Careers support for first-year students

Start out on achieving career success by building yourself, your skills and your experiences
Postgraduate Medicine students in teaching session for Healthcare management, leadership and innovation programme.
Your time at University provides you with the opportunity to discover who you really are, enhance what you can do, and establish yourself as a working professional in a career that makes you smile. Starting to take some actions from the point of your first year to build, adjust and shape your career path will put you in a good place for securing a fulfilling and exciting future for yourself and achieving career success. Think about learning who you are, what different types of experience you can gain, and how you can go about building your network. Find out more below on how you can develop the tools and knowledge needed to begin making the most of your time with us.

Enhance Your Future Programme

The Enhance Your Future Programme is the University of Plymouth’s first-year personal and professional development programme that is either delivered to you as part of your degree course, or is available to take part in via a myCareer pathway (a self-directed course with online interactive exercises and reflective practice to engage in).
Enhance Your Future careers service logo
The programme aims to help you discover how to make the most of your degree and University experience in order to achieve career success.
There are four core workshops that combined together will help provide you with the tools and knowledge needed to enable your launch into an exciting future:
  • Who am I – develop an understanding of your self-awareness and reflect on your values and personality, as well as how these can influence ideal work environments.
  • Possibilities and opportunities – discover tools open to you for exploring work experience and graduate opportunities, and learn about how networking can support your career research and personal development.
  • Decision making – gain an awareness of different decision making styles and the importance of using a combination of these, as well as of building a growth mindset and increasing your resilience, to effectively broaden your horizons and aid your career decision making.
  • Telling your story – learn how to create and showcase your own personal brand, effectively articulating the breadth and depth of your skills and abilities to the gate keepers of future opportunities.
 

Key endeavours for your first year

Careers service - explore
Explore and generate career ideas

Begin exploring your career options by getting to know yourself and generating new ideas.
Screen shot of the MyCareer log in page
Engage with careers events and opportunities

The Careers Service offers a range of employment-related activities to help you explore your future options and develop your skills and experiences.
Members from the newly formed UPSU Swimming Society take a dip in February
Join a society or sports club

Supported by your Students’ Union (UPSU), student societies and sports clubs are a great way to try something new and make new friends.
Jobs notice board
Get a part time job

Working part time is an excellent way of gaining valuable experience that could help you to stand out from the crowd.
Volunteering. Litter picking.
Volunteer in the local community

Volunteering is a fantastic way to gain work experience, gain practical skills employers are looking for, meet new people and give back to the community.
March 2017 networking event - business students
Start building your network

Networking is a great way to help you explore career options, build relationships and create opportunities. You can explore, connect and talk to potential employers on LinkedIn.
Kiara Boobyer

Ten things I wish I knew in my first year

First year of university is the year where you learn the most, not necessarily in terms of content of your degree but in terms of life skills and living alone. These tips are designed to help first year students make the most of their time as a fresher.
Our student information assistant, Kiara Boobyer, talks about the ten things she wishes she knew in first year of University.

Making the most of university to achieve career success

See how past students (alumni) made the most of their university experience to help get them where they are today.
 
Careers get in touch. 2 ladies talking with a computer