The Final Year Careers Timeline
It is important to make students aware of the Final Year Careers Timeline, very early on during Term 1 because many organisations
have deadlines as early as November and December 2010.
The following time line outlines the typical applications timetable for: traditional graduate recruitment schemes; post-graduate study;
more general job hunting, with SMEs, for example, and other opportunities.
This time line contains hyperlinks so it is useful to use an electronic copy. Students can view an electronic version on the Moodle Home
Page/Employability Resources/Career Management. Personal Tutors can download this document from the PT Portal/Employment &
Employability/Session1: Career Management or contact Karen Quinn for electronic copies (k.quinn@coventry.ac.uk).
Timeline
Student Activities
October
2010
A good starting point is to research a range of graduate occupations and job sectors.
You can do this easily by visiting, Prospects, www.prospects.ac.uk the UK’s official graduate website, and exploring the
‘Job sectors’ section which contains details on 100’s of job roles ranging from Abstractor to Zookeeper!
In the Prospects website you can also use the link below, to an online careers tool for students and graduates wanting to
understand more about their career options, interests and abilities:
Prospects Planner (What jobs would suit me?)
Now you’ll be more focussed and ready to research vacancies with graduate recruiters. Use the following web sites to
learn more about graduate employers and their recruitment processes:
Prospects - The UK's official graduate careers web site
Prospects.net – Online vacancies Portal for Coventry University students & graduates (you will need to register first)
Targetjobs - More graduate jobs and information
Inside Careers - specialises in graduate careers
Or, visit Careers & Employability to speak to a Careers Adviser and pick up one or more employer directories, listing
details of the large employers' recruitment schemes:
Prospects Directory - published by Graduate Prospects
TARGETjobs - published by GTI Media
GET - published by GTI Media
You can also obtain a copy of the ‘Inside Careers’ guides which cover graduate professions in a range of sectors and
industries, for example in Engineering and Technology, Law or the Retail Sector.
Graduate Recruitment Exhibitions
Attend one of the National Graduate Recruitment Exhibitions held in Birmingham (NEC) on the 29th and 30th October
2010, London or Manchester. Visit www.gradjobs.co.uk for more information. Students will be able to get their travel
costs reimbursed, if they obtain a receipt and present this at the exhibition.
Graduate Recruitment Exhibitions or Careers Fairs are useful to meet a range of large employers operating traditional
graduate recruitment schemes. You will also be able to talk to a range of professional bodies responsible for running
accredited courses which are necessary for entry into many professions. You can visit employers on their stands and
learn first-hand about their graduate jobs and recruitment processes. You may also discover that the opportunities with
these employers may not be right for you, this is not bad thing and it will help you with researching YOUR
OPPORTUNITIES. The following link provides more information about how to get the most out of attending graduate
recruitment fairs.
Further Study: Around 26 % of the 2008 group of graduates from UK universities (HESA, 2010) went on to
postgraduate or further study. NOW is the time to start researching postgraduate study – courses fill quickly and you
may need to investigate sources of funding.
Start researching further study using the Prospects web site and Postgraduate Study Options using Destinations
You can also use the UKPASS database, containing 1’000s of postgraduate course details. You can also apply for some
courses using the online application system in UKPASS.
Think wisely, there are many types of postgraduate study on offer, including taught, research, and vocational courses.
Knowing more about these course types, and what they can offer you, will help you make a choice that fits in with your
career ambitions and personal motivations.
For enterprising students
If you are considering self-employment, which can include freelance and portfolio working, it would be a good idea for
you to discuss this with specialist staff with expertise in this area. Entrepreneurship (self-employment) is becoming much
more recognised as a career choice for students. The university has a dedicated Student Business Support Unit where
you can discuss your ideas and obtain support with starting a business, whilst you are still at university or when you have
left.
If you are a student of Art, Design or Media, interested in creative enterprise, your starting point should be to visit
Creative Futures , based on the ground floor of the Graham Sutherland building, where you can talk to an academic with
responsibility for creative enterprise. Most Art, Design and Media students will, at some time in their careers, be selfemployed, or will start their own creative practice/business. Creative Futures recognise that this may not happen as soon
as you graduate, but they can help to prepare you for when it does happen.
Follow this link to the Destinations website for more information and resources on enterprise and entrepreneurship.
For more general information about student/graduate enterprise select this link to the National Council for Graduate
Enterprise
Visit Careers and Employability to discuss your postgraduate study options with a Careers Adviser/ pick up a copy of the
Prospects Postgraduate Funding Guide. Do also remember to visit postgraduate course providers' web sites to learn
about their application processes and deadlines.
To keep up-to-date with career opportunities and events: email Careers & Employability ( careers.ss@coventry.ac.uk)
to subscribe to the Careers Newsletter or join Careers & Employability on Facebook and/or Twitter.
