We aim to:
- inform Reading students of their career options and professional development opportunities
- support them in understanding how they can gain relevant experience
- prepare them to succeed in the competitive graduate labour market.
Everything we write is designed to help students boost their career prospects. The world of work can be daunting and often feel too big to navigate, so we want our students to feel prepared and this is where you come in to support our mission. Whether you want to inform students about your business and new opportunities, or you have something exceptional to share that might help them achieve their career goals or even useful and relevant knowledge on niche and specialist sectors, we are happy to invite you to write for our blog.
We are proud to confirm that we have already welcomed a range of guest bloggers to our platform. From international career experts to students and employers in a range of sectors, they all play a part in sharing invaluable career insights with our student community.
Audiences, themes and topics
The articles on the Careers Blog are written to meet the needs of three different audiences, who are at different stages of their career journey. Before writing the post, please choose a group and focus on one or more of the following topics relevant to them.
Part one students
For them, developing their career is not a priority so they need our understanding, patience and encouragement. In our communications, we direct them towards activities designed to grow their experience and gain skills for the world of work. Themes and topics relevant to Part one students may include:
- work shadowing, volunteering, soft skills – what they are and how to gain experience
- how to identify career options and aspirations, such as how to make the most of attending insight days
- early preparation advice (top things to include in a CV which will help them land a job at your company, meeting and shadowing a mentor)
- why internships are good for students
- what to do when you don’t have work experience
- skills needed to work in a certain sector/industry.
Part two students
We encourage them to start thinking about what they want to do in the future. We focus on motivating them to take action and to be excited about their future. Themes and topics for part-two undergraduate students:
- identifying career options
- enhancing your experience (extra-curricular activities which boost their career prospects)
- application preparation
- doing internships/placements (what employers think of students who do an internship)
- vacation work, making contacts and networking
- doing a conversion course, making the most of your degree, gaining qualifications.
Finalist undergraduate students:
They are under a lot of stress in their final year of study. When communicating to them we are optimistic, supportive, encouraging and reassuring. Students in their final year might often feel that they have run out of time to get their careers sorted. We know this isn’t the case and want to relieve that pressure through the messages we convey. Themes and topics for finalists:
- career planning
- gaining work experience and skills
- combining academic work and professional work/ how to balance a job and academic work
- job hunting techniques
- CV/ cover Letter writing for different industries/job sectors/roles,
- tips and tricks for different interview styles, assessment centres and so on
- assessment centre preparation
- qualifications to enhance your degree
- advice for those unsure of what to do in the future.
Postgraduate Students
These students may have more experience in the world of work or could have continued studying without having a break. When communicating with them, you should consider their potential prior experience, as well as the added level of stress they may have with dissertations or a thesis. Many post-graduate and mature students may also already be working alongside their courses and so messages should be supportive and avoid being patronising. Themes and topics for postgraduate students:
- industry-specific careers advice and insights
- CV/ cover letter writing for higher-level jobs
- combining academic work and professional work/ how to balance a job and academic work
- advice and info on fellowships, research jobs and PhDs.
Graduates
Graduates may be facing a similar experience to finalist undergraduate students; they may just be starting to think about their career, they may feel unsure of where to start or they may not be in their desired role just yet. Additionally, Graduates may be new to the world of work and may find navigating the transition from being a student to a professional quite overwhelming. When communicating with Graduates it is important to be unassuming, positive, and encouraging. Themes relevant to Graduate viewers are:
- Job hunting techniques
- CV/Cover letter writing for different industries/job sectors/roles
- Highlighting varied career paths
- Navigating the workplace
- How to be successful at interview
- Dealing with setbacks and building resilience
- Advice for those unsure of where to start with long term career planning
- Networking and making valuable connections
We are also interested in themes that can apply to students at any stage of their study, particularly around the area of dealing effectively with transition management; this could include effective decision making, how to narrow options down, positive/growth mindset, avoiding procrastination and resilience.
We want our students to gain valuable insight into the world of work, and we are on hand to help them prepare for the future. We try to achieve this by only sharing information, which is up-to-date, clear, relevant and truthful.
That’s why:
- Every post should be written in a clear and concise manner, using a friendly tone of voice, considering a specific audience (as listed above).
- Students are not familiar with professional jargon so try to write in a language they understand. If you must use jargon, please include a short description of what the term means.
- Titles such as ‘How to …’, ‘ XX ways to…’, ‘Top X things to…’ tend to work best. Please think of a short, catchy title that best summarises your article.
- Please include a line or two about the author of the post, including a brief presentation of their background and the company they work for (if applicable).
- Please provide only one link to your company’s website, preferably in the information about the author.
- External links may be removed at the discretion of the review team.
- Use lists and bullet points where possible as they make the content easier on the eyes. Please refrain from adding punctuation to the end of your bullet points.
- Insert numbers, stats and quotes to back up your statements whenever you feel it is necessary.
- Share at least one high-quality, royalty and license-free photo to be included in the post and decide on a caption for it. The photo should not contain any text, as it will be used as the featured image. Ideally the photo should be 1200px by 630px. If you are having trouble sourcing a photo, please do not worry – simply get in touch.
- We welcome the sharing of copyright-free video content. Please provide either a Youtube URL or an MP4 file of the video you wish to be included.
- Aim to have a post length of around 600 words and no more than 1000 Content must be split into short, easily readable sections.
Successful articles
To help you write meaningful content that appeals to our readers, we have picked a few successful articles for you to be inspired. Linked below are other articles which have generated exposure and interest: