‫مركز التوجيه الوظيفي‬
Center for Career Guidance
Help Sheet
(1)
Graduating .. What is Next?
Introduction:
When you approach the final stages of your university education it is only natural that
you would face the question of what is next? Well, that generally involves landing
yourself a job, starting a career, and setting your life on its personal and social course.
However, the answer to the question regarding what is next is highly dependent on
what you do now. What you should do now is to take charge and start planning your
desired future. To this effect you should start at the beginning: 1. Identify who you are
 What are your interests?
What do you like to do? Think of experiences that you have enjoyed, what kinds
Of activities do you like?
Make a list of activities you have enjoyed for the last four or five years.
Evaluate those interests. Think about what you liked about the activities.
Think about what challenges did the activities offer?
Determine what you need to learn or do to continue those activities.
 What are your skills?
During your university education at SQU you have learned a lot, accomplished
various assignments, participated in numerous applied activities, performed various
duties, attended workshops and seminars, worked with computers and other
equipment heavily or lightly, and communicated socially with your teachers and
colleagues. What skills did you develop going through all those experiences?
Make a list of all your acquired skills and the skills to be further developed.
 What values do you strongly hold?
In carrying out your duties and communicating with close and distant others, what
values did you develop or have consistently been dominant in your thinking and your
actual behavior.
 What are the particular circumstances of your life?
Review the current circumstances of your life and identify the ones that might have an
effect on your future. Distinguish between transient and long lasting circumstances.
 Know your personality as a whole:
In the light of your interests, skills, values, and personal circumstances, reflect on how
do you see yourself, and how do you judge your personal characteristics and your
personality as a whole.
Review all of the above and determine the relationship between your
Interests,
skills, values, etc. and your chosen possible careers, as well as the other
components of your desired future.
2. Identify what you want
While your personal and social life is largely determined by external factors, your
future career is strictly dependent on your educational background, your skills, your
interests and the available career options.
3. Identify your options
Start to research the available occupations that match up with what you have learnt
about you. Find more information about the nature of the jobs that interest you such as
educational requirements, salary, working conditions, future outlook, and anything
else that seems relevant.
4. Setting your target
Once you have gathered the necessary information regarding the available options,
You can now narrow your focus to a few particular jobs or fields of occupations and
Prioritize them.
What Comes Next
What comes next is to:
1. Learn about Applications filling, Resume writing,
Covering letter writing, interview strategies, and the various
Job-hunting techniques.
5. You should also prepare yourself for the excitement of the
Job-hunting, as well as for frustration that might occasionally
Accompany such endeavors
* Make sure of reviewing the SQU Student Career Advisory Office other
publications.