History Careers Hub - Undergraduate

• MySkills: Across the University we believe that programmes should actively encourage students to reflect upon the academic and extra-curricular experiences they have undertaken, identify and recrod the skills and attributes demonstrated and set goals for future development. MySkills enables students to do this. MySkills is your personal development tool as well as being an online portfolio. It enables you to keep track of the skills you have developed through your studies, and any paid work or volunteering you undertake. From 22/23 MySkills will be embedded in key core Level 1 modules, ensuring that all students are enabled to reflect on their own personal development. Find out more here.

• eMentoring: The Careers Service offers a virtual mentoring service through which previous students of the University of Sheffield, who have now graduated, act as mentors via virtual online sessions to current students. The scheme runs twice yearly and you can sign up at the start of each semester.

• TAP: Transforming and Activating Places is available to students from a widening participation background to engage with local organisations who can offer them 100 hours of work experience. Applications for this scheme take place at the start of semester two and students will be contacted directly who are eligible.

• Volunteering, extra-curricular activities and part-time work: The department has fantastic links with organisations in and around Sheffield such as the History in the City project. Sheffield Volunteering, run by the Students' Union, also has a wealth of volunteering roles. Work experience doesn't have to be in an academic environment for it to display your skills. The university has lots of extra-curricular activities to help you settle in and meet new people. You might also want to look for a part-time job. Part-time work can provide you with invaluable teamwork and communication skills, and the Careers Service can help you find something to fit around your studies.

An Easter or summer internship can be a fantastic experience to test out some career options, and can sometimes be a pathway into a longer placement.

Learning or perfecting a foreign language is a great way to boost your employability in a global market. Further information about the Languages for All programme can be found here.

• Start to investigate what you can do with your History degree and ask the Careers Service if you want help thinking about your future.

By Level 2 we hope that all students have managed to reflect on their skills, using MySkills. Additionally you will have hopefully had the opporuntiy to explore experiences that have given you some time to understand what you enjoy and may want to pursue in the future. In Level 2 we aim to build on this.

As well as continuing with opportunities explored in Level 1 such as volunteering, joining societies and reflecting with mySkills, you can also think about the different work experience opportunities available to you. You can also gain information about potential future career paths from departmental alumni.

• Placements & Summer Internships: The University Careers Service hosts thousands of job adverts every year which include part-time and graduate roles, volunteering, and placements and internships. When visiting the Careers Service website, look for their easy to navigate sections of "Explore", "Find" and "Act" which will help you through this journey. Jobs and placements can be found under the "Find" section. Summer placements are a chance for you to step outside of your comfort zone and try work for a few weeks in an area of work you would like to explore

• Year with Employment Experience: Within your History degree you have the opportunity to take a year out after your second year and take the skills and experiences from your first two years and put them to use in an actual job, whilst being paid. You can contact Gavin Simpson-Smillie, Placement Support Officer based in the Careers Service, via placements@sheffield.ac.uk to find out more about adding a placement year to your course and the different types of work experience opportunities available to you.

• Working for a year in between Years 2 and 3 can not only boost your finances but also provide a refreshing break from your studies as well as looking great on your CV. If a year-long placement isn’t for you, look out for shorter internships or other work experience opportunities to test out career options. Ask friends and family or use the Careers Service to find out more about internships and placements. Take your time when making applications, use Careers Service resources and ask a question if you need more help.

• SURE scheme: The University annually runs the SURE scheme (Sheffield University Research Experience) which is a fully funded paid period of work experience during the summer vacation. Project proposals are sought from students on an application basis and is an opportunity for students to receive 6 weeks of paid work experience to investigate a research theme of their choice. More information here. This is a fantastic opportunity to work on a 'real-life' project, and may even spark some ideas for your dissertation.(Please note this initiative is not available to students in their first or final year of study)

• Alumni: The University has a large cohort of active alumni who participate in various activities with the University. Find out more here. We are active in working with alumni from the department and run events each year, so keep an eye out for emails advertising them! We also have numerous video profiles of departmental alumni created specifically for History students.

• Careers Service: We would advise you to visit the Careers Service pages and also book an appointment with an advisor who can help you to think about your choices and what you might like to explore. You can also sign up to events which might interest you. The Careers Service can help you with your CV, interview practice, finding part-time work as well as assessing what skills your are developing through your time at University. Find out more here.

Additionally:

• Summer Schools are a great way to gain global experience, travel and make new friends. The Global Opportunities and Exchanges Team can help you arrange to spend between 1 and 8 weeks at one of our partner university summer schools, in Europe or further afield.

• Consider signing up to the Careers Service’s e-Mentoring sScheme - this offers the chance to be mentored by a former student, now working in their chosen profession. Your mentor can offer careers advice, insights into their industry, and tips on how to make the most of your time at university.

• Whatever experiences you get, don’t forget to record them in mySkills so that you have a record of your skills to refer to when applying for graduate jobs or further study in future.

• Careers fairs: Take place throughout the year, although the main ones are usually in October. These are well-attended by a range of recruiters - we are the 15th most targeted university by top employers (High Fliers Research 2021), and are a good starting point for your job search but there are lots of other ways to find graduate jobs.

• Get help with applications, interviews and assessment centres if you need it.

• Not sure what you want to do after your degree? There’s lots of ideas online if you need a starting point and you can talk it over with an adviser

• Look out for events in the Department and around the campus or online- including alumni networking, employer events and careers sessions to help you explore your options, recognise and improve your skills and secure employment. There’s lots of careers videos, too, if you prefer to learn in your own time.

• You can use the Careers Service for up to 3 years after you graduate, so join the TUoS Graduate Careers Support Network on LinkedIn and keep in touch.

Enactus Sheffield is a student-led social enterprise, which sits within the University’s Partnerships and Regional Engagement department. It is one of over 1,700 Enactus teams around the world, all working on developing social impact projects. Enactus is a great stepping stone to future employment, and a unique opportunity to learn a variety of skills in different fields. Find out more on their website found here.

The 301: Academic Skills Centre enables you to improve a variety of academic skills, and reflect upon on them. As many of these skills are transferrable and valued by employers, it's worth considering how you plan to develop and demonstrate them. The Centre has numerous resources available and further information can be found here.