Best resources for commercial awareness

Photo by Surface on Unsplash

Commercial awareness is all about having an understanding of the market a certain organisation operates in.

It is a sought after skill by employers, and having good commercial awareness when applying for a job might help you stand out from the crowd.

How can you improve your commercial awareness? We’ve done a round-up of some of the top resources about commercial awareness from mycareer.

(more…)

Graduates, we’re still here for you!

Are you finishing your degree this summer?

While it might not have been what you expected from your last year at University, everyone at the Careers Service wishes you huge congratulations for reaching the end of your studies. It’s a fantastic achievement and we hope you are proud of that.

Careers Support for Graduates

Don’t forget that as a graduate of the University of Bristol you can make use of all our careers support for up to three years after the end of your studies.

The graduate job market, much like the wider economy, has taken a big hit this year due to the effects of COVID-19, but many employers are still looking to recruit graduates. Whether you’re planning on work or further study as your next step, the Careers Service is here to help you find and apply to opportunities. (more…)

Do you have questions about disability and employability?

person thinking
Photo by Ümit Bulut on Unsplash

Many disabled students and graduates ask the Careers Service for help making the transition from study to work. We support students with a variety of physical, mental health, and neurodiverse conditions such as dyslexia, autism and ADHD when thinking about their career. In this blog post we’ll go over some of the common questions we get asked around the recruitment process, what we can do to help, and where you can get extra support.

 

(more…)

Find work experience for this summer 🌞

Work experience is any opportunity which gives you experience of work, or the non-academic skills that will prepare you for work. It can be paid or unpaid experience and is not necessarily related to your degree or your future career plans. This can include internships, summer vacation jobs, volunteering, insight events and shadowing as well as self-driven projects. 

Good quality work experience should: 

  • Teach you new skills including professional behaviours. 
  • Highlight which skills you need. 
  • Let you explore a career idea. 
  • Connect you to people you could use as contacts in the future. 
  • Improve your understanding of that sector. 
  • Demonstrate your interest in that sector. 
  • Provide you with a reference. 

We know that many of you have had your summer internships and work experience cancelled or are struggling to find opportunities. 

Here are some ways we’d suggest you look for new opportunities for this summer. 

(more…)

Chambers of Commerce: the successful job hunter’s best kept secret

What are Chambers of Commerce?

Chambers of Commerce are membership organisations which businesses can join to access services to help them grow and play a part in their local business community. They exist around the world at the local, regional and national level. Bristol Chamber of Commerce is run by Business West. You can easily find Chambers for your nearest home town or city, or home country, by searching online. For example, “[name of city] Chamber of Commerce.”

(more…)

New Enterprise Competition Development stage- Now open!

Basecamp caught up with University of Bristol alumni Adam Chambers, who has start-up business; Applichat. Adam won the Development Stage of the New Enterprise Competition and has shared some of his experiences below.

In a nutshell, what’s your business idea?

Applichat source, automatically pre-screen, then assign job candidates from Facebook and Instagram to recruiters’ workflows.

(more…)

Equality and Diversity Careers Week is coming!

Equality and Diversity Careers Week 27-31 January

Employers are waking up to the importance of equality and diversity in their graduate recruitment.  According to the Institute of Student Employers, 76% of employers now consider social mobility to be a priority.  

But what does equality and diversity in careers really mean? And how do these values affect you? 

For the week of 27-31 January, the Careers Service and Bristol Students’ Union are putting on fifteen events to explore and celebrate diversity as a workplace strength. 

(more…)

Find Yourself a Mentor – Bristol Connects

Photo by Bhagesh Sachania

Are you in love with your subject and wondering how you can find that passion in your future career?

Is your head swimming with ideas about what you think you’d be good at and what would be rewarding work?

Do you find yourself wondering what might give you the edge in application and selection processes?

University alumni can be a great source of support. Not only do they have a natural affinity and familiarity with Bristol they can be a ‘real life voice’ that will provide realistic and impartial advice.

(more…)

Before You Go: 5 things to do before you leave for the summer

The days are getting longer and warmer, summer is around the corner and some of you will even be saying goodbye to the University of Bristol. Whether you’re leaving for good, or coming back again in the Autumn, there are several things you could do before the summer to help you get where you want to be.

(Image from Pixaby)

  1. Plan your career

If you don’t have any clear idea what you want to do after university, then let us help you to get the foundations in place, so that you can begin to identify the options of most interest. If this sounds a little daunting, don’t despair – our ‘Confused about your future career?’ workshops explain everything and provide you with friendly support from our careers experts. (more…)