Capybaras and your career: Lessons from nature’s giant rodent

Posted on 3 July 2024 • Career planning, CVs and applications, Networking and social media, Volunteering

The capybara is much loved by humans and other animals alike. These gentle giants have a lot to teach us all about navigating our futures… Here’s how capybaras would thrive in the graduate labour market, and how you can too.

Adaptability

Capybaras are masters of adaptation. They straddle land and water, seamlessly transitioning between environments.

• Flexibility matters: Be open to change, and ready to seize opportunities. Our career confidence pages can give you the courage to pounce when opportunities come up.
• Curiosity is crucial: Keep learning and evolving. Start by analysing your existing skills and qualities and identify areas you might want to develop. Volunteering can be a great way to learn new skills and to gain insight into different sectors and job roles.

Resilience

Capybaras face predators, and yet they endure. Let their resilience inspire you.

• Bounce back: When setbacks happen, see them as an opportunity to learn. Reflect on what happened, what is within your control, and how you might do things differently next time. Our free OpenLearn course Develop your career resilience shows how.
• Self-care: Give yourself a break. We all need a little time to recharge the batteries before we can put ourselves back out there when things don’t go to plan.

Networking

Capybaras thrive in groups. They form close bonds and rely on each other for companionship and survival.

• Collaborate and connect: Building professional relationships can give you deeper knowledge of your current sector or a new one. Take a look at our networking hints and tips.
• Listen actively: Build authentic connections through active listening. This helps you gather better insights into industries, job roles, and opportunities.

Industry awareness

Capybaras know their habitat well;the riverbanks, vegetation, and lurking predators.

• Know your industry: Research trends, companies and job roles.
• Stay current: Keep an eye on industry news and developments. Attend webinars and events, follow relevant organisations and individuals on LinkedIn, and look at professional body websites. Make sure you check out our employer panel events to hear directly from employers.

Persistence

Capybaras don’t give up easily. They persistently forage for food and look for safe shelter.

• Practise persistence: No-one’s career journey is perfectly smooth, whether that’s deciding what you’d like to do, learning more about a role, or finding a job. It’s really important to keep going and to refine your approach where necessary.
• Setting goals: Breaking things down by setting clear goals can help you to stay motivated. Review your goals often using the 3-minute careers check-in. Keep goals SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound). Section 3 of our career planning guide explains goal-setting further.

Be more capybara

As you navigate your career journey, remember the capybara’s qualities: adaptability, resilience, networking, industry awareness, and persistence. Embrace these traits, and like the capybara, you’ll thrive in your professional habitat.

Not channelling your inner capybara at the moment? You can always reach out to us and speak with one of our friendly careers team for some advice or guidance about your career.