Careers and employability

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Supporting your career success at Arden

When you join Arden you bring with you a unique set of knowledge, skills, and experiences which you will develop and add to during your studies. Our Careers team and our online careers resources, available 24/7 via the Careers Centre platform, are here to help you wherever you are in your personal career journey, whether you are a Career Starter, Changer or Developer.

Career Starter: You are at the start of your career, with a few years of work experience (which could include voluntary work) and are thinking about graduate jobs or starting your own business.

Career Changer: You have been working for a while and are studying to move into a different career or start your own business.

Career Developer: You are working in your preferred career area or sector, but you want to use your qualification to move into a different position, gain a promotion, or help you start or develop your own business.

Your career journey

Wherever you start your career journey the process is the same, it is a journey of discovery and exploration of yourself and your future options. It can be summarised in three phases:

Discover: You’re not sure what you want to do or what options are available to you after your studies. Many students at Arden would describe themselves as being in this phase.

Focus: You have some careers ideas but are not sure what’s right for you.

Achieve: You have identified your chosen career area and are ready to apply for roles.

You will move between these career phases during your studies and throughout your career. Whichever career stage and phase you are in, whether you have specific career ideas or are not sure what to do next, Careers are here to help you, so that you can maximise the impact of your qualification and help you achieve career success.

How can Careers support you in your career journey?

Everything Careers offers is designed to help you make progress with your career planning. Even going back a phase in your career thinking can be good if it helps you make a better career decision!

When you look at careers events, workshops or one-to-one meetings on Arden Futures, there will be information to tell you how it will help depending on which stage and phase of your career journey you’re in.

In the Discover phase

You are exploring different career sectors, roles, and cultures, while also thinking about what is important to you in a career, what motivates you and what strengths and abilities you have.
It can be challenging working out what you want to do after your studies, but the Careers team are here to help! Careers run sessions to help you think about your values and motivations and how to identify different career areas that might be a good fit for you.
Our Arden Futures has lots of information and sector insights that can help whether you are a Career Starter, Changer or Developer.
Looking for more information about specific career areas? The Careers team can suggest additional and specialist sources of information and advice that might be of use or suggest online and in-person events run by employers to give you insights into the career paths in their organisation.
Our team of Careers Consultants can help you explore your career thinking through individual careers advice and guidance meetings which can be booked via Arden Futures.

In the Focus phase

You have a shortlist of career ideas and are finding out about roles and sectors in more depth and developing your commercial awareness. You may also be considering further study to help you achieve your goals.
Careers can help you develop your knowledge through the careers information available on Arden Futures and via employer-led careers insight sessions.
Any work experience you have will help you get your next role, but if you are a Career Starter or Changer you might want to secure additional experience to explore different career paths. The Careers team can support you to finding relevant work experience such as structured placements, internships, voluntary work, or virtual work experience to fit round your other commitments.
Graduate training schemes in larger organisations are great to apply to if you are a Career Starter, Changer or Developer. These schemes are often open for applications up to 12 months before the positions start (typically in the autumn). The Careers team run regular sessions on preparing applications, how to be successful at online selection tests, and advice on how to approach assessment centres.
You can search for graduate schemes via Arden Futures and there are also practice online selection exercises and assessment centre activities available.

In the Achieve phase

You have a list of preferred employers, are proactively seeking out opportunities, and are looking for information and advice on recruitment and selection processes. Careers can provide support as you go through selection and recruitment processes, maximising your career success in a competitive job market.
Often the first impression you make with a new employer is via a job application. Careers can help you demonstrate the relevant transferable knowledge, skills, and experience you can offer an employer if you are a Career Starter or Changer or provide advice on how to highlight your most relevant experience if you are a Career Developer.
CVs are often required but their structure and layout will depend on the role and sector. Arden Futures has information on building your CV and the Careers team can support you to craft your CV via online workshops and one-to-one advice.
Selection processes can include online tests, written tasks, presentations, and interviews. Through Arden Futures and online workshops Careers has a wide range of resources to help you prepare, and you can even arrange a mock interview to ensure you are interview ready.
Pay and benefits negotiations are often the final stage in the selection process and with Careers you can prepare your negotiation strategy to ensure a win-win for both you and your future employer.

