3 career hacks I've discovered in the last three months of my on-campus internship and how you can use them to prep for your future

By Cameryn Dick , Events & Social Media Intern and Undergraduate Business Management & English Literature Student

I’m fortunate to be both a student and an intern at the University of Glasgow. Studying a joint degree in English Literature and Business Management, I’m no stranger to the dreaded question: “So, what do you want to do after university?” As you can imagine, that question anticipates a detailed response when you’re an intern at UofG Careers .

While I still haven’t perfected my answer, my internship has given me a new appreciation for the University's huge variety of resources to help students plan for the future.

Here are three things I’ve learnt about how to plan for my career as a UofG Careers Events & Social Media Intern.

Attend careers fairs

There are multiple careers fairs that run throughout the year on campus, each varying in the employers/industries that attend.

Before my internship, I’d briefly attended the Go Abroad Fair but had never been to the more traditional careers fairs with rooms full of employers to talk to. They seemed too intimidating, and I didn’t see why I should approach employers when I didn’t know what kind of jobs I was interested in. I later realise that it’s a great chance to see what opportunities are available which then allowed me to narrow down potential routes for my career.

I’m looking forward to the arts careers-focused fair in semester 2 as it’s the most specific to my degree, but from working at all the fairs, I’ve realised that the vast majority of company's don’t limit themselves to exclusively hiring from one subject area. For example, big accounting firms have marketing and HR departments to staff.

Despite not actively looking for internships or graduate schemes, attending career fairs has encouraged me to consider a much wider range of potential careers and has piqued my interest in specific companies I’ll be looking into when I graduate.

Make the most of LinkedIn, including LinkedIn Learning

I didn’t even have a LinkedIn account before I started my internship. Looking back, I can see why the Careers & Employability Managers may have been so surprised at that, especially since the University offers students free access to LinkedIn Learning . This e-learning platform has a library of over 12,000 courses broken down into three key areas: business, creative and technology.

So far, I’ve taken advantage of the Introduction to Photography course?which has helped me in the content creation aspect of my internship and hopefully my Instagram posts as well. I’m also determined to complete the Microsoft 365 tutorials on offer to give myself a leg up in the job market.

Along with the upskilling opportunities LinkedIn offers, it’s a great platform to highlight professional experience and skills. I feel confident that my LinkedIn profile gives a good impression to prospective employers and serves as an additional opportunity to sell myself.

LinkedIn is also a useful platform to archive experience, skills and awards that may otherwise be overlooked. In the past, I’ve forgotten to include certain skills and experience in job applications whereas now I refer to my LinkedIn to ensure that these invaluable skills are put to use.

Learn what you like through work/internship experiences

I’ve found that real-life experience has been the most helpful in considering what I’m interested in and narrowing down future career paths.

Since starting my internship, I’ve been able to meet people in a range of different roles and discover what their position entails on a day-to-day basis. This has given me more realistic and relevant insight than any amount of online research ever could. I now have a more nuanced understanding of what careers appeal to my personality and fit my skillset.

Ultimately, my internship has taught me that no experience is a waste of your time.

Ultimately, my internship has taught me that no experience is a waste of your time. It'll either push you forward in an area you’re interested in or help you determine a better direction to go in.

Other resources

Our Internship Masterclass : Learn how to find and apply to internship opportunities in this online session

Our Internship Hub : Browse on-campus and local internship opportunities that are exclusive to UofG students

Our Internship Hub application guide : Access this Moodle for tips and tricks to a successful application to our internship programme