Meet the Volunteering Team


The Volunteering Team in Careers and Placements is here to help you find volunteering opportunities that will help you to build your skills and confidence, gain fantastic work experience for your CV and enhance your wellbeing, all whilst making a huge difference to the city you’re studying in!  As the new term starts, we wanted … Continue reading Meet the Volunteering Team

Managing job applications


In a recent blog, we talked about the pressures of having many career options and how to handle them. This time, we’re turning the spotlight on managing the application process. Making a good application - whether it’s for an internship, placement year or graduate job - can be a time-consuming challenge. Plus, it’s likely that … Continue reading Managing job applications

All Experience Counts


According to a survey conducted by the UK Commision for Employment and Skills (UKCES), up to two thirds of employers regard applicants with relevant work experience as being more prepared and suitable for job opportunities. This creates a catch 22 situation where in order to find work you need experience but can't gain that experience … Continue reading All Experience Counts

3 ways to develop the skills that employers want


Employers who recruit students and graduates want more than a good academic record and degree class. They also want employability skills (eg IT, teamwork and communication skills), plus strengths and qualities (such as resilience and self-motivation). So, how can you develop these while you’re at university? Read on to find out. 1. Work experience Whether … Continue reading 3 ways to develop the skills that employers want

Exploring career ideas


Often the hardest part of anything is getting started, especially if you don’t know what you want the end result to look like. This particularly applies to exploring career ideas but we’re here to help you with getting started and this blog will show you 5 things you can do this term to help you … Continue reading Exploring career ideas

Why don’t museums, publishers or creative industry employers come to Grad Fairs?


As a careers consultant working with Arts & Humanities students, this is a question I get asked all the time. It’s a fair question as it’s logical to assume that any employer that recruits graduates (and/or students for an internship or placement year) would want to come to an event aimed at students seeking employment … Continue reading Why don’t museums, publishers or creative industry employers come to Grad Fairs?

Leader of the pack or following the crowd? 3 things about leadership that might surprise you


What does ‘leadership’ mean to you? When you think of the word ‘leader’, who or what springs to mind? You might think of a politician, a celebrity, or an activist in the public eye. You might think of a teacher, or a sports coach that inspired you. But what is that magic quality that makes … Continue reading Leader of the pack or following the crowd? 3 things about leadership that might surprise you

Meet the Volunteering Team


The Volunteering Team in Careers and Placements are here to help you find volunteering opportunities that will help you to build your skills and confidence, gain fantastic work experience for your CV and enhance your wellbeing, all whilst making a huge difference to the city you’re studying in!  As the new academic year starts, we … Continue reading Meet the Volunteering Team

Week 1, Autumn Term 2021


Out with the old and in with the new After months of online teaching and learning, staring at a screen and missing out on the full Uni experience, we’re finally at the stage where we can embrace campus life again. For some it might be an unfamiliar environment and may even be a bit overwhelming. … Continue reading Week 1, Autumn Term 2021

Gain Work Experience through Virtual Community Projects


Charlotte Wainwright, Operations Manager for Volunteering  Though we know work experience might seem hard to come by at the moment, you can still develop your skills and enhance your CV through our recently launched Community Projects. These team based projects are currently running virtually, and are a fantastic way to build on your strengths and … Continue reading Gain Work Experience through Virtual Community Projects

Our New Careers Portal


You may have seen some emails from Careers and Placements, inviting you to get started with Handshake. Handshake is our new portal and for those that remember Careers Gateway, this is it's replacement. york.joinhandshake.co.uk What can you do in Handshake? Many of the functions you used in Careers Gateway are also available in Handshake. You … Continue reading Our New Careers Portal

Tips on Getting Into the Media Industry – and Getting On Once You’re In!


By Julian Dismore, Direct Productions Julian filming in Krakatoa for Channel 4 Students hoping to get a job in the media industry – and runners, researchers and edit assistants just starting out - must feel like a fly caught in a spider’s web at the moment... stuck with a very uncertain future. But there are … Continue reading Tips on Getting Into the Media Industry – and Getting On Once You’re In!

Job hunting in tough times


By Irena Zientek, Operations Manager: Information and Engagement (Careers and Placements) Job hunting can be difficult at the best of times - it takes time, effort and (sometimes) trial and error. In the current situation it’s become even more difficult, with some employers suspending recruitment, reducing their vacancies or withdrawing job offers. It’s not just … Continue reading Job hunting in tough times

Getting Linked’In


By Luke Proctor, Senior Recruiter @ Gear4music, York With over 3 billion of us jostling for position in the passively competitive world of social media, for graduates and aspiring professionals, standing out (without filming yourself eating a ghost pepper or encouraging your Nan to ‘spit some bars’) can be daunting work. Fortunately, getting recognised for … Continue reading Getting Linked’In

Celebrating Volunteers’ Week and our incredible student volunteers


By Sophie Almack, Volunteering and Enterprise Communications Officer Every year, we take the opportunity to thank our incredible student volunteers at our Student Volunteering Awards ceremony. Though we’re sad to say we couldn’t host our awards in person this year, we wanted to make sure we took time to recognise all of the amazing work … Continue reading Celebrating Volunteers’ Week and our incredible student volunteers

