It’s never too early to start preparing for life after you graduate. You can start shaping your career from the moment you set foot on campus. Here’s how…
What can I get involved in?
At University there are perhaps more opportunities than ever to pursue your passions and discover new interests. Being part of a STEM society, or getting involved in other extra-curricular activities, is a great way to gain the kinds of skills and experiences that employers value highly.
Research industries and occupations
Start shaping your career from day one.
Start career-planning by looking into industry sectors you might like to work in; the Gradcracker Toolkit is a good place to begin.
And why not also have a look around our Job Search? You can filter by your specific degree discipline to see what kind of placements/internships and graduate roles are, or will be, open to you.
While you might not be ready to apply to opportunities just yet, exploring our Job Search will give you an idea of what types of roles are out there. This could inform your decisions when picking modules and research topics, and enable you to start shaping your career from day one.
Find your favourite employers
Explore our Company Hubs and sign up to receive job alerts from companies you like by clicking the 'Follow' button. Your future self will thank you when the time comes to start applying for placements/internships and graduate roles.
Attend insight events
These events are run by employers and can range from a few hours to a couple of weeks long, providing students with an insight into a particular company, industry sector or career path. They can also involve skills sessions and workshops, and give students the chance to hear from and network with industry professionals. Insight events a great and relatively easy way to start exploring possible career routes.
Consider a summer internship
An increasing number of Gradcracker employers are offering summer internships for first-year students. The more summer internships you do, the more likely you are to find the career that is most suited to you. So why not get stuck right in?
Not only will a summer internship equip you with valuable work experience early on, but it will reveal to graduate employers that you are driven and proactive. (Plus, you might even have some fun!)
You can do this – best of luck!