Overcoming imposter syndrome during your graduate job search

Posted on February 28, 2025February 28, 2025 by Careers Service

Hi there, I’m Caitlin, a recent graduate and a Careers Support and Graduate Engagement Intern. As I navigate my own career journey, I’ve come to realise that self-doubt can be a common experience especially when stepping into something new. One of the most challenging aspects of this is imposter syndrome – that nagging feeling that you don’t truly deserve your success, or that you’re not as capable as others might think.

If you’ve ever felt this way, you’re certainly not alone. Research reveals an estimated 70% of people have experienced some form of imposter syndrome in their lives, including highly successful individuals. The positive news is that there are practical strategies available to help you manage these feelings and approach your job search with renewed confidence.

(more…)

So you want to get into wildlife TV?

Posted on January 30, 2025January 30, 2025 by Careers Service

Guest post by Liz Bell

Bristol is a great place to be if you want a career in television production. It’s renowned for the wildlife and factual programmes made by the BBC and the many independent companies based here, and with its close-knit professional community it’s an excellent alternative to the sometimes cut-throat London scene.

But if you’ve done your research, you’ll know that it’s not easy to get your foot in the door. Competition is fierce, jobs are rarely advertised and everybody wants someone with tons of experience (which you haven’t got because no one will give you a chance).

As a former TV producer, I get a lot of questions from people wanting to break into the TV industry. So here are my top tips to answer that perennial question: as a recent or soon-to-be Bristol graduate, how can you make yourself stand out from the crowd and get a job?

(more…)

Alumni insights: top tips for landing your first graduate job

Posted on December 18, 2024December 19, 2024 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

(more…)

Graduate Stories: Working on the commercial graduate programme at INEOS

Posted on October 25, 2024November 1, 2024 by Careers Service

Luke graduated from Bristol with a Mechanical Engineering degree and now works at INEOS on the Commercial Graduate Programme. We recently caught up with Luke to hear about his experience working for INEOS and his advice for students who are starting their career.

Hi I’m Luke,

I graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, but it didn’t take me long to realise that a traditional engineering career wasn’t quite what I was aiming for. While I was at Bristol, I explored various fields through different internships. Each role gave me a new perspective and showed me how the engineering world operates beyond the technical aspects. By the time I finished my degree, I knew I wanted to combine my engineering background with a focus on business and strategy.

(more…)

Graduate Stories: My journey into the space industry

Posted on September 23, 2024October 22, 2024 by Careers Service

University of Bristol alumnus Will Booth, graduated in an MEng in Aerospace Engineering in 2022 and is now working for Airbus Defence and Space. We recently caught up with Will, to hear about his journey from graduating to working in the space industry.

Hi I’m Will,

As I reflect on my journey from the University of Bristol to my current role at Airbus Defence and Space, I appreciate how important my time at university was in shaping my career in the space industry. The exposure I gained during my studies, particularly through my fourth-year group design project (AVDASI4) and my third-year independent research project, simulating reusable launch vehicle landings, solidified my passion for working in the space sector. Through these projects, I discovered my love for complex spacecraft design and developed key contacts at Airbus, which would prove invaluable later on.

(more…)

Top tips for international students pursuing careers in the UK

Posted on April 26, 2024February 5, 2025 by Careers Service

Last month, we invited five international students and alumni from various sectors to share their successful experiences in securing graduate jobs in the UK.

Here are our five panellists and their top tips:

Megan Lim, LLB Bachelor of Law

Megan is a current law student from Malaysia who has secured a training contract with Osborne Clarke and is also our PLUS Award Ambassador. She offers this advice to international students seeking jobs in the UK:

“Don’t hesitate to ask for help at any stage of the application process. Seek assistance from your supervisors, the Career Service, friends, and family for application reviews, and practice interview questions.

Additionally, actively engage with employers, if possible, through LinkedIn and careers fairs. Don’t be afraid to ask them questions.”

Explore support on applications on the CVs, applications and interviews page of our website.

(more…)

Looking beyond the arts and sciences divide with interdisciplinary work

Posted on March 22, 2024February 5, 2025 by Careers Service

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.”

(more…)

My SME Internship: Tom – Ipsa Consulting

Posted on December 8, 2023February 5, 2025 by Careers Service

Hi, my name is Tom and I graduated with a BSc in Geography in July 2022.

After graduating, I sourced an internship opportunity myself, and I completed an SME Internship in November and December 2022.

My company of choice was Ipsa Consulting, a Devon-based consultancy supporting the sustainable growth of purpose-led organisations.

My role

(more…)

How an SME Internship can kick start your entrepreneurial career

Posted on November 6, 2023February 5, 2025 by Careers Service

“The decisions you make at University are often life-shaping. They set the tone for your future and compound over decades”

Adam Chambers is a Bristol History (BA) alum, and President of Nurse Recruitment Experts. In his third year at the University of Bristol he participated in our SME Internship Scheme.

Here are his thoughts on how this has shaped his career:

“Why am I writing to encourage you to apply for an SME Internship?

I started Nurse Recruitment Experts (NRX) in 2019, nine months after graduating from studying History at Bristol.

Since then, we’ve sourced and hired 10,000 plus Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses, and Certified Nursing Assistants for health systems across the US and Canada.