Introduction
Our research among young people suggests that many are disappointed with the idea of a job as
opposed to a career, but have very little idea of what the difference actually is or how a career happens.
On the other hand many employers say they are often faced with unrealistic expectations when they
meet school leavers and find this creates a lack of determination in many young recruits to progress
through opportunities and training, which can turn first jobs into the start of a career.
‘Careers Happen’ is designed as a fun and interactive session that demonstrates the different and varied
ways in which careers actually happen. It is a simple way to show that careers are often not linear and
that people can and often do make decisions that don’t work out but from which they learn valuable
lessons about themselves and which often create new opportunities. Whether the career is planned
with specific training and development milestones or based on a more opportunistic approach,
the nature of career progression is a mystery to most young people and explaining it in a meaningful
way is a key mechanic to inspire them about possibilities for their future.
How to make the most out of the ‘Careers Happen’ session
Create a time where the young people on work placements can meet with three to five different people
doing different types of roles and at different stages of their career in your organisation. This can be
one-on-one or as a group.
Ask each of the employees to outline what their job involves and how they have ended up doing
what they do now. To help them tell their story in a way that is meaningful and engaging to the
young people, we have developed 10 questions which we have found help people think this through.
It is important to remember to present a varied range of roles and include both the planned routes that have
come about through training and development as well as those routes that have been entirely based on
being in the right place at the right time, or on the ability to see and make the most of opportunities.
How to use the Career Board
The Career Board is a simple visual way to help bring the answers to the 10 questions to life.
The Boards show how top line and simply you can convey the key message that careers are sometimes not linear and can be more random and opportunistic. They are prompts to tell a story and the trick to making career board is to be as creative as possible with the images chosen to represent significant events or opportunities in the past that have led to the present so that they are both amusing and creative.
We are developing an on line application to enable people to do this online and, as long as you have registered as a supporter, we will alert you when it is functional.
‘Careers Happen’
is designed as a fun and interactive session that demonstrates the different and varied ways in which careers actually happen. By considering real case studies, it shows that careers are often not linear and that people often make decisions that don’t work out but from which they learn valuable lessons about themselves and which often create new opportunities.
Download ‘Careers Happen’ (PDF)
Career Boards
The Careers Happen pdf includes real-life examples of the career journeys of leading business figures. We’ve created a series of these examples, designed as engaging ‘career boards’ that can be printed out and used as the basis of discussion. To view the complete set, click the images below.