Which role is right for me?

Deciding where to apply

There's a wide variety of roles and organisations that Bioscience students can apply to and you are not limited to applying for roles directly linked to your degree.  One of the many good reasons for doing a placement is to get an insight into a type of role or industry to help you decide on you future.  It is advisable to keep an open mind about different roles and it's OK to apply for a placement and then decide it's not right for you. It's important to find a role which you'll both enjoy and learn from. The following resources may help with deciding on the placement roles to prioritise.

• Large or small business.  This link summarises some of the benefits of both. Please note that placements with smaller companies are usually advertised after Christmas.  

• Past placements. This link shows where previous Bioscience students have gone on placement

• Different science careers. This article outlines 10 different types of Scientist which may help you think about the type of scientist you'd like to be.

• Prospects Planner is an online quiz which suggests job roles that might match your personality. It can be a useful way to generate ideas around the type of role that would interest you. 

• The Careers Service website has a section showing the different job roles recent graduates from the Bioscience school have gone into, here

• You might find this Youtube video an interesting and reassuring way to think about career planning

Understanding  Bioscience roles

Don't worry if you don't fully understand the different job titles and sectors advertised . The links below are taken from the SRG website and help explain what some  common bioscience job roles are about.

• Quality Assurance roles

• Regulatory Affairs roles

• Medical Device roles

• Microbiology careers

• Lab Technician roles

• Pharmaceutical sector roles - this link is from the Association of British Pharmaceutical Industry and profiles some common job roles in the sector

The Prospect website also helps explain different roles in the Pharmaceutical & Science Sector here and the Environment and Agriculture sector here

These slides from the Institute of Clinical Research give a good overview of about early careers in Clinical Research here

Quiz

We've put together a quick quiz (13 questions!) to help you think about your current skills and experience, and how you prefer to work - leading to a recommendation for a type of bioscience role you might be interested in. 

• Bioscience Placement Suitability Quiz

Careers Service Advice

The university careers service have some detailed advice about where to look for placements and other types of work experience on their website here

Unpaid Placements

The majority of science placements are paid roles but if you are considering an unpaid role please read this  guidance document.