The Graduate Guide Contents Welcome to Your Alumni* Community Your Future Graduation Is a Time for 4
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Development Alumni Relations & Events. The Graduate Guide Contents Welcome to your alumni* community Your Future Graduation is a time for 4 .........Life After Graduation celebrating your success and 6 .........Your Careers Service looking to the future. You are part 7 .........Choosing a Career of a global family of over 160,000 8 .........Job Hunting Sheffield alumni from more than 9 .........Making Applications 180 countries. From Nobel Prize 10 ....... University of Sheffield winners to Olympic champions, Enterprise Sheffield’s graduates are helping to 12 ........Postgraduate Study shape the world we live in. But graduation is just the Your Sheffield beginning. In The Graduate Guide 14........ Students’ Union Life you will find advice on everything Membership Gold from getting a job, to setting up 15 ........Shop your own enterprise, to taking a 16........Reunions and Events gap year or doing further study. 18 .......Volunteering You can also find information 20 ......Supporting Your University on how to continue to engage 22 .......Outstanding Alumni with your University by attending 24 .......Exclusive Alumni Benefits events, supporting current 26 .......Reasons to be Proud students and making the most of 27 .......Your Alumni Community your alumni benefits. We look forward to seeing or hearing from you soon. With very best wishes Claire Rundström Head of Alumni Relations * Alumnus or (fem) alumna n, pl ni or nae – A graduate or former student of a school, college or university. From the Latin: nursling, pupil, foster son, from alere to nourish. Your Future 2 3 Life After Graduation We asked recent graduates for their top tips for life after University: 2. Life isn’t always a straight line. 4. Persistence is crucial. You might have to be adaptable The job market is very and flexible in order to develop competitive, so don’t lose heart your skills and experience, and if at first you don’t succeed. discover what you really want Always ask for feedback and be to do. sure to act on it next time. 6. Try non-traditional means 1. Don’t worry too much if you of applying for jobs too. don’t have a clear plan yet. Often small and medium-sized As long as you’re taking steps to businesses can be receptive to improve your career prospects, speculative applications, and you’re going in the right doing a placement or internship direction! can be a great way to get your foot in the door. 5. When applying for jobs, make 3. Build up your contact list. yourself stand out, and read Alumni events can be a great the job advert carefully. If a way to expand your professional contact name is given then why network with fellow Sheffield not give them a call? It may set graduates. you apart from the competition. 4 5 If you’re interested in doing Your Careers Service shef.ac.uk/careers further study to enhance your 0114 222 0910 career, or you’re not sure if it’s right for you, check out a @unishefcareers the Postgraduate Study and Sometimes it’s difficult to know b where to start when embarking fb.com/unishefcareers Research guide. on life after graduation. But never @unishefcareers Thinking of taking some time fear! Our Careers Service is here out? The Careers Service j University of Sheffield to help. website also offers advice on Careers Network You can find advice and taking a gap year. information on the Careers Budding entrepreneurs can Service website, and use Choosing a Career access the services offered Career Connect at https:// by University of Sheffield careerconnect.sheffield.ac.uk to The Careers Service Explore your Enterprise (USE) – see pages book an individual advice session Options webpages have plenty 9-10 for more information. or send an email enquiry. of useful information to get you started. The Careers with my Degree pages and interactive All of this and more can be shef.ac.uk/careers/ resources such as Profiling found at aboutus for Success can help you to shef.ac.uk/careers/ understand your motivations, students/worktypes skills and interests and see how these could match you to possible careers. Remember! You can use the Careers Service for up to three years after graduation. 