Job search after uni advice please

[Ilovemycat13]

Hello

I am going into the third year of my degree and I know that come the end I will not want to practice what I am studying.

It’s a bachelor of science degree (BSC).

Whats the best website that people use to look for jobs? Is linked in the best place even if I am unsure what I want to do? The only sites I know are indeed but I’ve heard that’s rubbish.

Any advice would be fab, thank you!

Prospects and gradcracker worth looking at. And fgs go and see your careers people - that's what they're there for!

Definitely talk to the careers office at the uni, they might be able to advise about graduate schemes for the big companies if that interests you?

Thank you both! Will scope out the careers office this week..

But surely there’s a Careers Office at your institution? And the start of your 3rd year is exactly when you should be getting advice and making use of the resources there.

Even if you’re studying online I’d be surprised if there is no advice available.

Also don’t understand about not wanting to practise what you’re studying. An undergraduate general science degree is pretty broad and should open doors to most graduate training schemes. Or you could progress to professional training in a range of things like Law, Accountancy, etc. Or take a Master’s degree (for which there are Government loans available) in something closer to your interests.

What are you interested in? What talents and skills are you developing as a student? What would you want to be doing in three years time? Honestly, at this stage, using a careers service is vital. You shouldn’t just be applying for random jobs.

(Slow typing!)

I know 3rd year can be a bit full on but if you have any time at all I’d recommend getting some work experience/volunteering. If you can get some experience it will put you ahead of your peers and give you something to talk about at interview. Good luck!

What do you want to do?

Best advice I can give is to do some voluntary work now (or paid of course), there will be tens of thousands of graduates next year so a degree by itself means very little, you need some things on the side to stand out.

Also, having just short listed for an entry level job which resulted in a lot of graduates applying, go to your career advice shop at uni now to get advice on how to format a CV and apply for jobs, I was astounded at how poor the applications were, not in terms of experience but how to tailor it to a role, get a head start!

Most universities have very clued up Careers advisors. And most universities will offer their services for at least a year after you graduate - we like to keep in touch with alumna.

In the meantime, start the search now, in terms of looking at what placements and/or internships you can do alongside your studies, or in the summer immediately after you finish. These opportunities have to be searched for, but again

Do you have a job (paid, part-time, volunteer, whatever) now? This is always a good place to start. If you don't see about getting one or volunteer - preferably in an area of work that you might pursue at a professional level once you graduate.

You can't be passive about this, but there is a lot of support. Universities are judged by their "employability" - the kind of job & salary a graduate has 6 months after graduating. However, ridiculous this is as a metric, it works in your favour in terms of support to help you get into the job you want.

Thank you all for your advice. I’ve got an appointment this morning with the careers advisor at the uni.

It seems a little cryptic so I apologise but the degree isn’t a broad spectrum BSC. I’ve been in placement since the beginning (think nursing/midwifery). But looking at options for further development/internships could be an interesting route to go down.

I don’t have a job now as the course is full time (not just academic year). I only get 2 weeks for summer, 2 for Xmas and 2 for spring.

Fingers crossed the careers advisors can steer me into a direction of what I can use my degree for. Thank you for all your advice 🙂

I’m actually a midwifery lecturer and if you don’t want to go into practice that’s fine. If it’s an nmc profession though I would advise going on the register incase you change your mind.

if it’s nursing remember there’s a lot of diverse opportunities out there, it’s not all nhs ward work.

but you also have a lot of transferable skills. Customer service, team work, working under pressure, etc.

Something like the civil service that might have a policy area for the subject you're trained in?

Is it a medical degree? A bit more info would be helpful. I work at a postgrad uni with students who are more science or engineering so could highlight a few employers with brilliant post grad programmes.

The uni where I work has a careers service that is available to student AND alumni. Check if yours is the same. My uni maintains a relationship with huge companies and can act like an agency selling alumni for higher level jobs and coaching them to interviews.