Early
November
2010
Be prepared! Learn more about graduate occupations and employers:
Attend one of the National Graduate Recruitment Exhibitions held in Birmingham (NEC), London or Manchester. Visit
www.gradjobs.co.uk for more information Check out the employer presentations, organised on campus for students, in
the Careers Events Calendar
Complete your employer/sector/industry research before applying and attending interviews - use the downloadable
word file on Researching Companies (Academic Personal Tutors' Resources in tutorial time) to support you. Company
information is also available at www.milkround.com
Be prepared to take psychometric tests (used as a selection tool by many large employers). Follow this link to learn more
about psychometric tests and why they are used by employers. You can also take some free practice tests available on
the MyPotential website - contact Careers and Employability for the access code and password.
Complete online applications to the large employers and/or vocational/professional postgraduate course providers.
Check your applications for mistakes & ensure you evidence your skills, experience and attributes (your employability).
You should ask your Personal Tutor or Careers Adviser to check your applications before you submit them; make sure you
do this.
For information on completing applications, use the Employability Resources on the home page of Moodle and/or the
Careers Portal Resources
December
2010
Submit your applications before the deadlines
Many large employers will close their online application systems by the end of December 2010. These will not re-open
until September 2011, for recruitment in 2012, the following year!
It is not only traditional graduate employers who have early deadlines during Term 1 of the final year. Some
postgraduate vocational training providers also have deadlines, as early as December or January of the final year. This is
especially the case for vocational courses for example, in: teaching (Graduate Teacher Training Registry), law (Legal
Practice Courses) and social work (General Social Care Council).
Students must apply for these postgraduate professional courses direct to clearing houses, much like UCAS. Students
should visit http://www.prospects.ac.uk/study.htm to begin their research and establish deadlines and methods of
application. It is also very important to apply for things like primary school teaching (through the GTTR) before the midDecember deadline.
You may want to explore other opportunities such as working for SMEs (small and medium sized enterprises), selfemployment, free-lance working, accredited professional training routes and short-courses, volunteering to gain
experience and working abroad. SMEs may be more flexible in terms of when they recruit. Register for Prospects.net and
contact the Careers and Employability Service to explore this.
January/
February
2011
Large employers will start conducting their initial short listing
If you are successfully short listed you may be offered an initial telephone interview or invited to attend an assessment
centre and/or a first interview. Remember, prepared job applicants are most likely to succeed because they are highlymotivated and employers value this.
For information on telephone interviews, psychometric testing/assessment centres and interviews use the Employability
Resources on the home page of Moodle and/or the Careers Portal Resources
You should also book an appointment to see your Faculty Careers Adviser for help at this important stage. You can also
contact your Personal Tutor.
March to
May 2011
At this stage you may be under pressure of final exams, completing your dissertation and coursework or final year
exhibition, so you may need to postpone your career planning until the end of May 2011, when you can explore your
network of contacts and apply to SMEs
The majority of graduates will end up working for SMEs, which do not have such rigid recruitment timetables. Currently
around 90% of the work-force in the European Union work for SMEs, and they are therefore an important growth area
for graduate recruitment. Many graduates may gain employment working for a company they already know, either
through placement, a vacation job or through friends and family (your network of contacts). At this stage, your network
of contacts will become very important to you, as will an up-to-date CV and covering letter, to use for making speculative
approaches to employers.
Include a range of organisations in your job search or start approaching SMEs to organise summer work experience for
after you graduate. You should also consider volunteer work and doing unpaid work experience in order to make your
transition beyond university.
Contact Careers and Employability to learn more about making speculative approaches to employers and how to develop
relevant work experience. The Graduate Advantage and Step Scheme websites are very good places to explore
opportunities and internships working for SMEs.
Companies House lists over one million companies registered in England & Wales
Or use the Yellow Pages on the web to find companies operating in specific sectors
After you
leave
university
You can also contact CUSU Volunteering and Employability to find out how to gain volunteering experience.
You should also register for Prospects.net - vacancies for Coventry University students and weigh up the merits of using
recruitment agencies as a tactic for your search for work.
The Careers and Employability Service will continue to support you once you leave university
As a graduate of Coventry University you will have ongoing access to a range of services, such as careers interviews and
information resources, to assist you with career decisions, job choice and applications. Contact Careers and Employability
to learn more or download A Quick Guide to Your Graduate Job Search. After your exams, use this time to contact the
careers service.
Alternatively, some universities offer services to graduates from other universities. This might be useful to you if you
return to your home area, in another part of the country. Follow this link to Prospects for a full list of university careers
services and more information about this.
________________________________________
Careers & Employability
October 2010
T: 024 7615 2011 or E: careers.ss@coventry.ac.uk