Choisir mon métier : 5 conseils importants

In brief
To choose your career, start with yourself: skills, aspirations, strengths and weaknesses, then compare this picture with the opinions of those close to you before studying the market and gathering information.
A business school like Excelia Business School lets you refine this choice during your studies, thanks to specialisations that arrive after the first years.

Tip 1: get to know yourself

Choosing your career comes down to finding your path as a student. In both cases, the decision will be decisive for your future. But to move towards the future, you need to look back at the past.

To do this, you'll need to focus on the essential thing: yourself.

Start by listing your skills and the ones you'd like to acquire later, your strengths and your weaknesses. A task harder than it looks, but one that will give you the basics.

Then, ask yourself essential questions such as:

• What would make you get up in the morning (with a smile)?
• What are your salary expectations?
• Which fields interest you most?

Tip 2: ask those close to you

Now that you've defined your aspirations, turn to those close to you. Their opinions can give you new leads.

Ask your parents, grandparents or friends to list your qualities, your flaws and the career they'd see you in best. Then check whether their answers match your own.

Take this advice on board, but always keep some perspective. Some careers may be light years away from your aspirations. But that's a good thing, because advice from those close to you can also confirm your own ideas.

Tip 3: study the labour market

Right, you've defined your aspirations, you've consulted those around you and you already have a clear idea of the career or sector you'd like. The next step is to take a closer look at the labour market, particularly the careers that interest you.

The digital revolution, for example, is completely reshaping the labour market. So check whether the job of your dreams won't be affected in future. The property, tourism, finance and digital sectors are at the forefront!

Tip 4: find out about careers

You'll have 2 ways of finding out about careers:

• online
• at careers fairs

Online

The internet is full of sites offering job profiles. In just a few clicks, you have access to whole pages of information. The advantage? You can organise your research by sector, according to your preferences or even the recruitment rate. Here's a (non-exhaustive) list:

• Onisep
• Studyrama
• APEC
• Cadre Emploi
• L'Étudiant

Have you refined your preferences and aspirations? Go further by getting in touch directly with:

• the directory of the Confédération des petites et moyennes entreprises, which will make things easier for you
• chambers of commerce and industry (CCI)

Another solution, more direct but one that will give you more concrete answers: contact people already in post via professional networks (LinkedIn, for example).

Do you dream of climbing the ladder and becoming a marketing director? Search for large companies near you or your future business school. Send a message to a few people in post, briefly explaining your approach. These exchanges will feed into your project, as they'll give you valuable information.

At careers fairs

"Salons du lycéen et de l'étudiant", "salon de l'Étudiant", "salon Apprentissage, alternance et métiers", "salon santé, social, paramédical et sport", and so on.

As you will have understood: there are numerous careers fairs across France that bring together hundreds of exhibitors. And they all have one goal: to help you find the right career. There's nothing better than a good face-to-face conversation with professionals to discuss it!

Here are a few links to help you not miss any careers fairs near you:

• The salons de l'Étudiant
• The Studyrama Orientation fairs
• The Mondial des Métiers, in Lyon

Excelia Business School also opens its doors all year round: Excelia Business School's open days let you talk directly with students, teachers and professionals, on one of its campuses.

Tip 5: turn towards a business school

There you go, you now have a much clearer view of what you want to achieve. This is when your path really begins. Next step: open the door to a business school?

To start with, take our management careers quiz, which will complement all the information gathered from your research. You'll get further answers and we'll be able to discuss your project.

Want to go even further? Discover the career opportunities a business school leads to and how Excelia Business School supports every student in shaping their professional path.

At Excelia Business School, Humacité© and Climacité© are the two engagement schemes; depending on the programme, the course includes a Humacité© mission and/or a Climacité© project, presented on the student engagement page.

Haven't settled on a career choice yet? That's not an obstacle to applying. On the Bachelor in Business, the specialisation is chosen in the third year, from a wide range of fields, while on the Master in Management (Programme Grande École), it comes at master's level, from numerous pathways.

Frequently asked questions

How do you choose your career when you don't know what to do?

Start with yourself: skills, aspirations, strengths and weaknesses. Then compare this picture with the opinions of those close to you, keeping some perspective, before gathering information about careers.

Where can you find reliable job profiles?

Several sites list job profiles classified by sector: Onisep, Studyrama, APEC, Cadre Emploi or L'Étudiant. You can refine your search with the Confédération des petites et moyennes entreprises or the chambers of commerce and industry.

Do careers fairs help you choose a career?

Yes: the salons de l'Étudiant, the Studyrama Orientation fairs or the Mondial des Métiers in Lyon bring together hundreds of professionals to meet face to face. It's often the most concrete way to confirm or rule out an option.

Should you ask those close to you for their opinion when choosing your career?

It's recommended: those close to you know your qualities and your flaws, and their suggestions can open up new leads. However, keep some perspective: advice is never a decision made in your place.

Can you join a business school without having chosen your career?

Yes, and it's actually the most common case: on the Bachelor in Business, the specialisation is chosen in the third year; on the Master in Management (Programme Grande École), at master's level. The first years remain general, giving you time to refine your project.