Employers love looking at what else you got up to during your degree.
Why is this? Well, having a degree is brilliant – it shows you have the skills to study and it shows you have a really deep knowledge in your subject area. But if there are 40 people on your course, there will be 40 other people with the same qualification as you. So it’s important to use your time at university to the best of your ability and squeeze as many experiences and opportunities out of your three years as possible.
What can you get up to?
You can become a student ambassador.
This is a paid part-time job available at many universities. You’ll support university events such as Open Days and Summer Schools for college students. The experience you’ll get is varied and gives you the ability to get lots of different skills.
Part time jobs and volunteering at the university.
Every university is different but you may be able to support the accommodation team, or the careers team. You might be able to get a job at the bar or at the coffee shop. You may be able to support an academic at an event or guest lecture in your third year for new starters.
You can volunteer for charities and in the local community.
If you are studying at a university in a city centre, there will be lots of charity shops you could volunteer at. Alternatively, you can engage in fundraising initiatives for charity and local community initiatives. Even holding a bake sale in your subject group shows your project management skills.
Volunteer in the types of places you’d want to work.
I volunteered at Primary Schools to support my degree, I had friends who volunteered for Sports clubs to support their Sport Coaching degree – find the types of places you’d want to work and give them a ring to see if you can volunteer for them.
Get involved in the Students’ Union
There’s lots of ways you can get involved, and there’s a level for everyone. You can join a sports club (at any level of ability) or society (non-sport related club). Your club might run charity events and campaigns for you to get involved in. If you’ve enjoyed your time, you could then run for a committee position. You’d need to be elected in by your peers, but this is a fantastic way to demonstrate dependability and that your peers trust and support you. There are other opportunities at Students’ Unions that you can run for. Again, you may need to be elected into these positions such as Chair of School, Liberation Officer or President. But these are all fantastic opportunities to get more involved in the university you go to.
Use social media
It might sound like an obvious one, but document your time at university. Set up a professional Instagram or a LinkedIn account to network with course-mates, professors, career professionals and people with the jobs you want. As you go through university, document everything you’re proud of. Post about the charity event you did, the grade you got in your assignment, the exciting thing that happened at work, the achievement your volunteering team managed this week. Employers want to see it, and it will act as a living CV for you to reflect on.
Make use of your careers team
Most universities have a careers team who will support you in finding opportunities. Make use of this fantastic resource – give them a ring, send them an email. Tell them your aspirations and ask what you can be doing. Our Careers team are called LaunchPad – and they are a fantastic way to find out about opportunities which are available to you while at university. To find out more about our Careers Team – check out the below blog.
All of the above is completely optional – no one will force you to do it. And if you want to come to university just for your degree, that is absolutely fine. The above are just some suggestions to fill up your CV with relevant, skill filled activities during your studies.