News & Events

Your Future is Waiting: Empowering Graduates for the Job Market

Alumni UK Live free online event: Tuesday 11 February 15:00-16:00 GMT

Getting started on your career is an exciting but daunting time – and international graduates and students of UK universities face particular challenges.

How do you network in your second language? How do interview styles differ between the UK and your home country? And how can you make the most of your time in the UK under the Graduate Route?

To help you transition smoothly from study to employment, we’ll be exploring these issues – and many more – at the upcoming panel discussion and Q&A session Your Future is Waiting: Empowering Graduates for the Job Market.

It’s part of Alumni UK Live: the free two-day online professional development festival by the British Council for anyone who has studied with a UK university as an overseas student.

Navigating the world of work

Your Future is Waiting: Empowering Graduates for the Job Market is for final year international students and early career alumni of UK universities.

The panel of experts, themselves international graduates of UK universities, include:

Lusine Manukyan, Executive Director (CEO), Health for Armenia

Urvashi Prasad, Director, Office of Vice-Chairman, NITI Aayog, Government of India

Sadiq Basha, CEO and Founder, Edvoy

Rawan F. Taha, Research, Assessment, Monitoring and Reporting Officer, United Nations World Food Programme

It will be chaired by me, David Gee, Director of GradLink.

Together, we’ll offer practical insights and share inspirational experiences and strategies. We want you to come away from the session fired up to negotiate this pivotal period with confidence!

Our top job hunting tips

So what will we cover? That depends on the expert panel and you, the attendees.

But talking to recent international graduates, here’s a preview of a few issues that might crop up.

1. Setting goals

How do you go about achieving your dream career?

Mohan, a manufacturing engineer from India who graduated from UWE Bristol, says: “Identify what you're really passionate about and do everything you can to prove that passion: do your research, keep up-to-date with developments in your industry, and build your experience from day one, through internships, volunteering, competitions – anything that gives you that exposure.”

However, you’re likely to need to start small and work your way up.

Faeza from Canada, a regional sales and business development director, says: “Remember that the first place you work doesn′t have to be the only place that you work! Get your foot in the door somewhere to get some experience under your belt.”

2. Interview styles and techniques

Competition for many positions is fierce, and the graduates who succeed will be those who are prepared.

Harikrishnan from India, whose degree is from UWE Bristol, is a financial analyst for Morgan Stanley. He says: “It can really help to practise using the STAR model of ‘situation, target, action, result’ for answering the types of scenario questions used in these interviews. Look into the gamut of tests the company may use, including mental aptitude tests, and dual test games.”

And Malaysian graduate Ilyas, an events manager in Bath, says: “Prepare well for interviews in terms of doing your research, but, at the same time, remember to be authentic. Don’t be too scripted. Let the interviewer see the real you, and why you are so passionate about getting into that industry. Employers are really keen to see a genuine interest.”

3. Networking

Whether it’s by refreshing your LinkedIn profile or attending events such as Alumni UK Live, you need to make contacts to open doors.

Sofia from Greece is a UWE Bristol graduate working as a junior business developer. She says: “Networking is crucial in the UK job market, so make an effort to build relationships with professionals in your field. Join professional organizations, societies, attend events, and consider reaching out to alumni from [your university] who are currently working in the UK.”

Register for Alumni UK Live today

We look forward to welcoming you to Your Future is Waiting: Empowering Graduates for the Job Market on Tuesday 11 February 15:00-16:00 GMT.

Join this session and other inspiring talks, networking opportunities and idea sharing by registering today for your free place at Alumni UK Live, 11-12 February 2025.