University of Manchester Careers Blog

Easter vacation is coming to an end and some of you will be handing in dissertations soon.  Does it feel like it’s all over bar the exams?

Obviously exams are uppermost in most minds but use your time well and you could still secure a graduate job or internship starting in summer or autumn.

To do list

1  Graduate Internships at the University are open for applications now.  They don’t all come in at once because contracts finish at different times and then managers have to get permission to recruit subject to budgets. So no, it’s not possible to give you a list of all the opportunities that will come out in future, just keep looking. (there are also some with external organisations) They are an ideal option if you want to get some experience but are not exactly sure what you want to do in the future.

 

2  Manchester Graduate Recruitment Fair 4 May 2017.  The exhibitor list is now up on CareersLink so plan your visit. (it will be on the website soon)

1. Look at the list and see which employers are recruiting for what posts. Don’t rule out employers you haven’t heard of if the job is what you are looking for.
2. If there are particular employers you want to speak to and impress do some research.  What do you want to find out? If the answers are on their website that wont be that impressive, so think about more insightful questions.  Perhaps…
   • What do you think makes XXXX stand out from their competitors?
   • What do you like best about working for XXXX or in XXXX role?
   • What are the things that really makes an applicant stand out?
3. Tailor your CV.  There is no guarantee that an employer will take your CV as part of the recruitment process as most have their own online systems. BUT at this time of year when they want to fill places fast it is more likely!  So…
   • Do as much research as you can on the role at that company and do a fully tailored CV.
   • If you are hedging your bets and will be speaking to lets say multiple companies with civil engineering or accountancy jobs then you may get away with a CV tailored for Civ Eng or accountancy. BUT if you are looking at multiple different roles that are using different skills it’s better to create a few different CVs than go for one general one.
4. Practice your pitch.  Introducing yourself and asking a few basic questions, once you are in a conversation it will feel quite natural. See point 2.
5. Get your ticket before you go, to avoid queueing.

3  Graduate Jobs in Manchester as well as internships MGT ( Manchester graduate Talent) advertises graduate jobs in Manchester. Some employers will be local and may not advertise nationally so make the most of this opportunity to fish in a small pond!

4 Graduate jobs nationally & internationally.  CareersLink should be your first place to look. We wont get every vacancy in the world, but we will get opportunities from recruiters who want to recruit from Manchester University and that means a lot, you are wanted!   If we haven’t got the vacancies you are looking for use our website to find out the best places to look for opportunities.

5 No clue what you want to do next?  It’s ok you are not alone. But it is time to ask for some help or get stuck in.  It will be much easier to have a chat with careers staff face to face before you leave Manchester in June.  But if you need to wait until after exams and have to dash off we do Skype & Phone appointments too.

6 Last and by no means least what about postgraduate study?  Have you considered doing a Masters course to gain specific skills and knowledge in a particular area or maybe to change direction?