Careers blog written by Mandy Simmons, Careers Information Officer

Booking an appointment with Careers – everything you need to know!

• We have appointments available every week day  in term time – and which type you book depends on what you need.  You can read about the different types of appointments we offer, on our website. If you need more help to decide just pop in to speak to one of the Information Team at the desk. You may not even need an appointment initially – we have an extensive website with lots of great information on just about every topic you can imagine – check it out!
• All appointments are booked through Careers Gateway. Booking opens at 8.00am each morning for the following day’s appointments – so for example Thursday’s appointments are bookable from 8.00am on Wednesday morning.  The exception to this is Practice interviews – these  appointments are available to book up to 7 days in advance.
• As you can imagine appointments are busy – so you may need to try more than once. Make sure you know what you can do in each type of appointment – for example did you know you can get a CV reviewed in a Careers Advice or Information appointment as well as in a specific CV review appointment?
• Some students have been experiencing problems logging into Careers Gateway, with the Academic Support Office appointments displaying instead. We apologise for this problem and are working with our software supplier to rectify the situation. If you experience this issue, please try logging in again, later. If the problem persists, contact Careers on 01904 322685.

What if I have no idea what I want to do? 

That’s fine – lots of students don’t know what they want to do, and some only have some vague ideas. We can help you find some direction and take the first steps in thinking about the future.

What if I already know exactly what I want to do?

That’s great! You may feel happy to take the next steps yourself or be happy to use the resources on our website. However there still are lots of ways we might be able to help – application/CV reviews, interview preparation, networking and employer events, helping you decide which activities will help you develop the right skills for the sector or employers you are interested in and lots more!

What can I do to get the most from my appointment?

• make sure you arrive on time
• if you want a CV/application/personal statement reviewed, please make sure you bring a printed copy with you – it is difficult to review on screen as Careers staff often like to make notes and annotate changes in structure/order, etc – this is much easier with a paper copy
• feel free to make notes during the appointment or ask the staff member to repeat things that you don’t understand
• think about what is the most important thing you want to discuss in your appointment – you may have lots of things you’ve like to talk, but it’s useful to prioritize to make the most of the time you have. If you need further help, you are welcome to book another appointment.

Anything else I should know?

If you can’t keep your appointment for any reason, we understand – but please make sure you cancel your booking in Careers Gateway so it is available for another student to book.

If you have any more questions about appointments with Careers, just call in and speak to a member of the information team.