Welcome new and returning students

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Welcome to lovely Brighton. I’ve lived here for over 14 years and love it so I hope you enjoy your time here as much as I enjoy living here.  We hope you have a fun and rewarding time at the University of Brighton. The university provides loads of support to help you make the most of your time here and I’m going to tell you a bit about the Careers Service where I work.

Here’s a summary of the main services we provide:

  • CV checking and interview practice
  • An online jobs database
  • Confidential careers planning
  • Volunteering support and advice
  • Beepurple enterprise help
  • Mentoring and coaching
  • Placements
  • Careers events

 

pexels-photo-108034The top advice I can give is to make the most of any opportunities that come your way, without taking on so much it affects your studies or mental health. Make the most of your time at university by getting involved in things that interest you. Joining clubs and societies, being a course rep, volunteering and part-time work will all contribute towards the development of employability skills.

Employers tell us they want proactive staff with good communication and time management skills, the ability to think creatively and work in a team. It’s never too early to start improving your chances of getting the job you want after you graduate. The benefit of planning ahead is you stagger your workload and don’t end up in a sweaty, stressed heap doing everything at once.

 

• In your first year you can build your skills by getting some work experience (paid or volunteering), create a great CV, attend study skills workshops and research careers that interest you.
• As you get more settled at university you may want to talk to Beepurple about setting up your own business.
• Using the Graduate Toolkit as you go along will help you to analyse the skills and experiences you currently have against the employability framework, identifying areas you need to work on.
• In your second year you may be applying for placements and will need to revisit your cv.

 

startup-photos• Your final year will be a busy one academically so make sure you’ve used your time wisely up to this point or you’ll find yourself swamped with things to do. For many people the focus will be on getting a job they love after graduation. To help you we arrange an annual careers fair (this year it’s on 2nd November ) which gives you a chance to meet potential employers and we advertise graduate jobs on our vacancy database . Getting ready to meet employers requires some planning so we have advice on making the most of careers fairs.
• Take time to check your social media presence. Is it professional? Look carefully at the privacy settings you are using. Your friends may be the only people who can see your posts on Facebook but if they comment can their friends then read what you’ve written? Online try to stay positive, polite and don’t criticise.
• Are you using LinkedIn? If not then discover the benefits of using this professional network tool.

 

pexels-photo-89873If that all sounds like a lot, don’t panic. The key is to plan ahead and create a good balance between your studies, your personal life and any additional work you do. Don’t be too hard on yourself, some days won’t be great. Make time to see and make new friends, talk to people if you have concerns about anything, don’t keep problems to yourself. The university experience is different for everyone and there’s no one way that’s right for all. We really want you to enjoy your time here so if you’re struggling with anything please look at how Student Services can help and get in touch. Another wonderful source of support is the Students’ Union.

 

Good luck,  work hard and have fun and remember we’re here all year to help you!

Fiona Langdon • 26/09/2016


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