Graham Perkins is the Associate Dean for Education within the Business School and an Associate Professor in Human Resource Management. Graham has both professional and academic experience within the field of Human Resource Management, having completed both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in the subject, and having worked in industry in several HRM roles. 

Graham came from a family in which no-one had been to university before him. Graham attended a state school, growing up in a neighbourhood with one of the lowest rates of entry to higher education. Listen to the podcast to learn how Graham went from not getting the A Level grades to attend the university of his choice and going through Clearing, to becoming an Associate Professor. 

In this episode, Dawn Lees, Student Employability and Development Manager, chats with alumnus Matt Light, Director at AscellaHealth, about building a career in Bid Writing.

With 15 years experience leading bid and proposal teams across both the public and private sector, Matt shares his journey from a junior bid writer to team leader. Matt explains the various career pathways within the profession, the key skills for success and how teamwork helps win contracts, as well as what excites him about his job.  

In our Law mini-series podcast, our Law Employability and Careers Consultants; Rachel, Tess and Sunny, talk to experienced professionals from both legal and non-legal sectors to hear their career experiences and advice.

In this episode Tess Read, Employability and Career Consultant, talks to Grace Light, a current Law student. Grace shares her journey to securing a training contract, highlighting the value of attending events, using resources like the Career Zone and developing commercial awareness.

In addition to this episode you can find more information to help with career planning here; University of Exeter Career Zone , Law and legal services: Information for Law and Non-Law Students  and Employability for Law Students. 

In this episode, Employability and Careers Consultant Sunny Lalli, is joined by BSc Human Sciences graduate Zack Islam. Recipient of the University of Exeter Student of the Year award at  2024 Success for All conference, and also the Academic Success Award at the 2025 Student Social Mobility Awards, Zack shares his insights on the art of networking and how preparatory research can power conversations at careers fairs.

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In our Law mini-series podcast, our Law Employability and Careers Consultants; Rachel, Tess and Sunny, talk to experienced professionals from both legal and non-legal sectors to hear their career experiences and advice.

In this episode Tess Read, Employability and Career Consultant, talks to Evalyn Anstiss, a recent Law graduate, about her experience working with the Community Law Clinic. Evalyn shares the benefits of working at the Community Law Clinic and how it helped to develop her professional skills and confidence.

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In addition to this episode you can find more information to help with career planning here; University of Exeter Career Zone ,  Law and legal services and Employability for Law Students

In this episode, Sunny Lalli, Employability and Careers Consultant and Rachel Haddy, Employability and Placements Adviser, explore ways to investigate values of sustainability at a careers fair.

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Ever wondered if ‘luck’ is something you can prepare for and use to your advantage? In this week’s episode, Dave Gyll-Murray, an Employability and Placements Adviser, explores Krumboltz’s Theory of Planned Happenstance – a mindset that encourages you to be open to unexpected opportunities and turn them into meaningful career steps. Dave shares five key skills to help you make the most of the unplanned, including curiosity, flexibility and risk-taking.

Understanding who you are is an incredibly important first step in thinking about what you want to do after you graduate. In this episode Dawn Lees, Student Employability and Development Manager, explores how you can reflect on what interests you, what your strengths, skills, preferences, values and motivations are and how this can help you with your career planning.

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Motivations questionnaire in Handshake.

Exeter Award and Exeter Leaders Award

Consider how to identify your skills with Sarah Blunt, Employability and Careers Consultant, by watching this short video: https://youtu.be/NvqKFQ--f54

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Once you have done your research, you’ll need to start making informed and realistic decisions to narrow down your options. In this episode, Dawn Lees, Student Employability and Development Manager, explores how you can use what you have discovered about yourself and learnt about the job market to decide which jobs or sector interests you most.

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Exploring your options involves expanding your knowledge of the range of occupations, sectors and organisations that may be of interest to you. In this episode, Dawn Lees, Student Employability and Development Manager, discusses how you can explore the opportunities available to you, whether that's applying for graduate roles or further study.

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