There were many things that drew me to The University of Manchester. The city, the students, the interdisciplinary learning, the food and above all the employment prospects. Probably not what students look at first, but getting a job is one of the main reasons of going to university. Who wants all this debt for nothing? Luckily for us, we have the Careers Service at our disposal as well as many initiatives and services ran by the university to help improve our prospects.
I stumbled upon the Careers Service – located in The Atrium of Uni Place, by chance in first year and have been using the resources as much as possible ever since. From the Meet the Professionals networking events ran throughout the year with alumni from many career and degree backgrounds, to the CV advice, the mock assessment centres and guides and literature available. The possibilities and resources are endless.
I have mentioned the Careers Service in a previous post about my recent experience with the mock assessment centre in preparation for looking for a placement year opportunity. This however is not the only service I’ve found useful.
The Meet the Professionals networking events have been so helpful for me to narrow down what options I have with my interest and degree in consideration. The events offer the chance to meet so many wonderful and willing to help professionals from a range of backgrounds in a relaxed less formal discussion type setting and facilitates the formation of lasting professional relationships (big shout out to LinkedIn), sharing of experiences and insight and practice networking skills. It is unlikely that I ever would’ve been able to do this on my own but thanks to the Careers Service, I am more confident and well informed than ever about my prospects after I graduate.
The Careers Service is also constantly updating their list of vacancies, events and insight days over on their website. I’ve found the vacancies list particularly helpful this year as a placement student but the vacancies are also very helpful for final years.
There are many other schemes and services ran such as the mentoring schemes (Manchester Gold) My Future Fair, Global Graduates and more which I personally, don’t have the experience with, or sadly word count, to go into but overall, I recommend you visit the Careers Service website for yourself to see the many ways in which they can help you.
There are other ways the University helps improve the graduate employment prospects of its students such as encouraging volunteering and taking on leadership roles with awards such as the Stellify Award and the yearly Ethical Grand Challenges (such as the Social Justice Challenge) all helping to shape its graduates into well rounded, experienced and morally responsible individuals for both the work force and wider society. Whether you’re a prospective or current student I urge you to (firstly choose Manchester) make the most of all the services at your disposal.