Keeping motivated


Studying at home and learning online is our new normal for the time being but without our normal routines, places to be and people to see, we can get stuck in a spiral of procrastination and the accompanying guilt, when we convince ourselves that everyone else is getting on, doing more and even learning a … Continue reading Keeping motivated

Virtual Volunteering


Written by Kate Morris, Careers Consultant As a careers consultant at the University of York, I am speaking to a lot of students very worried about missing out on internships and work experience opportunities. I’ve read a few reports recently that a number of big graduate employers are offering online activities which is great, but … Continue reading Virtual Volunteering

A Trip to Media City Salford


Back in early March, the Careers and Placements team arranged a student visit to Media City, Salford. The purpose of the visit was to find out more about the broadcaster's work and career opportunities. First year BSc Film and TV student, Stefan Darling and First-year BA Historical Archaeology student, Ariane Da Silva Palmas joined us … Continue reading A Trip to Media City Salford

Looking after yourself and others this term – a note from our Volunteering Team


By Sophie Almack, Volunteering and Enterprise Communications Officer Hello!  All of us here in Careers and Placements want to wish you a very warm welcome to the Summer Term. We hope you’ve had a restful vacation and are keeping safe and well.  We’re currently living through some unique times and the most important thing is … Continue reading Looking after yourself and others this term – a note from our Volunteering Team

Well what do I do now?!


Careers blog by Tricia Raxworthy, Information and Engagement Officer in Careers and Placements In our last blog, placement year student Sophie shared some of her top tips for working from home and looking after yourself. This week we’re still thinking about things to help you get through the current situation. It’s easy to feel as … Continue reading Well what do I do now?!

Knowledge Transfer Partnership – Fast-track your career!


Blog by Emma Urjasova, Knowledge Transfer Administrative Assistant, University of York What is a KTP?  The innovative and contemporary Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) Programme is a prestigious innovation scheme that brings together an expert academic team, a dynamic company and a graduate or postgraduate, known as a KTP Associate. Working collaboratively, this partnership delivers an … Continue reading Knowledge Transfer Partnership – Fast-track your career!

What Do You Actually Do? Episode 67: Laura Bolton, Working in rail industry: life as an engineer at Network Rail


Listen to this and all the previous episodes. Lots of people want to work in the rail industry and York graduate Laura has made it happen. She is Technical Head of System Safety at Network Rail, which means it's her job to make sure the railways are safe. Get an insight into what's going on … Continue reading What Do You Actually Do? Episode 67: Laura Bolton, Working in rail industry: life as an engineer at Network Rail

What Do You Actually Do? Episode 66: Rebecca Thompson, Senior Estate Manager, English Heritage


Listen to this and all the previous episodes. For grads interested in heritage, Rebecca Thompson might just have the dream job (she describes it as 'one of the best jobs in the world'): Senior Estate Manager at English Heritage, where she cares for over 400 buildings and monuments in England. She has lots of info … Continue reading What Do You Actually Do? Episode 66: Rebecca Thompson, Senior Estate Manager, English Heritage

Support young people through York Students in Schools –  Speech and Language Placements


York Students in Schools is an award winning scheme which was first set up by students in 1994.  Each year, approximately 600 students participate in the scheme and the university partners with around 40 schools and nurseries across York.  Volunteers come from a variety of different departments and offer around 16,000 hours of their time … Continue reading Support young people through York Students in Schools –  Speech and Language Placements

What Do You Actually Do? Episode 65: Sam Bright, Investigative journalist


Listen to this and all the previous episodes. What does an investigative journalist actually do? Sam Bright studied History at York while running a politics blog in his spare time. He's now the UK Deputy Editor at DeSmog and has written two books. Sam tells Kate what his day looks like and shares his tips … Continue reading What Do You Actually Do? Episode 65: Sam Bright, Investigative journalist

Getting application-ready for York Internships


Easter vacation typically sees an increase in York Internships being advertised on Handshake. These paid, project-based opportunities typically involve working for 12 weeks in the summer vacation with a local* organisation or a University department or service. The internships provide a great chance to undertake some quality work experience that can help build your skills … Continue reading Getting application-ready for York Internships

Interested in teaching and broadening your experience? Let’s talk Block Placements!


Gaining school experience is a great way to explore whether teaching is for you and York Students in Schools (YSIS) is on hand to support you to do this.  Each term, there is a range of opportunities you can get involved with, from Classroom Assistant roles, Speech and Language assessments, to Maths Workshops. YSIS recruits … Continue reading Interested in teaching and broadening your experience? Let’s talk Block Placements!

What Do You Actually Do? Episode 64: Jess Foley, Speech and Language Therapist


Listen to this and all the previous episodes. We get a lot of questions about Speech and Language Therapy careers. It's a hugely rewarding area of work where you support and care for people of all ages who have difficulties with speech, language, communication, eating, drinking and swallowing. York graduate Jess is a Speech and … Continue reading What Do You Actually Do? Episode 64: Jess Foley, Speech and Language Therapist