Every student at LSE faces this question at some point: what do I do after I graduate? While the list of answers could be endless, LSE Careers is the best place to get support in your career planning. There are several ways you can utilise the services available.
Planning your careers
At LSE Careers, their online resources correspond to the Career Development Cycle (CDC). Beginning with understanding your own interests, it naturally guides you to explore a diverse range of career options through various experiences, before implementing all your skill sets to job applications. On this note, you don’t have to worry even if you’re not sure what you want to do right away. Everyone has their own pace in figuring out who we are, and what we truly want to pursue.
Specifically, LSE Careers has its own website that serves as a starting point for your career planning process by year. The site signposts you to different services available at LSE to target specific soft and transferable skills (or experiences!).
One thing to note is that the career-planning information from the LSE Careers website is not tailored towards a specific sector – if this is what you are looking for, I would strongly recommend booking a 1:1 appointment with an LSE Careers Consultant. Available four times per term for current LSE students, you can use it as an opportunity to share your career ideas, get feedback on your CV, or even attend practice interviews.
Want to explore sectors of your interest?
On CareerHub, you can view and book all upcoming career events held by LSE Careers. Personally, I’d advise checking out the Discover | Sector series, as it is a perfect opportunity to meet experts in a given sector in one day. Of course, LSE Careers holds events spanning different types of organisations, roles, and even other countries.
I’ve been to the Discover | International Organisations and Discover | International Development series in my first year. Both of them gave me top tips on how I should treat my time at LSE as a portfolio that targets specific skillsets required in each industry. I’d recommend these events to first and second-year undergraduates and postgraduates, as most third-year undergraduates are busy either with master’s or job applications.
Time for applications?
Before writing any applications, you’ll have to figure out whether you want to jump into a career straight away, or want to pursue further studies. LSE Careers is ready to support you either way.
To begin with, LSE Careers has its landmark event called Applications Day. It’s packed with information for writing cover letters, CVs and successful application forms, preparing for aptitude tests, and so on. Then, depending on your application cycle, the aforementioned 1:1 appointment can come in handy. You can book a meeting for a 30-minute practice interviews, or prepare yourself for the assessment centre.
If you’re planning to become a master’s student (or even a PhD student), check out the information sessions updated on the LSE Careers website. A specific information page on what to prepare for postgraduate applications can be helpful as well. Yet, remember, you’re responsible for figuring out which programme to apply to and gaining relevant experience and degrees required for your application.
And some final advice…
By this point, everything written on this blog may seem daunting at first, I should admit. But I’d like to reassure you all that LSE Careers are here to support your future plans, not to pressure you into thinking you ought to have a job offer by the end of your time at LSE. Everyone’s path is different. If you’re an international student like me who is thinking of working in your home country, searching opportunities from your home-bound platform might be more handy sometimes. Just because you’re not sure what to do next doesn’t mean that you’re behind. Just keep calm and be yourself – use LSE Careers as a supporting tool by your side!
