University is a stepping stone for your future career and getting a higher education degree can open a lot of doors. But are you unsure which door to walk through? Don’t worry, we’ve all been there. According to Greedhead, Millennials held 4.6 jobs from 18 to 22 years old while Boomers held 4.4 jobs in the same period. This shows that people are working more jobs and not staying static in one career. Furtherly, Greedhead suggests that teenagers today will have up to 17 different jobs over five careers in their lifetime.
That’s a lot of jobs… the job search can feel endless and especially difficult. However, you are not alone in the tiresome job search process. Your university career service can help in many ways, for example showing you jobs relevant to your career and giving you cover letter tips. Whether this is for a graduate career or even a part-time job that fits around your academic studies.
Here’s a rundown of what help is available from your university career service…
Friendly Service
First and foremost, you can expect an extremely friendly and welcoming service from your career team.
In a lot of universities including Liverpool’s career team and Staffordshire career service, career staff/coaches are actually students themselves who work the job around their studies. So you’re likely to speak to someone who has been in the exact same position as you, and recently.
Help with Your CV
University career services can be super helpful with your CV. They can help you improve the layout, tone of voice, and content of it.
For instance, they could advise you to cut down the content to cover under 2 pages. Alternatively, they could recommend that you include your LinkedIn URL underneath your contact info. You can also check out our LinkedIn guide for more tips.
A CV is the first thing an employer reads about you, therefore it’s really important that it looks professional and ticks all the boxes that a CV should.
Just contact your career office or even pop in when you have a spare 20 /30 mins (yes that’s all it takes!) to get help with your CV.
Support for Job Applications
After your CV has improved, job and internship applications will be easier and more successful. You’re now a step in the right direction (yay!)
Your university careers service can help you find jobs relevant to your degree or interests and help you with the application process.
They will read over your cover letters, portfolios, and even interview prep. Rest assured, you will be as prepared as you can be for the job market with the help of your career team.
Also, the career advisors are on hand to assist you with finding part-time jobs that work around your studies or even volunteering opportunities available either with the university or the wider community. Volunteering can seriously boost your individual skills as well as looking great on a CV.
Inspiring Events and Talks
Likewise, universities often hold events that are relevant to the job market.
For example, they may hold an online event for a ‘how to’ create a CV for the journalism sector or even an in-person seminar with a leading professional in the engineering field. Career fairs are usually held at least once a year at university and are a great way to meet professionals from particular industries face-to-face.
Your university may have a week when these events will be organised, so keep your eyes peeled for a timetable. Talks and seminars are mostly ongoing in university, however, and you can even arrange individual meetings or interviews with someone from the industry you’d like to have a chat with, or just gain more information from.
Conclusion
Don’t miss the opportunity to utilise your university’s career service. Whether it is work shyness or a messy CV holding you back, the career service can really help you on the right path to success. Your dream job may be finally within grasp!
We’ve got even more career tips for you, whether you are searching for a graduate career or part-time job.
