Find a job – whatever stage you’re at….
Are you looking for a graduate job, a placement, work experience? We hope some of the answers to frequently asked questions we receive in the Careers and Employability Centre will help you.
Linda Buckham, Director, Careers and Employability Centre (CEC)
Questions from final-year and postgraduate students
Question: I’ve been told there aren’t many graduate jobs around. Is that right?
Answer: No, there are graduate-level jobs available. At the time of writing there are 375 graduate jobs live on our website, with more than 150 being based in Sussex and the south-east. This is the tip of the iceberg, as there many national and specialist websites that you could look at. In CEC we are receiving frequent calls from graduate employers trying to get more applications from Sussex students, so please look at the job search and apply! We’re also running a series of events for final-year students as part of our ‘love your life after uni’ campaign. The next events are running during the weeks of 7 July and 8 September.
Questions from second years
Question: I’m coming to the end of my second year and my course says I can do a placement year in my third year but I haven’t applied. Is it too late?
Answer: No, it’s not too late - but you need to act now! If you’re on a course that involves a placement year, it’s not too late to apply for a professional placement. At the time of writing there are 144 one-year placements at our jobs listing and a number of employers are still contacting us, aiming to recruit a placement student from Sussex. All disciplines are being recruited.
Question: Is it too late for me to find work experience this summer?
Answer: Employers are still contacting us with opportunities, so take a look online, where you’ll also find links to other sources of work experience. We do occasionally administer work-shadowing programmes; for example, we are currently advertising opportunities for second-year First-Generation Scholars in Law, Politics and Sociology to apply for two days work-shadowing with a range of legal and corporate employers. For further information, E masonhayes@sussex.ac.uk
Questions from first years
Question: Is it too late to find a job or experience this summer?
Answer: Lots of summer vacancies have already been recruited for but there are still some available and adverts are still coming in to CEC. Take a look online at our jobs and find other sources of vacancies - you can also sign up for email alerts for new jobs as they come in. Many students will also look at voluntary experiences, which can be an important first step to many long-term careers.
Question: I’m just finishing my first year and I’m interested in taking a professional placement in my third year. I didn’t register for the programme this year. Can I still go out on placement in 2015-16?
Answer: Yes. If you missed the Placements Preparation Programme and are considering applying for a professional placement, for a 2015-16 start as part of Sussex Choice, please email placements@sussex.ac.uk. We will add you to our mailing list – we send out regular emails containing live opportunities and advice about researching and applying for vacancies. We will invite you for a meeting with a Placements Officer early in your second year.
We will also add you to our Study Direct site, where you can review the materials from the Placements Preparation Programme. This site also contains useful resources such as links to sources of placement vacancies, tips on skills development and information about what you can expect during the placements experience.
Questions from all students
Question: I don’t know what career I want! Can you help?
Answer: Sadly there isn’t a one-stop automatic computer programme that will tell you exactly what job to do. There are however many successful techniques that will help you to analyse your skills, abilities and interests and inform the type of roles that may be suitable for you – see our online resources. You can also come to our events and talk to our advisers to discuss your personal situation and questions.
It’s common for students to get stuck as they fear having to make the perfect decision. One way forward is to take the best wide options and learn from these for jobs in the future. With our help, narrow the options down and try jobs in a particular area. When you talk to Sussex alumni who come back to campus to talk to students about their careers paths, you rarely hear about the right path being taken straight away. Often alumni have experienced a process of experimenting, evolving and narrowing into the roles they are happy with. It’s best to try something and learn from your experiences. There are good-quality graduate jobs, work experience and part-time work out there. Do something and take a calculated risk! It’s better to do something that’s not perfect than nothing.
Question: I don’t feel confident about making an application or going for an interview. Can you help?
Answer: Yes, we can give you support, including creating the best CV that you can, targeting your applications and practising for interviews. Whatever type of work you’re looking for there is information online and appointments with a careers adviser are available on campus, over the phone or via email. See the Careers and Employability Centre website for more information.