Category: Graduate jobs

Top tips for our Get Hired careers fair

Posted on by Careers Service
An employer talking to a student at a careers fair

Our Get Hired careers fair is happening on Wednesday 1 May, 12:30 pm to 4 pm, at Bristol Beacon

It’s a great opportunity to network with employers of all sizes across a variety of sectors, with lots of other activities going on on the day.

To find out more, and book your place, visit the event on mycareer.

If you are disabled, neurodivergent or have a long-term physical or mental health condition, we are here to make Get Hired as accessible as we can for you. Complete this form by Thursday 18 April and we can build a support package for you. Watch our Accessibility Arrangements at Careers Fairs video to learn about arrangements we can put in place to help you access the fair.

To help you make the most of the day, we have pulled together our top tips on how to prepare for the fair…

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Looking beyond the arts and sciences divide with interdisciplinary work

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Elena graduated from Bristol in 2022 with a degree in English Literature and is now a Communications Consultant at Bright Carbon.

We caught up with Elena about looking beyond the arts and sciences divide with interdisciplinary work.

“It can feel as though there‘s a massive gap between an arts career and a science career, and once you pick a side, you’re stranded there.

The popularity of Sylvia Plath’s fig tree analogy shows just how many people feel like the choices they make close off all other potential futures. I definitely felt this when I was choosing my degree.

There was a sense of finality – that this was my specialism and other routes were now closed. After a lot of back and forth and deliberation, I chose ‘arts’ and studied Art Foundation and then English Literature at University – and I thought that was the end of that for other subjects.

“But, once I started my job search, I realised pretty quickly that the door to other disciplines never really closes.”

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Being LGBTQIA+ in the workplace

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As part of LGBT+ History Month, the Careers Service hosted a panel event exploring what it’s like in the workplace for LGBTQIA+ individuals.

The event connected current students with speakers from the LGBTQIA+ community who work in a variety of different sectors, allowing those who attended a chance to hear stories and advice, and ask questions.

Our panel included –

Photos of the panel. From left to right, Cassie, Jo, Mateusz, Yiran and Raeesa.
  • Cassie Agbehenu (she/her or they/them) – Director of Impact and Influence, Bristol Students’ Union
  • Dr Jo Hartland (they/them) – Senior Lecturer, Bristol Medical School
  • Mateusz Lipinski (he/him) – Business Analyst, Deloitte
  • Yiran Liu (she/her) – Audit Associate, Deloitte
  • Raeesa Rajmohamed (she/her) – Barrister, Academic Writer and Human Rights Implementation Centre Advisor

Here are their key tips for LGBTQIA+ people to thrive in the workplace.

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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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Advice from a PhD turned uni hiring manager: Transitioning out of 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 his post-PhD career and offers advice for those looking to move into third-space roles in universities.

“As I was preparing to submit my thesis in the summer of 2019, I was also trying to plan for what would come next. This involved balancing my imminent thesis deadline against job hunting. Juggling these demands was tough!

One thing that made it easier, though, was that I’d planned for what I wanted to do next throughout my PhD. Here are some key points to consider during your PhD to support your job search (no matter how imminent it may be!)

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How to get into Financial Management: Top Tips

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Image of skyscrapersIn October 2023, we ran a ‘How to get into Financial Management’ careers panel event about roles within the industry and top tips for applying for opportunities in this area.

Our panellists:

  • Charlotte Wheeler – Financial Planner and Coach at Evelyn Partners, ex-KPMG
  • Pawel Abramik – Head of Financial Services at North Bristol NHS Trust
  • Victor Flores – Financial Consultant at Hargreaves Lansdown
  • Vincent Pang – Senior Tax Manager for ST Telemedia Global Data Centres (Singapore)

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Top Tips for international students pursuing careers in the UK

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In November, we held an ‘International Alumni Careers’ panel for international students seeking to find graduate jobs and to pursue careers in the UK.

We caught up with our five panellists to hear their top tips:

Anukriti Panda, MSc Public Health

Anukriti came to study at the University of Bristol from India and is now a Senior Clinical Research Practitioner at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London. Her advice to international students trying to find work in the UK is:

“Firstly, networking! Network with your friends, with your academic advisors, and most importantly with your alumni. We are all available on LinkedIn, just connect with us and then we can share our email addresses.”

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Developing career resilience as a graduate – how can you develop this increasingly important attribute?

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Resilience is becoming an increasingly crucial attribute in the job market. Whether you’ve just started your career or are navigating the job application process, building career resilience is an essential skill that can set you apart from the competition and contribute to your long-term success.

In this blog post, we will explore the meaning and importance of career resilience, and most importantly, how you can develop and strengthen this valuable trait, both as you apply for jobs, and navigate workplace challenges.

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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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Developing your graduate capital doesn’t have to stop when you leave uni

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As you begin life after university, it’s important to recognise that your development doesn’t stop when you get your degree.

The concept of graduate capital emphasizes the key resources that empower you to successfully navigate the job market. These capitals go beyond academic development to include human, social, cultural, identity, and psychological aspects.

Graduates who can draw on these capitals feel more confident and can better present their value to employers. This blog post will explain each capital and explore practical ways to develop them as a graduate.

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