Thinking back to my fresher year, career exploration was one of the most common concerns that our cohort shared. Everyone, including myself, seemed to be having a difficult time figuring out what they wanted to do at the end of the day. I’m assuming that this could be the case for this year’s freshers too. Now, fret not, LSE Careers is here for you to assist you with your career journey. These are some key go-to services to make the best out of LSE Careers.

Career Development Cycle

I know, I know. Talking about careers can be daunting, especially when you’ve just begun your first chapter at university and have no idea what you want to pursue in the future. On the other hand, some of you might be super confident in what field you want to work in. LSE Careers provides a useful resource that could accommodate everyone’s current level of career readiness: Career Development Cycle. The cycle consists of four stages: understand, explore, experience, and implement. Once you log into LSE careers and record your career readiness, you’ll receive a recommendation on what activities to try out next. 

If you have no idea where to start navigating your career, following the list of activities in the LSE Careers information and resources page is highly recommended. The resources include workshops, introduction to career events, and know-how on searching for jobs and internships.

Career events

LSE Careers hosts a range of events that suit each stage of the career development cycle. This includes the Discover | X programme that allows students to network with expert panels in each industry, as well as the Application Day, a day that provides tips and feedback to improve one’s job applications. Of course, LSE Careers also have events targeting those who wish to pursue their studies to a graduate, or even doctorate level.

In my case, I attended the Discover | International Organisations series in October 2022. This was an eye-opening experience, given that I could gain valuable insights from people who work at UNDP and UN Volunteer. They gave top tips on how to structure my CV, and the minimum academic and linguistic requirements to work in the United Nations. If you have a clear idea of which industry you would like to work in, this is a great opportunity to ask questions – whether that be on application tips, or what it is like to work there.

One-to-one appointments

Every LSE student can book a one-to-one appointment with LSE Careers consultants. While some students use the appointment to get feedback on their CVs or job applications, some others use the time to share their career navigation process and to get advice.

As a disabled student, I had a 45-minute-long one-to-one appointment with Ms Viki Chinn to discuss whether the United Nations is a disabled-friendly workplace. Since the UN employers in the aforementioned Discover | International Organisations workshop didn’t give disabled-specific information, I needed that extra bit of information.

After a long discussion, I concluded that the UN is not a good fit for me, personally. Nevertheless, I’m grateful that I had access to LSE Career’s one-to-one appointments – I wouldn’t have been able to make this decision without getting real-life advice on how to choose a good workplace as a disabled person. As such, the one-to-one appointments are super useful for those who are willing to get a job in either the UK or even in the EU. 

Even if you’re an international student, you’ll be supported from day one to the moment of writing applications and preparing for interviews. Hopefully, LSE Careers will be your partner in your career journey. While they cannot decide everything for you, they will always be there for you when you ask for help.