It is never too early to start thinking about what you are going to do after you graduate!

College is not just about attending lectures and submitting assignments. Students often wait until their final year of college to starting thinking about employment once they graduate. It is better to start thinking about employment earlier in your degree to give you a chance to build skills and gain a range of experience.

All UCC students have access to the Careers Service, and there are also advisors that worked specifically with students who have disabilities.

You are welcome to make a careers appointment either through the DSS or through the Careers Service itself – find out how to make an appointment to meet a Careers Advisor here.

Career Development

Top tips for developing employability skills during your time in UCC – It is important that you understand how to maximise your degree and time in college to develop and apply the skill set required for the industry you are interested in.  Keep these tips in mind:

• Use the summer months to Secure Work Experience in your area of interest. Consider both paid and unpaid opportunities.

• Keep your eye on the UCC Careers Website events section for targeted employability talks/events.

• Attend Career/Industry Events on Campus and engage with Employers in their Sector. The more of these events you attend, the more you will learn about the huge number of career options that are open to you.

• Get involved with a club or society, ideally at committee level. This is a great way of developing your employability skills, and also a great way of getting to know new people. Employers also value club and society experience very highly so it is a great addition to your CV.

• Get an industry mentor. Having a mentor is a fantastic way of developing key employability skills as well as getting a better understanding of the professional workplace and specific job roles. Students are strongly encouraged to apply to the DSS Mentoring Programme so they can be matched with a mentor in one of the many participating companies.

There are also numerous careers events and workshops that the Careers Service manages each academic year and it is a good idea to attend some of these as you are sure to find them very informative. These events include:

• The UCC Recruitment Fair: The recruitment fair is attended by over 100 companies each year and usually takes place in the Mardyke Arena. However, this year, and due to the pandemic, the fair will be a virtual/online event so it will be even easier to attend. The fair is a great showcase for graduate employment opportunities.

• Employer presentations: Graduate employers come on campus every year to meet students to give information on career prospects that can be applied to. These presentations represent a great opportunity to meet with employers and get a better sense of the jobs available and the companies themselves.

• Advisory workshops, presentations, & clinics: The Careers Service regularly runs a range of open talks and workshops that any student can attend. These workshops cover a range of topics including CV’s, Interviews, Job Applications, Postgraduate Applications, Career Options with your Degree etc.

• Profiling for Success: If you are not sure what career you’d like to pursue then Profiling For Success can help you. Profiling for Success is a series of online psychometric questionnaires that will help to enhance your self-awareness and will help you to plan your career and make good career decisions. The assessments will provide you with a confidential, personal report of your career interests, personality, motivation, learning style and emotional intelligence. Make sure to meet with a Careers Advisor after you have undertaken the assessments so that you can get expert feedback.

You will find more information on the range of supports that you can avail of through the Careers Service by clicking on the following link: https://www.ucc.ie/en/careers/areyouacurrentstudent/