Undergraduate Students

Part-time work is a necessity for many students and the Careers Service aims to help you secure part-time and vacation work that is suitable for you. The JobShop - located within the Careers Service - advertises vacancies that will allow you to balance your study, work and social life.

While part-time work may be a necessary evil, you can also gain a great deal from your job. As you work you will amass a range of transferable skills that graduate employers will value.

JobShop Vacancies

For help with applications, interviews etc, go to the Help Applying for Jobs section further down on this page.

Whether you already have a good idea about what you want to do after graduation or have absolutely no idea at this stage - the Careers Service can help you!

Know what you want to do?

• • Find out about gaining relevant work experience via the Placement Basement
• • Get advice on preparing CVs, applications and for interview
• • Attend workshops on CVs, Interviews etc
• • Talk to a Careers Adviser about your plans

Not sure what you want to do?

Don't Panic! There are lots of people in the same boat as you and you still have plenty of time to make plans for the future. However, the earlier you start the better as you will start to get very busy with uni work in later years.

Things that you can do now to help you decide what you want to do in the future:

• • Chat things over with a Careers Adviser
• • Consider the Career Planning or Internship Module as one of your options at level 2
• • Visit the prospects website for help with career planning and decision making, particularly Prospects Planer which helps you to match your skills and interests to future careers
• • Build you MyPDP portfolio - an excellent way of assessing what you've achieved so far and making plans for the future.
• • Visit the the JobShop / Placement Base to carry out your own careers research.
• • Use the IT resources and take away careers information at the JobShop / Placement Base.

Graduate Employment

Final year is the ideal time to apply for jobs. Be aware of the main vacancy sources, which include the JobShop and Prospects, and a range of employer directories, paper take away copies of these directories are available within the Careers Service.

You will notice looking through these directories and listings that many closing dates fall during the winter months. With many, especially for the business, marketing and law areas being in late October/November. However many companies recruit an advertise their vacancies throughout the year.

Further Study

Are you considering further study? Remember postgraduate study is obviously not an end itself but is a means to an end! You should consider:

• • Graduate destinations available after the postgrad.
• • Closing dates (often December/January)
• • Funding (check out the funding resources available at the JobShop / Placement Base, including FunderFinder). For UK students look at local authority funding for postgraduate diplomas and research councils for masters.
• • Entry requirements - A 2.1 is required for most masters and above courses.
• • Competition for places and therefore additional experience / qualifications you may require.
• • Geography - most UK postgrad places seek applications in the 9-12 months preceeding the course starting, but for those interested in study abroad i.e. the US, the time frame is longer. Usually 1-2 years in order to arrange suitable places and funding.
• • Level of postgrad
  • • postgraduate certificates / diplomas (often vocational in nature e.g. PGDE)
  • • masters taught (often called MA, MSc, MPhil, MLitt)
  • • masters research (MRes)
  • • PhD

Time Out and Gap Years

For those of you considering a gap year it is important to consider what happens afterwards. It may be possible to arrange deferred entry for a postgraduate study or graduate job. That would require applying for both of the above in your final year. Graduate employers do value well structured meaningful gap years which clearly demonstrate the development of transferable skills. There are a range of resources in the careers service with regard to gap years including directories of travel abroad, employers for most parts of the planet and the world wide volunteering database. A good starting point to exploring resources and issues is also the relevant pages of the prospects site.

Enterprise and Self Employment

One in ten graduates pursue self employment at some stage in their working lives - it could be you! There are a number of resources available to students at Dundee University to help them consider the key issues around self employment either immediately upon graduation or at some later point. The main organisations that you might find of value are as follows

The Careers Service also has useful information in the careers information and runs seminars.

• Enterprise Gym
• Business Gateway
• Princes Youth Business Trust (PSYBT)

Work Abroad

Many students are interested in the idea of working abroad. However most graduate employers prefer students to gain their initial experience in their home country and then trade on that experience in the international job market. However an increasing number of employers are offering new graduates work placements and postings overseas especially in the finance sector. The Careers Service has some resources in this area, but a really useful starting point is theProspects website.

Are you concerned that your current course is not for you? Or are you finding that Uni life is not what you expected? If you are thinking about changing or leaving your course you might find it useful to pop in to the Careers Service before you do to talk things through with a Careers Adviser. We also suggest that you contact your Adviser of Studies.

