Career development for students: How to Begin Your Career While Still in School
In addition, you should gain knowledge of the market situation in your industry in good time.
- What about the line of business?
- Where could your skills be in demand?
- Which of these sub-areas is particularly sustainable and provides a basis for solid career planning?
With such background knowledge, you make it easier to get started. Furthermore, you prevent later problems and the proverbial “career kinks.” The more promising the industry, the more likely it is that your career will be straightforward and that you will rise quickly with good performance.
In your professional life, it will be essential to constantly expand and refresh this knowledge in order to always be up-to-date. The saying “He who does not keep up with the times, How career development for students goes with the times” has a true core, especially for the course of a successful career. If you already started to regularly expand your knowledge of the market during your studies, you have already automated this process in your later working life and know what is important.
To stick to the example of the automotive industry: Here it would make sense for you, among other things, to know the current status and the latest developments on the market with regard to electromobility. The probability of making a long-term successful career in this sector has increased significantly in recent years.
Relevant companies
In addition, you should know the relevant, large companies in your industry on a regional, nationwide, and international level. In addition to the company stories, it makes sense for you to know at an early stage which company specializes in what.
Furthermore, you can decide whether the companies maintain a partnership relationship with each other or consider each other competitors. You have more time for this during your studies than after long working days. This knowledge will help you navigate the market and gain some benefits for your career.
It also protects you from the proverbial “fat bowls.” A career is based not only on professional performance but also on sympathy and knowledge of interpersonal interdependencies (in this case, it depends on the structures between the companies).
The right look
In order to present yourself perfectly and thus increase your chances of advancement, the right appearance is also indispensable. For women and men, there are certain basic rules that you can follow. It makes sense to internalize these factors during your studies.
Dress codes for men
In the business world, there are a whole range of dress codes for men. The earlier you familiarize yourself with them and try out a bit of what you like, the better your clothes will suit you later. Your appearance becomes more natural. Find out about all relevant looks, from casual to formal. In principle, various factors can contribute to the right outfit and appropriate appearance:
- a suit, a shirt, and a tie
- Shoes, beard, and hairstyle
Especially for upscale positions, you should familiarize yourself with matching shirts and suits early on. Colors and fabrics can vary and give you an individual look. But be careful: be sure to choose a conservative color scheme in case of doubt.
Details are also relevant. Men need a tie in certain industries. In addition to choosing colors, you should learn early on how to tie the knot properly. Different knot types, such as four-in-hand or the simple Windsor, are easy to implement with a little practice. There is also a double Windsor. All these knots have slightly different characteristics.
By trying them out, you can find out which knot suits you best and is easiest for you to tie. This is how you avoid stress when things have to go fast in your professional life, a situation that you will often encounter on your career path.
You should also not forget another detail: the shoes. In addition to their appearance, you should pay particular attention to ensuring that they fit and that you feel comfortable in them. Also keep in mind that your beard and hair should also look well-groomed.
Dress codes for women
soft skills
There are various soft skills that should be part of the standard repertoire and already play a role in the application or an interview. This includes flexibility, communication skills, and teamwork. But what are the soft skills that will later separate the proverbial chaff from the wheat and enable you to take quick career steps? Two main categories are relevant:
Full power
What will really advance your career is the will to work more and a commitment to your company that goes beyond the usual level. For this, you need above-average zeal for work and maybe your own ideas here and there.
The basis for this is to maintain your motivation and work more than is actually necessary. During your studies, you can already practice this perfectly. If you think you’ve done everything for today, put one more thing on it and deal with the matter for an hour longer.
If this work ethic is internalized, you will be able to apply it easily in the course of your career. In addition, it will also take you further in your studies.
Soft interpersonal skills
In addition to the absolute standards, such as friendliness and teamwork, you can also progress interpersonally through certain special skills that can be trained perfectly during your studies. How career development for students This includes correctly assessing or even foreseeing the expectations and ideas of your counterpart.
In other words, this ability could be described as knowledge of human nature with concrete and targeted application in professional life. This soft skill will be of great help to your supervisor, as well as to business partners and customers.
As part of your studies, you can develop this quality with your fellow students and lecturers. Always think very carefully about what expectations are behind an important statement by the professor.
Over time, you will get a sure feeling for it and, at some point, intuitively know what he imagines. In addition to these simple training methods, there are a number of other aspects that you can include in improving your knowledge of human nature. You can then apply the ability automatically in your working life and give yourself many advantages in your career.
Establish a network.
On the one hand, networks can initially help you gain a foothold in the world of work. There are many possibilities for the establishment of such a range of contacts, such as mentoring programs and student initiatives. But how do you create a network that regularly benefits you in your career and allows you to take big steps forward?
Contacts at the top
The people who can give your career a rocket-like boost are not in the third or second row, but in the front row. Therefore, it makes sense to focus, among other things, on the managing directors of important or even particularly large companies.
Now, this project seems hopeless to you as a simple student at first. However, publicly accessible congresses or large trade fairs can provide a first point of contact,How career development for students along with the necessary courage to address issues directly. Your possibilities are manifold. The number of trade fair exhibitors in Germany, for example, grew steadily between 2014 and 2018. As a result, you have many first points of contact.
Maybe one or the other “high animal” will be surprised by your courage and directness and listen to you for that reason alone. Try it out; after all, you have nothing to lose, don’t you?
Select contacts specifically.
Not only important people, but also the right contact people for you, are important for your professional advancement. Think about which contacts are particularly valuable for your career and focus on these people when building your network.
A large network can be helpful. More importantly, however, How career development for students it contains people who will take you further at the points where you need help. For this, it may make sense to make a plan at an early stage about where you want to be in five, ten, or fifteen years, who is important for this, and how to approach these people in a targeted manner. The better and more concrete your career planning, the more targeted your network can choose your network.
Are internships necessary for later success?
