Career advice

If you’ve just started at the University of Kent, or are a student here already, thinking about employment may not be top of your priority list.

However, if you read the newspapers or watch the news, you’ll know that for every graduate vacancy there are on average 45 applications. 60% of employers will also think twice about hiring a graduate with little or no work experience and transferrable skills.

While you’re studying at university, it’s likely that you’ll get involved in lots of extra-curricular activities. These can range from a part-time job to volunteering, running a society or a sports team, being an ambassador for the campus, writing for the student newspaper, fundraising, holding an event and mentoring other students.

It’s important to capture this experience on your CV and in a portfolio while you’re at university. When you leave, it will be obvious to a potential employer that you’ve developed transferrable skills outside of your academic studies.

Support for student enterprise at the University of Kent is among the best in the UK, with several schemes that you can join and benefit from. These include Employability Points and Kent RoundOne. Whether you’re looking to boost your CV, find an internship, volunteer, take part in a competition or start your own business, you’ll find plenty of advice and help.

Read on to get advice about writing a CV, composing a cover letter, doing well in an interview and capturing transferable skills.