Tag: Career options

Alumni insights: top tips for landing your first graduate job

Posted on by Careers Service
Two diagrams comparing graduate career paths. The first, titled "What people think a graduate career looks like," shows a straight path: Internship → Graduate job → Senior role → Manager → Executive. The second, titled "What a graduate career can also look like," shows a non-linear path with branches: Graduation → Temp work → Internal job opportunity → Redundancy, Internship and freelance work → Headhunted → Career change → Career break (travel) → Self-employed full-time.

Event overview and panellists 

Transitioning from university to securing your first graduate job is an exciting yet sometimes daunting experience. Alumni recently spoke at a panel event, sharing their career journeys, job market tips, and practical advice.

Each panellist offered unique insights, discussed common challenges, and answered participant questions. This blog summarises some key advice to help you land your first graduate job and kickstart your career. 

The panel featured alumni from various sectors: 

  • Emma Ansell, Campaigns Executive at The Quarto Group, English Literature 
  • Paige Taylor, Programme Manager at GAIN (Girls Are Investors), Theatre and Performance 
  • Samantha Belcher-Tyson, Technology Product Manager at Morrisons, Experimental Psychology 
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Which employer is right for me?

Posted on by Careers Service

You’ve been working hard for years, and now, during your studies at university, you’re facing one of the biggest decisions of your life, choosing a career

Whether you’re looking for insight days, internships, placements, or a full-time role, the competition is fierce. When it feels like everyone is chasing the same opportunities, standing out comes down to your values.

Your principles and purpose can set you apart, even when many other candidates have similar qualifications.

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Graduate Stories: Working as a graduate hardware engineer at Ocado Technology

Posted on by Careers Service

Hi, I’m Louise, I graduated from the University of Bristol in 2022 and I now work at Ocado Technology as a Graduate Hardware Engineer.

A photo of Louise in her graduation robes.

My university experience

In 2018 I began studying for an integrated master’s degree in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering. The first three years of my degree were transformative in building my confidence and passion for engineering.

One of the best extra-curricular activities I did during my time at university was being a Course Representative as this helped me to get to know both my cohort and my lecturers. During my second year I also completed the Bristol PLUS Award, a programme organised by the Careers Service. The best thing I gained from this programme was learning how to articulate the value I had gained from my extra curricular experiences in my CV and in job interviews.

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From Wills Memorial to the Palace of Westminster – my Civil Service Fast Stream journey

Posted on by Careers Service

Hi, I’m Annie, a Bristol graduate (BA English, MSc Public Policy) currently working in the Ministry of Justice as part of the Civil Service Fast Stream graduate programme.

Back in 2018, when I decided to study English at Bristol, careers were the furthest thing from my mind. I was passionate about reading and literary history, especially the political contexts of my favourite novels, plays and poems, and knew that Bristol would be the perfect place to develop.

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My experience taking part in Not Impossible microplacements

Posted on by Careers Service

Hello! My name is Archie and I have been participating in the University’s partnership with the work experience platform Not Impossible.

My experience with Not Impossible started with an email entering my inbox, with the promise of microplacements due to the fact I was from a widening participation background.

Their system creates short-term, 1:1, one-hour to one-day, work placements with Bristol and Bath employees smart-matched to you – within your sector, using an online skills and interests tool and psychometric tests that identify shared motivations, reasoning skills and personalities.

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Want a career that makes a difference?

Posted on by Careers Service

Earlier this year we hosted an alumni panel event with Niranjali Amerasinghe, Jenny Cook and Nyika Suttie, whose jobs all focus on making a tangible difference.

Their role titles are:  

  • Niranjali Amerasinghe – Executive Director (Action Aid USA).
  • Jenny Cook – Technical Advisor for Strategic Partnerships and Gender Inclusion and Diversity (PIARC World Road Association).
  • Nyika Suttie – Student Culture and Inclusion Training Officer (University of Bath).
Photos of Niranjali, Jenny and Nyika.
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Challenges of tomorrow – festivals and events

Posted on by Careers Service
Glastonbury festival at night

Events are a major element of the UK economy, with an estimated £3.3 billion revenue in 2023.

We ran the “Challenges of tomorrow – festivals & events” panel to give students an insight into how to get into this exciting sector, with expert input from Pauline Bourdon, Stevie Lee-Bennett and Charlie Wall.

Here is a quick introduction to our panellists, their backgrounds, and current roles:

Pauline Bourdon

Pauline Bourdon is a Director at Soliphilia (a green touring & sustainability consultancy), a lecturer in event sustainability at BIMM Bristol, a sustainability consultant with UNSW Cardiff, and the Head of Sustainability & Social Cohesion at Team Love – an event production company producing 6 festivals a year including Love Saves the Day in Bristol, Silver Hayes at Glastonbury Festival and Waterworks, London.

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Mentoring matters – your chance to open doors and create opportunities

Posted on by Careers Service

With just one week to go, Bristol Mentors is still open for applications for home UK students returning for study in 2024/25.

Bristol Mentors provides successful student applicants with an alumni mentor working in the sector/industry they are aiming to break into.

Mentorship can be an enriching experience and our student mentees are always happy to tell us more about the range of benefits they have gained whilst on the programme.

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How to get into… working for regulatory bodies 

Posted on by Careers Service

In February, the Careers Service hosted a panel of University of Bristol alumni who now work for regulatory bodies in the UK. 

But what is a regulatory body? 

Regulatory bodies are organisations established by governments or other authorities to oversee and regulate specific industries or sectors. Their primary role is to create and enforce rules, standards, and guidelines aimed at ensuring safety, fairness, transparency, and efficiency within their respective sectors. This is an interesting line of work, and one which students might not know a huge amount about.    

The panel that kindly spoke for us all work for regulatory bodies and shared what it is like to work in this area, along with the journey they took to get to where they are now in their careers. 

The panel were: 

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