The Careers Service can help you explore alternative options and provide you with information to help you make informed decisions.

Other Sources of Help in the University

• The Student Funding Unit can provide help on the financial implications of changing or leaving your course.
• If you have personal issues you'd like to discuss then visit the Counselling Service.

External Sources of Help

• The booklet 'Changing or Leaving Your Course', available within the Careers Service, contains lots of useful help and advice.
• The UCAS website has information on alternative university courses throughout the UK.
• The PLANIT website gives useful information on courses, careers and finding a local Careers Adviser.

Help with modules choices/degree pathways

• You may find it useful to think about your career options when picking your modules or degree pathway.
• Chatting to a Careers Adviser about the implications of your module choice/degree pathway may help you to make up you mind.

Work experience is becoming increasingly important in the highly competitive graduate employment market, in fact it is a necessity in for some sectors of work. 

Work experience allows you to acquire transferable skills (such as team work, communication and inter-personal skills), helps you to grow in confidence, work out where your strengths lie, allows you to 'road-test' your career options to help you make informed decisions about your future and begin networking with people in relevant industries. What's more, work experience can even lead to offers of graduate employment in some cases so it's definitely worth your time and effort. 

The Careers Service's Placement Basement is a great place to start searching for the right work experience for you. 

If you are thinking about working with children, find out more about the Careers Service's School Tutoring Programme 

You should also regularly check the JobShop Vacancies Database for up to the minute vacancy information and you can make use of the resources in the JobShop / Placement Base which include directories, reference books, computer programmes, such as the World Wide Volunteering Database, and take-away information to help you source work experience. Make the most of opportunities to network and seek out vacancies by making speculative applications. Don't wait for an opportunity to come to you - go and get it! 

For help with applications, interviews etc, go to the Help Applying for Jobs section further down on this page.

Other useful ways of building and recording your skills and experience

• • E-Gym
• • DUSA
• • MyPDP

View our Advice and Tips Series for help preparing CVs, completing applications, preparing for interviews and much more

• CVs
• • Advice and Tips: CVs
• • Sign up for Career Workshops
• Applications
• • Advice and Tips: Applications
• • Sign up for Career Workshops
• Writing Personal Statements (Personal statements are often required in application forms, particularly for postgraduate study)
• • Advice and Tips: Personal Statements
• Interviews
• • Advice and Tips: Interviews
• • Sign up for Career Workshops
• • You can also arrange to have a mock interview with one of our Careers Advisers.
• Assessment Centres
• • Advice and Tips: Assessment Centres
• • Sign up for Career Workshops
• Psychometric testing
  Psychometric testing is the name given to tests that seek to quantify personality or abilities such as numeric and verbal reasoning. Psychometric tests are often used as part of the graduate recruitment process and may be conducted online or as part of an Assessment Centre
• • Sign up for Career Workshops

Fairs

The Careers Service runs 3 fairs annually that give you the opportunity to meet with employers and organisations from throughout the UK and beyond.

• Careers Fairs

Employer presentations

Every year a wide range of employers come on to campus because they want to meet YOU! Click on the link below to find out who is coming to the university this year and sign up for their workshops and presentations. This is an invaluable opportunity to meet employers, make a good impression and get inside information into how to succeed in graduate selection.

• Employer presentations - sign up

Advice on networking

Many graduate jobs and work experience opportunities are never formally advertised but are in fact filled by job-seekers sending targeted speculative CVs and covering letters. It is therefore very important to make the most of opportunities to network. Don't wait for an opportunity to come to you - go and get it! You can start to build a professional network through lecturers, friends, past students, colleagues from part-time of voluntary experiences, etc. Even if these people are not able to help you directly, they may have additional contacts who can assist you in some way.

When applying speculatively, it is important to target your CV to the industry and the employer, be very clear about what you are looking for (a paid position, work shadowing, etc) and to demonstrate your skills, knowledge and abilities that are relevant. 

When you know what you want to do, the next step may be to source vacancies or opportunities. The JobShop is updated with hundreds of job vacancies as well as information on funded postgraduate places, work experience and part-time jobs.

In addition, you'll need to consider other ways of sourcing relevant vacancies.