At all career stages it is important to network to help:

Make your first careers connections as a Career Starter
Establish different professional networks as a Career Changer
Broaden your professional network as a Career Developer
Starting or developing your own business? Networking is essential for you too!

Careers can help you build your networking strategy, LinkedIn profile and other social networking profiles to connect you with employers, advisers, and mentors.

Gain experience at Arden

Many students at Arden work or volunteer during their studies, however it can be useful to get additional professional experience particularly if you are a Career Starter or Changer and aiming to use your qualification to transition into a new career area.

The Careers team can provide you with advice and guidance to enable you to find relevant work experience such as structured placements, internships, voluntary work, or virtual work experience to fit round your other commitments.

You can also find a range of paid opportunities for Arden University Students on our dedicated online job board Arden Futures so you can earn alongside your studies and develop your professional skills.

Any work experience you have can be used to provide evidence to support future applications and interviews, it can also help you make important decisions about your career direction.

Arden Futures

Our commitment to your success doesn't end there. Arden Futures also offers a suite of career education and development tools to cater to your individual needs:

AI-Powered CV and cover letter review: Receive expert feedback on your CV and cover letter using our platform powered by CareerSet to optimise your application materials. Get started here.
Unlimited on-demand online mock interviews: Shortlister interviews are designed using questions asked by some of the world’s leading employers and provide you with instant actionable feedback. Try it for yourself.
Skills analysis tool: Identify and articulate your transferable skills based on your experiences using our skills analysis tool provided by Occumi. Sign up here
Salary negotiation guidance: Build confidence in discussing salary negotiation with employers through our advice and guidance resources. To access valuable insights, click here.
Practice online tests: Prepare for employer recruitment processes by practising online tests commonly used by companies. Utilise the resources here.
Global career development support: International students and graduates can find resources and assistance for global career development and job searching through Arden's collaboration with Student Circus. Explore their valuable resources using this link.

Please note that current Arden students can register with all the mentioned sites using their Arden University email addresses. Graduates and alumni should request access by emailing alumnicareers@arden.ac.uk.

Arden Futures, our career portal, is designed to support your journey and shape your future

Arden Futures is accessible 24/7 on mobile, tablet, or laptop, offering you convenience and flexibility. To get started, we encourage all Arden students to create their profiles on the platform by visiting http://futures.arden.ac.uk. This will grant you access to a wide range of exciting features and opportunities.

Here's what you can expect from Arden Futures:

Arden Futures allows you to send questions and book one-to-one appointments with our careers team, ensuring you receive tailored support at every step.

Click here for personalised advice and guidance.

Explore various career areas through our engaging content, helping you discover new possibilities and focus your career exploration.

Learn more about career discovery and pathways.

Hear from companies and organisations about their graduate opportunities and improve your employability skills by attending one of our career workshops.

Find out more about employer events and career workshops.

Access our comprehensive job search tool to find relevant and searchable job opportunities tailored to your interests and aspirations.

Click here for job opportunities.

"The career sessions were absolutely fantastic!...opened my mind to new possibilities and made me think of other job roles. It showed me that my degree is not static and could be used in different areas and different opportunities."

BA Business Management (HRM) Student

"I feel I have been in the dark about my goal to work in Occupational Psychology and now that I have seen the support I can get from the Careers team I feel like I have finally come into the light."

MSc Psychology Student, Conversion Degree

Arden Alumni network

Once you’ve completed your degree with Arden, you’ll also benefit from becoming part of our global alumni network. You’ll be part of a family of graduates and professionals from all over the world, creating limitless networking opportunities and support and guidance when you need it.

Learn more here about the Arden alumni network and how we can continue to support your career and professional development' Alumni and careers | Arden University