Year 3

In your third or final year? Level 6 Employability Plans and activities Year 3 Semester 1: October - December

First few weeks ■ Know how the Careers and the Opportunities Hub can support you in your final year ■ Register for events on CareerConnect to know your options and deadlines ■ Review your profile on CareerConnect, and set your preferences to receive a daily alert of graduate roles that interest you

Start planning for a great future and weigh up your options

Find graduate opportunities Your unique experiences and degree have given you knowledge and skills to consider many paths, employers, and occupations.

■ Develop a thorough picture of your choices, be it to find graduate level or full-time work, study further, start your own business or take time out ■ Start to identify a plan to find the right next steps and generate some ideas by following this straightforward A.B, C, D ■ Attend webinars, Beyond Your Degree, career and employer events and talk to those in jobs you are interested in ■ Build in time for work experience, volunteering, or a placement ■ Complete an online careers questionnaire to help to generate ideas ■ Discuss your plans with a Faculty Employability Adviser

Graduate roles open autumn onwards so start looking early. There are plenty of opportunities promoted that you are qualified and skilled for.

■ Use CareerConnect Set your preferences to receive email alerts of graduate jobs ■ Register to get notifications on specialist graduate jobs boards such as www.prospects.ac.uk, targetjobs.co.uk, www.brightnetwork.co.uk ■ Use alerts and filters on various sites to hone your results. Use job titles, duties, or the word “graduate” on www.indeed.co.uk or www.reed.co.uk ■ Search the websites of companies you really want to work for. e.g. www.sainsburys.jobs and www.hsbc.com/careers/find-a-job ■ Make yourself searchable. Some job boards have a function for you to upload your CV to their database, making it visible to recruiters ■ Use sector specific job sites for industries. E.g. www.charityjob.co.uk, www.environmentjob.co.uk/jobs, and www.designweek.co.uk ■ Update your LinkedIn profile, connect with those in companies you are interested in. Link with contacts made through previous experiences ■ Use your contacts to find the jobs that are not publicly advertised. Send employers a well written CV and a covering email

Look good on paper, online and at interview Produce a clear, well written and professional application to secure an interview.

■ Target your application to the job you are applying for and demonstrate that you are suited to them and the actual job ■ Ensure your application demonstrates that you meet all the essential criteria and as many of the desirable criteria of the job as possible, that are being assessed ■ Write an appealing cover letter to set you apart in the application process ■ Research and attend events on interviews and assessment centres

Year 3 Semester 2: January - June There is still time to apply for graduate and other roles. Make the most of your summer

■ Attend Beyond Your Degree and other events, all advertised on CareerConnect ■ Update job preferences on CareerConnect and the graduate specialist sites to receive alerts of graduate roles ■ Consider making a speculative application to an employer to gain work experience using our advice on the ‘resources tab’ of CareerConnect ■ Update your CareerConnect profile to a personal email address ■ Remember- your first job doesn’t have to be ‘perfect’! Any job allows you to gain valuable employable skills and experiences, which will help you to achieve your dream role in the future