Section outline

  • If you want to get a graduate job at the end of your Masters (as opposed to continuing in academia), your campaign should start at the beginning of your MA programme. N.B. Do read the section for 3rd year undergraduates and follow any relevant links.

    Graduate Schemes - Large Organisations

    • A good place to start your research is with a hard copy of The Guardian UK300 (does not exist online – collect from Careers & Enterprise in Queens Building WG3), which highlights the top 300 UK employers, their different schemes & the all important deadlines - many of which will be before Christmas.
    • Remember big corporates need people in all disciplines – so a tech company still needs great staff to work in HR, Marketing, Business Management etc.  Explore beyond the obvious…
    • Read these top careers tips for Masters students

    Law & Teaching

    • Look out for events early in the autumn term to help start your campaign, such as ‘Law Careers for Non-Law Students’ and activities run by Teach First, Ark & other teaching organisations.

     Interesting areas, often without formal graduate schemes…

    • Read our Getting Into… guides. Careers covered include Publishing & Journalism; Marketing, Advertising, PR & Events; Charities, Development & Human Rights; and Politics, Think Tanks & Government.

    • Fine tune your CV and draft an outline cover letter
    • Build a long TARGET LIST of organisations that work in the area you are interested in, prioritise the list and 1) check website regularly for opportunities and 2) approach them directly even if no roles advertised.
      • Earlier in the academic year, look to still build experience/contacts: use the fact that you are still a student - it is a fantastic opportunity to write & ask for work experience, work shadowing, even the chance to come in & discuss what their job involves
      • Later in the academic year, approach them for a graduate role: always do your research, find something that the organisation is doing & show how that relates to your interests; don’t forget to describe your motivation for getting in touch.
      • Use an organisation’s website and/or LinkedIn, to always find a named person to write to.
      • Don’t be surprised if you have to write 50-100 letters to get a useful response!
      • Be persistent, follow up an approach with an email after 2 weeks.

     Still not sure what to do?

    • Think as widely as possible – research job areas you know about, but also research companies/organisations that attract/inspire you and look at what roles for graduates exist in those organisations… there will be many jobs out there that you probably don’t know exist.
    • Book a 1:1 guidance appointment with a Careers Consultant to kickstart your thinking, book an appointment by calling us on 020 7882 8533 or drop into WG3, Queens’ Building.

    Know what you want to do, but concerned your CV experience is weak?

    • Even in your MA year, it is not too late to build your CV if you are prepared to work hard, whether through regular part-time work, work-shadowing, an internship, or volunteering.   
    • Book a 1:1 guidance appointment with a Careers Consultant to help identify gaps & craft a plan of action…

    Finally, the Basics:


    • Always personalise your CV & Cover letter to maximise relevance to each organisation. Consider mailing old-fashioned paper copies, more unusual and harder to ignore than an email!
    • Get CVs, Cover letters & Applications checked with an Applications Advisor in the Careers & Enterprise team, call us on 020 7882 8533 or drop in to WG3, Queen’s Building to book an appointment.
    • INTERVIEWS… visit QMUL Careers for more resources AND book a Mock Interview with a Careers Consultant by calling us on 020 7882 8533 or drop into WG3, Queens’ Building.