How we can help you

University of Plymouth's Careers Service
Careers Hub
Your Careers Service is here to help you achieve your career goals, from deciding on your career path, to making applications and getting your first job. We are working closely with your academic teaching staff and employers to deliver tailored careers lectures in your curriculum, webinars, workshops and events. You can also see us in the Student Hub where we offer one to one support with our Employability Advisers, Careers Consultants and Placement Advisers. Our expert staff offer impartial advice and can support you with options with your degree, career planning, job search, CV writing, interview preparation, and much more. Our aim is to help you get to know yourself, gain experience and build your brand, so you can stand out to potential employers.The Careers Service is here for you all year round. If you are away from Plymouth, you can still access support by email, telephone, or Zoom.

Why visit the Careers Service

  • 2CVs, statements, and application coaching

  • 2Advice on options with your degree

  • 2Advice on finding work experience, internships, and graduate opportunities

  • 2Advice and guidance for interviews and assessment centres

  • 2Guidance for transferring courses

  • 2Guidance on postgraduate study

  • 2Advice on advancing employability skills through workshops

Drop-in to see us in the Student Hub

Our helpdesk is open to all careers related enquiries Monday to Friday. Whether you are interested in developing skills, looking for employment or unsure how to get started with career planning, our Information Assistants can walk you through the resources and book you onto suitable appointments, webinars, workshops, or events. If you are not on campus you can speak to our helpdesk virtually via phone +44 1752 587456 or email careers@plymouth.ac.uk.

I contacted the University careers services team in the third year of my degree for help with writing my CV and cover letter for a job application. The advisors that I spoke to were very informative, helpful, and quick to respond to my emails and calls. They were able to give me tips on how to improve my application and help me prepare for interviews by providing me with practice questions so I knew what to expect. I cannot thank them enough for helping me get my graduate job!

Louise Dymond – BA (Hons) Business, Enterprise and Leadership Stage 3

Louise Dymond

Types of appointments

We offer a variety of face to face and virtual appointments to suit all your needs. There is no limit on how many times you can see our advisers.
You can explore our one-to-one offer below to find out how to arrange and prepare for your appointment.
For the full list of sessions, and to book online, please visit our online booking system on myCareer or contact our helpdesk team. If you are unsure about what session is suitable for you please speak to our helpdesk team who will be happy to discuss any questions and complete your bookings.
Need more time?
If you think you might need longer with an adviser due to a disability or other additional needs, please let us know when you book and we'll try and arrange a longer appointment for you.

Book an Information and Advice Appointment
Our Employability Advisers offer 20 minute face to face or virtual appointments designed to support you with:
  • CVs, cover letters and applications for jobs
  • personal statements for postgraduate study
  • interview preparation
  • work experience, part time work, internships and graduate opportunities
  • options with your degree
  • careers resources.
You can arrange your one-to-one Information & Advice session at the time that suits you via our online booking system on myCareer. Alternatively, contact our helpdesk in person, via telephone on +44 1752 587456 or email careers@plymouth.ac.uk. Please ensure you provide information about your enquiry and attach or email the documents you would like feedback on.

Book a Careers Guidance Appointment
Our Careers Consultants offer 30 minute face to face or virtual appointments designed to support you with:
  • planning your career path and exploring options
  • identifying your skills, strengths and gaps in your experience
  • clarifying your career direction and identifying goals
  • exploring underlying issues and barriers to enable you to move forward in your career
  • preparing for interviews and practicing questions
  • making a decision about changing or leaving your course.
You can arrange your session by contacting our helpdesk in person, via telephone on +44 1752 587456 or email careers@plymouth.ac.uk. If you are booking your Careers Guidance appointments via email please check the schedule of available slots and email us the date/time you would like to book along with detailed description of your enquiry and the support you need.

Book onto a Placement Advice Appointment
Our Placements team offer appointments face to face and virtually (15 minutes long) and provide you the opportunity to ask any questions about your year-in-industry/sandwich-year placement(s). These appointments are for you if your programme has the ‘option’ to complete a placement-year and you would like to discuss:
  • options for your placement year and where to look
  • how to apply for a placement
  • placement application support and feedback
  • self-employment or freelancing as a placement option
  • fees and funding during placement year
  • what needs to be completed during your placement year.
You can arrange your Placements Advice appointment at the time that suits you via our online booking system on myCareer. Alternatively, contact the Placements team by telephone on +44 1752 586007 or via email placements@plymouth.ac.uk.

