Careers Timeline

You might think it's too early to start thinking about your future in your first year, but the reality is, it's never too early! The sooner you start, the better prepared you'll be, the more experience you'll get, and the better your chances will be. And you might just surprise yourself with how much fun you'll have at the same time!

• Attend the part-time jobs fair in October. Earn a bit of money, and start getting some experience!
• Explore YSJ Connect – the place to go for part-time jobs, volunteering opportunities, events, and much more. Register for email alerts, and find out why volunteering is such a fun way to gain experience, meet people, and make a difference.
• Go social – social media is a great way to keep up to date with what's going on, opportunities, and events coming up. Like YSJ Connect on Facebook, and follow Careers and YSJ Connect on Twitter.
• Think about getting more involved in University life. If you're involved in a society, why not become a committee member next year, or look into becoming a Student Ambassador– another great way to get experience and earn some money.
• Do a bit of research into what you can do with your degree, or perhaps look at Prospects Planner to help develop some job ideas. If you want some help thinking about what you might want to do after University, why not come and see the Careers & Employability team? You can find out how we can help here.
• Towards the end of your 1st year, look ahead and find out what you should be doing during your 2nd year.

Your second year is a really good opportunity to build up your CV, get some experience that will make a real difference, and start to think a bit more seriously about life after University. When you get into 3rd year, it'll be hard not to mainly focus on studying – getting assignments done, preparing for exams, and many graduate recruitment schemes have application deadlines early next year anyway, so make the most of now!

• If you haven't already done so, this is a good time to start researching different careers in bit more detail – finding out about what different jobs entail, how to get into them, what kind of work might suit you etc.
• It's well worth making sure you have an up to date CV – you never know when an opportunity might come along that you need it for, and you might not have time then to start from scratch. It's also important for you to get a LinkedIn profile – an online professional networking site that also doubles up as an online CV.
• Come and see a Careers adviser, to talk about how you can develop your experience so you're prepared for life after University.
• Your degree probably includes a work placement element this year. Don't leave it until the last minute to organise it – all the best ones will have gone. Plan ahead, think about what you want to do, and get it organised. Speak to your tutors or come and see Careers to discuss this.
• Get some work experience. If you have a good idea about what you want to do when you graduate, try and work/volunteer in this area. But even if you don't, make sure you get some experience that allows you to develop your skills, and be able to demonstrate them on your CV.
• Attend Careers sessions running in your Faculty or in the Phoenix Centre – learn about the skills you need, the skills you've got, and what your options are for next year.
• Think about applying for an internship over the summer. A great way to get good experience, make some useful contacts, learn how an organisation works, and of course, get paid!
  

You're going to be busy this year making sure you get all your work done. But that doesn't mean you should completely forget about planning for life after University. You can still build up your experience, develop new skills, and increase your chances of finding the perfect job once you graduate.

• Be aware that some deadlines for graduate recruitment schemes fall in the autumn term, so don't miss out if any of those are what you are thinking about applying for.
• If you haven't already been, book an appointment with a Careers adviser to talk through your options, get your CV checked, and make sure you're doing everything you can to prepare yourself for life after University.
• Don't forget that there are other options apart from getting a job – you could think about travelling abroad or further study. Deadlines for some of these options fall early on too (including teacher training), so make sure you think about this early on.
• If you have a good idea what you might want to, why not sign up to the employer mentoring scheme. Gives you a chance to learn from experienced professionals who are there to help you make the transition into life after University.
• When you start applying for jobs, the Careers & Employability team can help with your applications and offer practice interviews, so make sure you make time to include us in your application process.