Uptree

Hi everyone, my name is Aleigha and I'm an Uptree ambassador and Degree Apprentice at Transport for London . My apprenticeship consists of work-based management placements throughout Transport for London (usually changing every 6 months) for 4 days a week.

Aleigha is also studying for a business management degree as part of her course, with a designated day a week for this

Pic by Aleigha: view from Aleigha's walk to work

In this article, I'll be sharing my insights and experiences as we look at:

• The benefits of trying out a range of roles while at school

• How to research a company

• Why you should have a LinkedIn profile

• How to make yourself stand out

The benefits of trying out a range of roles while at school

When deciding what I wanted to do after my A-Levels, I found that the key to figuring it out was trying out a wide range of roles.

Being exposed to a variety of roles and industries is crucial in finding out what you do and don’t enjoy in regards to different careers.

Being open to trying new things will also be beneficial in gaining experience which will enable you to build your CV. Even if the experience that you gain is primarily unrelated to the industry or role that you decide to go into, you will gain a range of transferable skills and become a more adaptable candidate, which is sought after by recruiters.

Find something that interests and excites you, and use this as a guide of what experiences you should aim and apply for.

As well as formal work experience events , online courses can catalyse your comprehension of an industry (there are a lot of courses in law, STEM, business etc that can be found online).

How to research a company

When researching companies and attending events, you should 'interview' the company in addition to them interviewing you. Major contributing factors of whether or not you would enjoy working in a company include: their culture, their work life balance, and their opportunities for career progression.

Once you have explored what you would want from a company, it will become easier to make an informed decision regarding the type of place that you would like to work.

At events or insight days, it may help to ask employees (especially if they are in a role that you aspire to do) questions such as ‘what does a typical day in your role look like?’ or ‘what are the best and worst parts of your job?’ in order to gain a better understanding of whether a company has an environment that you would thrive in.

Why you should have a LinkedIn profile

Creating a LinkedIn account is beneficial for networking and finding relevant opportunities, whilst giving you a deeper understanding of what a particular role or industry may be like.

When attending networking events it may be helpful to ask for their LinkedIn and potentially ask for advice and opinion on roles that you may be interested in. Mentioning that you attended an event or that you know them may help you in terms of getting a reply but you shouldn’t be disheartened if not as people are busy.

The more you network the easier it becomes.

How to make yourself stand out

Try attending lectures, especially if your potential career choice involves university or a degree apprenticeship. A lot of top universities have some lectures or speaker events that are open to the public ( hint: type 'public lectures' into Google to find options ).

Attending these may catalyse your understanding of a particular career pathway and whether it would be a good fit for you. Furthermore it will be an experience to add to your CV which will show future recruiters that you are passionate about the subject.

Once you have found an industry or role that interests you, it is important to research the range of routes and find out which would be best for you. As my apprenticeship is a general management scheme, they tend to have a lot of opportunities to gain a wide variety of experience within the company, which is useful if you have a rough idea of what industry you would like to work in but are unsure of what role you would like to commit to.

Alternatively, a lot of apprenticeships aim to train you for a particular role which is useful if you know what you would like to do and are looking for mentorship in how to get there. University is also a great option if you are really interested in a subject and would enjoy studying it for a long period of time.

Whatever the route you choose, it is important to make the most of networking opportunities and chances to build experiences and skills.

It is also crucial to research companies within your chosen industry and see what skills and experience they value, as it is not always what you might expect. Many companies are looking for entry level employees that can further push their innovation. This means that some roles may be open to you even if you think that you don’t have a lot of directly relevant experience and qualifications.

It’s important to analyse where a company intends to be in the future as well as where the industry is headed, as technological advances are constantly changing job roles.

Final advice

My final piece of advice is to make sure to build your network when attending work experience events, and utilise platforms such as LinkedIn.

Trying new things will give you a range of experience that will help build your CV and network which is crucial in choosing which career you would like to pursue and ensuring that you are in a good position to progress in your next steps.

Keep in mind that now, more than ever, it is possible to change the direction of your career (especially if you have built a network in a range of industries by gaining a variety of experience), and that the most important deciding factor is finding something that inspires you.

Good luck on your journey to figuring out what you want to do!