careers-guide

bath.ac.uk/careers
Bath
C@R1RS S%RVIC% GUID%
Plan your
career
Perfect
your CV and
covering
letters
Discover
what
employers
want
Advice for
international
and postgraduate
students
Plus much
more
THE

£36k
starting salary
No experience required
Join an innovative software company
tpp-uk.com/target
Find us on:
@TPPCareers
TPP Careers
up to
1502

bath.ac.uk/careers BATH CAREERS SERVICE GUIDE 2017 1
Your Careers Service is here to help you make sense of your career options, help you
make plans for the future, and support you in achieving your goals... whether you don’t
really know where to start or you have firm ideas already.
We are professional, impartial and friendly, and you can speak to us confidentially about
the career-related things that matter to you. Whatever year of study you are in, and
whether you are an undergraduate or postgraduate, you are welcome to use our services
at any time. We’ve helped many students to understand their career options, find
opportunities for summer work, graduate jobs or further study, and develop their skills
so they are in the best possible position to achieve their aspirations.
This Guide provides a great overview of how to think about your career, research your
options and present yourself to employers. We are grateful to the Bath students and
alumni who are sharing their experiences with you here. Why not read the advice they
have for you, and what they have to say about our services? We hope you will be
inspired by their stories.
Don’t forget to take a look at the directory at the back of the Guide. These are just a few of
the many employers and course providers who are actively recruiting University of Bath
students. Throughout the year many more employers will advertise their opportunities
on our website via MyFuture, and you will have the chance to find out about a wide range
of jobs and internships at Careers Fairs and other employer events.
There is much more on offer on our website, at our events and in the Careers Service.
Please get in touch directly if you have any comments or suggestions.
Tracey Wells, Head of Careers Service, on behalf of the Careers Service team
Editor Sue Briault
Produced by
GTI Media Ltd
The Fountain Building
Howbery Park
Benson Lane
Wallingford
Oxon OX10 8BA UK
T: +44 (0)1491 826262
www.groupgti.com
Editorial Helen Turner
Proofreader
Fiona Shearer
Advertising
Adam Gillespie, sales
product champion; the
TARGETjobs sales team;
the campaign
management team
Design Jane Anderson
Commercial director
Jon Mallott
Sales director
Simon Rogers
Production director
Jane Anderson
Group CEO
Graham Storey
ISSN: 2046-3421
ISBN:1 84318 925 9
Printer
Headley Brothers,
Ashford
GTI Media works in association
with AGCAS to provide top
quality careers advice to
university students.
START HERE TO
GET WHERE YOU
WANT TO BE
Careers Service
01225 386009
careers@bath.ac.uk
twitter.com/CareersatBath
facebook.com/bathunicareers
Work in progress
From February 2017 we are on the
move from our campus location to the
new city centre student space at 18
Manvers Street (previously the Police
Station).
Keep up to date with these changes by
checking the About Us section of our
website: www.bath.ac.uk/careers
Watch out for our Careers Advisers
working in your department too.
Contact us
Opening times
Monday to Friday 9.15 am to 16.30 pm
during term time.
We are open throughout the year with
increased hours during teaching and
exam periods. The website will keep
you up to date:
www.bath.ac.uk/careers

bath.ac.uk/careers2 BATH CAREERS SERVICE GUIDE 2017
BATH AND YOUR CAREER
5 How we can support you
6 What do Bath graduates do?
8 At your service
10 Use your Bath experience to make
yourself employable
13 How to choose the right career
14 Postgraduate study questions
16 Taking time out
17 Try smaller businesses
19 Using work experience to get a job
20 Get ahead with employer research
22 Where and how to look for a job
25 International students: destination global
26 How to sell your PhD
28 Here for a year: masters students
31 Applications
32 A quick guide to interviews
33 Assessment centres
Bath and your career
Your options after university
Finding your first job
Postgrad and international
students
Applications and interviews
INSIDE THIS GUIDE
Try smaller
businesses,
page 17
Phd students
pages 26–27

35 Leading employers and course providers
who want to hear from you
Employers & professional bodies
BAE Systems ................................................(IBC)
Balfour Beatty................................................(36)
Bank of Ireland..................................................37
CHP Consulting ........................................37 (37)
Dialog Semiconductor ......................................38
Dixon Wilson......................................................38
Fidelity International ........................................38
Frontline ............................................................38
HSBC................................................................(39)
Institute and Faculty of Actuaries ..................41
Johnson Matthey ..............................................41
Laing O’Rourke ..............................................(40)
LCP......................................................................41
Oliver Wyman ....................................................41
Swiss Re Management Ltd ..............................42
Teach First ..............................................42 (OBC)
TPP (The Phoenix Partnership) Ltd ......42 (IFC)
UHY Hacker Young ............................................42
Jobs and course providers
www.bath.ac.uk/careers
This publication is available online at
www.bath.ac.uk/careers in Information
Resources.
If you need this information in another
format, please contact us.
Course providers
Bath Spa University ......................................(46)
Le Cordon Bleu London ................................(47)
University of Oxford ......................................(47)
PGI ............................................................46 (48)
IFC = inside front cover OBC = outside back cover
IBC = inside back cover ()=displayadvertising
Applications
and interviews
from page 30
At your Careers Service
website
Go to www.bath.ac.uk/careers for...
• news and updates
• advice and helpsheets on choosing
a career, going for interviews,
getting work experience,
postgraduate study and more
• links to resources including
streamed videos.
Go to myfuture.bath.ac.uk for...
• searchable vacancies targeted at
Bath students – from taster courses
for first years to graduate jobs and
postgraduate funding
• booking your place at campus skills
workshops and recruitment events
• booking to speak to a Careers
Adviser in the Quick Query service –
or check if our guidance service is
what you need.
And don’t forget
Go to targetjobs.co.uk to find your
ideal graduate job, work placement,
internship or part-time job. You can
search thousands of vacancies by
sector and location, as well as access
top-notch careers advice.
And go to targetpostgrad.com if you’re
considering postgraduate study. Find
the right course for you, as well as
advice on funding and how your
postgraduate study options affect your
career prospects.

How you can help yourself:
• Take advantage of the many
opportunities here at Bath to develop
your skills, find out about your
strengths and gain confidence in your
abilities.
• Get involved with some extra-
curricular activities.
• Use work experience opportunities to
help you find out about different career
areas, and help reflect on your career
goals.
• Learn how to explain yourself to
people when networking and job
hunting. Practise how you are going to
talk about relevant experiences and
interests.
• If you are applying for placements,
attend all preparation sessions, keep in
touch with your placement office and
read your placement handbook
carefully.
• Attend fairs, employer presentations
and sector events to find out more
about the opportunities available and
how you can enter different career
areas.
• Check our skills development
opportunities during the semester.
• Keep checking in to MyFuture for
vacancies and set time aside each week
to do some research.
• Start early! Accept that it will take time
to work out what you want to do.
Many graduates tell us that they wish
they had started earlier.
Amy Jowsey says:
The Careers Service helped
me in so many ways each
year I was at Bath. The first time it
was to discuss potential career paths,
which led to me switching to
engineering. Later I got help with
identifying errors in my writing of CVs
and covering letters for summer
placements and graduate jobs.
I learned better ways to put forward
information about myself. A Careers
Adviser advised me when to disclose
my dyslexia to prospective employers
and also helped me prepare ahead for
careers events and assessment days.
Milda Norkute says:
The majority of jobs I have
applied for were through the
Careers Service MyFuture website. I
also found the advice from Careers
Advisers on my CV and cover letter
very useful. The assessment centre
workshop helped me to prepare well
too. I was still quite undecided even
while I was applying but I knew this
was important advice to get
regardless of what job I was going to
end up going for.
HOW WE CAN SUPPORT YOU
LOTS OF STUDENTS FIND US REALLY HELPFUL RIGHT FROM THE TIME THEY START AT BATH.
How we can help you:
• Contact with a large number of
employers from a range of different
sectors, through careers fairs, employer
presentations and workshops
• Sessions on employability, job-hunting,
application and interview skills
• Information resources especially
written for Bath students, including a
well-researched website
• MyFuture, our comprehensive vacancy
service, offering graduate positions,
work experience schemes/internships
and other opportunities
• Careers Advisers delivering sessions to
your department
• Information and advice about
postgraduate study
• Information about the careers that past
alumni have gone on to and the chance
to network with them
• Advice on how to find all kinds of
work experience and graduate jobs –
not just big business schemes
• Opportunities to practise aptitude tests
– so that you are prepared when the
time comes to apply for jobs
• A practice interview service to enable
you to practise your interview
technique in a supportive environment
• An enquiry desk for quick and easy
access to information and advice on
any careers and skills issue
• Help through the job-hunting process
on a one-to-one basis from experienced
Careers Advisers
• CV and application advice.
From fresher to finalist
First year
Get involved with societies and activities so
you can build your skills and a good CV for
future work experience. Be curious about the
jobs you could do by checking out the Careers
Service programme, publications, website and
MyFuture. Talk to alumni, lecturers, friends and
family about these jobs. Get yourself a
LinkedIn profile and start connecting with
people. Start exploring work experience, open
days or similar. Don’t forget your studies, as
good grades will lead to better opportunities.
Check our web page for first years:
www.bath.ac.uk/students/careers/first-
year/index.html and chat with a Careers
Adviser.
Second year
Time to get serious about your career by
exploring placements and summer internships.
Find out if jobs that interest you will be
advertised, or how you can be more proactive
in finding opportunities. Research employers
by meeting them on campus or finding other
ways to network with them. If you can’t get any
focus on an area of work then book an
appointment with a Careers Adviser. If you are
applying for a placement keep in contact with
your placement office. The Careers Service is
the place to come for summer work experience
advice.
Final year/masters year
Know the normal recruitment timetable for
your chosen area because some employers
may open applications in the summer before
your final year starts. Check if employers that
interest you will be on campus at Careers Fairs
or presentations. Perfect your applications,
whether for postgraduate study, a job or a gap
year by getting feedback from a Careers
Adviser. Do some employer/further study
research while you are applying. Practise
psychometric tests and start preparing for
interviews. Hit the shops for an interview outfit
in case you get an interview at short notice. Do
you need a practice interview with a Careers
Adviser?

