Tag: Career options
How to get into… working for regulatory bodies
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:
- James Brassington (MSc Economics 2015): Economist at The Payment Systems Regulator.
- Maddy Cooper (BSc Psychology 2023): Leadership development grad scheme at Office for Students.
- Alex Hunt (BSc Politics and International Relations 2023): Fintech Analyst at The Bank of England.
- Samilah Naira (MSc Economics 2023): Economics Advisor at The Competition and Markets Authority
Looking beyond the arts and sciences divide with interdisciplinary work
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.
(more…)“But, once I started my job search, I realised pretty quickly that the door to other disciplines never really closes.”
Advice from a PhD turned uni hiring manager: Transitioning out of a PhD
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!)
(more…)Top Tips for international students pursuing careers in the UK
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?
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.
(more…)Internship stories: Working in business operations at INVISTA
Hi, my name is Harry and I am a final year Management with Innovation student at the University of Bristol. This course is a four-year integrated master’s degree, combining specialist core disciplines such as Management, Economics, Physics and many others, with Innovation, to tackle the growing needs of the 21st Century.
Over the summer, I had the wonderful opportunity to join INVISTA, a global manufacturer of fibers, polymers and chemical intermediates, and a subsidiary of Koch Industries. I worked as a Business Operations Intern, joining the wider EU Supply Chain team.
I engaged with the Careers Service at the University of Bristol several times in my third year, when I was looking at, and applying for internships. The service provided me with resources to help my application stand out and signposted internships, including the INVISTA summer programme that I recently completed.
During this internship, I worked in the relatively new Centre of Excellence (COE) team. This formed part of the wider Enablement team, where the focus is very much on innovation. I found the opportunity to be a part of this team exciting, as it allowed me to use the theory I had learned in my course and apply it in the real world to improve efficiency within selected Supply Chain processes.
From a more tangible perspective, I got the chance to experiment and use tools new to me, such as ChatGPT to automate a process, and worked with developers to enhance a current system of capturing customer information. Through the culture of Principled-Based Management™, I also had the opportunity to ‘fail’, and take it as a learning opportunity for when things don’t go to plan – as they so often do. Therefore, this role provided an opportunity for both personal and professional growth.
Following the conclusion of my internship, INVISTA kindly offered me a full-time position as a Business Operations Specialist beginning in 2024, following my graduation. I will be joining the Customer Experience team, where I will be the focal point for my customers to ensure they get the very best service we can provide. I am really looking forward to beginning my career at INVISTA and furthering my knowledge in supply chains and the manufacturing industry.
Whilst studying, I found taking part in activities such as representing the University in tennis and being part of the innovation society, (firstly as Kit Secretary before moving on to Equality Director) will help me develop skills for working life, through teamwork, leadership, and people-skills.
I think one of the key skills to work in this industry would be the drive to continually keep learning. However, there are some skills which would be more obvious to increase your chances of getting into this sector, like teamwork, customer service skills, and experience using software such as Salesforce, SAP, and PowerBi.
I would also encourage you to want to keep learning more about whatever it is you are doing. For example, before my internship, I had very little knowledge of supply chains, business operations or the manufacturing industry, before my internship, but I was given a chance to learn because I showed the drive and commitment to constantly and quickly learn or adapt.
INVISTA Careers
For more information about the INVISTA Summer Internship please visit our Koch Careers page. For other roles, please visit INVISTA – Koch Careers
Starting an internship soon?
- Develop your professional skills, so that you are ready for the workplace using our professionalism tool.
- Search for a paid internship through the SME Internship Scheme.
- Search for internship opportunities on mycareer
Navigating your future: the true value of arts, humanities and social sciences degrees
Students of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS) are often keenly aware of the positive characteristics of their degrees.
Graduates of these disciplines are curious, creative, investigative and impactful, and AHSS degrees help us to understand ourselves, our society and our place in the world.
But what about their value in a career context? This is where unhelpful narratives about them being less ‘valuable’, come into play, such as that they lead to inferior job prospects. But there is so much evidence to challenge this.
Here are five myths that research by The British Academy has helped to dispel:
(more…)How to succeed in a graduate programme: top tips from FDM.
Ready to start your first job? Graduate programmes are a popular choice for graduates, offering a great way to kickstart your professional journey.
These programmes are designed to prepare you for the job market, equipping you with the necessary skills and knowledge to stand out from the competition.
At FDM, we’ve been connecting people with technology for over 30 years. Our graduate programmes attract thousands of individuals each year, helping them discover exciting opportunities in business and tech.
But what skills are recruiters looking for in candidates? The FDM recruitment team spill the beans…
(more…)Careers in Medicine
Welcome to the fascinating world of medicine. Where science and compassion interact to save lives and transform the human experience.
In March we welcomed a panel of 4 speakers for a panel event, who shared their experiences, as well as their top tips, to students interested in a career in medicine.