Careers and your future

Supporting our graduates in securing graduate-level employment and postgraduate study is given the highest priority at the University of Exeter. We aim to be the university of choice for career-minded students and employers from all sectors, locally, nationally and from across the globe.

Evidence shows that gaining a good degree from a good university is no longer enough to secure graduate level employment. You need to be able to demonstrate how your degree, skills, work experience and commercial awareness equip you for graduate level work or postgraduate study. We will help you get an excellent degree and we are committed to offering you an exceptionally wide range of opportunities to gain the graduate-level skills, experience and expertise employers are looking for.

More than 60 per cent of graduate employers do not mind what subject you are studying, as long as you can show how your experiences have impacted upon your personal and career development. Employers like to recruit graduates who can show evidence of having ‘joined in’, worked as a team, shown leadership or spent time travelling and experiencing new situations and cultures. Everything you do socially, academically and in the work place can potentially make you more employable, as long as you can reflect on your experiences, understand their value and explain their value to someone else. We will help you to identify and articulate these skills to any prospective employer.

There are many ways to add value to your CV and job applications while you’re a student at Exeter, from management training to business placements, one of the UK’s largest student volunteering programmes and pre-teacher training, to a world-wide network of study abroad opportunities and careers advice from our own successful alumni.

With our central Career Zone full of information and support in finding work experience, events and training sessions relevant to you, Exeter offers a comprehensive range of services and activities to help you become a successful graduate in the job market or in further study and training. Six months after graduation 93 per cent of Exeter’s first degree graduates were in employment or further study.* We are proud of our track record of our graduates who have gone on to rewarding and interesting careers and are dedicated to helping our current and future students emulate these successes.

* HESA 2009/10

Services for students

The investment we’ve made in the employability of our students is evident in the creation of the £48 million Forum that houses our Career Zone. The Career Zone offers you help in all stages of your career planning and job hunting. The professional careers staff based at our campuses in Exeter and Cornwall will guide you towards making an informed choice of career or postgraduate study and have a wealth of expertise, opportunities and useful resources that you can take advantage of during your time as a student at the University. You can find details on our Careers website.

We run a comprehensive programme of events in Exeter, including at least four annual Careers Fairs which are attended by around 200 companies, individual guidance interviews, psychometric testing, employer presentations, skills events and guidance on preparing your CV and making applications. There are general events and fairs covering specialist areas such as Law as well as the Virtual Careers Fair that gives you access to a wider range of graduate opportunities online. Widen Your Options Fortnight gives information on career opportunities such as the voluntary and not-for-profit sectors and self-employment. Mock interviews are also held throughout the year, many with employers. These activities will help you to be a more successful student as well as preparing you to compete in the jobs market.

If you’re based at our Cornwall Campus you’ll have access to a dedicated careers team. Services include talks, confidential careers interviews, an extensive Careers Library and computer suite with specialist software. You can attend careers interviews, group workshops and a variety of careers events and fairs. Students based at the Cornwall Campus can also access all services delivered in Exeter. There is an annual Graduate Careers Fair held at the Cornwall Campus in the Autumn term which attracts a range of national, regional and local companies. Career planning and skills development programmes are developed within degree programmes across all campuses.

Contact with employers

The University enjoys superb links with hundreds of international, national and regional companies and organisations, with many of them specifically targeting Exeter graduates. We are in the top 20 of Higher Education Institutions that were targeted by the largest number of top employers in 2010/11 (The Graduate Market in 2011, High Fliers Research) and have been placed in the World’s Top 100 Universities for employer satisfaction (QS World University rankings 2011/12). You’ll have access to around 700 graduate employers who advertise vacancies at the University and you’ll have the opportunity to take part in mock interviews and presentations with employers and meet them face-to-face at our careers fairs.

Further information

• Download the Employability overview (pdf)
• Visit the Careers website