U
niversity of Bath graduates have
outstanding success in finding
employment or continuing with
their studies. The quality of the
jobs our graduates achieve is high too.
85% of Bath’s employed UK full-time
first degree graduates are in the top three
occupational groups (professional or
managerial jobs) compared with 64% of
employed graduates nationally. This
means we are ranked 7th for best
graduate prospects according to The
Sunday Times and The Times Good
University Guide 2016. To gain an insight
into our graduates’ successes you can
check out the results of our annual survey
to find out what work or study our
graduates are doing six months after
finishing their course:
www.bath.ac.uk/students/
careers/choose-a-career/what-our-
graduates-do.
In this section we have a selection of
stories from graduates. If you want to
talk to other graduates about what their
work involves then register to use the
Bath Connection: www.bath.ac.uk/
students/careers/choose-a-career/bath-
connection/index.html.
Not everyone represented here is
working in a field directly related to their
subject so your subject does not limit
your career choice. Many graduate
vacancies don’t specify particular degree
disciplines, so it is OK to think about jobs
that are unrelated to your degree. Use our
website sections ‘Find out what you want’
and ‘Find out about occupations’ at
www.bath.ac.uk/students/careers. Also
use the ‘How to choose the right career’
article (page 13) for more advice. You can
discuss your ideas and concerns
confidentially with a Careers Adviser too.
It’s fine to come and talk with us even if
you have no idea what you want to do.
NAME Michael Powell
DEGREE BSc Maths and Physics
(2015)
EMPLOYER Pentathlon GB
While I was working on Bath Impact I bumped
into the Chief Executive of Pentathlon GB when
I was taking photos at a football match. From
that conversation I ended up doing some
things for them including volunteering at the
European Championships. Just as I finished
my internship at Iconic Cycling Events (see
page 17), Pentathlon GB had a paid vacancy
so it was right place, right time, right contact.
At first it was a challenge as staff changes
meant I ended up with a lot of things on my
desk that I wasn’t expecting. As Membership
Services Co-ordinator, I process membership
applications and deal with membership
queries but I am also helping to shape the
future membership packages of the
organisation by making them more
attractive. Additionally, I help the National
Competitions and Events Manager with
processing entries in the build-up to the
event and in numerous roles on competition
days, like setting up and entering into the
results system. I get to see what they do all
the way through and I feel like I am getting
some great experience. I am not sure where
this job will take me but I certainly want to
stay in the business of sport. I know that
some of my work is ‘adminy’ but because it
is in sport, which I am passionate about, it’s
not boring. I am always looking forward to
the next big event which is really
enjoyable – whereas it wouldn’t
be if I was doing this work in a
sector that didn’t appeal to me.
NAME Kylie Barton
DEGREE BSc (Hons) Politics
with International Relations
EMPLOYER One Community
Since graduating I have worked as a Social
Researcher for a local charity called One
Community. Last year I undertook a research
project looking into domestic abuse support
for young people in the county, which helped
the Police and Crime Commissioner direct
funding to where it was truly needed. This
project led me to working with marginalised
groups in the community to ensure they
have a voice in local community
organisations like Neighbourhood Watch,
which are typically white, middle-class,
middle-aged groups. These successes mean
I am now advancing to manager level and will
also be the Digital Marketing Manager at One
Community.
As a researcher I get a great balance of
working with people, including young people,
and writing. What I do has an influence, I
convey the message of those marginalised
by society’s structures to those who create
the structures. For me, a thirst for diversity
in my life is why I am also wearing other
hats. I am also the Hampshire Coordinator for
the Green Party in a voluntary capacity, and I
am volunteering and fundraising for the One
Community Young Carers Project. And finally,
after more than five years of pitching, I am a
blogger for the Huffington Post – the hard
work of being a freelance writer, which
started at university, pays off!
WHAT DO BATH
GRADUATES DO?
BATH GRADUATES GO ON TO A WIDE VARIETY OF PRESTIGIOUS JOBS
BUT NOT ALL ARE OBVIOUS CHOICES FOR THEIR SUBJECT.

bath.ac.uk/careers
BATH AND YOUR CAREERBATH AND YOUR CAREER
NAME Gabriella Sherry
DEGREE BSc Psychology
(2014)
EMPLOYER Dstl
I had no strong career aspirations at first and
the standard career path laid out for my
subject didn’t quite resonate with me so I
needed to think outside the box. Thinking
more fluidly about my degree (Psychology)
allowed me to go off the beaten track and into
the field of defence and security – it was one
of the best decisions I ever made! By
September after I graduated I was lucky
enough to be working as a strategic analyst
for the Defence Science and Technology
Laboratory (Dstl). Dstl conducts a huge range
of work to maximise the impact of science and
technology on UK defence and security – this
really is as broad and varied as it sounds!
I applied for the job early in my final year at
university and shortly after applying I had to
complete a situational judgement test,
security checks, two interviews, a group
activity and an assessment day. It was a
daunting process but I felt well prepared after
all the support I had received from my
department throughout my degree. I am now
on a two-year graduate scheme, working as
part of an interdisciplinary team that
conducts analysis to support key strategic
decisions, as well as contributing to defence
and security planning and processes. I have
been here for seven months and already I
have worked with academia, industry and the
military as well as a multitude of security and
political organisations. This means I am able to
network with others in the field as well as
taking part in the training and development
opportunities at Dstl, building a solid
foundation for my future career.
NAME Tian Cao
DEGREE MSc Management with
Operations (2014)
EMPLOYER Capvision, Shanghai
City, China
I work in the Human Resources Service
sector of a knowledge consulting firm as a
researcher. My main responsibilities include
looking for potential candidates, screening
CVs, recommending suitable positions and
making cold calls to get in touch, then
interview arrangements and application
follow-ups. I applied for a few other roles to
several different companies before I finally
decided to go for this one. I got the job after
successfully passing three interviews with
the HR manager, line manager and the sector
director. I did gain some part-time and
voluntary experience during my masters,
which helped me a lot, not necessarily in
identifying what I wanted to do but rather in
giving me some sense of what it’s like
beyond university and what kind of
professional environment I should
expect at work.
The Careers Service was where I learned a
great deal about job applications and
interviews. I talked to the Advisers about the
problems I met during every single
application and they offered their advice to
help solve them. There were also many
resources that were very useful. The
MyFuture website, the annual Careers Guide,
the Bath Connection and the workshops they
regularly held – I think I benefited from all of
them. It’s really important to know what your
passion is and how you are going to combine
it with your chosen career path. Once you
have decided, start working on it
as soon as possible and don’t
be afraid to ask for help.
NAME Amy Jowsey
DEGREE MEng Civil and
Architectural Engineering
(2014)
EMPLOYER WSP Group
I am working for an engineering consultancy
in central London. My work involves
designing and checking structural design for
buildings and has involved some high-profile
projects.
I got my job following attending an event
advertised by the Careers Service for women
in engineering where the keynote speaker
was from WSP. I was really excited to be
attending their assessment day, and this
just made me want the job even more. I was
thrilled to have been offered a place on the
graduate scheme. My summer placement
and a research placement with the university
meant I could compare these experiences
and I decided to apply for graduate roles
rather than a PhD.
When it came to which role I wanted to do
I was less clear, so I applied for a few
different types of roles, and ended up
choosing the role with the company I most
wanted to work for.
I used the Careers Service numerous
times during my time at Bath; at the start of
my second year I discussed the career
implications of my chosen degree and ended
up switching to engineering. After that, each
year I went along for help in writing a CV and
covering letters for summer placements, and
during my final year I visited again, with CV,
covering letters, application form,
for practice interviews and advice
before attending careers events
and assessment days.
I did my placement at the Ministry of Justice as a Data Researcher. It was a paid placement in London, which
was ideal. I enjoyed it 120 per cent – if that’s possible! I loved living in London with other placement students,
working with a government organisation and using maths. It helped me discover what I wanted to do long
term. I was stuck behind a computer screen eight hours a day, which didn’t suit my skills. Communication,
public speaking and interpersonal skills are my strengths and I didn’t get to use those much. However, doing
social research opened up a new avenue for me, as I identified market research and social research jobs that
used the skills I had gained on placement and included client contact. In my final year I didn’t know exactly
what I wanted to do and so I made applications to Teach First, a PGCE, the Civil Service and Auditing. My
placement really made me realise I wanted to work in quantitative research at a public organisation, so these
applications did fit my criteria. After graduation I spent six months at the BBC in a temporary graduate
position of Research Assistant, not knowing where it would lead. I then spent 14 months at the next
level as a research executive with Radio 1 in a different team. I was then promoted to Senior
Research Executive (SRE) at Radio 4. Even in the interview for this I used examples from my
placement. In 2015 I moved to television as SRE with BBC 1 and BBC Drama.
NAME Kenny Cunniffe
DEGREE Economics with Politics
(2012)
EMPLOYER BBC Television
BATH CAREERS SERVICE GUIDE 2017 7

