Graduate Tookit

Finding opportunities

It is very normal for graduates to change jobs after graduation and it may take a few jobs to find a role which best suits your strengths, skills and aspirations. Do not be disheartened if you do not land your ideal role straight away. Each role you have will further your skills, knowledge and competencies and build your CV. This will help towards developing your employability post-graduation.

Careers top tip

Sign up for job alerts for the specific sectors you are interested in. You will receive job opportunity alerts, based on the preferences you have set, directly to your inbox.

Graduate vacancy websites

The following websites are useful to search for all graduate vacancies across all industries and sectors:

If you have a disability, you may find the following websites useful for vacancies and advice:

Recruitment agencies

There are many recruitment agencies that specialise in specific areas of work, within sectors and in specific regions.

Recruitment agencies have close connections with employers, giving you access to the latest job roles. They act as a go-between for employers and job seekers, working on behalf of employers to find suitable candidates to fill their vacancies.

There are many benefits to using a recruitment agency as a graduate. Specialist sector agencies have a strong knowledge of their industry, robust connections with employers in the sector and they can offer you advice on breaking into a career. They can send your CV to a range of employers and offer you additional support and guidance.

However, you need to be mindful that recruitment agencies ultimately, work for the employer, filling the employer’s vacancies. If you do wish to use a recruitment agency, you should ask questions about the opportunities they present to you, review the job criteria and do your research. Check that any agency you do wish to join is a member of the industry’s professional body, Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC). Always remember that agencies are paid by employers to fill their vacancies, you should not have to pay to sign up.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a social network platform for professionals. You can make connections in your industry, search for jobs, explore careers, build your digital profile and job search. LinkedIn also advertises vacancies, so it's a great place to search for roles.

Your profile should detail all your professional information, including previous experience, your skill set, your academic achievements. You can then use this profile to connect with companies, individuals, fellow university alumni and begin to build a network of contacts. You can control who can see if you have viewed their profile by updating your profile viewing options in your settings and privacy page.

For support with developing your LinkedIn profile, or for advice on how to make the most of the platform please book in for a one-to-one application coaching appointment with one of our advisors or come to a drop-in.

LinkedIn will also recommend you jobs based on your interests and the companies you follow.

LinkedIn helps you find relevant jobs that suit your skills and qualifications. You can either search for a job using the search field on top of the LinkedIn homepage, or you can directly access the jobs page where you can search and apply for jobs. Millions of jobs are posted on LinkedIn every day, so it’s important that you’re able to find the right job postings that fit your expectations and requirements.

Careers top tip

If you are not 100% confident with your LinkedIn profile do not apply for jobs directly from LinkedIn but from the company’s website. The employer will see your LinkedIn profile and see that it’s incomplete or lacking in certain areas, and you can better tailor your application via the website than by LinkedIn. To complete your LinkedIn profile to 100%, follow the key steps for LinkedIn success.

3 steps to aid your job search 

Step 1

Set up job alerts on LinkedIn. You may find the guidance on the LinkedIn job alerts page helpful.

Step 2

Let recruiters know you’re looking for work. You may find the 'open to work' page helpful. This open to work hashtag then shows up in your profile picture and enables you to appear in more searches from recruiters.

Step 3

Begin searching!

Additional step

Research the company you are interested in a role at by finding them on LinkedIn from the search bar, scrolling through their content and looking at their ‘people’ page. It may even be worth connecting with someone at the company who works in recruitment or in a similar role who you could then ask a couple of questions to.

International graduates

What are the best resources for finding jobs as an international graduate?

Student Circus

Student Circus is a job search portal dedicated to international students who are looking for graduate roles with UK employers who offer sponsorship. As well as a great job’s board, the website contains labour market information about different countries, applications tips and careers advice.

To get graduate access to Student Circus log in to your graduate MyCareers account and submit a quick query. We’ll take it from there!

GoinGlobal

If you want to return home or work in another country other than the UK, GoinGlobal is the resource for you. The website has a global jobs board and includes country guides which have useful information about recruitment processes for that country, as well as information about work permits, visas and culture.

Government register of licensed sponsors

The register of licensed sponsors is a helpful document which you can use to cross check if the employer you are applying to has a sponsor licence. This doesn’t guarantee sponsorship however it can help save time if you want to target those with a licence. You might still want to apply to other organisations – even if they don’t yet hold a licence they might still want to hire you and investigate the sponsorship process.

Where can I get more advice and guidance around visas?

The University's SIAC team (Student Immigration, Advice and Compliance) provide immigration support for recent graduates, and their dependants so you can contact them (visas@le.ac.uk) if you have recently finished, or will soon be finishing, your course.

For general advice about different visa options, including costs and how to apply, the UKCISA website (UK Council of International Students) is a reliable source of information. They also have a free phone line.

What can I offer employers as an international graduate?

You have unique skills which you have developed by being an international student – and you can include these in your CV and applications to help you stand out. For example: global mindset, cultural awareness, resilience, languages and much more.

You may have prior work experience from outside of the UK, including internships, part-time jobs or involvement in a family business – make sure you include previous experiences to help show the range of skills you have developed. Don’t discount previous experience just because it wasn’t in the UK or may not be in the same sector – all experience can be used to demonstrate the transferable skills you developed or demonstrated.

UK employers value transferable skills (also known as soft or generic skills) which can be developed in many ways. Such as volunteer work or extra-curricular activities and hobbies where you have used your skills. This means you probably have valuable competencies even if they haven’t worked in the UK before, or if you have experience in a different sector.

Don’t forget: the graduate labour market in the UK is more flexible than you realise - many employers are not seeking a specific degree or grade.

What are the visa options for after my studies?

The Graduate Route visa allows international students who have completed an eligible degree at a UK university to stay and work in the UK for up to two years (or three years for PhD students) without needing a job offer. Eligible graduates can work at any skill level and switch to other work visas if they meet the requirements. However it is worth noting there is a cost to this.

The Skills Worker Route visa (previously known as Tier 2) requires sponsorship by a UK employer and a job offer from a licensed sponsor. Individuals must meet specific eligibility criteria related to skill level, English language proficiency, and salary thresholds.

There are many other visa types available to graduates. Browse UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) for more details.

It is important to ensure you consider your visa options as early as possible so you can understand the timeframes and associated costs.

Working abroad

These other resources may help in finding a job if you are considering working overseas:

Top tips for your CV

Include your right to work status (in the personal details or profile section) - this could be current or future depending on what you are applying for. For example, if you are on, or will be applying for the Graduate Route Visa, make sure the employer knows you won’t require sponsorship and work full-time for the duration of the visa.

Include unique and relevant skills which you have developed as an international student - this could be transferable skills related to your experience of living and studying in another country, or it could relate to your cultural knowledge or language abilities.

Include 'translations’ of your education and qualifications so employers understand what your non-UK qualifications and grades are equivalent to. For example, use % which is universally understood, rather than a GPA which isn’t typical in the UK education system.

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