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Where to begin when preparing for work

If you are still unsure of what career direction you would like to go in then firstly think about your skills and interests. This will help you work out what career areas match your interests and preferences. You can also take advantage of the online tools that are available which can help you to understand yourself better allowing you to identify the jobs that suit.

Online Tools to help you identify your skills

As well as visiting websites you can make an appointment with one of the Employability Team and we also have a range of graduate career handbooks which can also provide information on navigating the labour market and preparing yourself for interviews.

Central careers also offer lots of help and testing tools which are available for you use.

Prospects Planner: This is a job exploration tool which aims to help you identify your skills, motivations and interests and match you to relevant job types. 

Porot: The Porot website includes a number of career management and self-assessment tools which are of particular use to Business students.

Graduate Recruitment Bureau: has numerous self-assessment tools including industry profiling.

Getting the most out of your work experience

Before starting your work experience, it’s a good idea to do some preparation in order to help you get the most out of it.

Things to consider
  • Think about your current skills, along with your strengths and weaknesses. How might the work experience enhance your existing skills and help you develop new ones.
  • When assessing your skills, consider your transferable skills such as team building, presentation skills, leadership, communication, etc, as well as more occupational-specific skills like knowledge of processes, activities and cultures which are specific to a particular career.
  • How will you travel to your work place? How much will this cost?
  • What time do you need to get to your work on your first day?
  • How long will it take to get there?
  • What should you wear? Some organisations or sectors will expect you to wear business dress; whereas in others people dress more casually, and so it’s a good idea to check on the culture of the organisation before you start.
What to expect Networking at work

Finding Jobs

Useful websites to visit:

  • Milkround: is your graduate career resource with 100s of internships, placements, graduate jobs and schemes.
  • Inside Careers: This site offers detailed information on graduate occupation in specific areas such as accountancy, banking, information technology, logistics, management consultancy and patents with company profiles and information on graduate vacancies.
  • Graduate Prospects: offers guides to graduate careers and postgraduate study in the UK.
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  • Guardian Jobs Advice: Advice and interesting case studies of people in all kinds of industries.
  • Target Jobs: Here you will find the latest trends key debates and up to date news about specific jobs / occupational sectors.
  • All About Careers: You can search for jobs via sector on this website and find out more information about the kinds of jobs that interest you. There is also useful information about relevant upcoming events.
  • Directgov: This government service lets you search for particular occupations and get an overview of the main requirements of a particular job with information on where to go for further help and advice. The site covers a wide range of jobs, including graduate careers and occupations where a degree is not necessarily needed.
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International Students & Employment

Further information

International@CampusLife provides information and advice on non-academic matters, including immigration advice and services, to all international (non-UK) students and their dependents. Advice is offered free of charge and without discrimination.

Web: www.swansea.ac.uk/international-campuslife
Tel: 01792 602000 
Email: international.CampusLife@swansea.ac.uk