August 20, 2019, by Leah Sharpe
How I Made the Most of the Careers and Employability Service
By Paige Linden, MEng Mechanical Engineering student
When I started at Nottingham, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I was quite overwhelmed by all the different options and didn’t know how I would decide.
1. Attend careers fairs
The careers fairs at Nottingham were informative and gave me a better insight into my career options. What was great, was they were specific to internships or graduate jobs, which meant when I attended, I knew I was in the right place. They are also a great opportunity to network with companies and get advice on applications.
2. CV and interview support
In my third year, the careers service really helped me adjust my CV for the various internships I was applying for. Thanks to the careers fair at the University, and many mock interviews with careers advisers I was able to get my first internship in building services engineering. The team really helped me learn how to answer interview questions which gave me more confidence in my ability. I think this was one of the most helpful tools. The support I got always felt really personal and tailored to my needs. I was offered a full-time position after my internship.
3. Assessment centres
My internship introduced me to one industry, however I knew there were many more to experience. Therefore, I started applying for rotational graduate schemes. I was able to have my CV looked at again by the Careers team, to help make it appropriate for non-engineering roles. I also had mock interviews for all stages of the process. One of the most helpful activities was experiencing a mock assessment centre. This involved participating in common assessment events and receiving individual feedback. I had a follow up appointment with one of the Careers team to do some final preparation. They took a genuine interest in my experience and supported me every step of the way, which made all the difference.
I received an offer for the Kraft Heinz rotational graduate job – a very competitive scheme! I would not have been able to go through this process without the support of the Careers team. I would advise anyone unsure about jobs, looking to apply or already in the process of applying, to utilise the services made available by the Careers and Employability Service. They are helpful and friendly, and make the process feel much more manageable. Look out for any events too, such as careers fairs or talks by companies to keep yourself as informed as possible.
The Careers and Employability Service can help you research your career ideas, find job vacancies, make effective applications, develop your skills and meet employers. If you’d like to chat to a member of our team about your career plans, please contact us.
It is very helpful for the student who are searching for job. They support us to build our CV and internal assessment will surely help the students to keep motivated and focus on the target. The students need guidance when they first appear for an interview it is also provided by them.