Hi everyone, my name’s Jasmine, I’m a second-year content creator for the Careers department, and it’s National Careers Week! So what better time to talk about the Careers department here on campus? Careers is a free hub of guidance and information for students, whether you’re about to graduate and embarking upon the next steps, or still studying and unsure about the scope of your future. The Careers department is here to help address any concerns like these, through face-to-face appointments, workshops, and more. In this blog post, I’ll go a bit more into depth about what we do and how easy it is to make the most of your uni experience with our support!

Events and workshops:

Throughout the year, Careers run a plethora of free, in-person and online events and workshops that aim to shed light on career opportunities and support the development of employability skills. Some of the upcoming events this spring term include: Graduating soon? Be ready for what’s next and Mental health: your right to privacy and adjustments. You can book these easily via MyJobsOnline. 

If you’d like to get an idea of how one of these events play out, read my last blog post review on ‘Exploring careers in film, TV, and broadcasting’. 

We also run career fairs where dozens of employers and companies flock to the university to engage with students. It’s a great chance to make connections, take a good look at your options, and get some freebies! Keep an eye out for these over the course of your study.

RED Awards: (a message from the RED team)

Hello – I’m Tom and myself and Leonie run the RED Awards at the university. The RED Awards are designed to help you to do three things; enhance your experience by getting involved in different activities, develop your skills, and support you to stand out from the crowd by giving a great boost to your CV! We have three awards to choose from and each requires 40 hours of activity. You can complete the awards at any time during your studies, however, we recommend starting as early as possible to start building up your experience. You can also backdate activity you have completed since being at Reading and therefore you may already have some hours completed without even knowing it! You can find out more about the awards on our webpages.
-Tom McCann

I’d like to add that it’s very likely you’re already chipping away at one of these awards. If you have a part-time job, are on a society committee or are learning a language, for example, it’s possible that you already have hours to claim. It’s well worth doing!

R.I.S (Reading internship scheme):

If you are looking for paid, professional work experience and the chance to develop your transferable skills, the Reading Internship Scheme could be for you! The scheme is exclusive to University of Reading undergraduate students and gives you the opportunity to undertake a 4 – 8-week paid internships with professionals. The Reading Internship Scheme team source internships for you, and uploads these onto MyJobsOnline for you to apply for. Many students have procured successful and rewarding internships through this programme, so it’s definitely worth looking into- especially as the summer break approaches.
-Fiorella Illes 

 Placements:

If you are doing a Professional Placement Year, or a shorter placement as part of your course, then the Placements Team is here to support you! We provide school-based and central training sessions to help you get ready to apply for placements, and we also offer 1-1 appointments which you can book through My Jobs Online. In a placement appointment, you can receive tailored support on topics such as…

• Your placement search 
• CVs and cover letters 
• Interview prep
• and lots more…

If you are looking for more information about placements, head to our Essentials page. You can also stay up to date with the Placements Team on LinkedIn, where we post our ‘placement vacancy of the week’.
-Emily Dewell

Graduate support:

The Careers department is still here to help for up to 24 months after you complete your course. We know that things don’t always go to plan, so it’s important that you can continue to access custom-made career support after you graduate. As a post-grad student, you will still be able to…

• Book an appointment with Careers to discuss any career-related concern
• Book and attend events on MyJobsOnline, allowing you access to employers and professional guidance
• Access digital tools such as GraduatesFirst and Forage, which will link you to potential employers and new opportunities

Read more about the bespoke guidance, digital tools and the graduate-specific summer events that we offer alumni on our dedicated page on Essentials

So then…

If any of this information caught your attention this National Careers Week, be sure to get in touch with us for the latest opportunities. You can book your face-to-face appointment and start discussing your future with us now through MyJobsOnline. Every week we post RIS internship and placement opportunities; we also have a personal presence on campus, where you will frequently find us operating outreach stands to engage with students about our events. 

Be sure to follow Careers on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, for the latest info. We look forward to hearing from you soon!