Finalist Career Launch
Final year checklist to boost your employability and begin your graduate career
What is the Finalist Career Launch?
The Finalist Career Launch is a checklist of recommended information, opportunities and special events to help you boost your final year career planning.
It can be completed at your own pace throughout your final few months at University, and offers support for all aspects of career planning in your final year.
Who is it for?
Current students in their final months at university. The checklist is designed for both final year undergraduate students and postgraduate students, looking for their next steps.
How do I complete it?
The checklist consists of 5 points that will support your final year career planning. You may find it useful to complete the whole checklist, or simply select the most appropriate points for you. You can even add your own goals under each point. Monthly Motivation sessions take place every month covering content under each checklist point. Book these on our events page. Once these events have taken place, you can catch up or re-watch via the button below.
The 5 Finalist Career Launch checklist points are listed below.
Click on the drop down headings to find out more about each.
✔ Explore industries and expand your horizons
Expand your contacts, gain industry insights and network with your graduating class.
Not sure where to start?
Start with our Monthly Motivation Sessions for Exploring Industries and Horizons. They focus on how to come up with career ideas and the fun way to job search. Book these on our events page. Once these events have taken place, you can catch up on them all here.
Whether you’re looking for a graduate job, exploring postgraduate study or starting your own business we can support you to build your curiosity through a range of industry insight events, mentoring and labour market information. Our ‘How to get a graduate job with…’ events are designed to provide you with up-to-date company insights relevant to current graduate training schemes and jobs. They are aligned to current vacancies, many of which are specifically for final year students. Book onto these talks via our events calendar here. If you missed our employer events last Semester, you can catch up here. Research careers advice and industry insights bespoke to your course on our website here. Our Horizons programme provides bespoke training resources for postgraduate students, including videos to help you explore the graduate labour market as a postgraduate. Explore a range of global experience opportunities including Go Virtual opportunities. Further information and support can be seen on the Global Opportunities web pages here. Broaden your horizons with exciting global experiences such as the Lincoln International Business School’s Global Week. Click here to see information about this and other global experiences.✔ Build curiosity and research different industries
Industry Insight Events
Careers Advice by Course
Exploring Horizons for Postgraduate Students
Global Opportunities
Work experience develops key transferable skills that will help you stand out from other applicants and open up more career opportunities. It could also give you the chance to explore whether a particular role or sector is right for you, and improve your awareness of workplace environments. The Graduate Skills Builder is a group-based work project. You can gain real-world work experience completing a project for one of our business collaborators, and you get paid to do it! Find out more here. What is the Workday Programme? Short individual projects with one of our business contacts. What will I be doing? The Workday Programme provides the opportunity to work on a project that shouldn’t be much longer than a day’s work, this could be anything from helping with day to day business or assisting the company in research and analysis on their services. Will Workday get in the way of my studies? Not at all. While the promise of the programme is to complete a small project, this can be set out over a few weeks, so will give you time to get to know your company and make sure you can keep up with your studies! Is this a paid opportunity? Yes! Students who complete the programme with us will receive a £50 bursary! How do I apply? Simply submit an application on the Workday Programme CareerLinc opportunity, which will shortly go live. Once you have applied, our team will be in contact with you. For further information and to get support looking for a specific opportunity please email careers@lincoln.ac.uk.✔ Develop experience through Graduate Skills Builder and Workday Programme
Graduate Skills Builder
Workday Programme
Postgraduate Online Masterclasses are designed to showcase the Master’s programmes that are offered by the University of Lincoln. Each Masterclass event is delivered by the programme leader and provides you with a unique opportunity to participate in a course taster session. These events are highly recommended if you want to find out more about course content, delivery, teaching and the careers that students typically go on to after graduating. To find a list of the scheduled Masterclasses, click here. The schedule is regularly refreshed so do check back regularly. Lincoln Connect is the University of Lincoln’s bespoke mentoring hub, providing you with valuable networking opportunties and access to a directory of contacts. You can use this to network with your graduating year, support each other, offer feedback and access a wide range of industry mentors willing to help you. We have various subject and industry-specific groups you can join, and we have created a bespoke 2021 group for you to connect with graduates and employers. Click here to sign up. ✔ Explore industry led study with Postgraduate Online Masterclasses
✔ Networking with industry and your graduating class through bespoke mentoring groups
Class of 2021 Mentoring Group
✔ Boost your skills and strengths with the Lincoln Award
Did you know that you can still start and finish the Lincoln Award in your final year, and even in your final few months at university? Activities you completed before signing up to the Lincoln Award may still count towards completing your award. You can now start and finish the Award all online too!
