Nearly every student that has graduated from the University of Reading has been in the position of wondering where their career will take them after finishing their studies – so we checked in with some of those alumni to find out where they are now, and what advice they can give to you now…
Year of Graduation: 2015
Current Job/Course/Other: PhD Researcher
Current Organisation or University: Anglia Ruskin University
How did you secure your current role/course/opportunity?
I responded to an advertisement for a fully funded PhD opportunity with a proposal. I was then invited for an interview and offered the position.
How did you balance this with your final year?
I have had a couple of jobs since graduation including; library assistant and editorial assistant at an academic publishers. I started working at the library while I was completing my course.
What does your role/course involve? What are your responsibilities?
I am researching religion and children’s literature and I have also taught at Anglia Ruskin and I attend conferences relevant to my research.
Did you visit the Careers Service whilst at University? If so, how did we help you?
Yes, I used the careers service website and had a mock interview. I also worked for the careers service during my MA at Reading.
What advice would you give to current students pursuing graduate opportunities?
Make sure you make the most of the opportunities available at university as there is so much on offer! Being part of societies and committees can all help add to your CV and cover letters and help you to standout to employers.
Year of Graduation: 2019
Current Job: Police Officer
Current Organisation: Metropolitan Police Service
How did you secure your current role/course/opportunity?
I applied for the job on February 2019, and went straight through to the assessment centre at Empress State building where I went through a range of role plays and compatibility assessments, along with a formal interview. This was called day 1, after passing day 1 I was called into day 2 where we undertook a bleep test for physical inspection and a range of medical tests. After completion I was given a start date for the 31st of September.
How did you balance this with your final year?
I applied early (February 2019) and arranged for the assessment day to be shortly after my last exam, so I was able to concentrate on my degree, and then once that was secured, I was able to commit fully to the assessment day.
What does your role/course involve? What are your responsibilities?
The job is so diverse I probably couldn’t put all the roles and responsibilities in one page! There is plenty of information of what the job consists of online.
What advice would you give to current students pursuing graduate opportunities?
Apply for things early (Jan-Feb-March), before summer term hits and your time must be solely committed on final exams and coursework deadlines.
Any further comments?
Keep your options open, don’t let your degree define what you apply for.
Year of Graduation: 2019
Current Job: Content Optimisation Specialist
Current Organisation: Exertis UK
How did you secure your current role/course/opportunity?
After graduation, I was applying for lots of jobs in my local area, but was unsuccessful in gaining any interviews or hearing back from companies. Then I got a random phone call one day from Exertis saying a new role had become available and they wanted to invite me in for an interview after seeing my CV online. I spoke on the phone with the recruiter who told me about the role and asked if I’d be interested. After I said yes and expressed my interest, I went in for an interview the following week and I heard back the week after that saying they’d love to offer me the role. I was so shocked but also so happy to have been offered such an exciting role.
What does your role/course involve? What are your responsibilities?
My role involves content writing for brands that sell on Amazon. I write the detail page content that a customer sees before purchasing a product, and I also run social media accounts for my company too. I look after 10 brands for content work and I run 3 social media accounts across Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. It’s all really new and exciting! I work closely with the vendor to create the content and get it uploaded onto Amazon for customers to see, and the fact that I write things for such a big site really excites me and the opportunities are endless!
What advice would you give to current students pursuing graduate opportunities?
I would say to apply for as many jobs as possible which take your fancy. Don’t be disheartened if you don’t hear back from many, as unfortunately the job market is so tough and companies often don’t respond unless you’re their ideal candidate. Just keep in mind that the best jobs or the right job for you will often come around when you least expect it. I’d also say try your best in your course to open you up to lots of opportunities upon graduating! And most of all, embrace every opportunity that comes your way as it’ll all be worth it when you end up in a job you enjoy.
Any further comments?
I really enjoyed my time at Reading, and it opened me up to things I’d never done before. It allowed me to flourish both personally and professionally, and I’m so grateful to have been given so many opportunities while I was there. Taking part in STaR mentoring and being a student ambassador gave me invaluable experience and transferable skills which I believe help me in my job now.