Welcome to your intermediate years
Choosing a career
By exploring different career options, you will be able to identify what fits your interests, personality, skills and values. You can explore ideas both online and by talking to employers and careers professionals in your College careers team. You can attend a variety of careers events on campus, and gaining a professional mentor will provide you with real insights into a specific sector.
A warm welcome from Careers Network
Watch this video...
Transcript can be found on YouTube
Exploring ideas
- Look at our sector insight pages to see what roles there are in different sectors.
- Discover what graduates have gone on to do by exploring Student Stories. These stories showcase the roles, skills and further study paths students pursued to reach their career goals.
- Chat with your College careers team to get personalised advice and support to help you with career planning.
- Drop by Careers Corner to chat with our friendly team.
- Explore mentoring opportunities through the Careers Network Mentoring scheme - this will allow you to find out what it is really like to work in a sector. If you want support in coming out at work and finding LGBTQ+ inclusive employers, consider joining the LGBTQ+ Mentoring scheme.
- Get involved in career events and activities that match your interests and hear from industry professionals and alumni, employer presentations from companies in relevant industries or sectors, or skills sessions delivered on campus. Keep an eye on your College careers newsletters and on our Careers Network events page.
- LinkedIn can be used for job searching. Take a look at our LinkedIn support for information and guidance on how you can use LinkedIn to build your network, search for jobs and develop relationships with alumni.
Developing your personal brand
A CV or LinkedIn profile is an excellent platform to showcase your strengths and highlight your experience. It is here that you should list clearly the skills and experiences that match the career you want. These could come from work experience, part-time work, volunteering or being part of a student society.
- Use our CV Checker to get feedback on your CV and get support for other recruitment stages CV, application and interview support that will be useful when searching for work experience.
- Develop and update your LinkedIn profile using guidance from our LinkedIn support pages.
- 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.
- Enrol on The Birmingham Award - this will help you develop, recognise, and articulate your professional skills, in preparation for real-world recruitment.
- Meet employers - a range of employers are regularly on campus - going to their events and attending careers fairs will inform your decisions on work experience and graduate opportunities, and you will get invaluable advice on their recruitment processes.
- Attend an ‘Apply Yourself’ workshop to help boost your confidence when applying to things - there are sessions on CVs and cover letters, application forms, interview skills, and assessment centres.
- Join 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!
- Chat with our advisers - to gain support for your applications, you may also book an Application Advice or Interview Preparation appointment on Careers Connect.
Work experience is essential for most career paths and gives you the opportunity to ‘try out’ a job. It can introduce you to roles within an organisation and will develop necessary skills and experience that employers look for. During work experience you can begin to create a professional network, and it is also a way of proving your motivation to work within a specific field.
- Reflect on your experiences from your placement, internships or research projects and use these insights to update your CV. Stay in touch with your College Team and access Careers Connect for ongoing support.
- Prepare for a placement or summer internship - research potential employers, polish your application materials, and attend workshops or events that can help you stand out. The websites bcselow may be the starting point for your research:
- Be aware that graduate schemes can open for application as early as July the year before you graduate; this is particularly important in respect of employers that advise early application, and who will make job offers on an on-going basis.
- Follow us on Instagram for the latest updates, career tips, event announcements, and student stories.
- Come and chat with our friendly members in Careers Corner at the Library - no need to book!
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.