In school, my career plan changed based on what guest speaker had done a talk in assembly that month, from lawyer, to dentist, to business. Despite a lot of ‘feeling confused’ about the future, I was lucky in the sense that I’d always known I wanted to help others, which narrowed down career options for me. It was not until my first year of my psychology degree that I really considered clinical psychology. Through the lectures, independent reading, and volunteer positions, I knew that this was a more permanent goal, and for it I really needed to work hard but also smart.
“…a lot of ‘feeling confused’ about the future”
Self-reflection helped me work smart…
When asked to complete a questionnaire as part of the course, aimed at career self-efficacy and digital capability, it was the first time I’d self-reflected on these aspects of myself. My career self-efficacy results did not surprise me, they reflected the confidence I had in my choice, scoring above average in most areas. This starkly contrasted with my below average digital capability, but this too was not a shock as I’ve always been one to switch off when it comes to anything ‘techy’.
The only area of self-efficacy that I displayed little confidence was talking to professionals in my area of interest. This may reflect my sometimes, shy nature which holds me back from being proactive about getting in contact with professionals, whilst forgetting the importance of networking and getting advice on things such as CV and applications.
Following this experience, I made an effort to talk and network with professionals using the platform LinkedIn. I also made a conscious effort to develop my digital skills. For example, I offered to revamp the website of the GP practice where I work, taking it from the early 2000’s to 2021. I also kick started their social media presence!
Through reflection I was able to make my weaknesses, my strengths.
I should be more confident in myself…
I further reflected on my career readiness through a CV exercise. Overall, my CV managed to effectively market myself to a future employer in a clinical practice, despite remaining neutral on the measure of this quality in the questionnaire. On reflection, I shouldn’t underestimate my abilities and should be more confident.
Similarly, only 22% of my course-mates felt confident in this area, which may have reflected the timescale of the deadline. When the self-efficacy questionnaire was done, students may not have yet accessed the huge amount of guidance the university offers for creating an effective CV.
For example, the following resource offers a comprehensive guide: www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/applicationsinterviews/
Overall, the process has taught me…
1. I am determined and focused on a future career in clinical psychology and I’m taking the steps to develop relevant skills and a refined CV.
2. Reflection is a time efficient exercise, as it allowed me to identify specific areas to develop rather than spending more time making general improvements.
