Advice and suggestions on making the most of your year, planning ahead and getting set for the recruitment process, whatever you want to do Take charge of your future! You’ve only just started your course but you need to hit the ground running! It’s time to put together a plan of action so that you make the most of the year and balance your academic work with applications for jobs or further study. Many jobs and courses have early application deadlines in first semester (e.g. from October/November) so it’s important to be organised so you know what's expected and you don’t miss out. Take advantage of Maths Employability Tuesday! Each Tuesday of the Academic Year we will be hosting different talks related to employability and how to prepare when looking for a job. Some Tuedays, our Careers Advisor will be giving important advice for your job search, other Tuesdays we will have different companies talking about their recruitment process and what are they looking for in a candidate. Have a look on the different talks of the year: Events Other Top things to do this year 1. Search and apply for opportunities throughout the year Start searching for opportunities as early as you can. Many graduate jobs and postgraduate courses have deadlines early in the academic year (e.g. from October/November) so start searching and applying early so you don’t miss out. Keep looking throughout the year though as jobs and courses could be advertised at any time of the year. Keep up to date by checking MyCareerHub regularly, searching for postgraduate courses online and come along to events to meet employers. Access MyCareerHub for vacancies and events More information on further study 2. Get set for the recruitment process Now’s the time to get yourself ready for the recruitment process. Make sure you understand what the recruitment process will be for the jobs or courses you’re applying for and give yourself time to prepare. Polish up your CV, get set for completing application forms, assessment centres and interviews and prepare for online tests if you need to. Start by using our Quick Guides which cover the basics of CVs, covering letters, application forms and interviews and take a look at our practice tests to help you prepare. Keep an eye on events in MyCareerHub too as we regularly run workshops on recruitment. Our webpages on CVs, applications and interviews (including Quick Guides) Access practice tests online Access MyCareerHub for talks and workshops on recruitment 3. Put together a plan of action for the year Searching and applying for graduate jobs and postgraduate courses is time consuming. For some roles you might face a lengthy application process including online applications, tests, assessment centres and interviews. You’ll also be busy with academic work and any other commitments that you have. Be organised and put together a timetable or plan of action for the year so that you have the time to fit in everything you need to do and to make sure you don’t miss out on any great opportunities. Still unsure what you want to do? It's OK if you don’t know what you want to do when you graduate and there’s still plenty of time to explore all the options and start making plans. The Careers Service is here to help you and we have a great range of resources and self help materials to get you started. We have information on a wide range of options including options with your degree subject, occupations, further study and working overseas. Start by taking a look at Your Future section of our website: Your Future - Information on your options If you’re not sure where to start you can kick start your career planning by using our online workbook CareerEd. This has lots of exercises and ideas to get you thinking about your future and what the options are: Kickstart your career planning with CareerEd Want more support? We also have more comprehensive information and advice for postgraduate students in the postgraduate students section of our website including advice on marketing your masters qualification to employers, applying for further postgraduate study including PhD and planning an academic career : More advice for postgraduate students This article was published on 2025-02-26