If you’ve already completed the Lincoln Award why not take your development further and apply for a place on Lincoln Award Plus? See full details here.
Not sure where to start?
Start with our Monthly Motivation Workshop for Boosting Strengths and Skills. Book your place on our events page here. Once these events have taken place, you can catch up on them all here.
What is the Lincoln Award?
The Lincoln Award is an employability framework designed to support students in developing and learning how to demonstrate their employability skills. By completion of the award you will be confident communicating your skills to any employer! Read more and sign up on our Lincoln Award website pages here.
✔ Face your final year fears
Final year can feel overwhelming. Take positive steps to overcome your challenges.
Not sure where to start?
Start with our Monthly Motivational Workshops for Facing your Final Year Fears in March. Book your place on our events page here. Once these events have taken place, you can catch up on them all here.
Breaking Barriers is a week of careers support in March designed to help students celebrate diversity, learn about inclusive careers and be their best self. Breaking Barriers gives students the opportunity to confront barriers they feel they may encounter in the world of work, develop and showcase their skills and learn about inclusive careers with employer presentations. The week has events for all students, whatever barriers they feel they may face. All events can be booked via our events calendar. You may also find it useful to research our Diversity, Equality and Inclusion webpage. This provides bespoke information relevant to real or perceived barriers, including support and careers information for disability, long term medical conditions, mental health, age, race, care, care leavers and LQBTQ.✔ Identify your barriers
Catch up on our recorded webinars for tips on boosting your resilience. Click here to view this. Steep Hill Careers Podcast March will see the launch of our Steep Hill Careers podcast, covering a range of topics to support you in navigating challenges you may face when seeking your graduate career. Hear from University of Lincoln graduates and experts as they share their experience on topics including application overwhelm, dealing with rejection to mental health in the workplace. ✔ Build resilience and prepare for uncertainty
The University of Lincoln’s Coffee Club is a friendly, close-knit, and helpful online community, who meet every other month. Coffee Club offers free and informal interactive events that cover a range of topics, from tips on mindfulness and wellbeing, to further study and careers support. Take a break, make yourself a coffee and connect with other final year students at one of these relaxed online events. You can become a member of the Coffee Club by clicking here. ✔ Meet peers at the final year Coffee Club
✔ Set goals and discover your next path
Graduation is in sight, but you’re not sure on your next step? Set goals, explore different career routes and develop decision-making skills.
Not sure where to start?
Start with our Monthly Motivational Sessions. In January and February they will focus on career ideas and exploring strengths. In April our “How to stop procrastinating…once and for all” and “How to choose a job you love” workshops will focus on motivational tips to success and discovering your motivators, which includes frameworks to help you structure your career thinking. These and more can be found on our events calendar. Once these events have taken place, you can catch up on them all here.
✔ Set goals for your next steps
Setting goals and keeping track of your skills development can help expand career ideas or prepare you to enter your industry of interest. When setting goals for your next steps it can be useful to ask yourself:
- What skills have I developed?
- What skills do I need to develop for my future career?
- What careers am I interested in?
Analyse your current skill progress and set some goals for your development through our online Skills Assessment, which is part of the Lincoln Award.
✔ Find a job you love
I have no ideas:
Exploring your ideas can feel like an overwhelming task. It can be useful to start with some reflective questions:
- What motivates you?
- What are your strengths and skills?
- What are your values?
- What do you like doing?
Explore these questions further using our bespoke ‘Explore your career options’ resources here.
You may also find it useful to discuss your career ideas with a Careers and Employability Adviser, either in a 1:1 or group setting. You can do this by booking a Careers Guidance Appointment or Workshop via our Appointment Booking Tool here.
You can also see our Pre-Guidance Appointment Activities video for top tips on exploring your ideas:
I have too many ideas:
If your head is full of career ideas, there are a range of different approaches to decision-making that may help you. You may find the following activities useful to:
- Complete some research. Have you researched in detail the skills needed for your ideas? Do these match your own skills and interests? Our Careers Advice by Course webpages provides information on a variety of different job roles and entry route information.
