Fresh Grads: SPARK Off Your Career With the Career Starter Pack

Congratulations, Graduate! Ready to ditch the student life and kick-start your career? Our Career Starter Pack is the ultimate career guide. 

These five steps will be the guiding principles for you to get started on your professional journey:

Step 1: Shape and plan your career

Step 2: Pursue the job

Step 3: Amplify your resume

Step 4: Rock your interview

Step 5: Kick-start and thrive in your career

This article serves as a broad overview for you to get a grasp on these principles. 

Step 1: Shape and plan your career 

Uncover your superpower 

Employers don’t just look at technical skills; they want to know the person underneath too. That’s where your superpower or your VIPS — Values, Interests, Personality, and Skills — comes in. Take the quiz below to find out what your VIPS are, and what your career character is! 

Still feeling lost in your career journey? Get your VIPS sorted with a career profiling session.

Explore your career options

It is important to research and analyse your career options by asking yourself these questions: How do potential careers stack up against your VIPS? What are the pros and cons of each option? Is this industry likely to grow in future? What skills are you lacking for these potential options? 

But you don’t have to do this all on your own. Utilise these career tools to help you get there faster:

• Skills Framework: This tool break down job roles and skills you need for the job you desire.
• CareersFinder: This feature on MyCareersFuture helps you discover jobs that match your skills and interests via a quiz.
• CareersCompass by MyCareersFuture: Read about career pro-tips like industry trends and building career resilience to help you stay up to date with changes in the local job market. 

Getting some insider industry information won’t hurt! Connect with your alumni or follow companies or industry groups on LinkedIn. You can also speak to Volunteer Career Advisors (VCA) for first-hand industry advice from the people who have been-there-done-that.  

Craft your career development plan

Now that you know your VIPS, scouted the employment landscape, and identified the skills you need, it’s time to connect the dots and create your career development plan. Break down your big career dreams into bite-sized, actionable chunks. Then set clear timelines for each goal.

Feeling overwhelmed? We’ve got you. Speak to experienced pros about your career with Polaris by VCA. They have valuable industry knowledge and experience that can give you a boost in the right direction.

Step 2: Pursue the job

It’s time to hit the ground running and chase those dream jobs! Be strategic in your job hunt and zero in on opportunities that match your career goals and skills. Here are some helpful platforms to get you started:

• MyCareersFuture: Singapore’s national jobs portal aka your destination for career exploration and development. Discover suitable job openings that match your skills and aspirations.
• LinkedIn Jobs: Network and job hunt in one place.
• Industry-specific job boards: Check out some helpful resources in the full Career Starter Pack!

You could also visit career fairs to grow your network and discover job opportunities in the industry you’re interested in. 

Ready to check out the next career event? Visit Career GRIT for more details!

Step 3: Amplify your resume

Now that you’ve identified all these promising job opportunities, it’s time to elevate your resume. Here’s how you can do it:

• Analyse the job description and get an understanding of what the employer is looking out for.  
• Tailor your resume and tweak it for each application, adding keywords and skills that you’ve identified in the job description.
• Highlight relevant coursework, projects, and academic achievements.
• Include internships and part-time jobs in your resume, especially those with transferable skills that are essential to the position you’re applying for. 
• Include extracurricular activities that showcase leadership roles and valuable soft skills you’ve achieved through joining clubs and sports teams, or in volunteer work, . 

Pro Tip: Need a starting point? Download this resume template for fresh graduates or sign up for a resume writing workshop on Career GRIT! Once you’re familiar with the resume basics, you can create a master resume with all your experiences,  customising it for each application.

Remember, your resume is your personal marketing tool. Make it work hard for you, and you’ll be one step closer to landing your dream job!  

Step 4: Rock your interview

An interview is your chance to turn that job application into a job offer. Before you start practising your handshake, here are some tips on how you can ace that interview:

• • Pre-interview homework: Do your research on the company via their social media, website, and news to help you connect better with them at the interview. 
  • Craft interview responses: Apply the CAR model to answer classic questions like “Tell me about a time you worked in a team to solve a problem”. It stands for Context, Action, and Result. This model ensures that your response is specific, relevant, and results-oriented. Download the full Career Starter Pack for more detailed examples or watch a demonstration of the CAR model below. 

If you need more help, consider working with a professional career coach at WSG Careers Connect or NTUC’s e2i Career Centre. Share your career vision board with them, and the career coaches will guide you every step of the way to overcome your job search challenges. Reach out to WSG Careers Connect or NTUC’s e2i now!

Step 5: Kickstart and thrive in your career

Congratulations on landing your first job! Here’s how to stay at the top of your game.

• Ace your probation: Speak to your manager about what’s expected of you. Set achievable goals for yourself, ask for feedback, and take the initiative to volunteer for tasks and projects to show that you’re eager to learn and contribute.
• Prioritise your mental health for long-term success: Other than building a support network, it is important to also set clear boundaries, learn when to unwind, and practise mindfulness. A healthy mind is key to avoiding burnout and going far in your career.
• Make smart money moves: After your first paycheque, remember to budget wisely, save strategically, invest in growth, and use credit carefully! Making smart financial habits now will allow you to gain financial freedom later in life. 
• Keep your career on track: Think long-term and check on your career development plan every six months. Keep your skills up to date by being open to trying different projects. Remember to keep your resume current by updating it with the new skills and achievements you’ve gained along the way. It would also be helpful to expand your industry network by joining professional associations and attending industry meetups. 

Take it from us — your career is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s okay if things aren’t perfect when you’re first starting out. Your ability to learn, adapt, and grow is what matters.

What is Your Superpower? Quiz

Learning about your values, interests, personalities and skills (VIPS) can help you decide which career path best suits you. Take this quiz to find out what your VIPS are and which fruity career character you are!