4.8 Employability (Undergraduates)
Some of you will have a clear idea of where your degree will take you when you graduate, and others will still be thinking about your options. Career Zone are available to support you from when you first begin your course until beyond graduation, and we have a great track record in helping you to secure the best graduate positions achieving Top 5 on StudentCrowd for University Careers Services as verified by students’ .reviews.
Career Zone
Whether you are deciding on your future, planning to get more experience, or amid competing for a job, we are here to support you. Our information and events are categorised into the phases ‘Decide’, ‘Plan’, and ‘Compete’ to help you to get the right information at the right time to suit your career planning. Further information can be found on the Career Zone webpages.
Careers support in the Faculty of for Health and Life Science (HLS)
Career support for HLS in Exeter is provided through Career Zone. Arrange a meeting where you can receive guidance if you’re unsure what you want to do or if you want help with your career planning and job-hunting strategy. The Career Zone is found on the ground floor of the Forum Building, right next to the SID desk. There is a team of dedicated employability staff on Campus who can provide support for your career development, including finding out about placement opportunities. There is also a huge amount of support available online through My Career Zone Digital. Once you enrol, you can book an appointment.
Get an internship!
Career Zone provides lots of help for you to secure experience through an internship, during or after your studies. Internships can be on campus or with local employers and can form part of a module or be completed on an extra-curricular basis. We work hard to support you finding an internship and arrange internships for you. You can find information on internships and work placements, and our Access to Internships programme, which provides support and funding to help Exeter students arrange paid internships in the UK. Internships can be on campus or with local employers and can be part of a module or completed on an extra-curricular basis.
Internships provide:
Paid employment opportunities reserved for UoE students and graduates.
Responsibilities where you can support or lead a project, process or people.
An opportunity to apply and develop your skills, knowledge and experience.
Training and support from understanding employers.
Valuable experience to aid your career development.
Log Into MyCareerZone Digital!
MyCareerZone Digital is an online resource designed to inform you about career opportunities and develop your employability. If you’re a student or graduate of the University of Exeter, you can use My Career Zone to access sector reports, use career development e-learning programmes, practice your interview technique using the interview simulation I360, use CV and cover letter builders and much more! You will be able to log in to this resource once you have enrolled on your degree programme.
Career Mentor Scheme
Career Mentor Scheme is a popular employability scheme which matches experienced professionals with a mentee (as a current student, recent graduate or GBP), to meet monthly for sector insights and one to one career advice and guidance over a six-month period.
Get help from University of Exeter Alumni
Ask an Alum is a fuss-free way to connect with University of Exeter alumni to ask careers questions. By filling in our quick and easy application form, you can be introduced to alumni working in your field of interest…whatever that may be at the time of applying!
The whole purpose of Ask An Alum is that your interaction with alumni will be a fact-gathering exercise via a short email exchange. There is no long-term commitment, and you can apply to the scheme as many times as you like, meaning it doesn’t matter if you don’t have a definite idea of what path you want your career to take. We have alumni volunteers from a huge range of sectors, giving you lots of options to explore.
Running during term time only, Ask An Alum is a careers-focused activity that can easily fit in around your studies and other term time commitments. Other than contacting the alumni you have been matched with in a timely fashion once you have been introduced, there are no objectives to meet, and you don’t need to do any training or preparation to participate in the scheme. All you need to do is just fill in the application form with your requirements and we will do the rest!
Exeter Award
The Exeter Award will help you stand out from the crowd and give you the confidence to shout about the experiences you’ve had at university.
The Exeter Award is an extra and co-curricular employability achievement award for current undergraduate and taught postgraduate students. It is for both Exeter and Penryn students and is delivered in partnership with the Students’ Guild in Exeter and the Students’ Union in Penryn.
Completing the Award will help you make the most of your professional experience. You’ll receive training in valuable professional skills, develop vital workplace experience and learn how to optimise your CVs and application forms.
The data we collect on graduate outcomes shows that students who complete the Exeter Award are more likely to be in a graduate level job six months after graduating.
Create Your Future
Create your Future is a short personal and professional development programme that runs in your first year, so you have time to explore options, make decisions, develop your skills, and gain relevant experiences during the rest of your time at university. You will be able to see sessions for this programme in your personal timetable in iExeter.
You will expand your understanding of career options and learn about key topics relevant to the modern workplace including entrepreneurial thinking, sustainability, commercial awareness, Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity and the fourth industrial revolution. Find out more here:
[embedded video ‘Create Your Future: Developing the knowledge, skills and resources to build the career you want’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSQjtuMI9WA]
This is an additional video, hosted on YouTube.
The Career Zone has partnered with Handshake which connects you, the university and employers together. Students and graduates can build a profile, upload a CV, discover employers and opportunities, submit applications, and attend career fairs and other events.
It’s also worth being aware that some of the modules available to you under our modularity rules may also enhance your employability, such as lamguages, teaching experience or doing a short placement in an industry of your choice, so please bear this in mind when making your module choices!