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Your career journey
Make the most of your time at university and achieve your career goals.
How to prepare for your career
It’s never too early to start planning your career. The sooner you start, the more confident you’ll feel when you start applying for roles.
Schedule regular time while you are studying to work on your career plan. You should aim to be ready to apply for roles by your final year. This will give you an advantage in the competitive job market.
You can engage with us at any stage of your career journey, even if you’re unsure which path to take or questions to ask.
Our ‘explore, create, succeed’ model groups everything you need to consider into three stages to make career planning more manageable. You can revisit each stage as often as you need to.
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Explore your career options
Think about your future career, understand yourself and research potential roles. This will help you identify which occupations or sectors interest you, and the experience, skills and attributes employers look for. If you don’t have a specific career in mind yet, you can still gain work experience and develop skills while you’re studying.
These resources will help you explore your career options:
watch this short video to find out why it’s time to start thinking about your career right now
discover career possibilities by exploring short courses, videos and articles
understand your motivations, personal preferences and values by taking online assessment
explore options with your degree by reading our subject guides
check out the ‘What can I do with my degree?’ guides from Prospects
find out about UK salaries, regional employment trends, and future employment prospects by using the Labour Market Information Tool
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Create Opportunities to gain skills and experience
Employers are more likely to recruit graduates with work experience and activities on their CV. Once you have some ideas about your future career, you can look for opportunities to gain relevant experience and skills. Here are some ways you can do this:
explore work experience opportunities such as part-time jobs, placements and internships
gain skills and experience that you can showcase to employers through Rise at Manchester Met
apply for a volunteering opportunity through The Union
develop skills that make you more employable, such as digital, enterprising and interpersonal skills
Remember to record the experience and skills you develop, and update your CV and LinkedIn profile regularly.
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Succeed in applications and interviews
Look for graduate roles and get ready to apply. Make sure you can articulate your skills and experience to potential employers, so you can stand out from other candidates.
Get help with job applications and interviews
You can also:
find out where to look for graduate roles
apply for graduate schemes
highlight your skills and experiences to make the most of your LinkedIn profile
discover how to build your confidence
focus on developing resilience
consider postgraduate study
explore self-employment