AT YOUR SERVICE
WE PRIDE OURSELVES ON BEING YOUR FREE, PROFESSIONAL, IMPARTIAL, ON-CAMPUS CAREERS
SERVICE. HERE, STUDENTS TALK ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES OF USING US.
Careers Service website and MyFuture
The Careers Service website www.bath.ac.uk/students/careers
and MyFuture www.myfuture.bath.ac.uk are two important
resources you can use in addition to talking to our Team:
Choose a career
It’s not unusual to have no idea what job you want to do. This
section of our website could help you get started especially if
you want to talk to a Careers Adviser. The ‘Using your subject’
and ‘What do Bath graduates do?’ sections could be a starting
point.
Succeed in the selection process
This section of our website helps you to find out about
occupations, sectors, industries and professions as well as
advising you how to cope with applications, interviews, aptitude
tests and assessment centres. You can download our bespoke
guides which contain detailed advice on applications and
interviews.
Get work experience
Look on our website for a range of resources, including our
downloadable guide, to find out more about where to look for
work experience. MyFuture lists job opportunities such as
vacation work experience, placements, open days, competitions
and courses.
Find a graduate job
In MyFuture you will find jobs with employers who have chosen
to target you directly as a Bath student or graduate. Our website
provides resources for whichever sector you’d like to be in, and
whether you’d like to work in the UK or abroad. You can also
download our comprehensive job hunting guide.
Find further study
If you’re considering going on to do postgraduate study check
the website for some great advice and links to resources. Any
funded postgraduate opportunities which we hear of are
advertised as vacancies in MyFuture.
Events
At the start of each semester MyFuture lists our full range of
employability skills workshops run by our Careers Advisers and
employers. We help you to meet employers on campus too. We
send out a regular Careers Service update alerting you to the
next week’s events and you can book in MyFuture.
Get help
Check here on the website for advice on booking different types
of appointments. Quick Query appointments only can be
booked through MyFuture. You can also access our
comprehensive range of helpsheets and guides specifically
written by our staff for Bath students. Our information Team
research a catalogue of external websites to supplement this
material.
Our Blog
The Careers Team use this Blog to share their ‘news and views’
about careers with you. You will find advice about a wide range
of career related issues, news from graduate recruiters and links
to interesting articles: http://blogs.bath.ac.uk/careers.
Careers Adviser Saiyada Fazal
helped second-year
Mathematical Sciences
student Anisha Patel achieve
her placement by sharing her
expertise on CV writing.
Careers Adviser Ghislaine Dell
was one of the Careers
Advisers who helped Michael
Powell, who studied Maths
and Physics, find his dream
job in the sports business.
Careers Adviser Sue Briault
has helped Politics with
Economics graduate
Christopher Gynn from his
first year through to his
final-year job offers.
W
e pride ourselves on empowering and enabling
our students to find their career direction, and
to make successful career transitions. Our
Service is not just about the people you can talk
to but also about the expertise we share with you through
our Resources. Most students who use us tell us how helpful
we have been.

BATH AND YOUR CAREERBATH AND YOUR CAREER
What the students say
The staff and the resources at the Careers Service
have been instrumental in my professional
development. They have developed my confidence in
articulating my experiences in both my CV and my
interviews. Employers have told me my CV is
professionally written and well-structured which was due
to the endless support of the careers staff and their CV
Guide. They gave me great support when applying for a
Team Leader role at the London Youth Games and for my
placement application to QPR.
Keon Richardson, BSc Sport and Social Sciences with placement, QPR
in the Community Trust
A Careers Adviser helped me to work out I could
have a career in the sports business without having
studied a sports-related degree. Before that discussion
I was heading for a Finance career because that seemed
the most obvious thing to go for.
Michael Powell, BSc Maths and Physics, Pentathlon GB
I learnt how to express my experience in a
business-like way in both my applications and in
interview. Everyone should get help from the Careers
Service because they deal with applications and
interviews every day so they know what they are talking
about. The service is free so it’s silly not to use it.
Anisha Patel, BSc Mathematical Science with placement
Getting help from the Careers Service is really
easy although you may have to get up early to book
an appointment. Fifteen minutes with an Adviser is just
the right amount of time to get an answer to something
that is troubling you.
Bharat Bajaj, MSc Management with Finance
The feedback I got on my applications for work
experience was a big confidence booster. I get lots
of emails from the Careers Service and they may not all
be relevant at the time you are reading them but they
will be later, so I take note so I can act on them when
they become relevant.
Louise Downton, BSc Social Sciences with placement
I started using the Careers Service from my first
year, getting advice on what I should be doing so I
could get the placement
I wanted. I continued getting support for my applications.
In my final year I was back getting more support because
my employer did not make graduate job offers to
placement students. My final discussion was weighing
up two good offers. It was valuable to be able to talk
through my thoughts and ideas at every stage.
Christopher Gynn, BSc Politics with Economics with placement, Bank
of England

Sports and Exercise Science graduate Sean
Howard told us he regretted not getting
more involved in societies related to
business and finance as it
would have helped him to
develop his knowledge:
“I ended up devoting a lot
of my spare time in final year
trying to get to grips with commercial
awareness. However, I did play rugby,
which provided useful interview
answer material.”
Postgraduate Management
student Bharat Bajaj told us:
“When I came to Bath
I made a point of trying
everything I am scared of.
One thing was dancing so I joined the
Latin Ballroom Society! The other
thing I was scared of was talking to
people I didn’t know and giving
speeches. So I joined some societies,
became the Postgraduate Association
Campaigns Rep and stood for Faculty
Rep in the School of Management.
I found out a great deal about how
decisions are made at the University
and School level. I saw how students
can feed back into this and make a
change. I stood for the Postgraduate
Officer post in the Student Union
elections (March 2016) because I was
involved in creating the post. I didn’t
win but it was the best two weeks of
my time at Bath. I learnt so much
more than I could have done in
lectures. It just made me so much
more confident having to do lecture
shout-outs and selling myself to
thousands of people.”
Christopher Gynn (final-year
Politics with Economics 2015)
told us:
“My placement year was an
important experience and
gave me so much, but I gained from
other things I have done too. For
example, in my final year I worked on
the Students Associates Learning
Project. I was on the committee for
the Debating Society in my second
year. I’ve been Academic Rep every
year and this has been invaluable in
helping me to understand how the
university as an organisation works.
I have also shadowed a member of
the university staff. Both of these
were really useful examples to use in
interview questions especially to
show that I understand how an
organisation like the university
works. I’ve tried to evaluate what I
am going to do every year and then
afterwards think about what I
enjoyed about it and how I want to
move on with it.”
B
ath students are often targeted by
big-name employers, but it’s still
a very competitive market for
summer internships, placements
and graduate jobs. You’ll need to find
ways of differentiating yourself from the
rest of the students applying. One of the
most important ways you can do this is
through your extracurricular activities.
We spoke to Trung Vu (Computer
Science and Maths), who told us that, in
his first year, he spoke to a Careers
Adviser to get feedback on his CV. He
learned from the Adviser that he needed
to build up his CV with more experiences,
as he would find it difficult to compete
with other students if he wanted to get
into investment banking. He said:
“I joined the Finance
Society because it made
sense given the career I
was interested in and then
I put myself forward for election to be
on the Committee in my second year.
From other students in the Finance
Society I found out the Economics
Society was attending a Finance
Conference in York and I went along to
that. I learned more from the people
I met there than from a whole month
of research on the internet because
there were so many people there who
were working in investment banks
that I want to work in.”
USE YOUR BATH
EXPERIENCE TO
MAKE YOURSELF
EMPLOYABLE

bath.ac.uk/careers
Psychology graduate Milda Norkute told
us she thinks the Bath Award, which is
run by the Students’ Union, helped her
CV look more impressive. The Award
helps you reflect on typical skills sought
by employers because you demonstrate
skills development by using examples
from extracurricular activity including
work experience, volunteering or club
leadership roles. You also need to attend
skills training sessions run by the Careers
Service and the Students’ Union and
complete a short written task related to
careers. Milda told us:
“The Bath Award was useful
preparation for interviews
as the questions you
answer are similar for both.
For the Award I used the experience
from my final year because I was an
Academic Representative and I led
Peer Supported Learning Sessions for
second-year Psychology students as
well as working part time as
Admissions Ambassador for the
university.”
NAME Keon Richardson
DEGREE Sport and Social Sciences with
placement (final year)
I was a Team Bath Futsal Performance Athlete for two years, and I
have developed key skills that are valued by employers. The Team
Bath Futsal Performance Programme was a full-time programme
consisting of: three technical sessions, one hydrotherapy session,
one strength and conditioning session and a match on the weekend,
which I completed alongside my full-time academic studies. I developed my discipline and
dedication, time management skills, ability to work calmly under pressure and hard-work ethic.
These are all skills employers value, and are often found in the Person Specification section of
many job roles in sport and other industries. I’ve also volunteered at numerous events for
different organisations, such as the London FA, London Youth Games, Wesport, Tackle Africa and
the IBSA Blind Football European Championships. Employers are always very impressed with my
playing experience, coupled with academic results, coaching qualifications and volunteering
experience. I’ve been able to balance this through managing my time productively, and setting
myself a target/priority list to achieve the above. The diverse range of experiences I’ve gained not
only made me more employable for my placement, but at other organisations, which have
offered me paid work (Fulham FC, Disability Sports Coach UK and Tottenham Hotspur). The most
recent job role I have undertaken is Assistant Coach of the FA Partially Sighted and Deaf
Futsal London Regional Talent Centre, which is run by the London FA and Tottenham
Hotspur.

YOUR OPTIONS
AFTER
UNIVERSITY
Resources
The best place to start is our website.
Look at www.bath.ac.uk/careers and
select options from ‘Choose a career’
such as:
• ‘Find out what you want’ – including
leaflets on choosing a career,
whether to use your subject or not
and some specific subject-related
resources.
• ‘Find out about occupations’ – a
great place to start if you have a few
career ideas you want to explore.
• ‘Get one-to-one help’ – information on
how you can arrange to see a Careers
Adviser along with what to expect and
how to prepare.
• ‘Try online guidance tools’ – direct
links to Prospects Planner and other
resources, which are great starting
points for generating ideas.
• ‘What do Bath graduates do?’ –
destinations of Bath graduates by
subject.