6 7 Job Hunting Visit step.org.uk and Making Applications graduatetalentpool.direct.gov.uk as well as Career Connect to find graduate internships, which can be great for gaining experience. Career Connect has a powerful You can access a range of search function to enable you to resources to help you write strong search for jobs, including part-time job or course applications via work, placements and graduate the Careers Service, as well as jobs. It allows you to: guidance on how to use social media to enhance your job • search job listings – there are prospects. also several national graduate jobsites you could try. If you’re If you have health conditions that looking closer to Sheffield, may affect your career, check out you can find local vacancies at the Support for Disabled Students yorkshiregraduates.co.uk guide. • search events, including careers fairs run by the University (to If you are a graduate, you will Explore the Students and find careers fairs elsewhere in need to register at the UK, visit prospects.ac.uk) Graduates webpages at https://careerconnect. • book appointments and get in shef.ac.uk/careers/ sheffield.ac.uk touch. students to access all of this and more! You can also find useful resources on the Careers website such as a guide to job Finally, please do take part in hunting strategies. the national Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education If you’re an international Survey when contacted by the student or graduate, or you’re Careers Service and help us looking for work in other make sure that Sheffield has an countries, check out the excellent set of responses from myInternational Career and all of its recent graduates! Going Global resources. And find out how to secure those jobs that aren’t advertised with useful creative job hunting resources. 8 9 University of Natalia Welch (MA International Natalia, below, runs the Criminology 2012) set up business, which started Sheffield Enterprise her business Pura Panela – a trading in September 2014, Columbian ‘healthier and balanced from a dedicated space in the alternative to processed sugar’ – University’s Bioincubator: “My legal University of Sheffield Enterprise with the support of USE. background has been very helpful, (USE) provides advice and support but my involvement with USE and for anyone wishing to make their the skills I’ve developed, the ability startup idea happen. Opportunities to test ideas and network with available to graduates include: other entrepreneurs, have been • funding fundamental to getting my idea off the ground.” • coworking opportunities and A £10,000 grant from the Alumni use of office space Foundation, which distributes • workshops and events the philanthropic donations of alumni and friends of the • expert advice and support from University, has resulted in the Startup Coaches opening of the Evolve Coworking Space in the USE building. • skills development. Call 0114 222 4044 or visit enterprise.shef.ac.uk for details of how graduates can access the support offered by USE, with the potential to receive a £1,500 grant from the Evolve Fund. 10 11 Postgraduate Study Whether you want to carry on studying a subject you love, learn new skills or try something new, a Sheffield postgraduate course could take you there. Apply now or register your details to keep up-to-date about postgraduate opportunities at the University of Sheffield. In the last Research Assessment Exercise, 93 per cent of our staff who were surveyed were doing Visit shef.ac.uk/gofar work that is internationally recognised or world-leading. Bringing Great Minds Together The Doctoral Academy If you become a doctoral student at Sheffield you’ll be welcomed into a collaborative community of outstanding, inspiring researchers. You’ll gain free, personalised skills training, expert careers advice and become part of an inspiring, collaborative group of researchers from across the disciplines. Find out more about applying for Your a PhD at shef.ac.uk/postgraduate/ research/Sheffield Sheffield 12 13 Students’ Union Life How to Become a Life Member Our Sheffield Shop University Gifts & Membership Gold You can purchase Life Membership Souvenirs by downloading the application form at su.sheffield.ac.uk/ sheffield-su/gift-vouchers/life- Life as a student flies by. Set membership and returning it with Our Sheffield stocks a range of The University’s Print & Design yourself up to revisit your student one passport-sized photo and a crested and non-crested gifts and Solutions team takes time to select days again and again by becoming cheque or postal order (payable to merchandise, from the classic traditional and bespoke gifts for a Life Member of Sheffield ‘University of Sheffield Students’ embroidered black and gold University departments, alumni, Students’ Union. Union’) to the address below. crested hoody to the Sheffield students and external customers Membership includes: Membership costs £10 (plus an pewter tankards, mirrors and to purchase. All the products have additional £2.50 outside the UK to business card holders. The shop been carefully hand-selected for • access to the Students’ Union cover postage costs). All proceeds aims to stock locally-designed, use at a wide variety of occasions. building, including club nights are invested in the Students’ sourced, and produced stock in New products are regularly and bars Union. Or if you’re in the Students’ order to provide those leaving introduced and are also available • sign a friend into the Students’ Union, visit Our Sheffield where the store with memorabilia that to view in display cabinets in the Union you can browse for souvenirs encompasses their time at the Octagon Centre.