Get Work Ready

You’ve got a degree in the bag and a future unfolding before you. It’s pretty exciting, but may also feel scary.

Don’t worry: Your Employability & Careers team and our unique Get Work Ready series is here to support you as you prepare to launch your graduate career.

Get Work Ready: Finding Your Job

It’s probably an urban myth that you’ll have an epiphany or find the perfect job by magic. The reality is finding the right job and the right job fit can take time, effort, and a huge amount of patience. You are also likely to find that your first graduate role is not necessarily the one you will have forever.

That’s why ARU graduates can access personalised employability support and careers guidance services for up to three years after degree completion, and have lifetime access to ARU Career Centre.  

Many students don’t find time to reflect on their future until the final assessment is done and the degree result is certain. If that’s your situation please don’t worry, not every student graduates with a job lined up and career certainty. But now is the time to take action and to make sure your degree investment leads to opportunity. We recommend exploring sites such as Prospects and your Faculty career options page on Career Centre for next-step inspiration. And then when you are ready to talk through career ideas, book a Careers Guidance appointment via Handshake here. 

If you’re currently exploring where your degree could take you, come along to Get Work Ready Part 1. These in-person events will take you on a whistle-stop tour of career planning activities, networking tips, and CV and interview strategies. Combine that with free lunch and networking with inspiring industry guests, to make this a day on campus you’ll never forget!

Coming Up: Get Work Ready - Finding Your Job
Chelmsford campus – Tuesday 11^th July 10am to 3pm
Cambridge campus – Wednesday 12^th July 10 am to 3pm

Get Work Ready: Workplace Communication

If you’re reading this with a graduate job in the bag already, congratulations! It’s time to start getting excited about launching your graduate career, and putting your degree and skills into practice in the real world. You may also be a little nervous about networking with new colleagues and wondering how to make a good impression at work. LinkedIn Learning courses such as “What to do in the first 90 days of your new job” and the “Building Your Personal Brand” resource on Career Centre provide practical steps to help you navigate your first year at work.

Communication confidence doesn’t usually happen overnight: it’s a journey we all go on as we move from campus to corporate. Our Get Work Ready – Workplace Communication workshop contains top tips for professional networking and how to get noticed at work for all the right reasons. You may also find our LinkedIn Masterclasses helpful in connecting with potential employers and future colleagues. And remember, you’ve just spent 3 years at ARU networking and working collaboratively with classmates from around the world so your communication skills are already honed. Workplace communication is about building on these experiences to grow a wider professional network.

Coming up: Get Work Ready - Workplace Communication
Friday 14^th July (via MS Teams) 10am to 12.30pm

Get Ready for the Outside World

It’s important to recognise just how far you’ve come and how much you’ve done in the last three years. Take a moment to reflect on your ARU achievements, and to take note of the strategies – both mental and physical, that have enabled you to successfully complete an action-packed degree. Resources, such as Mental Wellbeing by Student Minds, that you’ve found effective in study situations are equally relevant to the workplace. Identifying what’s worked for you at uni means you’re well-equipped and ready to ask for the support you need to thrive at work.

Part 3 of our Get Work Ready series is all about you and your well-being at work. This session includes practical advice on a range of topics including what to look out for in your first graduate contract, and how to stay positive in the face of work challenges.

Coming up: Get Work Ready - Thriving in the Workplace
Friday 28^th July (via MS Teams) 10am to 12.00pm

Our class of 2023 undergraduates started their studies at the height of the global pandemic. And our postgraduates completing now started during a time of reshaping and rejoining communities. We’re incredibly proud of your resilience, adaptability and fortitude. Now take those tools into the world of work and apply them to overcome any workplace challenges, and achieve a healthy work-life balance. Congratulations! Your graduate career starts here.

By Khrieu Healy, Employability & Careers Adviser

Our Employability Service works with students throughout their time at ARU and after they graduate. The Service offers careers advice, online resources, and help with job searches, applications and interview preparation. Our Employability & Careers Advisers may mention some of these resources and services in their blogs, to give you an idea of the careers support that's on offer at ARU. Some of these resources sit behind a log in and can only be accessed by current students.