In your final year - Calendar of action
Finding the perfect job takes organisation and planning. The sooner you start the sooner you can make the most of the opportunities available to you through the university. Although there are many ways to approach your preparations for finding a job, this calendar of action will give you some idea of where to begin.
September to December
Make a start – assess, research, act
If you have no idea what you want to do, we suggest you start with assessing yourself and your skills, researching your options and making an action plan for the year.
- Read through where to start
- Watch our video on getting yourself ready for the graduate job market
Visit the Careers Service
Come in to your nearest careers centre and see what resources are available. Most of the free publications are available from October. Make sure you come and get your free copies of (amongst others) the GET Directory and the Prospects Directory. These list many of the major graduate schemes open for the year.
Register with the Vacancy and Events Service
Register with our Vacancy and Events Service to get alerts for job vacancies and events.
If you're already registered make sure you update your job preferences to match your graduate career aspirations.
Fill your skills gaps
After you have assessed the skills you have and the skills you need to impress potential employers, find opportunities to get experience through placements, volunteering or part-time work. Find opportunities to build your skills and improve your employability in our section on developing your skills.
Sign up for the latest careers information
To make sure you don’t miss any careers events, job vacancies or other opportunities follow the Careers Service on Twitter or Facebook and subscribe to our studentcentral blog.
Sort out your CV
You never know when an opportunity may present itself during your final year and it pays to have a good CV to hand. We run workshops on writing your CV, or you can book an appointment to see a careers counsellor at your campus careers centre. Read our advice on CV writing.
Apply to graduate schemes
If you are thinking of applying for graduate schemes check the closing dates. Many schemes close before the end of the calendar year. There is also a trend towards schemes closing if they receive a high volume of applications, so we recommend that you apply early. Read more about graduate schemes.
Attend the careers fair
Attend the university’s careers fair in November. Be prepared and have your CV ready to give to potential employers. Find out more about the careers fair.
Gather information for course applications
If you are thinking of studying next year, collect all the information you will need to make your application. Some courses may close for applications early and you don’t want to miss application deadlines. Read our advice on further study.
January to March
Review your plan
Take some time to review your plan. How is it going? Come in and talk to a careers counsellor for some ideas or guidance.
Practice for interviews and assessments
You may at this stage be invited for interviews, tests and assessment sessions if you have applied for a graduate scheme. Be prepared: take some practice aptitude tests, look out for Careers Service events around interviews and assessment centres.
You can also book an appointment with a careers counsellor to run a mock interview. See interviews and assessment centres.
Apply for further study
Make your postgraduate applications and apply for funding, if you haven't already done so. Pick up a copy of Prospects Postgraduate Funding Guide from your local careers centre. Read more about funding further study.
Research sources of job vacancies
Although most jobs that are not part of a graduate training scheme are advertised near to the time that they need to be filled, it is worth identifying where the types of jobs you are interested in are advertised. See finding job vacancies.
Update your CV
If you haven’t got your CV ready update it now and get it checked by a careers counsellor.
Apply for graduate schemes
Although some graduate schemes will have closed there will still be opportunities to apply. Also some schemes may reopen if the first round of applications was below the required standard. Watch out for announcements via Facebook and Twitter.
March to June
Apply for jobs
- Start applying for job vacancies outside of the graduate scheme job market. That's where most graduates find employment.
- Update your search preferences on the vacancy and events service to target graduate jobs. Sign up with the service if you haven't already.
- Get ideas on many other places to find job vacancies.
Approach employers directly
If you haven’t seen any vacancies you are interested in you can start approaching companies directly about the possibility of working for them. This can be particularly productive if you are looking for work in one of the more competitive careers areas such as broadcasting, advertising, personnel management, publishing or journalism.
Send an enthusiastic letter with a targeted CV stating why you are approaching this particular employer and what you can offer them. Read more about making speculative applications.
Sign up with recruitment agencies
Research recruitment agencies that specialise in your sector. Bookmark their websites and keep an eye out for vacancies of interest. More about using recruitment agencies.
Attend summer recruitment fairs
There will be a full list of careers fairs on the Prospects website.
Book your place on our graduate summer school
The Careers Service organises a series of events for those that are graduating in June. Find out more about our graduate summer school.
And beyond…
- As a graduate of the University of Brighton you have indefinite access to the Careers Service's full services after graduation.
- Carry out your research online or at one of our campus careers centres. Contact us if you need any additional help with your research.
- Make an appointment with a careers counsellor to discuss your plans (or lack of them).
- If you are leaving Brighton your nearest university may allow you to use their Careers Service through the Mutual Aid Scheme. Find out more about this and other sources of careers support.