Commonly Asked Careers Questions

My name’s Elaine Denniss and, having worked as a Careers Consultant in the UCL Careers Service for nearly eight years, I’ve developed a good sense of some of the common concerns that students have regarding their career pathways and some of the myths that perpetuate around careers.  Here are a few of the questions that we are commonly asked:

I’m coming to the end my course and still don’t know what I want to do.  Should I be worried?
No, help is at hand!  It’s not uncommon for students to reach their final year without having a clear idea of what they want to do on graduation.  With over 80% of graduate employers stating that they don’t specify a particular degree, the choice of possible careers can feel both exciting but also somewhat overwhelming.   There are so many roles, sectors and organisations to choose from – where to start?  When students who are in this position come for a meeting with one of our Careers Consultant team, we work with them to understand more about their background, interests, skills and broader career aims to help them narrow down and generate options which could be a good fit.  This provides them with a starting point for further exploration and research.

I’m in my first year and I’m looking for an internship for the summer.  Can you help?
We can certainly assist you in searching for and applying to summer jobs.  Whilst it’s possible to find internship programmes that are open to first year students, most schemes tend to target penultimate year students, the idea being that if they do well, they will be encouraged to apply for the graduate programme.   If you can’t secure an internship, any work experience (paid or voluntary) is valuable as a way of developing employability skills so a summer job, whether it be in retail, administration, hospitality, customer service, health/social care etc. is going to be good to have on your cv.

The Careers Service provides a number of resources to help students find jobs and these can be found on our website http://www.ucl.ac.uk/careers/jobs.

I’m interested in going into a particular sector (eg the financial sector) but I don’t have any relevant work experience.  Will this matter?
Employers understand that gaining experience in your chosen sector can be hard but more often than not they will be looking at your commitment to and interest in the sector rather than expecting you to have relevant experience. This interest may have developed through attending career events, voluntary work, work shadowing, extra curricular activities or outside interests.  For some careers, such as teaching, clinical psychology and other more vocationally orientated pathways, relevant experience is required and expected.  In addition, employers will be looking at your transferrable skills such as collaboration, planning and organisational skills, communication skills and so on.  You can draw on a wide range of experience to provide evidence for these skills – academic, voluntary work, part time jobs etc..

All my friends seem to be applying for graduate schemes.  Should I be doing the same?
There are many ways into graduate jobs and entering professional pathways.  Whilst it might seem as if everyone is busily applying for graduate schemes, only approximately 12% of UCL graduates go into graduate schemes when they leave university.  Graduate schemes tend to last two or three years and offer the graduate the opportunity to rotate around different departments within the organisation, with training and professional support provided.  However, many graduates go into graduate level entry positions ie a specific role which requires a degree. From this entry level position the graduate can then start to progress within the role or maybe by moving to another department.

If you are considering applying for graduate schemes (or summer internships if you are in your penultimate year) be aware that applications usually open early in the Autumn term (September/ October) so don’t leave it too late!

How can the Careers Service help me?

We provide a wide range of support for students, whatever stage you’re at in your career thinking.  This includes:

• 1:1 careers discussions (20 minute sessions)
• 1:1 applications/CVs/cover letter checks (15 minute sessions)
• Mock interviews (1 hour sessions)
• Career Fairs (Autumn Term) and other career events throughout the year
• Employer led skills workshops
• Resources (physical and online)

Why not pay us a visit?  You can book an appointment by going onto our website and clicking MyUCLCareers or just come in to browse through our library resources.  Our information team is always on hand to help you find the information you’re looking for.

• Phone: 020 3549 5900
• Email: careers@ucl.ac.uk
• Postal Address: UCL Careers, 4th Floor Student Central, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HY (opposite Waterstone’s bookshop)
• Alert: Be the first to know about what’s new by signing up to personalised email alerts through your My UCL Careers account. You’ll find out about current jobs, events happening at UCL Careers and The Careers Group including when they are open for booking as well as all the latest news.