• Careers Fairs
• • Graduate and Careers websites - some examples below
  • Prospects
  • Inside Careers
  • Target Jobs
  • S1Jobs.com
  • scottishjobs.com
• Vacancy publications - many are available for free from the Careers Service.
  • • Prospects Directory
  • • Times Top 100 Employers
  • • Best 100 Employers
  • • Target Jobs Directory
  • • Plus many more sector specific directories
• Local, regional and national newspapers
• Specialist journals and publications
• Job Centre Plus
• Recruitment and Staffing Agencies - these can be a useful source of vacancies, but it is not a good idea to rely solely on an agency to find you a job. Recruitment agencies are not allowed to charge you for their services.

Many jobs are never advertised and it is important to consider speculative, proactive approaches to your vacancy search as well.

The Speculative Approach

• Identify employers that you are interested in:
  • • A good starting point is the Careers Hub Employer Information Section.
  • • You should also visit Prospects for information on vacancy sources.
• Prepare a CV targeted to the employer
• Prepare a covering letter explaining why you are writing, what type of opportunity you are seeking and detailing why the employer should be interested in you.
• Try to find a named person to write to within the organisation - this might require a telephone call in advance.
• It is a good idea to follow up your letter with a telephone call to show your interest and try to set up a meeting / interview.

Networking

Many graduate jobs and work experience opportunities are never formally advertised but are in fact filled by job-seekers sending targeted speculative CVs and covering letters. It is therefore very important to make the most of opportunities to network.

Don't wait for an opportunity to come to you - go and get it! You can start to build a professional network through lecturers, friends, past students, colleagues from part-time or voluntary experiences etc. Even if these people are not able to help you directly, they may have additional contacts who can assist you in some way.

When applying speculatively, it is important to target your CV to the industry and the employer, be very clear about what you are looking for (a paid position, work shadowing, etc) and to demonstrate your skills, knowledge and abilities.

You have found the ideal vacancy for your career choice - now you need to ensure you win the job! Presenting your qualities, skills, achievements and motivation in the most effective way is crucial to success. Whether this is by CV, online application form, telephone interview, graduate selection / assessment tests or interviews, you need to be confident that you are doing yourself justice.

Use the Careers Service in the following ways to help you prepare:

• CVs and Covering Letters
  • • Browse some CV and Covering Letter examples to help you get started. Paper copies are available in the JobShop / Placement Base.
  • • Attend a seminar, facilitated by a Careers Adviser, on designing a CV to help increase your chances of getting an interview.
  • • Have your CV and/or Covering Letter checked by a Careers Adviser (for graduate jobs) or by an Information Co-Ordinator (for semester and vacations jobs).
  • • Make an appointment to discuss your CV and Covering Letter with a Careers Adviser.
  • • Check out the CV Building topic on MyPDP, which can be found under My Campus on My Dundee.
  • Applications
  • • Attend a seminar, facilitated by a Careers Adviser, on effective strategies for dealing with competency-based and other application form questions to help increase your chances of getting an interview.
  • • Have your draft application form answers checked by a Careers Adviser.
  • • Make an appointment to discuss specific questions about your applications with a Careers Adviser.
  • • Visit the JobShop / Placement Base to view DVDs on applications e.g."Your Job's On-Line" (AGCAS).
  • • Collect handouts and information from the the JobShop / Placement Base on applications advice.
  • Writing Personal Statements
  • • Personal statements are often required in application forms, particularly for postgraduate study (e.g. teacher training). Make use of our drop-in sessions to have these checked.
  • • Pick up a handout on Personal Statements from the Careers Hub or read about Statements of Purpose for applications for USA study from the JobShop / Placement Base.
  • Interviews
  • • Attend a seminar, facilitated by a Careers Adviser, on Interview techniques.
  • • Practice your interview answers in advance by arranging a mock interview with a Careers Adviser.
  • • Visit the JobShop / Placement Base to view videos and DVDs on interviews (e.g. "Why ask me that?").
  • • Browse information and pick up some handouts in the the JobShop / Placement Base on interview questions and other information.
  • Assessment Centres
  • • Attend a seminar, facilitated by a Careers Adviser, on attending an Assessment Centre.
  • • Try out some Aptitude Tests - an opportunity to explore your verbal, numerical or diagramatic reasoning strengths and weaknesses.
  • • Try out a personality test.
  • Browse a wide range of publications and pick up some handouts in the Careers Hub on preparing for graduate selections tests and Assessment Centres.
    • • Advice on Aptitude Tests
    • • Advice on Assessment Centres
  • • Make an appointment to discuss specific questions about your assessment centres with a Careers Adviser.