I’ve not even started thinking about what I want to do next – are you still able to help?

Don’t worry – we can still help.  Very soon, the Careers Consultant who looks after your department will be emailing you directly to check what we can do to help you plan for your future. Look out for that email and get in touch to tell us how we can help you further.  You might also find the Get Ideas section of our website useful or you can just call into Careers between 11.00am and 1.00pm each weekday (except Tuesday) to talk to us about your first steps.

Haven’t I missed the deadlines for all the graduate schemes by now? 

You may have missed some opportunities, but there will be many more coming up. Many graduate recruiters continue to recruit throughout the year and many employers will not be advertising jobs until later in the year, as and when positions become available.  Check out our Job Hunting Toolkit to understand more about the time frames for graduate recruitment. And remember – graduate schemes are only one part of the overall graduate recruitment picture.

How many applications should I be making? 

It’s impossible to be specific, but we would  suggest that you do your research and focus your application efforts on a limited number of employers rather than spread your efforts too thinly.  Check out our advice on job applications and make sure you get a member of the Careers team to review some of your first applications – this will help you understand if you are taking an effective approach and highlight areas where you can improve for future applications. We have CV/application review appointments available daily.

How do I book an appointment?

All appointments are booked through our Careers Gateway – just log in with your University user name and password. Booking for most types of appointments opens at 8.00am one day in advance (although mock interviews can be booked up to 7 days in advance.)

If you are finding it difficult to book an appointment for any reason, just get in touch and we will make sure you get to talk to someone as soon as possible. Sometimes we run appointments in your department so keep an eye out for these too.  Read more about the different types of appointments we offer.

I’ve already made lots of applications but I haven’t been successful – what can I do to improve my performance? 

Firstly you need to work out what the problem is:

• are you applying for too many jobs and not giving employers the quality they need?
• are you applying for the right jobs – the ones that are a good match for you?
• are you giving evidence of the skills you are talking about?
• have you done your research into the role and the employer?
• is the sector you are applying to very competitive?
• Are you getting through to interview/assessment centre stage but not progressing from there?

Check out our Job Hunting Toolkit – the sections on “Understanding Job Adverts” and “What employers want” will really help you to understand more about the process and help you to see areas that you might improve. It is really important to talk to a Careers Consultant to rethink your approach.

I have no relevant experience for what I want to do next – can I do an internship after I graduate? 

Yes. In recent years more graduate internships have become available through portals such as the Graduate Talent Pool and our own Student Internship Bureau. There is a section on how to find these types of internships on our Graduate Vacancies information sheet.  There are also lots of other ways to get experience – check out our Work Experience and Internships information, and our Considering information sheets.

What’s the quickest way for me to get some help

If you haven’t used our service before, or just aren’t quite sure how we can help, a member of the Careers team is available each weekday (except Tuesdays) between 11.00am and 1.00pm in the Careers building and are very happy to have an initial informal chat with you. They can then provide the information you need and help you access help in the way that suits you best.  You can also check out the information on our website.

I just want to focus on completing my degree for now – can I still get help when I finish?

Yes – you can continue to use our services for as long as you need to once you graduate. When you complete your degree, your Careers Gateway student account will automatically be converted to an alumni account – you will receive an email about this. You will then be able to book appointments to get careers advice (by phone or Skype if you are no longer in York), ask questions and submit applications for review.  If you are still in York, you can book a face-to-face careers appointment, which continue to run over the summer vacation. You can also continue to search for graduate vacancies.

Where are you based?

We are on Campus West – just next to Central Car Park, neat the shops on Market Square.  You can find a campus map here https://www.york.ac.uk/about/maps/