YOUR OPTIONS AFTER UNIVERSITY
N
o-one says it is going to be easy
trying to work out what you
want to do with your life. In our
opinion, spending time
exploring your options is so much more
important than following the crowd and
later discovering you don’t like what you
have opted for. So here are six steps you
can take to get you started.
Step 1
Embrace the uncertainty and take some
action. Being unsure about your future
career can be a big worry so don’t be too
hard on yourself to get the answer too
quickly. Having more than one option is
not a bad thing.
Step 2
Get a plan. Easier said than done perhaps,
but imagine how you would advise
somebody else to tackle the same task.
Working out what you want to do is just
like any research project. You are a
student, so you should be good at this.
Don’t let your emotions get in the way of
basic research. Start with the ‘Choose a
Career’ section of our website
www.bath.ac.uk/careers and read Career
Choice articles in our blog
http://blogs.bath.ac.uk/careers/category/
career-choice/.
Step 3
What’s your story? What are the common
themes in the things you have done so
far? What skills are you most drawn to
using? What are you interested in? What
do you find boring and why? What are
your values in relation to the type of
work you do or the employer you will
work for? Learn to become confident in
talking about these things so you are
ready for applications and interviews.
Step 4
Be curious and get talking to people doing
jobs you could do. You can learn a lot
from people who enjoy their work. We
organise for employers to come onto
campus for Careers Fairs and individual
employer events. Talk to family and
friends, lecturers and anyone else you
might know. Use the Bath Connection
(search on the university website) to
contact Bath Graduates and use the
Alumni menu option on your LinkedIn
profile to connect with even more Bath
alumni.
Step 5
Be flexible and adaptable because the
world of work is constantly changing.
You will be making decisions about your
HOW TO CHOOSE
THE RIGHT CAREER
HERE IS OUR SIX-STEP PLAN TO CHOOSING A CAREER AND TWO STUDENTS’
EXPERIENCES OF HOW IT HAS WORKED FOR THEM.
Michael Powell
Maths and Physics
Halfway through my degree I
realised I wasn’t particularly enjoying it that
much, but I decided I was going to carry on
because I was doing OK. I went to the Careers
Service to help me decide what I could go on
to. It became clear my big interest was sport.
I was elected as Sports Editor for Bath Impact
which I did during my third year, having
started out as a writer in my second year.
I really enjoyed that as I went out to quite a
few live sport fixtures. I was thinking about
sports journalism and exploring that as an
option. I also thought about my subject and
realised that I enjoyed Maths more at school
so also started looking at finance, possibly
working for one of the Big 4. They seemed
polar opposites but after talking with a
Careers Adviser, she suggested looking at
finance roles within a sports setting. At that
time I found out about the Santander Student
Intern Programme for Finalists and Graduates
which is a paid, entrepreneurial internship
programme that provides paid-for work
experience within local businesses. I got a
place in a sports business and that is now my
direction. My advice is to follow your heart.
I got caught up in thinking about my subjects
which led me to Finance but the lightbulb
moment was talking to a Careers Adviser and
realising that, even though I didn’t have a
sports-related degree I could still work in the
sports business.
career throughout your working life so
this choice is your next move, not your
lifelong choice. Being open minded and
aware of your strengths, skills and
interests is more important than pinning a
label on your future job title.
Step 6
Ask for help because everyone needs help
with big decisions. Engage with Careers
Service resources and our team because it
will take a while to work through this but
we can help you every step along the way.
Shaun Lee
M. Pharmacy
Before I came to university I did a
placement in a retail pharmacy and I was
particularly impressed with the pharmacist.
He was one guy who knew all this stuff about
the different coloured pills. I was interested in
why he chose one strength over another, why
he didn’t choose to be a doctor and as I have
spent time studying my degree I know my
interest still remains. I didn’t want to stay at
home to study and so I got a scholarship to
study in the UK. We do have several arranged
placements on our course but I have also
organised my own internships every summer
from the first year. I have done community
and hospital work experience but I have also
gained industrial research experience which
is where the Careers Service has helped me a
lot. Pharmacy students don’t tend to venture
there. I would say don’t narrow down your
options too early. It is very easy to follow the
crowd and go with the flow. The University and
your lecturers may steer you in a particular
direction but you need to make sure you look
at the alternatives for yourself too. That way
you will find out what you really like the most
or at the very least decide on the things you
dislike and want to avoid. Advice for
international students? Go for it! I was quite
intimidated in my first year and didn’t expect
to get a summer placement in the UK so I
made no UK applications but I realise now that
it is your skills not your nationality that
matters in pharmacy.

institution that focuses on the aspect of
a subject that most interests you. It is
essential to check which topics will be
covered, the teaching methods used and
how you will be assessed to ensure that
it is appropriate for your needs.
Will postgraduate study improve my
chances of getting a job?
This depends. Chosen carefully with
reference to your career goals, a
postgraduate course can increase both
your chances of getting a job and the
salary that you start on. You need to
check whether potential employers in the
area that you want to work will value the
postgraduate course that you have
selected. It is always worth asking the
course provider about the employment
destinations of past students.
Would it be better to do a masters or
a PhD?
This can be a difficult decision to make.
If you want to enhance your knowledge
and skills in a specific area a masters
programme may well be the best choice.
Likewise, if you are not sure whether a
career involving a significant research
component would suit you, it may be
worth trying an MRes course in an
Some employers seek
postgraduates with
specific capabilities,
sometimes targeting specialist
courses or institutions, while
others may not differentiate
between postgraduates and
graduates with a good first degree.
You will need to check for your
chosen career area.
Sue Briault, Careers Adviser
POSTGRADUATE STUDY
QUESTIONS
FURTHER STUDY NEEDS CAREFUL THOUGHT AND PLANNING.
Embarking on a PhD is a major
commitment lasting several years as
opposed to typically one year for a
masters course. For some career paths it
is obligatory; for others it may enhance
your chances of career progression. In
all cases it is important for you to think
carefully about the focus of the research
involved, the main methodologies used
and how this will relate to what
you want to do subsequently: see
www.bath.ac.uk/students/careers/find-
further-study/why.
Do I need a first to do a postgraduate
course?
In some cases the answer is definitely
yes; however, in many other cases it’s
no. The entrance requirements vary from
institution to institution and from course
to course. Checking what entrance
requirements are required is usually
straightforward: access the relevant
postgraduate prospectus. The difficulty
comes when these say the minimum
entrance requirement is ‘a good honours
degree’. In these cases you will have
to discuss what this means with the
appropriate admissions tutor.
When should I apply?
Many postgraduate courses are extremely
popular. The problem is that they are
advertised at different times of the year.
This is particularly true for PhD
studentships. However, most masters-level
programmes (and any scholarships
covering costs) will be ready for
applications early in each academic year.
PhD opportunities are often advertised
from October onwards with a peak in the
period November to March. If possible,
do your research before the start of the
year in which you want to apply and
identify the sort of postgraduate course
that would suit you best.
How will I fund my course?
There are a number of funding
arrangements for masters courses
dependent on the subject and your
domicile. Some universities offer

Resources
Our website contains a wealth of information to help you. Go to our home page:
www.bath.ac.uk/careers and look at the section headed 'Find further study'. Explore how to
apply, write personal statements and get funding.
• Wondering how to fund a masters or PhD? The TARGETpostgrad funding database contains
vital information to help you bankroll your course. Further information can also be found in
the Prospects Postgraduate Funding Guide.
• Use targetpostgrad.com to research and compare postgraduate courses.
• Watch out for our talk ‘Postgraduate study: is it for you?’, which takes place during
Semester One and Semester Two.
• Did you know we advertise funded postgraduate opportunities in MyFuture?
myfuture.bath.ac.uk.
• If you are thinking about studying abroad you will need to start early. Check our online
catalogue for relevant books and websites. www.bath.ac.uk/students/
careers/information-resources/catalogue.
• Why not bring your personal statement to a Careers Adviser drop-in session to get some
feedback?
scholarships and bursaries and many offer
reductions to their past students. Some
subject-specific courses have special
arrangements. From 2016 students from
England or the EU taking a masters will
be able to borrow up to £10,000. At the
time of writing, news is still to come for
students from the rest of the UK. There
are also Professional and Career
Development Loans. It is always worth
talking to the admissions team
responsible for the course you are
interested in to discuss funding options.
Ask how students normally fund the
course. The seven publicly funded
Research Councils are the UK’s biggest
source of PhD funding, awarding around
8,000 studentships every year across all
academic areas. From 2018/19, doctoral
loans of up to £25,000 will be available
for English students with a place at a UK
university who are not receiving a
research council living allowance.
How can I make my application stand out
when the course is so popular?
In essence, a postgraduate course provider
will want to know the answer to three
basic questions:
1 Is there evidence that you have the
relevant abilities and achievements to
undertake the course?
2 Is there evidence that you have thought
carefully about your reasons for taking
the course?
3 Is there evidence that you have looked
at the course structure and have a clear
idea of what you will get from it?
This information can be gained in a
number of ways. For help on how to
make sure you get full credit for your
past achievements and current interests
irrespective of what selection process is
used, see our website:
further-study/apply and
further-study/statements.

Research the job market so that you
know the timetable for your chosen area.
Don’t rely on employers offering deferred
entry. It is good to ask recruiters who
come onto campus whether they would
consider this, as these are the employers
who are most likely to do so. However,
recruiters who offer deferred entry are in
the minority.
There are many things you could
consider doing in a gap year and our
website offers suggestions and resources
you could consider. The most popular
options are going overseas to teach
English as a foreign language or to
volunteer in a developing country.
Careers Advisers are happy to discuss the
relative merits of gap year options as well
as help you work out the best timings.
T
he best way of achieving a
successful gap year is to make
sure you plan it well and that you
take into account when you
might need to apply for jobs and be
available for interview. It can be pretty
easy for one gap year to slip into two if
you aren’t careful. An essential part of
your planning is to give as much thought
to what you want to do when you return
as you do to the time out itself.
Focus on your goals
Graduate employers are most impressed
by applicants who have positive reasons
for wanting to take a gap year. You will
need to be able to explain readily your
rationale and what you expect, or have
gained, from the experience. Start
thinking about how you will sell what
you did to them, the skills you will gain
and the personal development you hope
to achieve. Employers will switch off if
you look as though you just had a long
holiday or took part in highly organised
volunteering projects where you were
cosseted from the rigours of the locals’
way of life.
Don’t miss the recruitment cycle
Timing your availability for applications
and interviews is one of the biggest
challenges you will face. The best plan is
to engage with recruitment activities in
the autumn term of your final year.
TAKING
TIME OUT
TAKING TIME OUT CAN SEEM AN ATTRACTIVE
OPTION AFTER HARD YEARS OF STUDYING;
HOWEVER, MAKE SURE IT IS PART OF THE
ROUTE TO YOUR FUTURE CAREER AND NOT
JUST A DIVERSION.
Resources
If you are going to take a gap year, plan
it properly to get the most out of it!
Read our helpsheet Taking a Gap Year,
www.bath.ac.uk/students/careers/
get-work-experience/gap-year, see
the gap year section on targetjobs
.co.uk/internships and ask to see the
books Gap-Year Guidebook, Planning
Your Year Out? and Your Gap Year.

