Careers and employability
Student Futures offers everything you need to plan your next steps – from events and advice to real-world experience.
Know exactly what you want to do after you graduate? Or are you stuck for job ideas? Whatever your situation, our team of career advisers can offer you tailored online and one-to-one advice to help you plan for your next step.
You can also access a range of workshops to help boost your employability, including:
- choosing a career
- searching for jobs
- preparing for interviews
- application writing
Our service is available to every student, including postgraduate taught and postgraduate research students. And for our international students, we offer advice on gaining employment in the UK and at home.
Among UK’s most sought-after graduates
95% of our graduates were in employment and/or further study, or engaged in other activities such as travelling, 15 months after their course ended (source: Graduate Outcomes 2021/22 survey).
Myriad organisations to choose from
Our students have had placements with more than 100 multinational, SME, and local employers.
Work experience
Ready to start your career? We work with a wide range of employers to bring you placement and internship opportunities – helping you build experience and confidence before you graduate.
We’re here to help you find work experience throughout your studies. From one-day tasters to year-long placements, you’ll gain insight into the working world, build your professional network, boost your CV and discover what you enjoy.
I had two meetings with my careers adviser: an interview preparation meeting and a mock interview. She was absolutely lovely, and provided me with great advice on how to answer interview questions successfully, and what to look out for. With all her support, I managed to secure a graduate job!
The shorter, flexible opportunities can easily fit around your studies and other commitments. But you also have the option to try longer, paid internships, which can be completed around studies or during breaks and over the summer.
You can even participate in a paid summer research placement or gain work experience abroad.
Or you can incorporate work into your degree: many of our programmes also have an element of work experience built in.
Whatever opportunity you choose, you'll still have access to all of our libraries, facilities and student support and wellbeing services. It’s the best of both worlds.
A few of the companies we’ve worked with
Careers on-demand
Need support on your own schedule? Student Futures+ gives you 24/7 access to tools, advice, and interactive content to boost your employability.
As a student, you will also have access to our intelligent CV checker which uses advanced AI to provide instant feedback on your CV, 24 hours a day.
I can really recommend getting in touch with the careers team, I definitely couldn’t have got a job without them! Cath supported me through every stage of the recruitment process. She really got to know me and gave really good advice about how to manage video and live interviews. It really helped with my nerves and confidence preparing me for all the things that happened throughout the process.
International student employability support
Student Futures offers tailored support for international students, including one-to-one career advice to explore part-time jobs, placements, and graduate roles in the UK and globally — plus help mapping your career journey.
You’ll also have access to the International Students Employability Pathway, which covers:
- career planning in the UK and internationally
- finding part-time jobs and work experience
- CVs and job applications tailored to UK employers
- interview preparation and practice
- networking and understanding UK visa routes
Learn more on our dedicated international students careers support page.
Graduate recruitment
Hundreds of student and graduate recruiters target the University annually as part of their recruitment campaigns, and we work alongside them so you can:
- browse more than 1,000 opportunities on our online jobs board
- attend careers fairs (both general and sector-specific)
- access employer events and showcases to learn more about them
We have an excellent graduate employment record. Cardiff University is ranked the 12th best UK university for employability in the Global University Employability Ranking (Times Higher Education 2024).
Our graduates are in demand across a broad range of careers and we remain an institution that both national and international employers target.
Start a business
Have an idea for a business, or social enterprise or looking to go freelance? We know that not all students' career paths lead to a traditional job role, so we offer tailored support which combines expert business mentoring with in-depth training and access to seed funding and desk space.
You also have the opportunity to become mentors to other students – a very popular scheme which encourages skills development in both mentees and mentors.
Watch Seb's experience with YMLEAN
Employability award
Our employability award offers you the chance to gain recognition for the activities you do during your studies, including work experience, mentoring, societies, volunteering and part-time work.
The award is open to all students and helps develop key employability skills that demonstrate to employers you are ready for the world of work.
Keep up-to-date
Follow us on social media to receive regular updates and opportunities from Student Futures:
Student Futures
We are a member of The Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS).
Source: Graduate Outcomes 2021/22 survey results published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). HESA open data is published under the (CC BY 4.0) licence
