Finding jobs resources for PGT students

Tips and advice from employers and experts

Postgraduate Professional Development Canvas Course

Studying for a postgraduate taught qualification can be intense, meaning that it can be difficult to set time aside to research and register for careers events, or to search for job vacancies and other opportunities.

Don't forget to enrol on to our Postgraduate Professional Development canvas course for updates on relevant careers events, job vacancies and further insight into our very own Postgraduate Professional Development Award!

CV advice and Job applications

“The average time spent looking at a CV for the first time, either by a recruiter or hiring manager, is roughly only 30 seconds! So make sure your CV is very clear and concise. Employment history should be very visible, with specific dates and bullet points of your key responsibilities and achievements”. Angela Rehrl, Senior Recruiter for Evidera

“We want you to articulate why you are particularly interested in working for us. We look for tailored applications that directly address the points raised in the job advertisement”. Sophie Pearson, Senior HR Administrator for Costello Medical Consulting Ltd.

“Always do your research and talk specifically about the company or organisation that you are applying to in your cover letter or application. Address how they stand out from their competitors. Have they won awards, or implemented new strategies? If so, show your awareness by mentioning this”. Rob Pilbrow, Editorial Services Director for Porterhouse Medical

“Some more generic employers may not exactly understand the difference between a graduate and a postgraduate, or the benefits of hiring a Masters over a Bachelors graduate. In your application, you have to tell them what these benefits are”. Christiane Iwersen, Postgraduate Internship Project Coordinator with Graduate Advantage

Careers Network has a range of CV resources and application support, click on link for more information. 

Internships

Getting work experience in a relevant field will enhance your prospects of getting a job. Look at the Careers Network Internships website. Don’t forget that you can talk to your college internships officer about opportunities.

Graduate schemes

If you came straight from undergraduate to postgraduate taught course, or don't have any specific career plans in mind, you may be interested in applying for more general graduate schemes. Many of these schemes welcome applications from students on postgraduate taught courses. Most of the large organisations open applications to their graduate schemes in September/October, up to twelve months in advance of when new graduates will begin their jobs. 

For more information, see job hunting websites and resources section below.

International students

If you're an international postgraduate taught student hoping to work in the UK after graduation, you'll need to start your search early and be proactive. For more information see Careers Support for International Students

Job hunting websites and resources

General job hunting websites and resources

  • Start by searching Careers Connect, the University's own online job database. You can search according to your sector(s) of interest, location, subject of study and more. Includes vacancies where employers are asking for a postgraduate taught course! When you log in, complete your profile and fill in your interests for email alerts about jobs that may interest you.
  • Find out which sector-specific job boards (see the list in the drop-down below) are used to advertise jobs in your chosen field.
  • Target jobs is a useful website for graduate schemes, graduate jobs and internships in a range of sectors.
  • Jobted aggregates job vacancies from career sites, job boards and recruitment agencies.  
  • Some job boards allow you to create an account and sign up for email alerts when jobs are advertised that may be of interest to you. Sign up a few months before you formally start your job search if you can: not only will you get job opportunities straight to your inbox, but you'll also gain a good insight into what roles are available, where the jobs are and the types of skills/experience that employers are seeking.
  • Let others know that you're looking! The more people know that you're looking for work, the more likely it is that someone will send details of opportunities your way...
  • Work on your online presence, especially via LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a great way of researching people who currently work in areas that interest you, and seeing how they got to where they are now. To get started on your LinkedIn profile, or check it's up-to-scratch, take a look at our LinkedIn Canvas course.

Sector-specific job hunting websites and resources

Prospects Job Profiles can be a useful source of sector-specific job websites to help with your search. Each job profile lists typical employers and/or sources of vacancies.

Find out if there is a professional body or association linked to the sector(s) you are interested in; these organisations often have careers sections on their websites which can be useful sources of job vacancies and advice. 

Accountancy, actuarial and finance

  • E-Financial Careers: lists jobs in Accounting, Finance, Banking and Insurance
  • Inside Careers: information, advice and job vacancies in finance, actuarial, accountancy, consulting, tax, banking, insurance and more
  • Actuary Jobs: search the latest actuary jobs
  • GAAPweb: job site for finance and accountancy

Advertising, public relations and marketing

Charities and voluntary sector

  • Charity Job: charity jobs and volunteering opportunities from top charities working in the UK and around the world
  • Third Sector Jobs: the latest voluntary sector news and jobs including charity finance, fundraising, governance, management and communications
  • Charity People jobs: specialist recruitment consultancy dedicated to the charity sector

Education

  • Jobs.ac.uk: Higher Education jobs – academic and non-academic
  • THE Uni Jobs: Higher Education jobs resource from The Times
  • TES jobs: Education jobs and resources through The Times
  • Jiscmail is a national academic mailing service in the UK. Use the site's search facility to find out if there are any mailing lists associated with your professional area(s) of interest and sign up to these. They can be a great source of information on job vacancies.

Engineering and technology

Heritage and cultural sector, including libraries, museums and galleries

International development and NGOs

Media, publishing and creative

Natural resources and the environment

Pharmaceuticals, biotech and healthcare

  • PharmiWeb: a useful resource for pharma, biotech, life science and healthcare news, jobs, careers information, events and resources from the UK, Europe and across the world
  • New Scientist jobs
  • emedcareers: For job hunting in pharmaceutical, biotechnology or healthcare roles, including areas such as medical devices and toxicology
  • NHS Health Careers

Politics, public affairs and public sector

  • w4mpjobs: The go-to place to find job vacancies in public sector and political organisations, including Think Tanks, Communications Agencies and opportunities to work with Members of Parliament
  • The London School of Economics have compiled a useful list of resources linked to finding opportunities in international governments
  • Information on working for the Civil Service 
  • EuroBrussels internship jobs - newly available internships, stagiaires and trainee positions in EU Affairs
  • Peter Childs Ltd: a specialist recruitment consultancy with a long history of placements within the communications industry. Clients include organisations of all sizes in the private, public and third sectors as well as public relations and government affairs consultancies

Psychology

Science and science support 

Country-specific/ international job hunting websites and resources

  • If you are looking for jobs and opportunities outside the UK, you can use Student Circus to take your job search worldwide.
  • Gradlink China: award-winning careers site for Chinese students studying in the UK
  • Lockin China: organisation supporting students returning to China after studying abroad
  • Gradlink ASEAN: expert advice about getting a graduate job in South-East Asia - including Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and Thailand
  • Gradlink Africa: especially for African students studying in the UK
  • Gradlink India: a place for learning about graduate opportunities and connecting with graduate employers in India who are keen to recruit UK-educated Indian graduates
  • Gradlink Canada: find out about graduate opportunities and connect with graduate employers across Canada

Colleges

Professional Services