A survey published in November
2013, ‘Smaller businesses – a positive
career choice for graduates?’ published by
GTI Media, found that 87 per cent of
undergraduates would be willing to start
their career with a smaller employer,
while 59 per cent of SMEs found it a
challenge to recruit graduates.
Read our guide Finding a graduate job
for advice on how to go about searching
for jobs that are outside the main
graduate schemes.
Finding an SME to work for is a
challenge. Some resources include:
• The Step Programme offers internships
and longer graduate placements mainly
in smaller businesses: www.step.org.uk.
• The Santander Student Internship
Programme operated on campus by the
Students’ Union provides paid for
entrepreneurial internships to final-year
students and recent graduates:
www.bathstudent.com/joblink/
internships.
• Many regional websites for graduates
are useful for finding SMEs in the local
area. See our website for further details:
find-a-graduate-job/region.
• Get involved in Enterprise Bath:
www.bathstudent.com/enterprise.
TRY SMALLER
BUSINESSES
SMALLER BUSINESSES ARE BONA FIDE EMPLOYERS, OFFERING
DIFFERENT CHALLENGES FROM BIGGER GRADUATE RECRUITERS.
S
mall and medium-sized
enterprises (SMEs) are not easily
visible to students as a starting
point for their career as they
don’t often feature in the events we
organise. Small businesses are defined as
up to 50 employees while up to 250
employees are medium sized. Such
organisations cover job sectors from
advanced science and communication
technology to artisan bakers. Businesses
with high growth potential are more
likely to consider recruiting graduates for
permanent jobs, internships or work
experience.
SMEs usually hire only one or two
people at a time. This means that each
person hired is special and especially
valuable to the company. As a result you
are likely to have far more exposure to
the leaders and decision makers in the
organisation. Smaller organisations may
have less structured career paths, but they
can also offer a steeper learning curve and
accelerated progress for high performers.
Graduates can experience bigger
challenges and responsibilities relatively
early in their careers and may also see
stock options featuring as part of their
remuneration package.
NAME Michael Powell
DEGREE BSc Maths and Physics
(2015)
JOB Membership Services
Co-ordinator
My family run a small business so I was
attracted by the idea of getting experience of
the whole business rather than only seeing
part of it. In my final year I found out about
the Santander Student Intern Programme
that provides paid internships within small,
local businesses. One of the employers,
Iconic Cycling Events, saw I had sports
communication skills and so they offered me
a job. They organise mass participation
cycling sportive events and first of all I did
PR, press releases and social media for them.
They are a very small company, an SME, and
so after the first month my role grew into a
wider range of activities including dealing
with registrations, communicating with
riders both pre- and post-event, analysing
data from past riders to assist with future
marketing techniques and redesigning the
company's website. I felt like I was getting a
much broader business insight.
This led to my current job which is with
another small sports organisation,
Pentathlon GB, where I am in charge of
memberships but I help the Competition and
Events Manager too, so I get to see what they
do all the way through. I feel like I am
getting some great experience for
someone who has only recently
left university.
Enterprise Bath (Student’s Union)
competitions are great for gaining
experience. Seen above left is James
Courtney, BBA student, who turned his
prize-winning app Lux into a business
opportunity for his placement.
www.bath.ac.uk/news/2016/04/12/
student-business-competition-winner-
launches-company

FINDING YOUR
FIRST JOB
Sports and Social Science student
Keon Richardson worked for QPR
Community Trust during his placement.

BATH AND YOUR CAREERFINDING YOUR FIRST JOB
A
ll work experience counts, even
casual work. At the Careers
Service we see many student
CVs and so we know the wide
range of jobs you do to earn some cash.
From working on farms or in shops and
factories to waitressing and cleaning, we
know these aren’t exciting jobs but they
will show future employers that you can
apply yourself to work, turn up on time
and get a job done to a good standard.
Many casual jobs also show you can
work under pressure. As well as providing
good things to talk about in job
applications you are learning about
yourself and what you might like and
dislike about work. Don’t forget that
although you’ve only worked at a low
level in a company you may have gained
an insight into the business, so you might
be able to talk about how that company
differentiates itself or what challenges it
faces, which is useful in demonstrating
commercial awareness.
Employers value placements
A unique feature of the University of Bath
is the focus on placements as part of your
degree. This is one of the reasons why we
are targeted by top employers. One of our
featured students in this guide, Politics
with Economics graduate Christopher
Gynn, told us: ‘When I applied to Bath
I was set on doing a placement and the
ones that were paid were the business
ones so that’s what I set myself out to
apply for. They did also appeal to me
more. I was very set on applying to the
Bank of England because I had really
enjoyed taking part in their schools
competition during A levels. I knew I was
more interested in policy than finance.
I did also apply to some strategy
consultancies but I heard back from the
Bank of England quickly and my
placement was settled by Christmas.
I learned so much from my placement –
not just about the job I was doing but
things that would help me in any job I
might do.’ A bonus is that many
placement students get job offers from the
employers they work for. Christopher’s
employer required him to re-apply and he
was successful. However, his experience
also impressed another top graduate
employer so he had a choice between two
offers and his Careers Adviser helped him
to make a decision. Recent graduate
labour market reports highlight how
important evidence of previous work
experience is to employers.
Internships
If you can’t do a placement, plenty of
graduate employers offer summer
internships. It is essential to build up your
work experience over your time at
university. Recruitment for some work
experience starts as early as the previous
summer so you need to be off the starting
blocks early in the academic year if you
don’t want to miss out. Look in
MyFuture for advertised vacancies and
check our work experience guide for
other places to look.
Finding work near to home
You may not have much choice but to
return home for the summer. Make sure
you do your research on local employers.
Our website can help with this. Don’t
expect to pick something up at the last
minute. Local work is often found by
pounding the streets with your CV rather
than looking for jobs on websites. A good
plan is to combine casual work with some
thorough investigation of your career
options. First years in particular should
be aware that some top graduate
employers offer taster days or courses,
which are worth checking out in
MyFuture.
Getting experience in popular sectors
Some areas of work are difficult to
get paid experience in. Think about
volunteering and balance that out with
paid casual work. Often overlooked
options are work shadowing or simply
talking to people about their jobs. Think
hard about people you know. Do you
know what your friends’ parents and
siblings do? Who knows, there might be a
contact who could help you with some
work shadowing. Talking to people about
the work they do is equally valuable and
USING WORK EXPERIENCE
TO GET A JOB
THE CAREERS SERVICE CAN HELP YOU MAKE THE MOST OF ALL YOUR WORK EXPERIENCE,
WHETHER IT’S CASUAL WORK, A SUMMER INTERNSHIP OR A PLACEMENT.
shows any potential employer your
motivation and interest. A good starting
point is the Bath Connection, our alumni
network accessible online at
choose-a-career/bath-connection. Read
up on networking in our booklet
Finding a Graduate Job.
How we can help
Read Finding Work Experience online or
pick up a copy. We advertise a variety of
opportunities through MyFuture, our
careers gateway for Bath students and
graduates. However, they in no way
represent the full range of potential
vacancies. Careers Service staff can help
you get started on researching potential
employers and advise you on making
speculative applications to employers not
obviously recruiting. Get started with
your investigations early.
I heard about the National
Citizen Service (NCS) which
offers 15- to 17-year-olds the
opportunity to gain useful skills during the
summer vacation through engaging in
social action activities. I had participated in
this when I was at school but I wasn’t very
confident about applying to be a leader
because it was a lot of responsibility but I
want to work with children in the future.
Then I did the Sprint Programme (Women’s
Development) run by the Careers Service
and the main thing I came away with was
that you should let the employer decide if
you can do a job and not rule yourself out
by not applying. Up until I did the
Programme I was reliant on people pushing
me or encouraging me to do things
whereas now I realise I shouldn’t be afraid
of putting myself forward. I also applied to
YMCA Children and Disability department
working on Holiday Play schemes. I got
offers from both!
Louise Downton, Social Sciences (2019)

FINDING YOUR FIRST JOB
as PR Week for the public relations
sector. Make sure, too, that you keep up
to date with news items about
organisations you are interested in by
reading business sections of newspapers
or the BBC News website.
In-depth research on an employer and
its competitors can make a real difference
when you’re being asked about why you
want to work for a particular company,
or to comment on a business issue that is
affecting your chosen industry. Given all
the resources available to you it’s no
surprise that employers are disappointed
by candidates who fail to prepare
properly.
GET AHEAD WITH
EMPLOYER RESEARCH
WHETHER YOU’RE CHECKING YOU MADE THE RIGHT CHOICE OR PREPARING FOR INTERVIEWS, YOU
NEED TO BE TOP OF THE CLASS WHEN IT COMES TO RESEARCH ON EMPLOYERS AND JOB ROLES.
It never ceases to amaze
me how many graduates
don’t bother to find out who
they are applying to and what the
job entails. I can’t stress enough
how important it is to read up on
this. Lack of preparation really
shows.
Graduate employer
Talk to employers and graduates
A previous placement or internship will
give you obvious networking
opportunities to gain further insight direct
from those in the know. If you don’t have
these contacts you can still build up your
knowledge in other ways. You can attend
relevant careers fairs and employer
presentations organised by the Careers
Service or your department and speak
directly with graduates. The Careers
Service is working with the Alumni office
to bring you Bath Connection. This is a
secure online system, which allows you to
network with our alumni experts. They
are Bath graduates who have volunteered
to talk to current Bath students (and
fellow graduates) about working for their
employer and what’s involved in their job:
choose-a-career/bath-connection/
index.html. Use our Finding a Graduate
Job guide for advice on how to network
to find out more about jobs.
C
areers Advisers regularly meet
employers on or off campus and
so we have a pretty good idea of
what irritates them when they
receive applications or conduct
interviews. In the words of one employer:
‘It never ceases to amaze me how many
graduates don’t bother to find out who
they are applying to and what the job
entails. I can’t stress enough how
important it is to read up on this. Lack of
research really shows.’
What employers want to see
Certainly, from the employer’s
perspective, a real or an apparent lack of
effort in your research can make you
appear to be uncommitted to the job you
are applying for. Whether it is through
your written application or in interview,
you will have to show why you could be a
useful employee, why you are better than
the other applicants for the position and
why the job would fit your current career
objectives. To provide convincing
answers, you need to know what the job
entails and demonstrate that you
understand what you’ll be doing day to
day. It’s not just about understanding the
job role but also finding out about the
employer and why they would be right
for you.
Research online
The TARGETjobs website,
targetjobs.co.uk, and Prospects website,
www.prospects.ac.uk, have profiles of
hundreds of occupations, so there is no
excuse not to be well informed. Use the
‘Find out about occupations’ section of
our website for links to these and other
resources: www.bath.ac.uk/students/
careers/succeed-in-selection/occupational.
Look carefully at all of an organisation’s
website, not just the careers section.
Everything that a company is proud of
and will expect you to know will be on
there. You can also look to see whether
an organisation belongs to a sector
organisation or professional body. These
bodies can give you a good overview of a
sector, as can specialist publications such

