term starts again! Freshmen will be excited with the university life while you, the final year students, will be busy with career preparation. There is almost always more than one plausible path to your career destination. If you asked five people in your targeted career field how they got there, chances are you would hear five different stories. Nevertheless, if you have a specific career goal it is a good idea to plan the steps you could take to get there. Several points of concern from final year students in relation to your future career are summarized as follows.
   First, you should know about the requirements from employers. The majority of employers prefer employees to have a global mindset, to take initiatives as well as to possess good language and analytical ability. Ideal candidates should also be enthusiastic and adaptive to change. Therefore, besides academic study, you should pay attention to what is happening around and in the outside world by reading magazines and newspapers. Also, you should enhance the language skills by participating in language training courses, and have more discussion with teachers and other students so as to enhance your presentation skills, self-confidence and analytical ability. You are aim recommended to participate in recruitment talks, guidance programmers and workshops organized by the Career Centre of our university.
   Then, you should make preparation before you go out hunting for jobs. Many students worry about the economic development and employment opportunities. The high unemployment rate and slack economic development puzzle most students. Most of them do not feel optimistic when they enter the job market.
   As a matter of fact, many factors will affect whether you can find an ideal job. The economy may be an important "external factor" in determining the difficulty of getting a job. Yet, students should not overlook those "internal factors" which are your qualities and abilities. Instead of worrying about the economy, you should better equip yourselves and enhance your own competitiveness in the job searching process. Life-long learning should be continued even though you have found a job.
   Many students worry because they are not clear about the career fields which are suitable for them or they do not understand their own career interest. Some students concern that the discipline or subjects they studied in the university has limited their choice of future career.
   In fact, employers will look for candidates with all round abilities, the discipline you studied is only one of the factors in their consideration. If you are not sure about your own career interest, you should identify the career fields that interest you most by paying attention to news from different sectors and attending recruitment talks of different companies.
   Lacking of confidence and nervousness will affect your performance in interviews. You should learn to keep up your self-confidence and control your emotion so as to win in job hunting. Staff of the Career Centre are happiest to help our students by providing them with career guidance services with an aim to enhance your employability and meet the changing needs of the community. You can visit our website for more details of the services provided by the Career Centre.
   Most students do not know how to write an appealing covering letter and curriculum vitae. Some students just copy the same from samples. As is known, the covering letter and curriculum vitae are your marketing tools to employers. A well written covering letter and CV will catch the attention of employers and bring you an interview opportunity. To know more about the skills in writing a good covering letter and CV, you can attend the workshops organized by the Career Centre.
   After writing a good covering letter and a good resume as well, you should be prepared for recruitment talks. Knowing how to prepare for your chosen career field and taking steps toward that goal are important when you apply for a job. Employers consistently say that it’s essential to demonstrate you did the research and you care about your career. Showing you have a specific, genuine interest will help you mike a connection with the interviewer and get a job offer. Most senior staff of the recruiting companies will attend recruitment talks to reach more students so as to facilitate their selection process. Some companies even invite candidates to attend tea gathering in order to observe their social, interpersonal and communication skills. Interviews may be offered to the right candidates. If you are interested in joining a particular company, you should find out the core business of the company and attend its recruitment talk. You should plan ahead and be punctual in attending recruitment talks. You may bring your CV to the talks. And what’s more, you should prepare questions for the Q&A session of recruitment talks. This may impress your potential employer.
   Well, given the time limit, let’s leave it at that. Remember, the suggestions might help you shape a vision towards reaching a future destination and remind you that success does not happen by chance. For further information, you may go consulting the experts in Career Center. Thank you for your attention. Wish you all will find an ideal job soon!