Career coaching: Chiedza

Did you undertake coaching in your final year or after graduation?

After graduation (current date: June 2023, graduated 2022)

Where were you in relation to your career planning before you applied for career coaching?

Before career coaching, I was thinking about what I wanted to do post-graduation. I had the idea to do Speech and Language Therapy but none in terms of how to go about this or what my next steps should be. After completing my degree in July, I realised that I needed to get a job which would provide me with more experience for the role but then was not sure how to go about the applications and what other skills I could identify that I already had.

What did career coaching involve, and how did it help you?

Initially, my career coach helped me to see what skills and experiences I had already completed and obtained within my degree that would apply to a role in speech and language therapy, this helped me to see that I could do it with a bit more experience.

My coach also helped me write my CV properly, as I did not understand how to properly format it, which has helped me get all the jobs I have had since graduating.

The main aspect of the career coaching, however, once I had gained more experience and knew more ways I could do so, was in helping me with my postgraduate degree applications which were initially incredibly daunting. My first personal statement draft was not good at all, but Jackie gave me a lot of useful feedback and allowed me to keep sending drafts containing the improvements she suggested to me. I was then able to produce and send a personal statement to my chosen universities, which I was incredibly proud of with Jackie’s help. This also helped me get an interview offer from the university I wanted to study at most. Jackie then helped me with interview preparation by providing me examples of questions they may ask and helping me prepare answers for this as well as giving me a mock interview so I could feel more confident going into the real one. This led to an offer from my preferred university and also a place to study there this year.

Additionally, the small deadlines that were set by my career coach helped me to stay on track this year and keep me motivated and driven, as did the advice that was given to me in terms of what else I could be doing such as volunteer positions.

Where are you in relation to your career planning/making applications now? 

I am now working as a teaching assistant to prepare me for my new university course. I do feel as though I have a much clearer career plan and a lot more experience. I also now have a place at the University of Essex to study MSc Speech and Language Therapy, this was my main goal this year and I am proud to say I have achieved it and I am looking forward to starting my studies.

Would you recommend careers coaching to other students and graduates? If yes, why?  

I would very highly recommend careers coaching for students and graduates, whether you are not 100% sure about what you want to do after you graduate, or you do know and you are looking for some advice on how to go about it, the help they provide you is incredible. They can provide resources, advice and so much more. Jackie helped me with so many things this year from my CV which allowed me to get my first job, to helping me with my actual career path and securing my place to do my masters this year. I am so glad I reached out for this help as I doubt I would have achieved what I have this year without it.