Moving on from postgraduate study
As you are coming to the end of your postgraduate degree, now is the time to ensure a successful transition to the next stage of your career, whatever that may be. Following the actions below will help you to move on successfully.
Clarify your career plans
You may already have an idea of what you want to do at the end of your postgraduate degree but if not, then this is the time to consider your options. The consolidating section of this website contains some useful information on this.
The University Careers Service supports students and recent graduates to make and implement career decisions. Use the resources on their website to help with your career decisions. You can also make an appointment with a careers consultant (available online through MS Teams or Skype).
You can find out what previous graduates from your course have done by looking at graduate destination information.
Update your Curriculum Vitae (CV)
Your CV should now include a record of your postgraduate education, with a description of the experience and skills you have gained while studying. Further information about this can be found in marketing your postgraduate experience. You can get individual feedback on your CV using the online tool CV360 or from Careers Service staff.
Identify an appropriate job search strategy
Whether you want to progress in your current career or move in a new career direction, it is important to understand what the most effective strategy for finding a job in your sector is. For some employment sectors this will be responding to advertised job vacancies, but for other sectors a more proactive approach involving networking (possibly connecting to employers or people on social media) and speculative applications will be more effective. To identify your strategy you could talk to people working in your sector, use resources on the Careers Service website or talk to a careers consultant.
Finding out about jobs and employers
Find jobs for after you graduate
Identify further study opportunities and funding
If your next step is further study then you will be looking for opportunities that interest you and exploring possibilities for funding. All taught postgraduate courses will be advertised on their university website and there will be a clear application process. If you want to do a research degree (a PhD or a professional doctorate) you will either apply for advertised programmes or approach a potential PhD supervisor directly to ask about the possibility of working with them (in which case you will apply for funding together). It is worth noting that deadlines for funding are often very early in the academic year preceding the one in which the programme of study commences so you will have to factor this into your planning. If you are not sure how to proceed with this option, the links below may be helpful.
Moving onto a PhD (for Masters Students)
Prepare for interviews
Whether your next step is further study or work, make sure that you are well prepared for selection interviews and that you can talk confidently about the value of your postgraduate degree. Further information about this can be found in marketing your postgraduate experience. Graduate employers often use a range of assessment methods during selection interviews, such as group exercises, psychometric assessments and presentations. There are resources on the Careers Service website to help you to prepare for these activities.