Resources
Need to find out more about
employers? Check out
careers/find-a-graduate-
job/employers. Also try the databases
provided by the University Library.
These are great for tracking down
organisations by type of business,
location or size and also useful for
buffing up on your chosen company
before an interview!
www.bath.ac.uk/library/subjects/
management/financial.
Not sure you want to work for one of
the typical, big graduate employers?
Watch the streamed DVD Big
Opportunities in Small Businesses:
Graduates in SMEs for a taste of the
graduate opportunities available in
smaller organisations.
careers/find-a-graduate-job/
employers/smes.
Need to know more about a particular
role? Click ‘Find out about occupations’
on www.bath.ac.uk/students/careers.
Have you found out enough about your
potential employer? Use the graduate
employer research checklist at
https://targetjobs.co.uk/sites/targetj
obs.co.uk/files/public/Graduate-
employer-research-checklist.pdf to
make sure you’ve got it covered.
Get creative! Find out about creative
job-hunting and networking your way
to a job in our Finding a Graduate Job
guide.
NAME Sean Howard
DEGREE Sport and Exercise
Science (2015)
EMPLOYER KPMG Consulting
I decided I didn’t want a job related to my
degree so I had to really learn about the
industries I was applying to and I started
doing this in the summer before my final
year. I needed to be able to answer some of
the technical questions that are asked in
investment banking interviews, for example.
This effort will distinguish you from someone
who knows the stuff from their degree.
Commercial awareness is essential too. A
common question across all my interviews
was around my understanding of what was
going on in the economy. You need to be able
to talk about this critically but also to have
followed this over time rather than having a
snapshot knowledge. I’d never followed any
financial news before I started thinking
about applying for these jobs but I ended up
allocating time to it every day. I found
speaking to senior people at employer
presentations eventually calmed my nerves
when I met other senior people at interview.
I was going to a presentation nearly every
day and they are good fun too.
NAME Keon Richardson
DEGREE Sport and Social
Sciences (final year)
EMPLOYER QPR in the
Community Trust
My 30 week placement was in the charitable
arm of QPR Football Club whose aim is to
create opportunities, inspire change and
help the people of West London to fulfil their
potential. I wanted to work in professional
football and applied speculatively to the top
London clubs and to internships advertised
through Moodle. I got this job by researching
the community trusts of professional
football clubs in London and contacting the
manager at QPR who was impressed with my
CV. My advice is to research the career area
you are interested in, the pathway of your
career choice and the current issues in your
desired field. Volunteering experience helped
me to understand the industry I wanted to go
into. I researched the organisations I was
applying to, trying to get an understanding of
their structure, mission statement and
values and how it can fit in with what I
wanted to experience. If you do this it can
help you in an interview to show how keenly
you want to work for them and
help improve what they do.

WHERE AND HOW TO
LOOK FOR A JOB
MyFuture
MyFuture myfuture.bath.ac.uk is the
place to look for jobs with employers
who have chosen to target you directly as
a Bath student or graduate. Vacancies are
added on a daily basis and are completely
searchable by a range of factors including
career option (e.g. advertising and public
relations or civil engineering), by industry
or sector, job location or keyword.
Once you have used it a few times the
system learns what opportunities have
interested you and makes suggestions of
new ones you could look at. Also you can
review expired vacancies as this might
help you to find out the usual time of year
for some recruitment. Although there are
peak times for vacancies, we are adding
them all year round so keep on checking.
MyFuture is as important to check as
other national vacancy websites such as
targetjobs.co.uk. Remember our blog:
http://blogs.bath.ac.uk/careers
Careers fairs and presentations
There is no better way to find out more
about what it is like to work for an
employer than to meet them at a careers
fair or presentation. We organise a two-
day Autumn Careers Fair (20–21 October
2016) where on each day you can meet
over 100 employers who regularly recruit
graduates. We also run a Summer
Internship Fair and a Summer Graduate
Recruitment Fair for employers with
immediate vacancies for graduating
students. When we ask employers what
they think of the Bath students they have
met at our fairs, they are most impressed
by the students who have researched the
company beforehand and have good
questions they want to ask.
Employers may come and give
individual presentations about their
opportunities in addition to or instead of
coming to a fair. Second-year student
Anisha Patel (see page 9) went to some
while she was looking for her placement.
She told us: ‘I found presentations really
useful to judge if a company’s work ethos
and outlook would suit me. The best
advice I got from one was to do proper
Facebook
• ‘Like’ companies’ brand pages,
keep up with their initiatives,
make comments on posts, show an
interest, ask sensible questions.
• Keep your Facebook wall clean if it is
visible.
• Check your security settings and
monitor how your friends tag you.
Twitter
• ‘Follow’ relevant companies,
industry influencers and job
tweeters.
• Interact by tweeting and retweeting so
your Twitter feed shows your interests.
• Keep a separate professional account.
• Search for opportunities using
#hashtags and user lists.
LinkedIn
• Get your profile sorted.
• Start connecting with people
you know and then see who they are
linked to.
• Join groups such as Bath Alumni and
others relevant to your chosen sector.
• Monitor who is looking at you.
• Find out how to make better use of
LinkedIn by checking out
https://students.linkedin.com/uk.
research on the company before you
apply so you can use it in your covering
letter or answer interview questions. I
don’t think I would be doing this if it
hadn’t been pointed out to me.’
Using social media to job search
Employers are using social media as part
of their recruitment and attraction
process more and more. If you are smart
you can make it work for you both as a
way of finding jobs and of marketing
yourself to employers. Research shows
that 80% of employers will google
candidates before an interview. Did you
know a well-crafted LinkedIn profile will
usually appear near the top of a google
search under your name? Here are a few
social media basics to help you get started.

Make sure you don’t
just sit behind a
computer screen making
applications to jobs you have seen
advertised. If I hadn’t have met the
Chief Exec of Pentathlon GB at a
football event I was reporting on
for Bath Impact, I would have never
ended up volunteering for the
European Championships in Bath
in 2015. There were loads of other
volunteers at that event but I
stayed in touch and would never
have got my current job but for
that chance meeting and
networking.
Michael Powell, BSc Maths and Physics
(2015)
Hidden jobs
If you put all your job-hunting effort into
looking for adverts you may find that you
miss valuable opportunities to work for
an employer who would be ideal for you.
More people are likely to find jobs
through networking and personal
contacts than they would by responding
to adverts. To some extent this does
depend on the sector you want to go into,
but even if you cannot speculatively
approach employers for jobs in some
sectors, you can certainly use contacts to
improve your job knowledge or even get
the heads up when a vacancy is about to
be advertised.
Once you have established the type of
role or sector that interests you then get
networking. Social media can help but
think a little closer to home and make
sure you have given some thought to
friends and family who might be able to
help you. Do you know what jobs the
parents and older siblings of your friends
do? Make it your business to find out.
Need a warm lead? Then use the alumni
experts in the Bath Connection because
they are willing to talk to you about their
work. If you don’t know people well then
just ask them for advice but if you know
them better you could ask for a favour
such as work shadowing.
We also work with the Alumni office
to bring you access to alumni experts
through the Bath Connection who are
willing to talk about their work. Check
our website. To find out more about
networking, including social media to job-
hunt, read our guide Finding a Graduate
Job online or hard copy.
I used LinkedIn to find
Bath alumni at the
companies I was applying
to. These informal conversations
really helped me to understand
whether I wanted to work for them.
I even found an opportunity to
reapply to a company through
these contacts when I didn’t get
through the assessment centre.
Bharat Bajaj, MSc Management with
Finance (2016)

