Top tips to help settle your anxieties about the future

A recent poll conducted by YouthSite for HEPI has indicated that final year students are currently feeling more anxious about starting their careers after graduating from university than previous years.

The Coronavirus pandemic has presented significant challenges for businesses and the economy, making the current job market uncertain and unpredictable. This has forced many students to feel anxious rather than excited about entering the professional world.

We’ve put together 3 essential tips to help you if you’re anxious about the future.

1. Don’t think too far ahead  

It's all too easy right now to feel overwhelmed and fearful of the future. Whatever your career aspirations are, they have likely been somewhat impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic. The best thing you can do right now is try not think too far ahead or worry about how things we will be a year from now or five years from now. Try to stay in the present. We can’t think about hypotheticals.

Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, employers are still recruiting - there are currently over 250 graduate jobs listed on CareerHub and a variety of placements and voluntary opportunities. To boost your employability, identify the opportunities that are available to you now, the skills and qualifications you can offer prospective employers, and continue seeking out new career possibilities. Make a plan of what you want to achieve. It could be for the next six months or six years, they could be big goals or small goals, but it's helpful to visualise what you want to achieve, then tick things off as you achieve them.

Much is changing and the pandemic is forcing all businesses to adapt and innovate, but these changes can also have a positive impact. Many businesses will now be looking for different kinds of skillsets from potential employees as this outbreak continues to shape how we work.

2. Leverage your skills  

Now is the time to focus on what skills you have and what you can offer employers. Soon you will graduate and be newly qualified in your respective discipline which will boost your employability. But you will also have countless other skills that you could leverage when approaching the job market.

Use this time to utilise all your talents, think creatively and enterprisingly, see how you can create your own opportunities. This is a fantastic time to develop new skills, take on further study or online courses. LinkedIn Learning is a fantastic tool that offers hundreds of short online courses. As students you have access to LinkedIn Learning for 3 years after you graduate. By diversifying your skillset, you will give yourself a competitive edge in the job market.

This pandemic will undoubtedly have an impact on business and the job market, presenting many urgent challenges across society, healthcare, business and the economy which will require the very best creative minds and talent. As the business landscape evolves, seek out new opportunities and use your skills to unlock your potential.

3. Think positive  

The most important thing is to stay positive. This is a challenging time for all of us. Although things can seem uncertain which can make us feel anxious about the future, new opportunities will come of this.

Businesses have quickly adapted to remote working, utilising new technologies and practices to keep their daily operations running smoothly. This global culture change will have an enormous impact on the future job market and influence the kind of candidates employers will be looking for once the pandemic is over.

No matter what challenges you have to face in the coming months, your talent and the skills you have acquired during your studies will see you through and enable you to establish an exciting career no matter what.

In the meantime, there are still fantastic opportunities out there. If you’re still feeling unsure about what career you want to pursue after your studies, take a look and see what jobs match your skills and interest you at CareerHub or sites such as Prospects.ac.uk and Targetjobs.co.uk

4. We are all in this together 

Lastly, and the most important thing to remember is we are all in this together! These challenges affect us all. But things will return to normal, and until then we are here to support you!