Researching careers

Why research careers?
The move from school and university to the workplace is a major step for most of us. The better informed we are about the direction we are heading in, the better decisions we will make and the more "in control" we will feel about our lives.

This page gives you links to published information sources which will help you research your career and build up a picture of your chosen field and what your future in it might look like.  There are other ways of doing this not mentioned here  - talking to professionals in your field, volunteering, networking or trying out by getting work experience.

Here are links to get you started. 

Online career information tools
Find out about all the online information tools provided by University Careers Services.

Career resources in your faculty
Start researching career areas related to your faculty and major.

What jobs have graduates in my field started their careers with?

Graduate Destinations Survey
To find out what sort of jobs NZ students from your programme of study have moved into, check the NZ Graduate Destinations Survey. This information could help you develop a focus to your exploration.  The data is published by the NZ Vice Chancellors' Committee, and provided here with permission.

Auckland CareerHub
To research what sort of graduate jobs are advertised in your area, register on Auckland CareerHub and use the search facility.

Graduate career stories
For stories relating to themes of sustainability, and specific Māori and Pacific stories, read about our Career role models.

Where do I find information on specific industries and occupations?

Careers New Zealand
For New Zealand industry and occupational information on the internet, the Careers New Zealand is the best source available. Find out what the future prospects are for the sector, whether it is predicted to grow, who are the major employers, regional market information, the typical roles available, training required and industry contacts.

UK Prospects
The UK Prospects website contains excellent career information targeted at students and graduates, and includes job profiles.

New Zealand Labour Market
A collection of links for researching occupational skill shortages and many other aspects of the New Zealand labour market.

How can I find out about potential employers and companies?
Some tools to get you started on researching potential employers are listed below.

• Finding and approaching employers
• Auckland CareerHub
• Research companies on the University Library website

Professional associations
Professional associations are often a useful source of careers information.  Some are listed on our page Companies by broad industry category.

Careers New Zealand
Careers New Zealand provides links to the websites for many professional associations. Many associations publish their own magazines - useful for prospective employees to scan and build up a picture of what is involved in working in a particular sector or job.