University of Manchester Careers Blog

Think a graduate training scheme is the only option open to you when leaving university? Think again! In reality these schemes only represent a small proportion of the overall number of jobs suitable for graduates. Most graduates are employed directly into individual positions within a range of different organisations.

Organisations in the following sectors are unlikely to have big graduate schemes:

• Media, cultural & heritage
• Charities & NGO’s
• Health & social care
• Education
• Local government
• Most small to medium sized organisations

But this doesn’t mean there aren’t opportunities – you just need to know where to look. To help you research roles and find vacancies in this sector use the following resources.

• Your CareersLink account Search for vacancies with big and small employers across a range different sectors and occupations.
• Individual organisation websites if an organisation has a vacancy chances are they will advertise it on their website. You’ll usually find them in a section called jobs, join us, or vacancies. If you are interested in working for certain organisations this can be a great way of finding vacancies.
• Social Media Many employers now utilise sites such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to promote current and upcoming vacancies. Follow or ‘like’ organisations that interest you or are related to the sector you want to work to get vacancies straight to your newsfeed.
• Journals & Newspapers Can be a great source of both industry specific information as well as vacancies. In the Careers Library we have a range of journals you can access for free.
• Starting point guides research a range of careers and sectors and find out how to make strong applications. Download them from the careers website or pick up from the Careers Service.
• Which career Detailed information on a range of different job sectors and roles. Find out about routes in, training and how to find vacancies.
• Attend events on camps employers regularly come on campus to give presentations or host training sessions. These events are a great opportunity to meet and chat to employers and to find out more about the work that they do. These are a great opportunity to meet people from the organisation and ask any questions you have.