POSTGRAD AND
INTERNATIONAL
STUDENTS
I starting using the Careers Service right at the beginning of
my course when I wasn’t even clear about what sort of
companies I should apply to. I was simply thinking that it’s
time to do something for my career for the first time ever. The Careers
Service was where I learned a great deal about job applications and
interviews. I talked to the Advisers about the problems I met during
applications and they offered their advice to help solve them. There
were also many resources, which were very useful. The MyFuture
website, this Careers Guide, the Bath Connection alumni network and
the workshops they regularly held – I think I benefited from all of them.
Tian Cao, masters graduate now working at Capvision, Shanghai City, China

bath.ac.uk/careers
POSTGRAD AND INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS:
DESTINATION GLOBAL
STUDYING IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY IN WHAT MAY BE YOUR SECOND (OR EVEN THIRD) LANGUAGE
CAN GIVE A REAL BOOST TO YOUR EMPLOYABILITY. HERE’S OUR GUIDE TO CAPITALISING ON YOUR
STRENGTHS AND MAXIMISING YOUR CHANCES OF SUCCESS.
Get to grips with the UK recruitment
system
One of the biggest differences from your
own country may be the lack of degree
subject preference by many UK
employers. About half of the jobs we
advertise on MyFuture are available to
students from any degree. Engineering
students can go into management
consulting and chemistry students can go
into management – an analytical mind
and a good head for numbers are what
employers want.
It’s not enough that you have the skills
and academic achievements UK recruiters
want. It is as important to show
enthusiasm and motivation for the career
you are applying for. In fact, some
recruiters say that they hire for attitude
and train for skills.
Make the most of the help on offer
The job application process is extra
daunting when you are experiencing it in
another language, or at a distance. You’ll
be pleased to know that there is a lot of
help available to you from the Careers
Service, including in-depth workshops on
UK-style CVs and covering letters,
practice interviews and assessment centre
experience.
And if you find it difficult to make
effective contributions in a group
exercise, or ‘sell’ yourself in applications
and interviews because it is considered
boasting in your own country, don’t
worry. Come and talk things through
with one of our advisers, who will work
with you to demonstrate your
contributions in a way that is effective
and works for you. There’s also plenty of
information on our web pages for
international students, covering
workplace etiquette and cultural
differences as well as hints and tips on
navigating the UK recruitment process.
Motivation, motivation, motivation
At some stage in the recruitment process
you will need to explain why you want
the job and why are you interested in the
organisation. If you are not used to
sharing your thoughts and motivations
with strangers this can be uncomfortable
for you. The key is to try to think about
why the job you are applying for is
interesting to you. Maybe you are
attracted to the tasks involved in the job
or possibly you were inspired by one of
the employees talking about their job
when you attended an employer
presentation. What matters is that what
you write or say reflects a real interest in
the job.
Make the most of the 'Bath experience'
Trung Vu, an international student in his
second year, advises getting involved early
in extracurricular activities. He says:
‘There are lots of opportunities which the
SU advertises. Join societies or get more
involved with your society by being a
committee member. I am an academic rep
for two departments.’ Be careful to show
your good time management skills by
staying on top of your studies because
employers will look for both high
academic results and extracurricular
involvement.
Don't forget about jobs back home
We know many of you will want to
explore the UK job market, but also that
plenty of you are looking for jobs in your
home countries. So you might like to
know that we have access to a broad
range of information on global job
markets and vacancies as well as contacts
with overseas employers. We even have a
special International Careers Week in
March each year, full of globally-themed
events including remote presentations
from international employers.
Be aware of the rules
Many international students are keen to
build up work experience in the UK and
one way to do that can be through
internships and placements. Be aware of
the rules regarding the number of hours
you can work. Check this out at the ISAT
web page www.bath.ac.uk/students/visa-
advice/working-in-the-uk/index.html or
book an appointment with an
International Student Adviser, Student
Services Centre, Level 2, 4 West.
Capitalise on your global outlook
As an international student, you have
already shown you are flexible, adaptable
and have increased cultural awareness
simply by coming to study in another
country. And you can speak more than
one language – a definite advantage over
many British students. These are skills
increasingly sought after by employers in
the UK. And if you are returning to your
home country, the knowledge you will
have gained of another country will be a
valuable selling point – so make sure you
emphasise it!
Resources
If you would like to learn about the
graduate job market and recruitment
in the UK then see our webpages
international.
Check for advice on working in the UK
during and after your studies
www.bath.ac.uk/ international/advice/
work.
For advice on searching for jobs
outside the UK see
our webpage www.bath.ac.uk/
students/careers/find-a-graduate-job/
abroad.

thinking mean that doctoral graduates
can progress faster once they are in
employment’ (What Do Researchers Do?
3 years on, Vitae, 2010). Additionally, the
government’s review of postgraduate
education concluded that: ‘The skills of
postgraduates, especially researchers, are
critical for tackling major business
challenges and driving innovation and
growth’ (One Step Beyond: Making the
most of postgraduate education, BIS,
2010).
Showcasing your skills
So your PhD gives you more than just
research skills. But how can you work out
what all these ‘other skills’ are, and then
go about selling them to employers? Our
case study, John Clark, used the Careers
Service to help him understand.
Some companies actively target PhD
students because of the skills they develop
during their research projects, such as
analytical skills, project management,
problem-solving, creativity and
independence. Others, however, can be
more sceptical. This can be particularly
the case if you want to move away from
your subject area, when there can be a
perception that PhDs are too specialist.
One thing that helps here is the ability to
take a ‘client-centred approach’: look at
what the employer wants and show that
you have it.
No researcher worth their salt would
believe a journal article that made claims
not backed up by evidence. So you need
to work on how to articulate that
evidence in language that works for the
employer. One tip is to use ‘general’
rather than ‘specific’ terms to describe
your skills; for example talking about
delivering ‘oral presentations’ rather than
‘lectures’.
Your interests outside academia
If you’re targeting non-academic jobs, it’s
important to take examples of your skills
from activities outside of academia as
well as from the PhD. For instance, if a
job is asking for excellent communication
skills, many researchers will say that they
A
t what stage of your PhD
should you start to think about
your next steps? Four weeks in?
Six months before the end?
Three weeks after finishing? Doctoral
researchers come to visit the Careers
Service at all of these stages and more.
However, there is value in recognising
that right from the start of your research
you are developing a range of skills that
will help to make you employable. Often
researchers don’t recognise these skills or
think proactively about their career. There
can be benefits to analysing your skills,
interests and values, and starting to
investigate career opportunities as early as
possible in your research. We’ve put
together a career planning timeline
(www.bath.ac.uk/students/careers/
researchers/timeline) with suggested career
development activities for each stage of
your PhD.
What PhD graduates offer to employers
PhD researchers often see themselves
almost exclusively in terms of their
research project. But you have much more
to offer than in-depth subject knowledge.
In a survey of PhD graduate destinations,
employers said: ‘the maturity that comes
with a doctoral qualification, the
understanding of the whole variety of
complex issues and principles of critical
HOW TO SELL YOUR PHD
DON’T LET YOUR RESEARCH PROJECT ALONE DEFINE YOU. LEARN HOW TO MARKET YOUR SKILLS
TO POTENTIAL EMPLOYERS IN A LANGUAGE THEY WILL UNDERSTAND.
NAME John Clark
DEGREE (PhD) Chemistry
EMPLOYER PwC
I started thinking about my career options
about six months before the end of my PhD –
earlier would have been better. I started by
thinking broadly about career options and
then narrowed them down. I talked to a
Careers Adviser and went along to the Bath
Autumn Careers Fair where I met graduates
currently working in roles that interested me.
This helped me gain more insight into
different areas of work and work out what
would suit me best.
I knew that I wanted a career where I could
use my strengths: communication, data
analysis and computer modelling – all skills
that I had developed during my PhD in
Chemistry. I also wanted a role that involved
high-level client work, a skill I had enhanced
through explaining my research to senior
academics. I decided that actuarial work and
risk advisory fitted well with these strengths,
and also with the interest in accountancy I
had developed through taking on the role of
Cricket Club treasurer. Both my
extracurricular activities and research
experience were important for building
teamwork and organisational skills.
With the help of the Careers Service I put
together a CV that highlighted my relevant
skills, and felt well prepared to tackle
questions at interviews and
assessment centres.
Employers want PhDs
• 60 per cent of employers say that
PhD recruits are integral to
commercial success.
• 63 per cent of employers actively
target PhDs when recruiting.
• 74 per cent say PhD recruits
achieve high impact results within
two years of joining.
Source: EPSRC Report ‘Pulling Power of
the PhD’ April 2013 – A major
independent survey of leading
research-intensive employers closely
linking PhD-holders with increased
company performance and a host of
other benefits.
have published articles and written a thesis.
But that may not always resonate with an
employer. If, however, that same researcher
says that they have presented their research
to experts, schoolchildren and members of
the general public, won a poster prize and

bath.ac.uk/careers
written an article for a local publication,
that sounds less academic, and more the
sort of communication an employer is
looking for.
Consider all aspects of your
experience. Emphasise hobbies that
would be useful to employers. Equally,
leadership, motivation, interpersonal
skills and so on can be evidenced clearly
from any sports, mentoring, volunteering
activities or clubs you regularly
participate in. It’s the skill that counts in
most cases, not the context it was
developed in: hence the emphasis on
transferable skills.
Top tips
So the keys to successfully selling your
PhD are simple:
• Analyse the job description and person
specification.
• Build up evidence that you are capable
of the job and match the person
specification, using examples from
different contexts.
• Have a clear sense of why you want to
do the job.
• Use positive language to convince the
employer that you’re the person they’re
looking for.
Resources
See our web pages for specialist
careers information and advice for
researchers, including information
on the potential career paths open to
you and advice on successful
marketing strategies to help you
achieve your aims.
careers/researchers.
Use the careers section of the Vitae
website, which is aimed
at researchers www.vitae.ac.uk/
researcher-careers.
Our Careers Advisers can help you
think about your future – so why not
book an appointment?
careers/one-to-one.
Check the PGSkills programme for
research students www.bath.ac.uk/
learningandteaching/
rdu/courses/pgskills.

