Author: Careers Service

Navigating careers when you’re neurodivergent: tips from a careers ambassador

Posted on by Careers Service

If you’ve ever felt like careers advice is ‘for people, who have it all together’, this blog is for you.

It is written by Charlotte O’Brien, student, neurodivergent careers ambassador and co-founder of Bristol University Neurodiversity Society (BUNS).  

Photo of Charlotte

The overwhelm, the anxiety, not being sure of what to do, but it seems like everyone else knows what they’re doing. 

Things like networking, interviews, phone calls, sensory overload, energy management, and studying can all be a lot to manage.  

Sound familiar? Well, you’re in the right place. So how do you plan a career when things already feel hard? 

Hidden strengths of neurodivergent students

My number one tip is to work with yourself and your brain as best you can, rather than against it. Identifying your strengths and skills is a great place to start. If you’re overwhelmed or exhausted, don’t push more onto your brain — rest first.  

You may have a deep focus and passion for an interest of yours. Amazing! Identify if there’s any way of connecting your interest with your career or alongside it. I love travelling and helping others, so I hope to teach abroad part-time whilst exploring new places in small durations throughout the year. 

A great place to start is Careers in… guides. You can search by sector and find useful tips and links. 

My practical tips for navigating careers

1. Scared to come in to see us and worried what to say? No worries, we’ve got you. You can chat to us online using our live chat open 10:00 am – 4:30 pm in term time (1:30 pm – 4:30pm in vacation).  

2. If everything feels too much, take a quick look at the Resources from your Careers Service page. It’s all in one place, in small, easy sections.

The disabled and neurodivergent section is especially helpful. 

Screenshot of Resources from your Careers Service on mycareer.

3. The Careers Service offers one-to-one careers support for disabled and neurodivergent students, including those with mental health conditions. An adviser will listen to your support needs and answer any questions you have. You will be directed to the most appropriate further support to meet your needs. This could include signposting resources, events, or booking further appointments for you.  

Unsure if you qualify? You don’t need a diagnosis to book these appointments, so if you think this could help you, then it is for you.

4. I find breaking career tasks into micro-steps makes things seem more manageable. If you want to apply for jobs, start by thinking about which sectors or employers interest you.  

5. Not sure if the employer will be inclusive and support disabled and neurodivergent employees? The Careers Service has a guide that helps you find disability-inclusive employers.  

6. If you can, ask for reasonable adjustments early, like a quiet room or extra time. Have a look at our resource on talking to employers about the adjustments you need, including how to access support with this from EmployAbility. Anything you may think could help you is worth flagging, but it’s your choice and yours only. It’s OK to ask for support, with the right support you’ll be able to thrive at your best! 

Final thoughts and further support

Progress doesn’t need to be linear or fast. The Careers Service is here for you throughout your time at Bristol (not just final years!) and for three years after you graduate. There’s no single ‘right’ way to build a career. Going at your own pace still counts as progress. And that’s enough. If you’re feeling unsure where to start, come and chat to us. You don’t have to figure this out alone. 

Navigating the route into Clinical Psychology

Posted on by Careers Service

I’m Charlotte, a third-year Psychology student who has seen many of my peers navigate the route into clinical psychology.

If you are considering this path, it can feel overwhelming, especially because while there is a standard qualification route, the experiences you can gain along the way can vary widely. 

(more…)

Learn more about the University of Bristol’s longest standing enterprise competition!

Posted on by Careers Service

This year, we are celebrating 25 years of the New Enterprise Competition.

Director of Careers and Skills, Stuart Johnson, notes the importance of entrepreneurial skills, 

“Entrepreneurial skills are becoming central to graduate employability. Employers increasingly look for people who can think creatively, adapt quickly, and create value in uncertain environments. The abilities we associate with enterprising graduates such as critical thinking, communication, adaptability, problem‑solving, leadership, resilience, teamwork, and digital confidence, are exactly the qualities organisations now expect. And importantly, starting your own business is no longer seen as an alternative route. It’s a powerful employability pathway in its own right, demonstrating dedication, initiative, and real‑world capability.”

Take a read to find out about the history of this University of Bristol flagship enterprise start-up support competition.

(more…)

Give your CV an edge: Solving real-world challenges for local charities and businesses 

Posted on by Careers Service

The Bristol Skills Accelerator (BSA) is designed for students who want to take what they’ve learned in their degree and apply it in a professional environment. 

It’s a flexible programme that fits around your timetable, helping you build your confidence and professional experience before you start applying for graduate roles. 

(more…)

Expansive Futures: Careers in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

Posted on by Careers Service

17 February – 18 March

Expansive Futures career series banner featuring celebration of Holi festival of colours

Are you a student in the arts, humanities, or social sciences wondering what comes next after graduation?

You’re not alone. Many students share the same questions: What career paths are open to me? Where do I start? The Expansive Futures event series is designed to answer those questions and more.

