In February this year, the Life Sciences Sustainability Champions hosted a ‘Careers for Change-Makers’ event.
We heard from inspiring individuals on how they are striving to drive change across the life sciences sector – and learnt how to position ourselves in impactful roles in our own future careers.
Missed it? Here’s who attended and their tips for aspiring future change-makers.
How to deal with being “ignored” whilst job hunting
Imagine this scenario. You see a job advertised for a large company. It is advertised as an entry level job, and you are delighted that you meet all the criteria.
Actually, the more you look at it, the more you realise that you are the perfect candidate, and this is the job for you.
You clear your calendar and designate three whole days to writing the application. Dinner with Gran will have to wait.
You get it done. You get it proofread. You lap up the praise. It is perfect. You send it well in advance of the deadline. And you wait for your invite to interview.
And you wait. And you wait. You refresh your email a million times. You check that your phone is working. You google “How long does it take to be called to an interview?” You ask ChatGPT what it would do.
Not hearing back after submitting a job application is far from a new phenomenon, and many people will have tales similar to this one. However, frequency of occurrence doesn’t stop the pain of a ghosting (as many internet daters can contest to!). And it is not just initial applications – it can happen at every stage of the hiring process.
So, what do you do if you find yourself ghosted? Below are a few suggestions that might just help you out:
Vlad Dayblovskiy, a current student at the University of Bristol, recently joined EY on a paid, four-week Audit Summer Internship Programme. We caught up with Vlad to find out how he found this experience.
Gain valuable experience and boost your employability skills as a Master’s student on this 3-week internship with the Business School.
The University of Bristol Business School offers Master’s students the chance
to take part in a 3-week authentic industry project designed to prepare you for the workplace through real business challenges.
The programme is running twice this year with two different groups of students. Our next intake is in June 2025 and you can express your interest here.
Claudia, a second year studying film and television, and one of our Career Ambassadors, reports back on her work talking to students about how to fit career planning into their lives.
It is no small feat to balance student life with the pressure of future planning. For lots of students, preparing for life after graduation can feel daunting, as they are often juggling many other commitments. It’s fair to say that university can be fun and fulfilling, but sometimes it can also be a hectic and overwhelming experience.
Amrit is studying law at Bristol, and we recently caught up to hear about her experience working for Hogan Lovells and advice about applying for the campus ambassador opportunity.
Hi, I’m Amrit. The main role of a Hogan Lovells Campus Ambassador role is to act as the firm’s key representative on campus, promoting its opportunities. This involves organising and advertising events.
Careers Service launches first-ever Expansive Futures series for Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences students
The past teaching term saw a Careers Service first – a month-long multi-disciplinary career development series, Expansive Futures: Careers in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. When we sat down to design the series, we knew it’s going to be a good one, but the end result exceeded even our most optimistic expectations!
14 different panels were arranged, covering topics from film and TV to marketing, from public sector to heritage, from charity to law.
48 panellists, including alumni and representatives from local businesses, volunteered their time to share their insights.
Over 650 of you engaged with the events, many joining us for more than one event.
We were delighted to get some really positive feedback, so read on to find out what some of our lovely students had to say:
Thinking about careers can easily slip to the bottom of the list when you’ve got other things on. The uncertainty of “what next” can be de-motivating and sometimes it can be simpler to just not think about it.
Get Hired, our spring careers fair, is happening onWednesday 19 March from 12:30 pm to 4 pm atBristol Beacon.Third Bridge who are sponsoring this year’s fair have kindly provided a blog that is written by a Bristol alumni.
Hi I’m Amelia, when I graduated from the University of Bristol in 2020 in the midst of the pandemic, I put my travel plans on hold and started looking for a graduate job in London with no real idea of what I wanted to do. I had studied Russian at Bristol, and loved the exposure to different cultures through the department and my year abroad in Tomsk, so all I knew was I wanted to work in a multicultural environment where I could meet people from different backgrounds.
Bristol Mentors is now open for applications for home UK students returning for study in 2025/26.
We caught up with Elena (Politics and Sociology BSc), one of two Bristol Mentors Student Associates, about her experiences as a mentee on the programme.
“I was delighted to gain a place on Bristol Mentors last year. As the programme got closer, I knew I didn’t have a clear vision for how I wanted my future to look, and in truth I hoped someone would tell me exactly what I was supposed to pursue. The beauty of having a mentor is that whilst they can’t make those decisions for you, they can do a great deal to help you figure it out.
As I got to know my mentor, we discussed interests and avenues I was considering, allowing her to help me consider relevant opportunities and ideas. Throughout the year, I attended networking events and applied for summer programmes. If ever I felt I was out of my depth or imposter syndrome kicked in, I knew I had my mentor to guide me and cheer me on.
After my year as a student mentee, I had the chance to join the project team and help the running of the programme as a Student Associate. This gave me an even greater appreciation of mentoring as I was able to see so many other students benefitting and the work that goes on behind the scenes.
From where I am now, I see mentorship as a journey like a trail of falling dominos; one connection, one opportunity, one piece of guidance, can set off a chain reaction that keeps you moving towards your potential. To any fellow student reading about this opportunity I would highly recommend you make the time to apply.”
Bristol Mentors provides successful student applicants with an alumni mentor working in the professional sector they are aiming to break into.
Visit the Bristol Mentors webpage to check if you are eligible for a place on the programme and to get your application started.
If you have any questions or queries, contact the team on alumni-mentoring@bristol.ac.uk