For employers, it’s not so much what you know, but what you can do with your knowledge that counts. The experience and skills you’ll acquire here beyond your studies will make you an attractive prospect. Initiatives such as Sussex Plus, together with the Careers and Employability Centre, are here to help you turn your skills to your career advantage. It’s good to know that six months after graduating 86 per cent of 2010 Sussex graduates were working, studying, or both (Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey 2010).
Your career and employability plan
First-year students
Get involved in student clubs, write for the student press and volunteer in the community through Project V. Explore part-time work options with the Careers and Employability Centre, attend employer drop-ins and develop your CV-based webfolio. Talk to a careers advisor about vacation work. Try to show how resourceful you are.
Second-year students
Clarify your career ideas with a Careers and Employability Centre advisor. Attend campus recruitment fairs, employer talks and career development workshops to explore your options. Bolster your CV through student development activities. Think about how you can make the most of summer work in the UK or abroad. Talk through your ideas with a careers advisor.
Finalists
Spend time each week moving your plans forward. Attend employer talks and Gradfairs. Attend Careers and Employability Centre workshops to learn how to make your applications stand out and feel confident about interviews, employer selection tests and assessment centres. Many employers, and study and training providers, have deadlines early in the year (some before Christmas) so don’t miss out. Use employer directories to find graduate opportunities, and check vacancies at Careers and Employability Centre: Jobs. Attend the Sussex Postgraduate Study Open Day, check funding deadlines and explore how we can help you once you graduate.
Study abroad opportunities
Refer to Study abroad opportunities.
Mark’s perspective
‘The Careers and Employability Centre not only provided me with valuable careers advice for the future, but their jobs database has helped me find part-time work on campus.
‘I was awarded a place on the Learning to Lead programme. It was really rewarding, and will benefit me as I follow my ambition towards an academic career.
‘The Centre can help you plan for the future, enabling you to maximise your potential during these challenging economic times.’
Mark Howell
History graduate