- Seek a mentor. Speaking to a graduate within roles of interest can be a great way to gain further insight. You may find it useful to ask about their best and worst parts of the job, or find our more information about entry routes. Head over to our networking platform Lincoln Connect to find a mentor.
- Try and test. Gaining work experience can help hone your ideas by providing an insight into an industry of interest. Try our Graduate Skills Builder or Work Day for an insight into different areas. Click the ‘Explore industries and expand your horizons’ drop down section above to find out more about these.
✔ Consider Postgraduate Study: Attend Open Days and Drop Ins
Discovering your next path means looking at all options open to you. As well as researching careers, consider whether postgraduate study may be the right option for you. Connect with the University of Lincoln’s dedicated Postgraduate Team who arrange regular informative events on all elements of postgraduate education. For a full list of the team’s upcoming events, please visit the University website here.
For a complete introduction to postgraduate education at Lincoln, attend one of the University’s Open Days. Open Days run throughout the year and include subject sessions and talks from professional service staff, covering all elements of postgraduate life, such as funding and student support.
If you want information outside of our Open Days, you can take part in one of the Postgraduate Team’s weekly online drop ins. Hosted by the Postgraduate Advisors, these instant chat sessions run every Wednesday afternoon and deal with topics such as how to apply, course deadlines, student funding and much more. To get more information email pgevents@lincoln.ac.uk.
If you’re considering postgraduate study during COVID 19, watch the Careers Team’s recorded webinar here, which provides top tips for choosing postgraduate study.
✔ Research paths to self-employment and freelance working
Considering starting your own business or working freelance? Get bespoke support from the Student Enterprise Service to develop your ideas and launch your graduate business. Click here to access the Student Enterprise Service.
✔ Navigate your graduate career
As you approach the finish line of your final year you may be wondering what’s next in your journey. Gain insight into the graduate labour market, work place essentials and graduate life. Start with our monthly motivation session “How to stay confident and resilient during a job search”. This is taking place in Mayand focuses on navigating your graduate working life. Work out what beliefs are holding you back from applying and starting job search. Book your place via the events calendar here. Once these events have taken place, you can catch up on them all here. Do you need support researching your local labour market? Or perhaps you would like to move to a new area? Book onto location specific events such as our Graduate Internship Live (Lincolnshire) that happen throughout the year and our Global Careers and Employability Workshops. You can find these via our Events Calendar www.uolcareers.co.uk/events. You can explore country-specific location advice on our ‘Global Careers’ tab on Blackboard here. If you are an international student interested in searching for a job within the UK, see the below short, informative video. If you need further support, book to speak to one of our Employment Skills Advisors to discuss your job search strategy. Visit the Appointment Booking Tool to do this. Our Careers and Employability Workshops provide a range of support to help you prepare for the world of work. This includes sessions on interview skills, cv support and job searching. Book your place here. Build your entrepreneurial ideas and get funding to launch a business via our Growing Graduate Enterprise scheme. Find out more information on the Student Enterprise Service webpages. Join the Postgraduate Team for their events featuring our inspiring alumni speakers. “Postgraduate Brunches” and “Postgrad to Profession” events both invite Lincoln alumni back to share their experiences of further study and their tips for entering the workplace. These events are perfect if you want to get an inside view on how to maximise your career and employability potential through postgraduate study. To find out when the next events are taking place click here. The University of Lincoln Careers team host Graduate Support Week each year around June. It is designed to offer support to students who have recently completed their studies and who are waiting to graduate in September. It consists of workshops and employer events specifically to support you before graduation. Information will be uploaded to our events calendar closer to the time of the event, and you will be able to access it here. As a graduate of the University of Lincoln, you can still access support from the Careers and Employability team. To find out the support you can receive, visit our Graduate pages here.Not sure where to start?
✔ Search for jobs with a strategy using CareerLinc
✔ Investigate locations
✔ Gain practical tips for the world of work
✔ Navigate self-employment with Growing Graduate Enterprise
✔ Get tips from our alumni at postgraduate events
✔ Book onto Graduate Support Week
✔ Access careers support after university