From Fresher to Final year UCT students View additional videos and DVDs available to view in the CIC.

by David Casey, Director of UCT’s Careers Service

What to do and when: your guide, year by year @ UCT.
1. In your first/second years

Connect with Careers Service
Visit us for a Quick Query – this is a 15 minute counselling session with our experienced Career Advisors. Book on the day for an appointment. Find out how they can help you on your career journey. Make use of the UCT’s support structures to assist you in making the adjustment to UCT.
Develop skills and reflect on your options
Use your spare time productively to develop key transferable skills and begin to find out what you might like to do after graduation.
Get work experience
Get some work shadowing or work experience,
particularly if you’re drawn to areas such as charity, law, the media and finance.
Develop your CV
Think about what employers will look for and start developing your CV. You may want to join a club or society, or even start your own one up, to add to your skills and experience.

2. In your penultimate year

Attend careers events
Talk to employers, employees and alumni in person through your Careers Service, to help you decide what job to do after university or source work experience opportunities.
Apply for internships
Many internships specify penultimate-year students only. Find out about opportunities
and apply.
Get work experience
If you don’t get onto an internship scheme, or your area of interest doesn’t offer internships,
arrange some work experience for yourself through contacts, speculative applications or
informal opportunities offered by employers.

3. In your final year

Identify vacancies
Many graduate schemes open for application in July or August in the start of your final year.
Identify schemes you are interested in and get applications in. It pays to apply early!
Make applications
Make speculative applications when there is no vacancy advertised to increase your chances of success.
Apply to SMEs
If you haven’t got a place on a graduate scheme, don’t worry. Look for vacancies with small-to-medium sized enterprises and make applications to them.
Practise for interviews/assessments.
Prepare yourself fully for interviews, assessment centres and psychometric tests.

4. After graduation

Join LinkedIn
Become a member of the University of Cape Town Alumni group on LinkedIn.

Register with us: www.careers.uct.ac.za
Visit us:
Level 1, Hoerikwaggo Building
North Lane,
Upper Campus
+27 21 650 2497
careers.service@uct.ac.za