Career Zone Podcast

The decision to change or leave your course will be something only a handful of students consider, but for those in their first year this is a decision that can weigh heavily on you. If you are not enjoying your studies or feeling that university currently is not for you then continue listening.

In this episode we hear Careers Consultants Sarah Blunt and Fiona Hartley talking about the options and help available for those who find themselves uncertain if their degree is for them. We also hear from James a Finalist on the BA Film Studies course. James shares his own experience of the decision to switch both subject choice and institution before finally coming to Exeter. We explore how he felt about making the decision and what influenced his next steps before talking about the support he received and sharing his own advice and tips for anyone finding themselves in a similar situation.

For more information and advice about the options you have and signposted support  listen to podcast 1 or read our dedicated Career Zone webpages Thinking of Leaving or Changing Course | Career Zone | University of Exeter ‘

Other useful articles on this topic

Further Support from Exeter University Students’ Union – Guild or SU: Offer advice and support.  For more information about the support available:

This week Zuzanna Radecka, Partnerships and Global Employability Officer, is joined by students Hannah and Josh, to discuss their experience of taking part in the EAIE Conference. Hannah and Josh share how they have applied the skills they developed from their Global Leaders Experience to real life situations, how their experience has influenced their career aspirations and provide advice to students considering applying for a Global Leaders Experience.

The Global Leaders Experience is a unique opportunity to develop your intercultural skills as part of a short, outbound mobility experience. Typically a week in duration and covering themes such as sustainability, human rights and digital heritage, you will travel to a significant city or location outside of the UK and be immersed in the local environment, presented with real-world challenges and work closely with a diverse range of other students and professionals.

In this week’s podcast, we consider commercial awareness in your job search and future career: what is it, why employers value it and how it can benefit you. Rachel Sloan, Employability and Career Consultant, explores how you can improve yours and how your commercial awareness will be assessed when you are applying for jobs. 

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This episode was written by Melissa Benson and recorded by Rachel Sloan.

In this episode Tess Read, Employability and Career Consultant, talks to undergraduate Molly Miles, on her experience of getting a placement and a training contract. Molly shares her experience of how she found a placement just by speculative asking, how much she enjoyed her year, and how it led to that prized goal - a fully funded training contract.

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

Other links:

If you're a current Exeter student, you can book onto a Time and Stress Management session via Handshake. 

Kate Foster, Employability and Career Consultant, is joined by recent alumni Evie to discuss upReach, a social mobility charity that partners with the Career Zone to support students in receipt of the Access to Exeter bursary to develop their employability. With 28% of current students receiving a bursary, Evie shares how she found out about upReach, the activities she got involved with and the advice she would give to her first year self.

You can find out more about upReach and whether you are eligible for support on the upReach website.

In this week’s episode Nicky Hutchinson, Employability and Career Consultant, focuses on the importance of having a master CV. Nicky explains what they are, why it is good practice to keep one and explores the kind of experiences you can include in yours.

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You’ve been invited to a job interview, but how can you prepare yourself?

In this week’s episode, Leanne Bisatt, Employability and Placements Adviser, focus on how you can prepare for answering interview questions. Leanne shares how to answer ‘tell us about yourself’ question and how you can structure your examples using the S.T.A.R technique (situation, task, action and result).

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In this week’s podcast, Rachel Sloan, Employability and Career Consultant, is joined by George Wade, Co-Founder of Zevero, a platform revolutionising carbon management. George shares his inspiring journey, from studying Geography at university to gaining hands-on experience at a startup, and finally, co-founding his own company. George discusses the benefits of working for a startup and shares his top tips on how to apply for a role at a startup and make your application stand out. George also provides an honest look at the challenges and rewards of being an entrepreneur.

STR - Sales Training Representative 

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We last looked at the Graduate Labour Market in October 2023, but what has changed since then? In this episode, Rachel Sloan, Employability and Careers Consultant, looks at the current state of the graduate labour market and the sectors which are expanding.*

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*Data mentioned in this podcast is from December 2024

Devised by Dawn Lees and recorded by Rachel Sloan

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 Sunny Lalli, Employability and Career Consultant, talks to Jon Lindley, Business Affairs at Apple+ 

In this conversation Jon and Sunny explore a theme of alternative careers to law, of how an academic law qualification can be harnessed in non-law graduate work, examine the transferability of skills from studying law, and how to harness the power of planned happenstance to secure a meaningful career. 

Further resources touched upon in the episode: