Apparently at some point in our lives, we have to actually graduate university, rather than living a simple existence consisting of nights out, gloriously long holidays and writing essays about Proust. Frankly, I dread graduating and joining the ‘real world’, where I can’t just make friends by joining a society or wandering to a friend’s for predrinks.
Maddeningly, I will also need to find someone crazy enough to hire me, as I’m ostensibly an adult now. In order to keep up the pretence, I started attending the careers events on campus pretty early – term two of second year to be exact. This wasn’t just an unusual bid to make friends, but an attempt to avoid the pain of final year.
Most students panic when they realise the end is nigh and they have no idea what they’re doing, but I was determined not to be one of them. For all the students who don’t want to cower away from the future, whether fresher of finalist, here’s how to make the most of these careers events.
Avoid waiting until the last minute
Maddeningly, I will also need to find someone crazy enough to hire me, as I’m ostensibly an adult now. In order to keep up the pretence, I started attending the careers events on campus pretty early – term two of second year to be exact. This wasn’t just an unusual bid to make friends, but an attempt to avoid the pain of final year.
Firstly, you should find out when these careers events are on. Academic societies are brilliant for this. One of my first events was a Q&A organised by LitSoc with people who had somehow managed to get jobs in the Arts industry. Therefore, your relevant academic society is a great place to start looking. Events organised by Warwick Careers are also excellent for this. They also include vacancies on their website, so it’s useful to look at jobs that interest you and check out the skills that they require.
Come prepared
Before attending one of these careers events, try to find out who will be speaking and look up the companies involved to get an idea of who you would be most interested in talking with. Jotting this down in a notebook, which you could bring along with you to get involved, will mean that you won’t be feeling like you’re missing precious working time to be there. However, for those hoping to develop skills in certain areas, consider what your weak points are and focus on the talks given to improve these.
Also, try to arrive on time. Most of these events are well attended and the very keen attendees will always stare you down for the interruption. Furthermore, free pizza is often given out during the networking that follows the speeches, so it’s preferable to have eaten something beforehand. This enables you to concentrate on the talks, rather than a growling stomach.
Make the most of the aftermath
After the event, set yourself some relevant short-term goals to ensure all the useful tips you just heard aren’t dumped in a random file somewhere. If you’re like me and write everything down, consider making a cheat sheet for when you need some career inspiration. Regardless of how much you take away from an event, don’t stress about doing everything. It’s better to improve in one area than become overwhelmed while trying to do it all.
Are you worried about finding a job after university? Ask us your questions in the comments below!
Photo: Public Information Office / Flickr
Undergraduate student at Warwick University studying English and French while waiting to become Mindy Kaling. Writer for Kettlemag, The Boar and hopefully many more! Adores all things related to art, literature and languages. Loves travelling, loves food and is otherwise, a TV obsessed, bejewelled tea drinker.
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