Thinking about and planning for a time after the structured and timetabled life of University can be daunting. There’s a lot to consider – what are your options? How do you continue (or even start) the job search? What goes into a great CV? How do I nail a job interview? Is it too late?
The answer to last one is it’s never too late. In fact the peak months for employers advertising graduate vacancies are May, June and July (especially on CareersLink) so there’s still plenty of time to find the right job for you.
As for everything else – there’s loads of support on hand to help you, no matter what stage you’re at. The key thing to remember is that lots of students are in a similar position so try not to worry.
Where to look?
It’s important that you know what your options are – take a look at what’s being advertised. Even if you have no idea what you want to do, browsing will give you an idea of the types of roles that are available, and what might interest you. Here’s a few good places to start:
- CareersLink is the University’s online jobs database, and advertises hundreds of local and national graduate jobs from companies who are specifically targeting University of Manchester students.
- The Graduate JobSearch offers 200+ targeted mobile friendly job searches and sites for you to explore.
- The Grad Fair, held in Fallowfield at the Armitage Centre for your convenience on Wednesday 8 May, will have over 120 exhibitors looking specifically for graduate students. So there are literally hundreds on jobs on your doorstep.
Many final years say that their biggest worry about securing a job is the competition. While it’s true thousands of students graduate each year, there are also hundreds of thousands of graduate jobs that need filling. Research from Prospects shows that from 2006-2016 there has been an average of a quarter of a billion jobs available each year – more than the number of graduates. So try not to worry too much about the competition, and be assured you do have options.
Building up experience
If you’re still looking to build up your work experience because you need more experience in a specific sector, or you’re not sure what type of role/job you might be interested in, why not think about a Graduate Internship. Shorter term graduate level positions (1-12 months) where you can gain more experience and you can ‘try before you buy.’
- Manchester Graduate Talent (MGT) is a programme exclusive to University of Manchester students that sources and advertises paid graduate level jobs in the Greater Manchester area.
- Graduate Talent Pool is a national programme that provides government backed and funded internships to graduates. The roles are all paid and include a training element.
Graduate Internships are a great way of giving you some time to think about what you enjoy doing, what your skills are and how they can be applied in the workplace, and what roles they are suited to.Many MGT roles are also in smaller businesses so you’ll get to find out what different departments do.
Building up your networks
Another concern when it comes to looking for jobs is that you might not have the right networks. Now is a great time for you to start building up those networks and connections.
- The Manchester Network has hundreds of alumni (graduates from the University of Manchester) that are available for you to ask questions – about industries, job roles, and much more. You can ask alumni one off questions such as ‘how did you find your first job following graduation?’ or ‘What exactly does a marketing executive do?’
We’re here to help
Finally a key thing to remember is that the Careers Service is here to help, whatever your question may be. Whether you’re applying for a specific role, or just looking to get started.
Open Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm in The Atrium in University Place (even over the exam period). So if you have any questions get in touch, or drop in to see us.