University of Manchester Careers Blog

Are you in a job where you feel unfulfilled? Trying to get into a career, but hitting a brick wall? Or are you in the job you always wanted only to realise it’s not right for you after all?

You can either settle, or try to do something about it! It can often be helpful to talk things over with someone objective.

Who is eligible to use the Careers Service?

Full eligiblity details are on our website but the short version is if you graduated from The University of Manchester 2012 or earlier you have full access to the Careers Service for 3 years after the end of their course.  Alumni who complete 2013 or later will have 2 years access.

Your course completion date is NOT the date of your graduation ceremony. If you graduated in June you are likely to have completed in May or June and if you graduated in December you are likely to have completed in September – if in doubt call the Careers Service to check when your access expires (have your ID number handy).

If you are no longer eligible to use the Careers Service, see our post ‘Help! I graduated over 3 years ago’.

Services on offer from the Careers Service

1. Guidance appointments – either in person, or by telephone or Skype (subject to availability) if working hours, location or other commitments make it difficult for you to visit.
   An appointment with a Careers Consultant can:
   • Give you the chance to talk about bad experiences, get them off your chest and move forward feeling more positive.
   • Talk about your likes, dislikes and priorities and explore career options.
   • Review your job hunting strategies to date and get suggestions for new strategies.
2. Practice interview – best done in person by possible in a pinch by Skype or telephone.
   A chance to practice your interview technique before the real thing.
3. Application feedback either in person or via email.
   This service is for draft applications targeted for specific jobs/courses. From next week we will be trialling online booking for this service – watch this space!
4. Vacancies and events
   Search for jobs, volunteering and events on CareersLink. If you are logging in for the first time since graduating you will need to reset your password and probably update your contact email.
5. Information staff
   You don’t need an appointment to talk to a member of the information team. They are available to answer quick questions, give you advice on careers research and to chat over where to start. If you are in any doubts about how to proceed talk to them to get some suggestions.

If you are feeling blue check out this great blog post from Salford Careers Service: Why ‘failure’ can be a gift to your future career prospects.