Welcome to your first year
Start your career journey
Your first year is about exploring – your studies, your interests, and your community here. Whether you have an idea or not about potential careers, there are plenty of opportunities for you to get involved in that can support you towards your future goals, no matter what stage you’re at.
A warm welcome from Careers Network
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Transcript can be found on YouTube
Understand yourself
Before you start narrowing down potential career paths, take time to reflect on what drives you and matters most to you. Think about the experiences you’ve enjoyed so far and the skills you bring to the table. You can use the questionnaires below to help you explore these further.
Understand what you like doing
Understand what you’re good at
Be involved and develop experience
It is okay not to know your future career plans in your first year. What matters is exploring opportunities that help you grow. By getting involved with activities, you can develop valuable skills, discover new interests and connect with the UoB community.
- Join Guild of Students clubs and societies - this will show employers that you are motivated, not afraid to get stuck in, and can work as part of a team. If you can't find anything you are interested in, set up your own society!
- Volunteer at the University or in the local community, or get part-time work
- Sign up for The Birmingham Project - exclusively for UoB undergraduate first year students.
- Enrol on The Birmingham Award - this will help you develop, recognise, and articulate your professional skills, in preparation for real-world recruitment.
- Talk to employers at one of our events - speaking to employers can help you with networking, understanding the realities of an industry and advice on recruitment processes.
- Explore the events and actitvites run by B-Enterprising - these are designed to develop your ability to think creatively about problems and develop solutions.
- Search for part time roles on campus with Worklink.
- My Attributes provides space for you to review and be rewarded for developing knowledge, skills and attributes necessary for study, work and life. My Attributes then signposts you to resources to develop your skills further.
- Follow our Instagram to keep up with the latest careers updates.
It is never too early to start exploring different career options, from researching job profiles online to attending employer events on campus and getting a mentor. It is important to identify several options that match your interests, personality, skills, and values.
- Come and see us in Careers Corner, no need for an appointment, just pop in to get started. Our team can share information and advice around developing your skills and where you can gain access to career related opportunities.
- Attend career events and opportunities delivered through your course. Talks can range from professionals and alumni, presentations from employers in related industries, or skills workshops. Look out for these events through Careers Connect, our webpages or our newsletter.
- Take the Prospects Career Planner quiz - designed to help you narrow down your options by matching your skills, personality and interests to various careers.
- See what our students or graduates have gone on to achieve - visit our Hear from our students page to explore their stories.
- Explore different sectors on our Sector Insights pages. Discover guidance on working and gaining experience in different sectors.
- If you are looking to do a postgraduate course or PhD, visit our page on applying for further study. Attend university postgraduate open days and careers workshops to help you identify courses and prepare applications.
If you would like to develop any of your interests and skills further, then please use the following webpages:
By creating a CV and LinkedIn profile
Discover different sectors and roles
Explore different types of work experience
Come and see us in Careers Corner
Still want to explore your career options? Ask CJ, our AI careers assistant, anything career-related and receive instant, tailored responses.
*Access to CJ is limited to First Year Undergraduates only
Play our Careers Game
Click here to view the accessible version of this interactive content
You can open the game in full screen by clicking the icon top right.
Explore campus and your career in the Grow Your Career campus trail. Use the trail to explore university buildings, come up with ideas for your future, and discover what you can get involved in at university now to help you in your future.