(more…)

Reflections on my summer internship at EY

Posted on by Careers Service

EY (Ernst & Young) is a global professional services firm that provides audit, consulting, tax, and advisory services to businesses and organisations worldwide.

Maddy Allam, a current student at the University of Bristol, recently joined EY on a paid, four-week Audit Summer Internship Programme.

We caught up with Maddy to find out more about her experience.

Application process

I first saw this opportunity advertised on websites such as Gradcracker and Brightnetwork. For me, the application process was relatively quick and easy to navigate, completing an application form and partaking in several online assessments. For future students looking to apply, I would advise applying early, giving yourself enough time to complete the application process whilst continuing your studies!

(more…)

PGTs – Step into the new year with the Careers Service

Posted on by Careers Service

For those of you who have not yet taken advantage of the Careers Service, there is still time! We open our doors again on Monday 5 January, and would love to meet you.

Even though the Careers Service is closed over the Winter Break, we put together some simple, practical tips to boost your career planning!

Planning your career can be stressful, but we can help you develop the skills you will need to succeed.

(more…)

Full Circle: From Workshop Attendee to Employee

Posted on by Careers Service

There’s something incredibly inspiring about seeing someone who was in your exact position just a year ago now standing at the front of the room.

That’s exactly what happened at the Solirius Reply workshop on 8 October, when Lucy, a BSc Economics and Management graduate now working as a Digital Consultant at Solirius Reply, returned to Bristol. Not as a final year student frantically navigating applications, but as an employee of the very company whose workshop she attended last year.

Why in-person workshops matter

As Lucy put it in our interview after the event, final year can feel like an endless cycle of applications that “gets very draining.” When you’re reading company website after company website, everything starts to blur together. “Actually having a workshop in person, I thought was so, so useful,” Lucy told me. The chance to meet people from Solirius Reply and hear real stories made all the difference.

What we learnt

The workshop started with a practical exercise: what skills do tech and digital consultants have? We brainstormed together what these roles look like day-to-day, moving beyond the usual “problem-solving” buzzwords.

Then came Exercise 2, where we reflected on our own experiences and identified skills we’d already developed. It’s so easy to think “I haven’t done anything impressive,” but this exercise forced us to realise we’ve been building relevant skills all along, we just hadn’t framed them properly.

Exercise 3 was probably the most valuable part. The team showed us real CVs and interview answers, asking us to guess which candidates progressed. What made applications stand out wasn’t the most impressive experience, it was how well candidates tailored their application and communicated their skills. They walked us through how they assess applications, breaking down behavioural versus competency-based questions.

What really matters

Simon, Senior Business Consultant at Solirius Reply, had a refreshing message: you don’t need fancy corporate internships. He’d worked in a bar and played sports before getting into consulting. What matters is relating your experiences, whatever they are, to the role. “So many skills you can draw from everything you’ve done,” he emphasised.

He also shared how his recruiting perspective has evolved. It used to be about whether he’d want to grab a drink with a candidate, but now it’s: would he put this person in front of a client? Do they fit the company’s ethos?

Eva, Operations & Talent Acquisition Specialist at Solirius Reply, drove home the importance of communication skills, especially for consulting where you’re constantly client-facing. Lucy echoed this: “Communication is key, being able to talk to people, being able to work in groups.” Hearing this from someone who was literally in the audience last year made it feel more achievable.

Lucy’s journey: making the most of Bristol’s Careers Service

After the workshop, I sat down with Lucy to hear more about her journey. One thing became clear: she’d been strategic about using Bristol’s resources. “I tried to really make the most of the Careers Service, especially after speaking to people who’d graduated saying that they wished they’d used it more,” she explained. She attended sessions on career options and CV workshops, which were game-changers. “I think I’d never fully learnt how to actually make a good CV and learn what was important, what to include, what words you should be including,” Lucy said. She realised her CV had been cluttered with unnecessary information, and she’d never properly understood how to structure a cover letter.

She also pointed me towards the AI CV evaluator on mycareer. “I found that so useful because you can put your CV in and you can see what bits are good and what to improve on.” What really struck me was Lucy’s enthusiasm about Bristol’s Careers Service specifically. “I’ve talked to people at other unis and it’s not the same,” she said. “I think the Bristol one in particular is very good.”

What now?

Watching Lucy help run the session she’d attended as a student just a year ago made the path from graduation to employment feel less intimidating. Here’s what I’m taking away:

  1. Use the Careers Service – book those appointments and attend the workshops
  2. Every experience counts – your part-time job, society involvement, and group projects all demonstrate valuable skills
  3. Communication is everything – especially in consulting
  4. Tailor your applications – generic applications don’t cut it
  5. Attend in-person events – reading a website isn’t the same as meeting the people

I’d really recommend attending these employer workshops. And if you haven’t explored Bristol’s Careers Service yet, maybe now’s the time. According to Lucy, we’re lucky to have the resources we do. We might as well use them!

This blog was written by Youssef Haddouch, Business School Careers Student Ambassador and final year BSC International Business Management student