Career Launch
Applying everywhere is not a strategy. It is the absence of one.
A graduate without a direction applies to everything, prepares for nothing in particular, and interprets every rejection as a verdict on their ability. This session helps them narrow to two or three roles worth preparing for, using what they can actually demonstrate.
Explore this page6 sections
Preparation without a target is just activity.
A common pattern six months after graduating is a long run of applications, a handful of unrelated certifications, and no clear answer to “what role are you preparing for?” — which is the first question any interviewer asks.
Direction is not a life decision. It is a decision about what to prepare for over the next six months, and it can be revised. But without one, nothing else in a job search works.
How to narrow the field
29 topics across 6 areas. Six ways to decide what to aim at.
Start From Evidence, Not AspirationWhat can you already demonstrate?5 topics
Aspiration says “I want to be a data scientist”. Evidence says what you have actually built, studied, been paid for or been praised for. Start there and the shortlist writes itself.
- What have you built?
- What did you study deeply rather than pass?
- What have people asked for your help with?
- What did you enjoy enough to do unpaid?
- What can you defend in an interview?
Understand What the Role Actually IsMost people choose a title, not a job.5 topics
- What does somebody in this role do all day?
- What are they measured on?
- What does entry-level work look like?
- What is hard about it?
- Who else does it well?
One conversation with somebody doing the job beats a week of reading job descriptions.
The Realistic ShortlistTwo or three roles, not ten.4 topics
A shortlist should contain roles you could credibly apply for now, and one you could reach in six months of deliberate work.
Look beyond IT services when you build it. TeamLease EdTech's survey of 1,097 employers for the second half of 2026 found fresher hiring intent highest in retail, e-commerce and technology start-ups, manufacturing and FMCG, with IT at 76%, down from 81%. Intent is not a promise, but it is a reason to check roles in those sectors before ruling them out.
- Roles you can apply for today
- Roles one skill away
- Roles two years away
- Roles you have ruled out, and why
Technical, Functional or ManagementThe three broad directions after a degree.5 topics
- Technical: depth in a craft
- Functional: a business function such as marketing, HR or finance
- Management-track: coordination, process, people
- Hybrid roles: business analysis, product, technical sales
- What each rewards, and what each demands
Startup or Established CompanyThey are different jobs, not different logos.6 topics
- What you learn in each
- How much structure you get
- How much responsibility arrives early
- How training works
- What risk you carry
- Which suits somebody who needs mentoring
Higher Studies, Now or LaterA decision that should have a reason.4 topics
Postgraduate study makes sense for specialisation, research or a required credential. It is a poor way to avoid a difficult job market — and it is expensive. If GATE is part of the plan, the organisers say plainly that a qualifying score guarantees neither admission nor a public-sector job, so it needs a fallback.
- What am I hoping it will unlock?
- Could work experience achieve the same?
- Can I afford it, including the time?
- What would I do differently after it?
Reasons that are not reasons
- “The salary is highest” — for a role you cannot sustain interest in
- “Everyone is doing it” — the market for that skill is also the most crowded
- “My friend got placed in it” — their strengths are not yours
- “I already did a course” — a course is not a commitment
- “It is what my degree says” — your degree is a starting point, not a sentence
Questions students get to ask
- How did you decide?
- What did you turn down, and do you regret it?
- What does an entry-level person in your team actually do?
- What would you learn first if you started now?
- How much does the first role determine the next one?
- What do people misjudge about this career?
How the session runs
Practitioners from several directions describe what they actually do and what their entry-level colleagues are given. Participants then work their own evidence — what they can demonstrate, what they enjoy, what they have ruled out — into a shortlist of two or three roles, and leave with the specific gaps each one would require them to close.
What your students leave with
- A shortlist of two or three roles worth preparing for
- An honest account of what they can currently demonstrate
- A realistic picture of what those roles involve day to day
- The specific gaps between where they are and each role
- A reason to stop applying to everything
- A defensible answer to “what role are you looking for?”
Scheduled sessions
Nothing scheduled yet
Sessions are arranged with a college once a date is agreed. Ask us and we will find the right person for it.
A student rather than a college? See what is coming up, or ask your placement team to host this.
Start a conversation
Ask for this session
Tell us who you are and what you have in mind. A person reads it and writes back, usually within two working days.
- Tell us what you need
A topic or a question is enough to start.
- A person replies
Usually within two working days.
- Agree the next step
We work out the details together.
You do not need to choose a career. You need to choose what to prepare for next.
Tell us who your students are and what stage they are at. Sessions are free for participants.