Careers year by year

Finalists and one-year masters’

Develop your plan and extend your research

•It is never too late to start thinking about your career. Make a commitment to make a start and give yourself the best chance of success. Turn to the

Developing Your Career Ideas section and make plans to talk to a careers adviser. • If you already have clear goals, or even fuzzy ideas, research online and meet employers at fairs and at company presentations. See the Events Calendar on

CareerConnect for dates and to book your place. • Research options of further study and apply early to popular programmes.

Make applications and prepare for interviews

•Understand your motivations, your strengths and be ready to support your applications with evidence as discussed in the Application Essentials guidance. • Find the workshops you need on our Events

Calendar on CareerConnect. • Polish your application skills and seek advice from a careers adviser if you want a second opinion on your

CV, cover letters or application form. • Submit applications for both your plans A and B (and plan C …) in parallel. • Be ready for online tests and interviews, some of these happen straight after you have submitted your application.

It’s not too late to develop your skills and experience

•Continue to be fully involved in student life through societies, volunteering and extra-curricular activities. • Consider participating in our skills programmes and

Insight programmes if you haven’t already done so. • Apply to our own Summer Internship Programme from January onwards.

Network and build your visibility

•Meet contacts and alumni at events and reach out to them. • Use LinkedIn and social media as research tools, to follow targeted companies and make yourself easier to find. • Attend the cringe-free networking workshop run by the Careers Service each term, bookable on

CareerConnect. • For some sectors – such as creative careers, journalism, publishing, charities – networking and speculative approaches can be important to uncover opportunities: thinking six months ahead is key.

Penultimate year

Start to focus on what you might do after graduating

•Review your career preferences and interests, or start your self-assessment. The Developing Your Career

Ideas section will help. Follow the advice to finalists above – the same rules apply! • Plan, research and develop your CV – attend relevant workshops organised by the Careers Service. • Attend the relevant careers fairs. Get into your job-market research and look for application deadlines – be aware of deadlines as early as October for consulting, banking and the Civil Service among others. • Apply for summer internships, including those

advertised from January onwards as part of the Careers Service Summer Internship Programme.

Talk to people and network

•Find out about their jobs, their companies and the sector at the many careers fairs and company presentations held in Oxford or virtually. Most people remember what it is like being in your position and want to help. • Use LinkedIn to contact alumni whose work interests you. • Get advice and tips from final-year students. Ask about their summer internships and for introductions to their colleagues to learn more. • Plan how to make the most of your summer vacation, and make speculative applications to find work experience with organisations of interest that don’t offer formal internships.

Considering further study?

•Talk with tutors, supervisors and research students in your field. • Ask about working as a research assistant during vacations.

Build your skills and experience

•Get elected to a position in a society, common room or club and make a difference by organising an event, running the show or starting something new – all will develop your skills and add value to your applications. • Sign up for workshops and skills sessions at the

Careers Service or join one of our employability programmes. • Try out different ideas, perhaps via our microinternships, work-shadowing or work experience.

Volunteer with local charities or through the Oxford

Hub.

More than two years from completion

Get involved and enjoy Oxford

•Join and get involved in societies, clubs and a social life alongside your studies.

Start thinking

•It’s never too soon to start thinking about your postuniversity plans. • Develop some awareness of your career-related preferences and interests with some self-assessment exercises, such as Career Weaver and other tools in

the Developing Your Career Ideas section. • Visit the Careers Service website to start researching what you could do and check out your options. • Talk to a careers adviser if you need help with your plans or ideas for how to get started.

Start to develop your skills

•Review the skills you can evidence already. Consider where and how you can develop these further, and which new skills you might develop. • Review your ideas by following the guidance in the

Gaining Experience and Developing Skills section. • Support your college or department with their outreach programmes. • Get involved with an Oxford SU campaign or a charity fundraising event. • Volunteer with Oxford Hub and local charities in term-time and during the vacation – a great way of gaining skills, meeting people and making a difference. • Participate in staff/student liaison committees within your college or department. • Refresh your old CV; attend a CV workshop.

Gain some experience

•Look for, and apply to, insight days, spring weeks and work-shadowing opportunities in different sectors for inspiration. Places are limited and application windows can close within days, so register for notifications and be ready to apply as early as

October. • Apply for vacation work to earn money and gain experience and skills. Every opportunity can provide meaningful experience: bar and retail work can develop your customer focus, teamwork skills and insights into what makes a successful business. • Visit the vacancy database on CareerConnect to look for part-time and vacation opportunities. • Apply for a summer placement on the Summer

Internship Programme from January for overseas internships, and from mid-February for internships in the UK. • Start to build your network, and to learn about sectors and organisations.

DEVELOPING YOUR CAREER IDEAS

With hundreds of possible directions, many students find it hard to decide what they want to do after graduating, and may even find the process quite daunting.

This chapter can help you make a start and get you thinking about how to identify careers that might appeal to you, and how to choose between them.