Civil & Structural Engineering – Final Year Undergraduate Students
Careers and Work Experience Calendar
Endings and new beginnings are traumatic experiences for most. Just think back for a moment about your thoughts
and feelings a few months before coming to university. In many cases reading university prospectuses, attending a
few open days and completion of a UCAS form enabled you to decide your fate for the following 3 or 4 years, with
school and college results the clinching factor. Here we are again then! This is a crucial time to fulfil your degree
potential and secure your future career.
The Careers Service is here to help you with your plans. We can:
 help you explore your future career options and plan what actions you need to take
 help you reflect on internships, placements or course related work experience to influence your career choice
 create opportunities for you to develop your skills and meet employers to confirm your suitability for a particular
role, sector or employer
 provide information (via handout, journals, guides, directories, websites, videos, directories, workshops and
talks…) to help you research opportunities - be they professional training, further study or taking time out
 provide tips on how to develop your CV and application forms, interview techniques, etc
Below is an easy, at-a-glance reminder about some of the things you should be doing in your final year and
how to access help from the Careers Service and your Department…
SEMESTER 1
October
The Careers Service offers a wide-ranging service to final year students, starting early in Semester 1:
Check our Vacancy Service for graduate positions: www.shef.ac.uk/careers/vacancies.html (you can also see our
employer presentation and one-to-one listings to find out if any of these employers are visiting Sheffield)
Attend employer presentations to obtain information about different employers and types of work:
www.sheffield.ac.uk/careers/events/
Get along to on-campus one-to-one sessions where you can meet representatives from organisations which
recruit Sheffield students: http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/careers/events
Look out for our What’s On programme of events comprising talks and workshops offered on topics such as
applications and interviews, ability testing, post-graduate study, taking a year out, etc, along with finding useful
work experience, part-time paid work and voluntary work: www.shef.ac.uk/careers/events
Still need work experience? The Vacancy Service has a wide range of work experience opportunities and parttime jobs in Sheffield and beyond. The OpUS web pages also have helpful information on finding various types of
work experience: www.shef.ac.uk/careers/opus/finding.html. Graduate employers are generally eager to know what
skills and knowledge you can offer them in addition to your degree, so make sure you know how to enhance your
CV with work experience: www.shef.ac.uk/careers/opus/portfolio.html
Your Department is organising a range of talks and other careers-related activities to help you. Look out for emails
from your department and don’t miss your Department’s Industrial Partnerships Day in early October.
Visit the Careers Service Yorkshire Autumn Graduate Recruitment Fair, usually held in mid October:
www.shef.ac.uk/careers/fairs. The What’s On programme of events has details on how to make the most of the
fair: www.sheffield.ac.uk/careers/events
Speak to a Careers Adviser following the fair to help you make decisions about where to apply for graduate jobs.
Call into the Careers Service and book a “same-day” appointment. Pick up a Graduate Career Directory while
stocks last.
APPLY FOR GRADUATE POSITIONS FROM NOW ONWARDS. Beware early closing dates!
Participate in skills development sessions to help you develop skills that employers want:
www.sheffield.ac.uk/careers/events
November / December / January
If you haven’t done so already, make an appointment with an Adviser to discuss your CV and applications, work
experience searches, further study and time out options. You can also talk to a Careers Adviser to help you make a
start on planning your future career – ask at the Careers Service.
Check out what information and recruitment fairs are running for the rest of this year:
www.shef.ac.uk/careers/events
What’s On programme of events and skills development sessions continue: www.shef.ac.uk/careers/events/
Keep checking the Vacancy Service for graduate jobs and/or work experience:
www.shef.ac.uk/careers/vacancies.html. Make speculative approaches to small employers not normally
advertising opportunities – ask at the Careers Service for help with speculative applications.
If you aren’t sure what you want to do after you graduate, Prospects Planner (a computer guidance programme
available on the web) may help you decide between different options or to generate ideas for roles which would
use your best skills: www.prospects.ac.uk - select ‘Where do I start?’. If you want to explore options for taking timeout, plan early and research widely: www.shef.ac.uk/careers/students/timeout
SEMESTER 2
February
Your Department will continue to organise a range of talks and other careers-related activities to help you - look
out for emails from them.
Come along to the Careers Service’s Careers Information Day to help you with your career choice and to make
useful contacts for potential graduate jobs: www.sheffield.ac.uk/careers/events. The What’s On programme of
events has details on how to make the most of the fair: www.sheffield.ac.uk/careers/events. Try to do some
research before the fair about the type of career you would like – ask at the Careers Service for help.
Take a look at the Careers Service What’s On programme of events for information on talks and workshops in
Semester 2: www.shef.ac.uk/careers/events
First interviews usually begin at this time. Some employers arrange their interviews on campus. Prepare well for
interviews. Plenty of help available from the Careers Service. Come and see.
More skills development sessions are offered to help you develop skills that employers want:
www.sheffield.ac.uk/careers/events
March / April
What’s On programme of events and skills development sessions continue through March and after Easter:
www.sheffield.ac.uk/careers/events
Employers now holding second interviews and assessment centres. Extensive preparation is recommended,
including further research into employers (eg. culture, structure, training, career path) and the role (eg.
competencies reviewed, induction, mentoring, nature of training programme). Talks, workshops, practice sessions
and reference information are all available from the Careers Service.
Interviews for further study due at this time. An accepted place may require applications for funding. Information
on postgraduate funding available at:www.shef.ac.uk/careers/students/study/
Short appointments are available with advisers to discuss your career planning queries, CVs and applications
and to help you make a start on planning your future career – ask at the Careers Service.
May / June…and beyond
Come along to Careers Service talks aimed at finalists: www.shef.ac.uk/careers/events
Attend graduate recruitment fairs, including: Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham and London (where they hold a
Science and Engineering Fair).
Careers Service is open during the summer, but check opening hours: www.shef.ac.uk/careers