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Job Seekers > Career Timeline

What you do during your time at university can affect your employment prospects. Although employers expect you to enjoy the fun of student life, they are looking for well-rounded employees who will contribute to their company, so you should also be able to demonstrate your involvement in both on and off campus activities that do not revolve around socialising.

The following is a guideline only - you should contact your careers office for more details of dates for job fairs and closing dates for applications.

First year

• Get involved in student life - involvement in student groups gives you the opportunity to develop your leadership, communication and organisational skills, all of which are attractive to employers.
• Get work experience - an internship or unpaid work experience with a company in your targeted profession will help you determine if the job is right for you and will make you attractive to employers in the future. Part-time and summer work is also beneficial, even if your job is not directly linked to the career you want. While you are working, you may be refining your interpersonal, customer service, communication or financial skills, which are all transferable and attractive.

Second year

• If you haven’t already, start thinking about your career options. Many jobs are open to graduates of all degrees, so the options are virtually limitless. Use this time to test the water of various professions through work experience, part-time jobs and talking with people already involved in the industry.
• Concentrate on your studies. Your second year results are used to predict the outcome of your degree. As many employers require recruits to have an upper second class (2:1) degree and results are not available when you begin applying for places on graduate training schemes, your second year results are more important than you may realise.

Third year

• September - start applying for postgraduate study abroad, especially in the United States where closing dates can be early.
• October - this is when career talks and fairs begin in earnest, both on and off campus. Keep an eye out for employers visiting your university and recruitment fairs in your area.
• Watch closing dates - for competitive industries these can be early.
• Spring term - prepare for assessment centres and interviews with graduate training scheme providers.
• Summer - this is when many of the major recruitment fairs are held - the largest is in London in late June.

After graduation you should be applying for immediate vacancies advertised in newspapers, on the internet and at recruitment agencies. You should also make speculative applications to companies you would like to work for. Some industries rarely advertise vacancies - jobs are awarded to those who make contact at the right time or have insider knowledge.