Top tips for international students pursuing careers in the UK

Posted on by Careers Service

Last month, we invited five international students and alumni from various sectors to share their successful experiences in securing graduate jobs in the UK.

Here are our five panellists and their top tips:

Megan Lim, LLB Bachelor of Law 

Megan is a current law student from Malaysia who has secured a training contract with Osborne Clarke and is also our PLUS Award Ambassador. She offers this advice to international students seeking jobs in the UK:

 “Don’t hesitate to ask for help at any stage of the application process. Seek assistance from your supervisors, the Career Service, friends, and family for application reviews, and practice interview questions.

Additionally, actively engage with employers, if possible, through LinkedIn and careers fairs. Don’t be afraid to ask them questions.”

Explore support on applications on the CVs, applications and interviews page of our website.

Aamir Vappattu, BSc International Business Management

Aamir is from India and now is a Business Analyst at Pax8.

The key is applying as early as possible. Some jobs feature rolling deadlines, offering you an early advantage. Starting early helps you gain a thorough understanding of the application process.

 Once in your role, be proactive, try to network with the wider team and keep building up your skills. in this way, I successfully transferred my role from sales to business analyst role in the operations team.”

Yiran Liu, MSc International Development

Yiran, who came to study at the University of Bristol from China, is now employed as an Audit Associate at Deloitte in Bristol. This is her second time as an alumni speaker, and she has some fresh insights:

“Use an application tracker, which can help you stay on top of all your applications. And just in case employers call you out of the blue and you end up forgetting that you applied for their role, having a tracker comes in handy. You could also colour-code it like I did, perhaps using green for ‘to do,’ red for ‘done,’ and yellow for ‘pending reply.’

When you’re feeling down, just look at your tracker and feel reassured that you’ve already put in a lot of work. It gives you the motivation and confidence to keep pushing forward.

Don’t forget to network with your friends and classmates. Ask them about the companies they work for; you might hear about some opportunities. That’s exactly how I landed my first job offer.” Check out our resources on networking on mycareer.

Abhishek Raja, MA Film and Television

Abhishek, from India, currently works as a Digital Marketing Officer at the Church Mission Society. He had a few appointments with the Career Service regarding his job search strategy, and we’re delighted that he’s enjoying his current role and returning for our event as a successful alumnus. His top tip is getting involved in the SME Internship scheme:

“Do some volunteering in your free time or take part in the SME internship scheme run by the Career Service. SME stands for small and medium-sized enterprises, and it’s a great starting point for individuals with limited experience or freshers.

Even if your goal is to land a job at a big company, the scheme still offers valuable work experience and increases your chances of securing your dream offer.”

Rizwan Ur Rehman, MSc Robotics

Finally, Rizwan, who came to study at the University of Bristol from Pakistan, is a Senior Robotics Engineer at Dyson. His advice to international students seeking work in the UK is:

“If you’re seeking visa sponsored jobs, ensure that the company you’re applying to has the licence to sponsor you before starting the application process. You don’t want to waste your time if they don’t.

Make sure to complete all the practice tests commonly used in graduate schemes, which could include logical reasoning and workplace behavioural tests. You can find plenty of resources on mycareer, so be sure to prepare for them.

Ensure that your CV and cover letter focus on projects, whether from academia or past work experience. Talk about them confidently.”