Graduate jobs case studies

Louise - BA Accounting and Finance

The career paths and routes for progression are very clear in the NHS. Within the next ten years I hope to be a Finance Director or Finance Manager for a particular division within my trust.

Anna - MSc Science Communication

My current job requires strong communication and organisation skills as well as experience in budget management which I could illustrate through the work I had done for my MSc dissertation.

Daisy - BSc Forensic Science

Any lab based experience is very useful and some of my colleagues worked in other areas of science including genetics and DNA related jobs, before getting a job in forensic science.

Stephanie - BSc Applied Physiology and Pharmacology

Do not be afraid to apply early whilst studying in your final year as companies may still consider your application and offer you an interview before you know your degree classification.

Lucy - BA Drawing and Applied Arts

Say “yes” to opportunities and be confident even if it takes you slightly out of your comfort zone and you may feel you might not hold all the relevant skills or knowledge.

Emma - BA Graphic Design

Do design work for free to help you build up your portfolio and get yourself known. Stay motivated, read the design press, be passionate, learn as much as you can.

Vickie - BA Art and Visual Culture

Getting practical experience in the relevant field is absolutely vital if you are hoping to find any kind of employment in the arts after graduating.

Rebecca - Art Foundation

Eventually I would like to be a series producer to build on the experience I have gained in production and as a talent manager.

Jess - BA Art and Visual Culture

For work experience I completed a three week marketing placement at the Arnolfini in Bristol. I also helped to organise medical conferences, helped with the marketing for the degree show at UWE and worked briefly at Spike Island before accepting my position as the Sales and Marketing Assistant for Bristol Old Vic.

Jack - BA Marketing

I completed a one year internship with HP in the Marketing department and was encouraged to apply for a sales post that became available soon after. I attended an assessment day and was successful. About twenty people applied for the post, four of whom had also completed an internship with HP.

Hayley - BA Marketing

My placement year with Disney Interactive Studios was invaluable; it allowed me to get an understanding of the department and the skills it required. My marketing degree was also a good fit with the career I was looking for and gave me the theory behind a lot of tasks I would be completing.

Nick - BA Business Studies

I did a placement year which helped me gain experience (although not in finance). This allowed me to give more weight to the answers in my interview and also gave me more experience of the interview/assessment day process.

Chad - MSc Management

Each placement is effectively like a different job and I will have undertaken six different placements by the end of the traineeship.

Katie - Business Studies and Human Resource Management

I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do when I graduated so doing volunteering and mentoring gave me an opportunity to experience different areas.

Ellen - BA International Business and Economics

I have a vast amount of work experience which complemented my studies.

Lauren - MA Marketing

Do something that makes you stand out from the crowd.

Matt - BSc Information Systems and Multimedia Computing

I used the Prospects website to find out about jobs and went to the IBM website in January of my final year. I applied for the Graduate Training Scheme post by completing a number of responses online, including a maths test.

Tom - BSc Computer Science

Working with the Centre for Complex Cooperative Systems in BIT (Bristol Institute for Technology) for my final year project and my placment at CERN helped me to get this job.

Mike - BSc Computer Security

I hope to continue gaining in-depth knowledge of the technical areas of IT security and at the same time become more involved with the business side of IT.

Cristina - BSc Business in Property 

My current job as a Junior Valuer involves the valuation of all types of commercial property such as shopping centres, business parks, industrial units and office buildings. Our clients include private investors, banks and international property funds.

Jeremy - BEng Motorsport Engineering

The company I work at were very positive about my engineering degree. It is often perceived that you have to have a degree in economics or other business degree to get this type of job but that wasn't the case.

Chloe - BA Sociology

Just keep searching company websites and believe in your abilities and that you are the person for the job.

Becca - BA Politics

Start job hunting early and take advantage of any opportunity to get involved with relevant paid work and volunteering.

Antony - BA Politics

Gaining experience of politics outside of university is a must and generally keeping up with current issues, both on a local and national level is also extremely helpful.

Guy - BA Human Geography

I am on my company's Graduate Development Programme which gives me a great chance to meet up with other graduates, including engineers and planners.

Sam - BA Education and Geography

Get your name out there by sending out speculative CVs. You might not get a job offer but you might get some good tips: I received lots of good advice, including a chance to meet a planner to discuss the best way to go about getting a job.

Bethan - Law LLB

Investigate non-traditional routes after graduating with a law degree as the traditional routes are very competitive and over-subscribed.

Catherine - Law LLB

I have found that clear communication and adaptability to tasks is essential. It was vital that I was able to work in a diverse and extremely large organisation as well undertake all of the essential financial training.

Rohann - Law LLB

My advice is to gain as much experience as possible in the relevant field you want to work in, it's not just about academic results.

Namee - Law LLB

All past legal work experience was helpful in highlighting which characteristics were needed for my role. My time as an editor for a publish house also proved invaluable.

Kevin - Law LLB 

Have the confidence to apply for jobs where you might not have everything that the organisation is looking for. Take advantage of any work experience opportunites which are on offer as this really helped me to understand working environments and highlighted my potential. When you attend an interview, aim to be relaxed so that you can build a natural rapport with your inteviewers which will account for as much as anything else.

Laura - Psychology and Criminology

Even though my degree was not entirely relevant to my job, the combination of having a degree and previous work experience helped me to secure my job.

Gurpal - Psychology and Criminology

The role I hope to be in long-term is one that allows me to make a positive contribution and impact on the community and all individuals within it.

Helen - BSc Criminology

Whilst working at the national charity Victim Support I have had the opportunity to meet a lot of different people from various organisations which has opened my eyes to the range of jobs which are related to criminology.

Clare - MSC/PG DIP Health Psychology

The assistant psychologist jobs don't come up often and are very competitive so you have to be patient and be prepared to get a foot in the door.