Whether you’re just leaving school or you want to change your career after 20 years in the same job, the choices and possibilities to consider are almost limitless. Obviously, it’s great to have these options open to you, but making a decision about which one to take can easily become confusing.

These decisions will be much easier if you know already that you want to do a particular job – a plasterer for example, or a doctor: it’ll be very clear for these (and many other) jobs exactly what qualifications you’ll need. For many of us however, it’s not so straightforward. What if you don’t know what you want to do, let alone how to do it?

First of all, don’t worry. Studying is a great way of helping you focus on what you want to achieve in your career and how do go about achieving it. You’re already becoming more focussed as a result. Very few people know exactly what they want from their career when they start out. But there are lots of really simple things you can do that can help you make career decisions that are right for you.

All the London colleges can offer you careers advice. Ultimately, though, it’s your decision. Some things you might like to consider include:

• What motivates you?
• What do you care about?
• What do you enjoy?
• What are you good at?

 

Your CV

Your CV is an advert for you. It's one of the most common ways you many employers and recruiters initially decide who they're interested in for that dream job. So it’s worth taking time to make sure it’s as good as it can be.

Opinions vary about the best way of presenting your CV, but they all agree on one thing: it has to be about much more than what you’ve studied. You’ll need to show how you’ve gained from the experience of studying, how you’ve applied your knowledge in real-life situations, and developed the right kind of skills in the process.

As well as your Careers Service, all of the websites listed below will offer really useful information on how to make the most of your CV.

Click here for useful links on career choices.