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  • HOW TO USE YOUR MA YEAR TO GET YOUR CAREER ON TRACK...

    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.

    Large Organisations Graduate Schemes

    • A good place to start your research is with  The UK300, which highlights the top 300 UK employers, and the top 10 rated (By students) companies within each sector.  Make sure you check out Student Ladder and Target Jobs for masses of graduate scheme info.
    • Remember big companies/charities need people in all disciplines – for example a Tech company still needs great staff to work in HR, Marketing, Business Management etc.  Explore beyond the obvious…
    • See Applications Advice

    Tips if you are interested in Law or Teaching

    • Look out for events (particularly in the autumn term) to help start your campaign, such as ‘Law Careers for Non-Law Students’ and activities run by Teach First or 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/LinkedIn Messages to get a useful response!
      • Be persistent, follow up an approach with an email after 2 weeks.
      • One way to connect with employers is through the Queen Mary Network, all students have access to it and you can use it to reach out to Alumni of QM to ask them questions and get advice. 

     Still not sure what to do?

    • Try Prospects Planner … it will give you food for thought & some areas to go off & research
    • 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, Online 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, an internship, or a voluntary project, which offers a fantastic opportunity to solve a particular organisational need.
    • 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, book online or call us on 020 7882 8533 or drop in to WG3, Queen’s Building to book an appointment.
    • INTERVIEWS… visit Careers & Enterprise for an interactive interview simulator, visit QMUL Careers for more interview resources AND book a Mock Interview with a Careers Consultant by calling us on 020 7882 8533 or drop into WG3, Queens’ Building.

  • Identifying Career Options

    MA History graduates can go into a huge variety of jobs, as you have built skills through your undergraduate studies and then consolidated and strengthened those skills through your MA programme.  

    You need to recognise your skills so that you know what you have to sell to an employer - transferable skills will come from all aspects of your life, not just your studies.  However work with others on your course to brainstorm the range of skills gained through your Masters e.g. the ability to research and then review extensive information, to identify & analyse the key points and then either to summarize that information, or to persuasively communicate a particular point of view.  Skills very relevant to:

    • Journalism - both print & broadcast
    • Corporate Public Relations
    • Publishing
    • Strategy & Planning
    • Museums
    • Management consultancy
    • Government & Civil Service
    • Law
    • Business Management roles 
    • Finance & Accountancy
    • Teaching
    • Marketing/Media


    According to LinkedIn, some of the organisations that QM School of History alumni were working for included:

    JP Morgan Chase

    Teach First

    English Heritage

    Deloitte

    House of Commons

    Hewlett Packard

    The Civil Service

    Welsh Labour

    Institute of Directors

    CAFOD

    Squire Patton Boggs LLP

    Lloyds Banking Group


    For more options and to get researching areas of interest, visit:
    Prospects
    Careers Box