Shelagh Green, Director of Careers and Employability, writes:
Completing your degree and moving on to the next stage of your career or studies can be simultaneously exciting and daunting. The skills and experiences you’ve developed during your time at Edinburgh will be attractive to lots of employers. In fact, the many options available can be the very thing that feels daunting.
This summer there may be an added layer of complexity for those whose degree outcomes are not yet available. This is understandably frustrating and may create some extra work in liaising with employers and course providers.
It’s worth remembering that, the industrial action is happening across the UK – it’s featuring in the mainstream media and also in specialist HR publications. As a member of the Institute for Student Employers we know that employers are increasingly aware and understanding of this situation. The Careers Service is in daily contact with recruiters, and several large recruiters have already made it clear that they will take account of the boycott and avoid disadvantage to offer holders.
“We don’t expect the boycott to impact the offers made or on-boarding process in most cases.
If students have any questions, we recommend they make their future employer aware of their situation and seek their advice.”
(Source: Institute of Student Employers)
How we can support you
As the situation is unique to each student, our key message is speak to people – both your Careers Service and your future employer. The Careers Service is open in person throughout the summer. We also offer appointments via Teams, online drop-ins and quick queries. We can help you work out a plan for your personal circumstances and provide support and advice about approaching your future employer, whether you have a job offer or not. And, if you haven’t even begun to think about your career after graduation (you won’t be alone!) we can support you with that too.
Whatever stage you’re at in your career planning you can continue to access all the resources of the Careers Service for two years after completing your studies. Our support available for new graduates includes:
· Graduate Coaching appointments with one of our Careers Consultants for intensive 1-1 support
· a suite of online graduate toolkits, including ‘Becoming Professional’ which supports you in your first graduate job
· online sessions as part of our Career Essentials programme on the topics graduates say they most often need support with
Sign up for our webinar
We are hosting a Hitting the Job Market webinar on Friday 23rd June, 1.15-2pm and again on Thursday 29th June, 12.15-1pm. Whether you are just starting to look for a graduate job or are thinking about talking to employers about your degree outcome, these 45-minute sessions will provide top tips and a chance to pose your questions. To sign up or to find out more about all the support available, visit our Graduating in 2023 webpage.
(Image credit: Lebens-lauf from Pixabay)
