Category: CVs, applications and interviews

Davitt Jones Bould Law: Undergraduate placements and CV advice

Posted on by Careers Service

Davitt Jones Bould, the largest specialist real estate law firm in the UK, have opened their Undergraduate Placement applications. They have written for us about their placement opportunities and provided some application advice too. 

Davitt Jones Bould logo.

The placement is truly like no other as we deliberately don’t put you through a structured programme. Instead, you will be working in line with the real-time demands of the business, giving you experience of what running a business is really like.

You will work directly with a talented team of Davitt Jones Bould people, including colleagues in the Business Services Centre, lawyers based all over the UK and Davitt Jones Bould’s leadership team. You will be given responsibility straightaway for a wide range of tasks – some will play to your strengths, and some will challenge you to learn new skills.

You will be provided with dedicated on the job mentoring and training, as well as access to Davitt Jones Bould’s wider training programmes and courses. 

Apply today. 

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Welcome to your Careers Service

Posted on by Careers Service

Welcome (or welcome back!) to the University of Bristol. We are your Careers Service. We are here to support you in preparing for your next steps during or after you finish your studies. It’s never too early to start!   

Whether it’s help in getting a part-time job, finding internships and graduate roles, writing CVs and applications, or deciding what you want to do after your degree, we’re here for you.     

First things first, you are going to hear us talking about mycareer a lot this year. mycareer is your portal to resources, vacancies, events, appointments and more. You can set up a profile in there that will tailor content just for you. 

Log in, complete your profile and off you go! 

The front entrance of the Careers Service at 5 Tyndall Avenue.
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Advice from a PhD turned uni hiring manager: Applying for jobs after a PhD

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Dr Chad McDonald completed his PhD in History at the University of Bristol in 2019. He’s now a Senior Academic and Study Skills Tutor at Manchester Metropolitan University. This role has seen him shortlist hundreds of applications and interview dozens of candidates. In this blog he reflects on applying for jobs after a PhD.

Applying for jobs can be a difficult and time-consuming task. It can involve many setbacks, so it takes effort to maintain your resilience in the face of such challenges.

To help make this process easier for those of you looking for work after a PhD, here are my answers to some of the most frequent questions people have asked me about applying for jobs.

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Careers support for students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds

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Career planning can be tricky. We know some students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds can also face specific challenges.

These may include: 

  • Exploring career ideas when you don’t know what’s out there; 
  • Getting quality work experience with fewer existing networks; or 
  • Having time to dedicate to career planning alongside other commitments. 

At the Careers Service, we provide dedicated support to address these challenges: 

Bristol Mentors

The Bristol Mentors scheme matches you with an alumni mentor. They can help you explore ideas, share advice, and give you an edge to break into the job sector that interests you.

Applications typically open in the Spring term – check your university emails. 

The words Bristol Mentors with two stduents smiling
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How to get into green jobs: the takeaways

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In November, the Careers Service hosted speakers from a variety of environmental career paths who are each tackling the biggest sustainability issues we currently face using their own unique skills and experiences.

Meet the panellists:

Ann Cousins, Associate, Resilience and Climate Change Advisory, ARUP

Ann is the lead in the resilience, energy and climate change advisory team at Arup which is a sustainability consultancy firm. The team is multidisciplinary including engineers, psychologists, and lawyers. Ann started as a receptionist with Arup after graduating with a French and Italian degree at the University of Bristol and worked her way up to their leading consultancy role.

Recently, Ann also assisted in setting up the Bristol One City environmental plan.

Pierce Griffith, Principal Economist (Chemical), the Environment Agency

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How to make the most of Gradcracker: Advice for STEM students

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“There are plenty of opportunities available for students looking for STEM placements and jobs! This is a great chance to discover where your degree can take you.”

In October, Gradcracker’s Jessica Luck presented to Bristol students. Gradcracker is the UK’s career website for science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) students. The online event outlined how to use the Gradcracker website to search for placements and graduate jobs within the STEM industry.

A graphic of a brain lit up in lights like a circuit board

Key features of the Gradcracker website:

The event highlighted some of the many features available on the Gradcracker website, here are some of the best ones:

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Top tips for making the most of the University of Bristol Law Fair

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It was great to see so many of you at our recent Employer Showcase, and hope you enjoyed the opportunity to network with potential employers. Our next big careers event will be the University of Bristol Law Fair.

Join us at the Wills Memorial Building on Thursday 2 November from 12:30 pm until 3 pm to engage with 41 law firms seeking Bristol graduates. The event even includes employer-led talks from leading firms, so come along to find out exactly what top law firms are looking for.

Two students talk in the Wills Memorial building

This is the perfect opportunity for those of you interested in law to explore a career in the legal sector.

If you’re studying law, considering a conversion Masters, or simply wish to explore your options, make sure you don’t miss out.

Attending the fair is only the first step…

It’s essential to keep things moving after the fair and stay in touch with your contacts. Take a look at these quick tips in order to maximise your pre-fair and post-fair experience:

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AI generated applications – should you, or shouldn’t you?

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Recent research* shows that 17% of students are already using generative AI tools to assist with writing documents such as CVs and cover letters for applications. By the time you read this, that figure will no doubt be higher. 

It’s hard to avoid the news and frenzy around tools such as ChatGPT that can make light work of even complex tasks. Where we have our limitations in terms of knowledge and resources, AI can instantly draw on comprehensive expertise from millions of data points to help us reduce time spent on admin-intensive work. 

So, whether you feel overwhelmed with multiple applications or just find it difficult to produce the right words, it’s understandable that taking a shortcut can be appealing. 

However, assist should be the key word here.  

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Welcome to your Careers Service

Posted on by Careers Service

Welcome (or welcome back!) to the University of Bristol. We are your Careers Service and we are here to support you in preparing for your next steps after you finish your studies – and it’s never too early to start!  

Whether it’s help in getting a part-time job, finding internships and graduate roles, writing CVs and applications, or deciding what you want to do after your degree, we’re here for you.    

First things first, you are going to hear us talking about mycareer a lot this year. mycareer is your portal to vacancies, events, resources, appointments and more. You can set up a profile in there that will tailor content just for you!

Log in, complete your profile and off you go!

Here are 5 ways you can engage with us during your time at Bristol:  

Explore your options 

What can you do with your course, and how can you research the opportunities available to you? We are here to support you in researching your options and testing out ideas.

Visit the Exploring your career options pages of our website or attend one of our ‘Get clear on your career’ workshops. 

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Is a PhD for me?

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Deciding whether to pursue a PhD can be daunting for any student. A PhD is a significant commitment requiring substantial time and effort, but it can also be incredibly rewarding.

Here are some factors to consider when deciding if a PhD is right for you:

Motivation and passion

One of the most important factors to consider when deciding whether to pursue a PhD is your motivation and passion for the subject. A PhD is a research-focused degree based on a significant amount of independent work and dedication.

Without genuine interest and a deep sense of curiosity about the subject, it will be challenging to maintain the motivation required to complete a PhD. 

As you will be dedicating several years of your life to researching and writing your thesis (the argument your research makes), it is crucial that you are passionate about it. Otherwise, you may struggle to see it through.

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