Book a Mock Interview (by request only)
A mock interview is a simulation of a job interview, providing you with an opportunity to practice for your answers and receive feedback from a Career Consultant to help you improve your interview skills. Mock interviews are suitable for students who are currently preparing for an interview or actively applying for vacancies. Completing a mock interview will help you to develop your interview strategies, improve your communication skills, and manage your stress before an actual job interview.
How to arrange and prepare for a mock interview:
  • a mock interview has to be arranged by request at least 3 working days in advance, by contacting our helpdesk in person or virtually via email careers@plymouth.ac.uk or phone +44 1752 587456.
  • you will need to provide a job description for the position you are applying for, or the company details. Alternatively, for a general interview, you can provide details of the sector and roles you are applying for so that the questions can be prepared in advance.
  • you should have previously attended an Accelerate Your Future Preparing for Interviews Effectively skills webinar or used Graduate First's online interview practice platform.
  • take your mock interview seriously and prepare answers to general interview questions before attending.
This session is one hour long and comprises of a mock interview (usually 30 minutes), followed by feedback on your responses and behaviour. Whilst we try to make the mock interview as authentic as possible, we will not be able to replicate your real world interview.

How to prepare for your appointment?

Check out our range of digital careers resources and online career publications or log in to myCareer to book onto one of our Accelerate Your Future workshops to help you develop your employability skills.
Your appointment is part of a process where you begin to figure things out for yourself. We will help you clarify the issues most important to you, answer your questions and enable you to make progress, no matter what stage you are at.
To make sure you get the most out of your appointment, make sure you know what to expect and how to prepare by reading our guidance below.
Appointments can vary considerably in their content and that is mostly driven by you and how prepared you are. So, try to take these three steps:
  • Identify: what have you done so far and what have you learnt? Prepare notes about your current career thinking.
  • Create a list: think about the key issues that you would like to discuss during your appointment and inform the adviser of your ideas at the start of the appointment.
  • Prepare: if there are any documents that you would like the adviser to look at during the appointment be sure to upload them to the online booking on myCareer. Alternatively, you can email a copy to careers@plymouth.ac.uk at least an hour before your appointment.
Please note: if you have booked a phone appointment, you will receive a call from a withheld number. If you have booked a zoom appointment please check your inbox on the morning of your appointment.

The University careers team were a huge help in guiding me through the process of refining my CV, applying, and interviewing for jobs. It is thanks to their support that I have been able to successfully acquire the role I was aiming for!

Barnaby Gage – BSc (Hons) Computing

Barnaby Gage - BSc (Hons) Computing

Find out more about other ways in which we can help you

Career events and skills development

The Careers Service runs a wide range of employer-led careers information and recruitment events to help you to interact with employers as part of your career journey. Activities include careers fairs, employer drop-ins and insight panels for students wishing to explore placement, internships, graduate and part-time work opportunities. We also offer a programme of skills development workshops and webinars to help you structure your CV and applications, improve your job searching techniques and prepare for interviews. Search for upcoming Accelerate Your Future skills workshops on myCareer.

Resources

There is a wide range of free career resources available in the Student Hub . In addition to these, our Digital Career Resources offer a variety of interactive career tools such as CareerSet CV and cover letter analysis. It allows you to develop a tailored CV and cover letter and compare it against a job description of your choice or Graduates First where you can practice for interviews and other recruitment-based tests all in your own time. If you are looking for work, you can log in to myCareer and visit our jobs board which gives you access to job vacancies, from part-time work to fit around your studies, to summer internships, placements and graduate vacancies.
Careers service - careers hub helpdesk

Ask Wave Assistant

Wave is a 24/7 digital assistant which you can access by logging in to myCareer or via the Plymouth App. You can ask Wave a careers question and receive an instant response, as Wave has over 800 answers and can respond to you in a variety of different languages. You can also book a careers one-to-one appointment using Wave and access our digital career resources

Websites you may find useful

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Your Careers Service

The University of Plymouth Careers Service aims to develop our students' and graduates' careers and employability. Find out how we intend to do this, our statement of service and who is in the team.
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