Making the Most of Your Degree

Making the most of your degree Be You Podcast Accommodation Living Here Social Life Sport at Chichester Academic Life Guide for Parents, Carers and Loved Ones Support, Health and Wellbeing Careers and Employability Advice, Guidance and Jobs On-Campus Support Find Work or Placements Making the Most of Your Degree Services for Graduates Blogs Prepare for your future career How to boost your employability whilst at university Make the most of your time at university and explore your career options while you are studying. Gain different experiences to build up your network and make new friends: join a society, play for a sports team, volunteer for a community project, find part-time work, do a work placement, etc. All of these will be extremely relevant for writing a personal statement, an application form or for attending an interview. They will also give you an insight into the world of work. Here are some things you can do throughout the different stages of your degree to prepare for your next steps. Year One Getting ahead in your first year at university It is never too early to think about your career! It may seem a long way off, but your time at university will go quickly, and many graduate schemes open and close in the first term of your final year. You can do a few things now to make a real difference to your applications later: Find part-time work in Chichester or Bognor, or work on campus Get a holiday job or do some volunteering Update your CV with your degree and new skills Create a LinkedIn profile to start connecting with others Join societies and sports clubs, be a course rep or university ambassador Visit the careers team or book an appointment to talk to us. Year Two Reflect on your work so far With a year behind you, it may be easier to make realistic plans for life after university and plan what to do now to help you get there. Book an appointment with a careers consultant to chat through your options. Don't leave your job hunting until after you’ve handed in your final year dissertation! Start now to build your skills and experience to help your career. Final year Put the skills you have learned to use as you take your first career steps During these past years, you have built up your knowledge in your area of interest. Alongside this, you have gained many skills and experiences to progress into work or further training/study. The Careers and Employability team is available to help you choose your options, create your CV, fill in an application form and decide on the next step to take. Book a guidance interview with our careers consultants Find out what graduates from your subject went on to do Update your CV – include your dissertation if its relevant to your applications, provide examples to prove how you’ve developed your skills Find and apply for graduate roles on our Careers and Jobs Board Book a mock interview with our careers consultants to perfect your interview skills Network – Talk with employers on campus and book your place at our Employ-ME events through our Careers and Jobs Board.