The PLUS showcases your efforts! Bristol Graduate Alex Yeates on how the award prepares you for interview

Alex secured a role with Selfridges as a Front End Developer after graduating in 2015 with a BSc Politics and the Bristol PLUS Award under his belt.

“The Bristol PLUS Award encouraged me to pursue hours of paid work which helped populate my CV and gave me experience of what to expect in an office. It also helped prepare me with examples that I could talk about in my interview, to help showcase various efforts I made in trying to gain employment.

 

Without doing the PLUS Award, I would not have consistent work experience, rather I would have only gone for a “stint” here and there and thought that was good enough. The PLUS will add strings to your bow when you get an interview.”

Alex is a great example of applying skills gained during your degree in a different sector – “The transferable skills Politics graduates from Bristol gain mean that they are highly attractive to employers across all the sectors. Those who do not wish to enter a profession directly related to politics may choose to enter careers that do not require a specific degree. At present around 70% of jobs are open to graduates of any discipline.”

– University of Bristol Careers Service

27 Politics students completed the PLUS Award in 2015-16 and graduate roles included Account Executive at a children’s charity, Shipbroker, and Mergers and Acquisitions Analyst. Alex demonstrates that it’s not unusual to take the learning from your degree and apply it in a completely different environment. When it comes to standing out at interview, the PLUS is a real bonus.

To see what students with your degree go on to do, see the Careers Service webpages. To see how we can help you prepare for your future career, see our list of services.