#UoRWay: Careers support extended for 2020 and 2021 finalists

The University's dedicated Careers team is offering an extra six months of support for 2020 and 2021 finalists.

Given the impact and challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Careers team is extending the existing 18-month support to 24 months to support graduates with their transition after university.

The team will be providing support in a range of areas from exploring career ideas to navigating recruitment processes.

Graduates can benefit from individual advice, guidance and support no matter which stage of their career journey they are at, including:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·        <!--[endif]-->One-to-one career coaching: Support through coaching with Careers consultants in-person, via email, phone or Teams.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·        <!--[endif]-->Careers training: Access to all careers events including recruitment fairs, workshops and webinars.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·        <!--[endif]-->Graduate Careers Support Programme: Access to a series of webinars exclusively for graduates led by Careers consultants and industry professionals.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·        <!--[endif]-->A monthly newsletter: Showcasing graduate opportunities with upcoming deadlines, upcoming events/fairs, relevant articles and resources

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·        <!--[endif]-->LinkedIn group: A community for all University of Reading alumni to connect, share career advice, information, and opportunities.

Anne Delauzun, Head of Careers and Employability said: "We appreciate that it’s not an easy time to enter the labour market. Research has shown that many students are concerned about missed opportunities for work experience and skills development over the past year, and graduates who aspire to work in hard-hit sectors may find it more difficult to get that first job. But things are starting to look up, and we know that our graduates have a lot to offer.

"Supporting our graduates to adapt to an evolving labour market now, will stand them in good stead for managing lifelong careers.”  

Art graduate Emma De Silva said: "I had a great experience with [my careers consultant] who told me loads of paths and options I'd never even considered. They were great to talk to and it felt like I really had someone who was looking out for me back at the uni I'd just left.

"I have definitely done a lot more research into areas I didn't consider when I was struggling to find work and found out a lot of information. Ultimately I found a job in April but then lost it because of Coronavirus - but they did help me a lot with just checking in on me during this time which was really nice.

"Because of the graduate career coaching I got back online with the 'my student job' portal which I had forgotten about, which then led me to find a great internship this month. I didn't get it, but I got down to the last two applicants out of 80! I will be checking the jobs regularly and it's a great resource which they reminded me to check out. Overall it's been great and I've felt very looked after.”

<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]-->English literature and language graduate Jasmine Davies said: "After I left university I was missing the careers support I had as a student, so it was nice to still be able to access independent expert advice from home. I especially liked the fact I could book weekend telephone calls, as I work full time during the week so cannot usually attend daytime sessions.

"My careers consultant gave me great advice on postgrad courses, listened to what I wanted and checked over my personal statement with me. Overall the service really helped me feel less ‘on my own’ applying for my masters, when I was missing the support of university. I got two unconditional offers and I think my sessions strengthened my application so thanks!”