November 21, 2014, by James Jupe

There’s No Time Like the Present… 6 Ways to Kickstart Your Career

By James Jupp, Graduate Social Media Trainee

There’s so much opportunity at Nottingham to get involved, so we thought we’d make it easy for you. We’ve put together six unique ways to boost your career and make the most of your time at University. What will you do?

Get experience

The more you learn about your chosen career, the better. You have your studies, your research and qualifications, but you need to experience the practicalities, too. Getting an insight into the work environment and knowing whether it’s right for you can save you a lot of unnecessary stress later down the line, so be proactive with your career development.

You can gain work experience through:

• Internships, vacation schemes (law students and studentships) (science students)
• Year-long sandwich placements
• Work shadowing

It also includes part-time work, volunteering and Students’ Union positions of responsibility – more below!

Find part-time work

Take advantage of our on campus recruitment agency, Unitemps, to find part-time work and build your CV. It’s a great way to show employers you’re an individual who works hard as well as get those much needed pennies while you study. In some cases you may even get experience in a specialist area that will set you apart from other graduates – a fine way to broaden your skillset.

Seize the opportunities within the Students’ Union

With more than 200 societies and plenty of volunteering projects you’re spoilt for choice with the Students’ Union. By getting involved with extracurricular activities you’re taking on new positions of responsibility and learning about key areas of professional life such as teamwork, organising events and coordinating publicity.

If you’re the creative type you’re in luck – our TV station, magazine, radio station, sound and lighting company and theatre company offer platforms for you to develop your interests.

There’s also the Student Volunteer Centre which is both rewarding and beneficial towards gaining experience.

Give yourself the Advantage

The Nottingham Advantage Award is your chance to personalise your career development and the opportunity to stand out. There are more than 2,500 students taking part more than 180 modules that focus on career skills, mentoring, cultural awareness, entrepreneurship and volunteering. What’s more, the Award is recognised and supported by graduate employers who deliver skills workshops and modules – which means that when you include this on your CV, you’ll get noticed!

Why not watch the video to find out more?

Build your entrepreneurial skills

Some of you may be interested in running your own business after University. If so, the Ingenuity Lab can help. Whether it’s researching your area of interest, networking with like-minded individuals or learning about the practical areas of business development, you’ll benefit from the support offered.

With the support of the Lab a number of student and graduate start-ups have developed their businesses. They include Skeleton Productions, a company which specialises in producing video content for websites, Model Students and MultiPie who develop high quality mobile apps for iPhone, iPad and Android devices.

Work and study abroad

Many of our study abroad opportunities are for those who do not speak another language fluently, so don’t think it’s just for language students. Spending time in another country broadens the mind and increases your employability for a number of reasons. Indeed, the new perspective it brings gives you a competitive edge when entering the globalised workplace and more cultural awareness.

Through the International Office there are international exchanges from Australia to the US; working or studying in Europe through the Eramus programme; studying at one of our overseas campuses in Malaysia or China; or summer schools from Korea to Slovenia.

Be inspired by just how much opportunity is out there for you to develop your career. To talk about more ways to improve your employability, book an appointment with a careers adviser.

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