We all know that as much as university offers a fun-filled experience full of friends and mischief, it is also the time when we should be building our CVs with work experience, internships, and any other opportunities that will make us strong candidates for employers in the future. This weighing pressure can be hard to navigate, as many of us do not know where to begin. So I present the St Andrews Careers department.
The St Andrews careers department is a team happy to help you, no matter what stage of your career you are at, with extensive opportunities and endless support. They offer one-to-one appointments that can help you decide which career path to choose or discuss how to get there. These appointments are open to students of all years and to students up to three years after they graduate. One particularly great feature of the careers department is the opportunities available to students of all years to help build their CVs.
The first opportunity available to students of St Andrews is a networking programme called Coffee Connect, where students are matched with alumni and members of the St Andrews community to chat informally and offer advice over coffee. This system takes the pressure out of networking by putting you in contact with people who can provide real-life context and insights into their experiences in the working world. It is an exciting chance for you to forge connections and build relationships with those who may help you in your career going forward.
To take part, you sign up via Saint Connect, where you are matched with others in similar fields, and then reach out! Coffee Connect eases you into networking and can connect you with mentors who serve as helpful points of contact and guide you throughout your career.
When signing up, I got to share the kinds of jobs I am interested in and the places I’d like to work in the future. This was so exciting because it means that my mentor will have experience in an area I am interested in and might even be from one of the countries I’d love to work in!
Another programme explicitly offered to first-year students at St Andrews is called Your Future, Start Now, and is an excellent opportunity to kickstart your career development. The programme is a series of workshops where, once completed, you can apply for a week-long paid internship with a real employer. This experience allows you to develop key transferable skills, desirable to employers, and understand how to apply them.
Through ‘Your Future, Start Now’, you can gain clear insight into a working environment and begin building a network of contacts that I know would stand out on your CV.
The Careers Department also offers a work shadowing scheme, open to all students at all stages of their degree. This programme allows you to learn more about the working environment as you observe alumni, friends, and university staff at work. The experience is in person and offers variety in a wide range of industries. Work shadowing is unpaid but excellent preparation for internships, and it lasts only one to two days!
The applications for this scheme open in January and require you to submit a tailored cover letter and CV based on the field you wish to explore and experience. With this experience, you gain exclusive insight into the working world that would look great on any CV!
Another opportunity available to second-year students enrolled in a four-year degree and third-year students on a five-year degree is the Summer Internship Scheme. The Summer Internship Scheme is a six-week paid internship at St Andrews University, where you have the opportunity to contribute to a University project. You become a part of a professional working environment where you are required to work 35 hours a week and are paid the national living wage. You are expected to perform helpful tasks and are asked to reflect on your achievements and progress throughout your time as an intern. You are then provided with thorough feedback on your performance, which you can take forward into your next professional position.
Applications open at the beginning of the second semester and require you to submit a CV and cover letter stating what you would like to gain from the experience and how you meet the requirements.
As a second-year student, I know I’ll be applying to this programme, as finding internships at this stage can be difficult. It is a great way to gain relevant, hands-on experience before applying for internships in the third year. This is a fantastic opportunity to earn money and contribute to a real working environment that would put your CV at the top of any employer’s pile!
One final resource I feel is important to discuss is the Career Department’s Employability Bursary. The Employability Bursary is an incredible resource that can help you in many ways, including covering work attire, funding a commute, or applying for a course that enhances your employability.
The only requirement for this bursary is that you are a university student, and if your application is successful, you can get up to £500! Applications for the second semester open on the 23rd of February and can be completed through MySaint. This bursary is an inclusive resource that enables every student to gain experience that prepares them for the working world.
The St Andrews Careers department is an incredibly supportive and resourceful team that helps take the pressure off finding relevant experience for your CV and getting a taste of the working world. I applaud their inclusive approach that gives every student, no matter their background, the chance to build towards a successful career. I’d encourage everyone to make use of this fantastic resource, as I definitely plan to!