Post-Get Hired checklist: make the most of your connections.

Posted on May 10, 2023May 10, 2023 by Careers Service

Bristol Beacon’s Get Hired event on Wednesday 3 May brought together more than 750 students with 40 employers from a range of industries, offering immediate job vacancies, graduate roles, and internships.

Fair sponsors, Outlook Energy, talking to students at the Get Hired careers fair.

But attending the fair is only the first step – what you do next can determine your success in building your network, finding a mentor, or landing your dream job.

The employers at Get Hired were impressed by the quality of students they met, and as we know Bristol students are the 4th most targeted by top graduate employers, so it’s important to capitalize on that positive impression and keep the momentum going.

Here are some tips to help you maximise your post-fair experience.

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Top tips for getting into the arts sector

Posted on April 26, 2023April 26, 2023 by Careers Service

The arts sector offers an incredible range of exciting and diverse career options. However, navigating it and figuring out how to get onto your chosen career path can be unclear.

The creative industries don’t tend to mass recruit so you might have to think a bit differently about how you find and approach opportunities.

A paintbrush covered in red paint surrounding by a circular splatter pattern on a white background.

Understanding what kinds of experience and qualifications you need in order to pursue your desired career is an important first step.

Many industries expect to see a portfolio or are looking for specialist skills. Our sector guides are a great place to start when looking to kick-start a career in the arts.

These helpful guides have tailored information and advice about industries such as the performing arts, digital media, and heritage.

Finding work opportunities

Finding opportunities in the arts can be more difficult than in STEM. Less opportunities are widely advertised in the arts industries, particularly in very competitive sectors such as film and television.

Making speculative applications is therefore a great way to target your energies towards the companies and the roles that you would like. Even if your application is not successful, speculative applications can be a great way to get on a company’s radar and make connections which may help you in the future.

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Find Yourself a Mentor – Introducing Bristol Connects

Posted on April 12, 2023April 12, 2023 by Careers Service

Are you enjoying your subject and wondering how that passion could translate to your future career? Perhaps your head is swimming with ideas about what you think you’d be good at and what would be rewarding work? Do you want to understand what might give you the edge in application and selection processes?

University alumni can be a great source of support. Not only are they familiar with Bristol, but they can also be a ‘real life voice’ that will provide realistic and honest advice.

A photo of the backs of three Bristol graduates in their graduation gowns.

Bristol Connects is a free platform for all current students to interact and network with University of Bristol alumni. We spoke with two Bristol alumni that have been interacting and supporting students via the platform to find out more about what they’d been getting out of using the system.

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How to get into: Media – film, TV, and radio

Posted on April 10, 2023April 5, 2023 by Careers Service

Hi! My name is Ella and I am a second-year English student and Career Peer Support Assistant at the Careers Service.

In February I attended the “Careers in media: film, TV and radio” panel event, as part of the Faculty of Arts Careers Series.

The Alumni panel included:

Ceci Golding: Producer at the BBC
Kaia Rose: Multimedia Content Lead at Connect4Climate
Owain Astles: Freelance Film Director
Rosalind Arnell: Senior Music Producer at Classic FM

Film, TV, and radio are thriving sectors renowned for their popularity and competitiveness. The media industry has seen a shift post-pandemic, with the increase in streaming services creating a huge quantity of new and flexible opportunities.

The media sector contributed 111 billion pounds to the UK economy pre-pandemic. The South West, in particular Bristol, is a thriving media hub which employs around 50,000 people in a wide variety of roles.

Here are my top 6 takeaways from the Q&A panel:

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Five reasons why you should take part in a City Challenge

Posted on April 5, 2023April 3, 2023 by Careers Service

For our latest City Challenge, we teamed up with local Bristol charity BristolHub, an organisation that supports University of Bristol students to tackle social challenges, learn about issues and connect with each other.

So what is a City Challenge? and why should you take part?

Table of students at the careers service working on the most recent City Challenge with BristolHub

We caught up with Hannah (BA Politics and International Relations) and Apoorva (MA Economics and Finance) who attended the most recent City Challenge, along with Will Westgarth of Bristol Hub, to hear all about the programme and why they recommend you take part in a future one. Here are their five top reasons :

1. You can make a real difference to a local charity

During a City Challenge, you help a Bristol non-profit tackle an issue they are facing. You learn about a local cause, help improve them and have a positive impact on the local community. Our most recent challenge was with Bristol Hub. Hannah, who’s in her second year, said, “I aspire to work in the non-profit sector so insight into a small charity and the way it works was really helpful for me.”

The charity gets a lot too.

Will of Bristol Hub said, “The Challenge helped Bristol Hub further understand students’ desires when it comes to opportunities and how we can best reach out and connect with students. They came up with incredibly detailed and well thought-out presentations, with suggestions which we will take on board for the next academic year.”

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Mentoring matters – why apply for Bristol Mentors?

Posted on March 13, 2023March 13, 2023 by Careers Service

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

To celebrate Bristol Mentors now being open for applications for the class of 2023/24, we caught up with Lucy (BA English Literature, 2019) and Grace (MA Law, 2019) to hear about their experiences as student mentees on the programme.

Both former mentees have since taken the role of mentor for two current students. From mentee to mentor, and student to graduate, they are full of valuable experiences worth sharing!

Lucy, EDI Lead for Communities at the National Literacy Trust

Grace, Trainee Solicitor at CMS UK

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Get supported as a women founder with the Growth Support Programme

Posted on February 22, 2023February 27, 2023 by Careers Service

Back in March 2019, HM Treasury and Alison Rose published the ‘Rose Review’. The goal of the Rose Review was to tap the huge unrealised economic potential of women entrepreneurs by making the UK one of the best countries in the world for women to start and grow a new business.

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Reignite your job search in the New Year

Posted on February 8, 2023February 7, 2023 by Careers Service

For some, the New Year may have brought renewed energy to accomplishing personal career goals in 2023. Read on to find out practical steps to support a successful graduate job search. Our tips will help you prioritise tasks to make the most of the time you have available.

via GIPHY

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Why Attend the Faculty of Arts Careers Series?

Posted on January 18, 2023January 13, 2023 by Careers Service

Are you interested to hear from alumni from all over the world who have built interesting and fulfilling careers after graduating from Bristol? Would you like to hear from Faculty of Arts alumni who now work in diverse roles, ranging from being a brand manager for the Royal Mint, to a history teacher in Seychelles, or a reporter for the Wall Street journal?

February is a special month for those studying in the Faculty of Arts, as the Careers Service and Faculty collaborate to host the annual Faculty of Arts Careers Series, spanning four weeks from 1 to 28 February 2023.

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The Growth Support Programme: a springboard to success

Posted on January 13, 2023January 13, 2023 by Careers Service

The New Enterprise Competition’s (NEC) award-winning Growth Support Programme (GSP) is open for applications.

The NEC is a year-long programme that offers you the chance to build your dream business, taking it from an idea scrawled onto a pub napkin, all the way up to a sustainable, successful, and profitable business.

What does it all mean?

After the initial Ideas and subsequent Development Stage, the final Growth Stage begins. It’s the highest point of the competition, where you will be competing for up to £20,000 in funding for your business.

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