Research Careers

Now you know more about yourself (what would suit you, what your strengths and weaknesses are, what your career priorities are) you should be moving on to exploring what will match you and finding out more about those roles or sectors.

You may now be in one of two positions:

  • You know what sorts of things you would like to do but not necessarily the exact job (i.e. you have a sector or some types of tasks in mind)

  • You know exactly what job you want to do!

For both you will need to do some research to find out some key information that will help you create an action plan and make a decision:

  • What sectors are there? What sorts of roles are available?

  • What will I do day to day in your chosen role, or in the jobs in that sector? Is this what you expected from this career?

  • What qualifications or experience do you need to get into that career?

  • How can you achieve these? What progression routes do you need to take?

  • Is there anything else you're looking for in your career? Is this role/sector likely to offer it?

Not sure what is available in your sector?
Use our sector pages to explore the different industries and roles!

How to effectively research careers

  • Have a pen and paper or word processor to hand so you don't forget anything!

  • Use a variety of sites to look for information, our top pages are linked here for general searching. These websites will often direct to other useful sites that are more sector specific

  • Explore the jobs you are interested in, that your self-assessment has suggested or just ones you find interesting. On some sites you can also search by course or sector.

  • Check what qualifications are needed in these careers and the other routes; for example, can you do an apprenticeship or will you need to go to university?

  • Look at what you will do day to day in these roles and the sorts of environments and work values they offer to also cross reference with your self assessment.

  • Create a list of jobs you would like to look further into or pursue and plan for your next steps.

Find out more about each progression option

Stuck and need support with finding information or making a plan?

Ready to make a plan for yourself? Move on to...