Hi, I’m Ellie, one of the Career Peer Support Assistants at the Careers Service. This year the Careers Service has made the switch to becoming digital. Before then, I was used to going into the offices on Tyndall Avenue for advice. But now, since starting my final year and my role as a Career Peer Support Assistant (CPSA), the Careers Service staff, Careers Advisers and CPSAs like me can be reached through our new live chat function.
What is live chat?
The live chat is where you can get in touch with our team for any of your career related questions. Between 9.30am and 4.30pm during the week a member of the team will be on the other end to give advice. To access the live chat, type in your name and email address and click join.
You can find a link to the live chat on the Careers Service homepage.
How can I use it?
The live chat is a digital help desk. As you chat to one of our team, they can point you to things like useful online resources, send you helpful links to websites and webpages, and provide you with the information you’re looking for. But remember – this is just the start, we can’t do all of your career research for you, we’re here to help guide you towards making confident and informed decisions.
Top live chat tips
As a student and a Career Peer Support Assistant, I’ve answered queries as well as asked my own! So here’s my top tips for making the most of this brand-new function:
- Start the conversation with your name, your course and which year of study you’re in.
Knowing which year of study you’re in and what course you are on can be really helpful for us. For example, the advice we would give an Art History student about work experience vs an Engineering student could be very different!
- Be clear with your questions.
If you have multiple questions, its best to work through them with us one by one. We’ll be doing our best to provide you with the support you need, so knowing exactly what queries or worries you have will be beneficial. And remember – there is no such things as a silly question!
- Be patient.
Just because you may not get an instant response while using the live chat doesn’t mean you should close the window. Often, more than one student is using the live chat at any given time. Give it a couple of minutes and we’ll definitely reach you!
I’ve been making the most of the Careers Service as a student during my time in Bristol. Despite the changes that it has undergone to accommodate all students near and far from Bristol, it is still one of the most useful tools to help you start thinking about your future. As a Career Peer Support Assistant, I know that the Careers Service is working hard to provide great resources for all students to use. So, whether you’re just starting to think about careers or researching your opportunities upon graduating, chatting with the Careers Service on Live Chat is a great place to start.