M
any masters students are
new to Bath and even new
to the UK. Only being here
for a year means you will
need to tap into the job market very
quickly, especially if you are interested in
business employers, who tend to start
their recruitment as the academic year
begins.
If your masters is relevant to certain
fields of employment it is essential that
you demonstrate how your masters can
be of use in the particular job you are
applying for. If your course or research
is less directly related then you need to
work out how to sell the transferable
skills picked up from the masters course.
For example, higher level skills gained
from a masters might include time
management (your course will be
intensive), project management, advanced
presentation skills and group working.
Make sure all of these are clearly
conveyed in your CV and covering letter.
Be sure to link skills achieved in your
masters to those required in the job.
How we can help
Visit our website www.bath.ac.uk/
careers where you will find details of our
services as well as a wealth of information
that will get you up to speed. Check out
our extensive programme of events and
keep up to date with vacancies in
MyFuture: myfuture.bath.ac.uk.
NAME Bharat Bajaj
DEGREE MSc Management with
Finance (2016)
When you arrive in September and some of
the graduate schemes close before the end
of the year, you have to be very quick at
knowing which companies you want to apply
for and which roles. It is a big shock to realise
you need to apply so quickly. You really need
to plan it out.
I was completely clueless how to answer
the questions on a company application
form. I didn’t know if it was very formal and
whether I needed to brag about myself or
not. Talking with a Careers Adviser helped me
to really explain myself to employers rather
than just speculating what was right.
I attended a workshop on job hunting for
International Students which would have
been useful if I had not already done my
homework before coming to Bath. I am
unusual to have done this as most of my
friends on my course haven’t. There are only
a selection of employers that you can apply
to but still you should only apply to
companies that really interest you, you can’t
apply to them all. Also I had a mock interview
and I attended a mock assessment centre
both run by the Careers Service. These gave
me a really good idea what to expect when
I came to the real thing.
I would recommend postgraduate
students to use the Careers Service. I see
students reluctant to get help when they get
stuck on putting their CV together or
answering application or interview questions
but getting help is one of the easiest things
to do. You may have to get up early to make
the appointment when they are busy but
why not make the best of it? Fifteen minutes
is a good amount of time as you can come in
with the thing that is most troubling
you and get an answer which is
personal to you.
HERE FOR A YEAR:
MASTERS STUDENTS
WITH RECRUITMENT DEADLINES BEGINNING SHORTLY AFTER YOU ARRIVE, YOU’LL NEED TO FOCUS
ON YOUR CAREER FROM DAY ONE.

Supporting
advancement
Providing
opportunities
Delivered by

APPLICATIONS
AND
INTERVIEWS
Six steps you can take to
ace competency
questions:
Think about yourself – your key
skills and personal qualities that
are relevant to the job.
Look at some example forms
and get to know the common
questions.
Assemble a portfolio of example
situations, which you can draw
on for your answers.
Do a draft of a couple of
questions using the STAR
technique (Situation, Task, Action,
Result). See also page 32.
Get some feedback from a
Careers Adviser.
Check it, check it, and check it!
1
2
3
4
5
6

APPLICATIONS AND INTERVIEWS
APPLICATIONS
GOOD APPLICATIONS ARE ALL IN THE PREPARATION, WHETHER IT IS ANSWERING COMPETENCY
QUESTIONS ON AN ONLINE FORM OR PUTTING TOGETHER YOUR CV.
Sean’s story
I thought: ‘How hard can this
be?’ when I encountered my
first psychometric test. I failed it
so I practised until I understood how to
pass. There are so many variables outside
your control which can affect you making it
through, like a recruiter having a bad day, so I
didn’t want to rely on too few applications. It
affects your morale to be rejected but if you
have another application to move on to it
gives you focus. I was glad I started some
applications in the summer before my final
year because my first semester was
absolutely mad. I was attending careers
events on campus, prepping for telephone
interviews, keeping up with economics news
and attending interviews all over the country.
Getting through my academic work as well
meant I regularly survived on only five hours’
sleep. I wouldn’t have been able to make as
many applications if I had waited until I got
back to uni. This experience
changed my view of how
much time I had in a day!
Sean Howard,
Sport and Exercise (2015)
Gabriella’s story
A key bit of advice that I would
pass on is to try and make every job
application count. I know many people who
tried to play ‘the numbers game’ – sending off
huge numbers of applications in the panic to
find a job, receiving lots of rejections, getting
demotivated, and sending out another large
batch of applications – where the cycle starts
again. Try not to get caught in this negative
cycle! If you find yourself there already, try to
take a step back, put more time into
personalising and crafting
each application and you
will soon see more positive
results.
Gabriella Sherry,
Psychology (2014)
Application forms
Large graduate recruiters are likely to ask
you to complete their own form, usually
online. They are looking for someone who
matches their requirements, which are
usually stated on their website. Putting
yourself in the employer’s shoes will ensure
you target your application appropriately.
Application form questions are designed to
draw out relevant evidence from your
experience by asking you to describe
situations where you have displayed the
required skills. A typical competency based
question might be: ‘From your personal,
work or academic experience, please give
an example of a challenge that you have
set yourself and describe how you have
gone about achieving it.’
Application form questions are not just
about relevant skills. You also need to
demonstrate your interest in and
motivation for the job role and the
company. Don’t just quote the company’s
website. Focus on why you feel that this
organisation is the right one for you. You
may have to write about a business issue
that is facing the company. All of the
questions on the form are designed to
show you have a good understanding of
the job you are applying for and the
company. So it is essential you have done
your research. Read the article on
employer research on page 20 for advice
on resources you can use.
CVs and covering letters
Unless the employer has its own
application form, you can expect to send
your CV with a covering letter (although
some employers ask for a CV to
accompany an application form). CVs are
also used for applications for courses and
funding. Have a CV that can be modified
for each application that you make.
Employers receive large numbers of
CVs for each job and so make sure yours
stands out from the rest. Focus on the key
skills and experience you know are
relevant to the job you are applying for.
Follow the advice in our CV Guide,
available online or in hard copy, and then
get some feedback from a Careers Adviser.
The key points to remember when
preparing your CV are:
• Research the company website but not
just the careers section. Look at the
products, services, new ventures and PR
sections as well.
• Analyse the job and highlight exact
candidate requirements.
• Use your experience to show where you
have developed relevant skills.
• Use the right style of language (positive
action verbs help).
• Tailor each CV and covering letter.
• Get feedback on your CV.
Covering letters
While a CV tells a potential employer the
facts about your education, work
experience and extracurricular activities,
the accompanying covering letter is the
argument as to why they should employ
you. Put simply, it needs to explain:
• why you want the job
• what skills and experience you have to
offer
• why you would be good at it
• why you would like to work for that
company.
Write a new letter for every job you
apply for; just substituting one company
name for another will not do. It’s not hard
to get it right but it does take time.
CV and application guide
Pick up this Guide, which is packed full of
useful advice about writing an effective CV
and covering letter. This book will help
you:
• target your CV for a job
• structure a persuasive covering letter
• fill out an application form
• understand what employers are
looking for.
Resources
• Follow the advice in our CV and
application guide at:
careers/succeed-in-selection.
• Consult our online catalogue if you
are looking for more information:
information-resources/catalogue.
It contains lots of useful books,
weblinks and downloadable leaflets.
• Check MyFuture for relevant
workshops: myfuture.bath.ac.uk.

APPLICATIONS AND INTERVIEWS
W
ell done! You’ve got the
employer’s attention with
your well crafted application
and even successfully
completing psychometric tests, so now
they want to meet you. Don’t worry if
you are nervous – it’s natural – but there
are ways you can help yourself by doing
the right preparation. Here are a few
hints and tips to get you started. We have
much more help and advice on our
website and in our blog:
http://blogs.bath.ac.uk/careers/.
Be knowledgeable
The first thing to remember is that the
employer likes the look of you in words,
so now you need to make sure you match
up to that person they have read about.
It’s time to swot up on the company. If
this is your first interview and you’ve not
much time, then think about your basic
knowledge. Focus on the employer’s
clients/customers, services/products, a few
facts and figures, main competitors and
developments in the sector. Check out
‘Get ahead with employer research’ on
page 20. Don’t forget to find out about
the job role too. Be sure you know what
you will be doing day to day.
Be prepared
Most employers ask questions that enable
you to show the competencies or skills
they are looking for by getting you to
describe a particular situation you have
been in. Check out our resources such as
our Interviews and Assessment Centres
Guide. Practise answering typical
questions using the STAR technique to
structure your answer: Situation, Task,
Action and Result. If you need some
feedback on your technique then talk to a
Careers Adviser.
Be smart and be punctual
A certain proportion of interview success
is about the way you look and act. You
won’t ace an interview by simply looking
the part but you could spoil a good
interview performance with poor personal
presentation or punctuality. Plan what
you are going to wear, and aim to be
A QUICK GUIDE TO
INTERVIEWS
FIND OUT THE BEST WAY TO PREPARE AND BEAT YOUR NERVES.
smart even if the work culture is not
usually so. Work on your handshake, if
meeting face to face, and how you will sit,
think about your eye contact, and smile.
For telephone, video or Skype think about
your surroundings and avoid
disturbances.
Be confident
There is no doubt that practice does make
perfect. The more preparation you do, the
less likely you are to be taken by surprise
and therefore the more confident you will
appear. Interviews are not meant to be
traps. An employer wants you to do well
because they already like you. All you
have to do is know what is expected of
you. That way you will confirm that the
employer made the right choice in inviting
you to meet them.
Hold your nerve in
interviews. When it
came down to the final
two people going for the job, my
employers deliberately pushed me
and the other candidate to areas
that we knew nothing about to see
if we could cope under pressure.
I literally got the job because I was
comfortable saying that I did not
know the correct answer, leaving
me feeling relaxed enough to have
a reasonable discussion about
something I knew absolutely
nothing about!
Gabriella Sherry, Psychology (2014)
Sean’s story
I have been for a lot of
interviews with finance
companies and I was up against a lot
of people who from year one have been
building their work experience. I wish I had
known at that stage that it mattered so much.
Although I haven’t done a lot of extracurricular
activities I think I have been able to draw on
my international background. Businesses are
global and they look for people who have the
adaptability to fit in to their offices wherever
in the world that might be.
I used the Bath Connection to find alumni
contacts and I had really useful discussions
with people in preparation for interviews with
companies. I didn’t find this information very
useful at the application stage but when I
went for interviews, especially at the final
round, the inside knowledge I gained from the
alumni was invaluable in differentiating me
from other candidates who may have only
looked at the company website. Networking is
very important. I’m using LinkedIn as well.
Everyone I’ve networked with so far has
encouraged me to keep in touch.
Personally I found telephone interviews much
harder even than assessment centres. I failed
quite a few before I got the hang of them.
They ask you competency questions, which
you can prepare for but you need to be able to
talk without notes to be convincing, so
getting lots of practice helps. But
you do need the pressure
of the real thing to learn
how to get it right.
Sean Howard,
Sport and Exercise (2015)

careers-guide

Recommandé

Recommandé

Contenu connexe

Tendances

Tendances (13)

Similaire à careers-guide

Similaire à careers-guide (20)

Plus de Keon Richardson

Plus de Keon Richardson (6)

careers-guide