JOBS AND CAREERS FOR UNIVERSITY STUDENTS
Studying at university doesn’t mean that you can’t continue with or start part-time work. Of course, it’s not a good idea to work too much or it will affect your studies, but a bit of work will boost your CV, increase your skill set, and go down well with future employers (and obviously it’s also good for getting money to spend!)
There are loads of work opportunities at universities – plenty of jobs, plenty of support, and plenty of things to bolster your experiences, such as volunteering, micro-placements, and more. We’ve tried to cover some of these opportunities below, but this is by no means exhaustive! A little bit of research on your side would be a good idea too (start by checking out some university websites).
THINGS TO DO – PREPARE YOUR CV
One thing you need to do if you haven’t done so already is create a CV. This will include your contact details, education and employment history, skills and interests, and two references to contact (you could choose a recent line-manager if you’ve already held a job, or perhaps your form tutor – basically anyone who knows how great you are but isn’t related to you!).
Microsoft Office helpfully provides a number of CV templates.
THINGS TO DO – SIGN UP TO JOBS WEBSITES
As well as finding part-time jobs suitable for students by word of mouth, on social media, or by adverts on individual university webpages, you could also sign up to a general job search site so as to receive updates for newly available jobs in your area which may be of interest to you. It’s very simple to do – provide your email address, select criteria (such as distance you can travel, keywords, and type of industry) and register! Have a look at Guardian Jobs as an example of such a website:
THINGS TO DO – LOOK AT UNIVERSITY CAREERS SERVICES
Royal Holloway’s careers service is an all-year round service to help students plan and start their careers, get voluntary as well as paid work experience, and generally provide support with anything regarding jobs. Check out this video where Careers Consultant Ed McLean talks about their approach to helping students:
And they’re even finding new ways to support students through these unprecedented times of social-distancing and working remotely:
THINGS TO DO – start thinking about your career
There are plenty of opportunities to get work experience and meet employers at university. Most universities provide volunteering opportunities to students (often for good causes in community or social work), and they may even over work-placements, wither in the university or in partnership with external employers. Check out the University of Surrey’s acclaimed Professional Training Placement Scheme to get an idea as to what’s available. And you can also meet plenty of employers just by attending University Jobs and Careers Fairs, which tend to be large, social events and definitely should be added to your calendar (oh and you tend to walk away with loads of free stash, too!).
Lastly, here’s Nadia, a second year Management with Marketing student at Royal Holloway, University of London, talking about her experience of working while at university:
