University of Manchester Careers Blog

Written by Callum McAvan, Student Communications and Marketing Assistant at the Careers Service

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It’s a new year, a new decade. In the spirit of that, everyone will likely bring back the same old clichés – “New year, new me” and New Year’s resolutions aplenty. Although the more cynical of you out there (myself included) may want to roll your eyes at the thought of those words, it is true that there’s never a better time than the present to set yourself up for a bright future. So let’s talk about what you can do at University to make 2020 a year to remember!

Come to My Future Festival

Step aside Parklife, there’s a new name in town! Granted, we don’t have Stormzy or Liam Gallagher, but The University of Manchester’s first festival of superstar career events will take place in February of this year. Whether you’re in your first year or you’re neck-deep in your PhD research, there will be an event for you. Here’s just a peak at what’s happening over the two week Careers festival:

• The Launch: find out what’s on offer at University to prepare you for your future. We’ll be showcasing all the things you can do whilst delivering some festival themed fun (including giveaways, prizes and competitions).
• The Fair: explore Postgraduate study, find placement opportunities, talk to companies from Amazon to RBS and much more at our flagship fair
• The Bio & Pharma Fair: an event for anyone interested in biological sciences and pharmacy; meet the employers who want to hire you.

These are just the headline acts; from a LinkedIn Academy to a session if you feel lost in your job search, My Future Festival has it all.

Get involved

Did you know The University of Manchester is home to hundreds of societies? Well, you do now! Getting involved in a society is just one way that you can get involved around campus, have fun, pick up some great skills and boost your employability whilst you’re at it. If societies aren’t your thing then maybe you can utilise the volunteering opportunities around campus.

Keep it relevant…

Your CV, that is. Whether you’ve worked part-time, done some volunteering or even completed a placement, you likely already have a CV, but it pays dividends to regularly keep it up to date. There’s little more valuable when looking for a job than a well optimised CV, and that’s where we can help.

Get in touch

The Careers Service is open from 9am-5pm, and you can find us at The Atrium on the first floor of University Place. If you’re not sure on what your next move is, or you need some support, it’s as simple as coming down and chatting to a friendly face. Alternatively, you can get in touch with us from anywhere, via phone and email.

Look after yourself

Balancing university, a social life and looking forward to your career prospects can feel pretty demanding at times, so take care of yourself and take some time to de-stress in between the strides forward you’re taking. There’s plenty you can do from exercise and wellbeing lectures, to just taking a moment to relax.