DEVELOPING YOUR CAREER IDEAS
Recruitment agencies
Recruitment agencies help organisations recruit staff for a fee (paid by the company) by providing their clients with quicker access to pre-screened and qualified candidates. Agencies often specialise in specific sectors, and if you have relevant experience they can be an extremely effective way of finding work. Research agencies in your field and select one or two to build a relationship with. If you are working with an agency, it is important to remain actively involved in your own job search and continue to check employers’ websites and other sources for vacancies.
Further study
Jobs from internships and work experience
Work experience and internships can be a great way to secure a full-time offer. This is especially true for companies offering internship programmes exclusively for penultimate-year students: these are often used as a core recruitment tool, with a successful internship leading directly to a job offer for the following year. Research by High Fliers confirms that at major employers, nearly a third of positions are filled by graduates who had already worked for the company. Our experience suggests that in some specific sectors, such as banking, this proportion can rise to as high as threequarters of graduate positions. All companies – large and small – may offer work experience or internships. In line with the advice for finding full-time positions, use companies’ own websites, our CareerConnect jobs board, and graduate recruitment sites. Speculative applications can also be highly effective, and sometimes firms will even create an opportunity when approached directly. Read our advice online about making speculative approaches. Specific opportunities for Oxford students include: The Oxford University Internship Programme, run by your Careers Service, which sources hundreds of internships in locations around the world exclusively open to Oxford students. The Micro-Internship Programme, run by the Careers Service, offering work experience projects in 9th week of every term. The Oxford Hub offers a range of programmes to support both young people and the community – go to www.oxfordhub.org or email hello@oxfordhub. org. For more ideas on how to find work experience and short-term engagements, turn to our advice on: Gaining Experience and Developing Skills Application Essentials Networking.
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Taught masters’, research masters’ or doctoral degrees? In the UK, Europe, North America or elsewhere? Narrowing down your options can be tricky. Consider your motivation It might be to satisfy intellectual curiosity, to access a specific career or change direction. Think about what you need to know to assess how effectively potential courses can deliver your goals. Talk it over with a careers adviser if you need to.
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Talk to people Recommendations from Oxford academics in your field. People working in your sector of interest – find them on LinkedIn. Get in touch with prospective tutors and supervisors.
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Do your research Academic literature and conference proceedings to find key research groups. Destination statistics for each course. University rankings. Research Excellence Framework assessments of research departments www.ref.ac.uk.
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www.careers.ox.ac.uk
