As an international student trying to stay in the UK after graduation, my future career is something I think about often. Naturally, earlier this year, I turned to the Career Service as I began my search for a 2026 summer internship. Hoping to help fellow lost uni students in search of employment, I took this week to gather my favourite (and least favourite) parts of the Careers Service.
Like many other students, my first exposure to the Careers Service was through their emails. Unfortunately, like many other students, I never check my email unless I’m waiting for marks back. When I started doing so, though, I quickly noticed that the Careers Service mailing list is a great starting point for finding out about the multitude of events that they run at any given time. From foundational workshops to library pop-ups with possible employers, the Careers Service tries its best to teach us the basics and introduce us to future career options, even providing options for those of us who have no idea where we’ll go after our four years. In this sense, our Careers Service is a great one. Navigating from their latest email to their website provides us with all of the most important information at our fingertips. For both employment and graduate school paths, the website consolidates up-to-date knowledge about what to put on a CV and cover letter, how to get both of them proofread, preparing for an interview, and dealing with online interviews. Additionally, it provides information about future events, appointment bookings for any questions you may have, and drop-in session schedules. Finally, alongside all of these resources, the service takes an additional focus on inclusivity, with specific assistance for international students and those who face additional barriers. The bottom line is, the Careers Service’s website, emails, and office (on the 3rd floor of the library!) is the best place to begin planning for the future.
However, as I have gradually learned more about what it takes to win against the increasingly selective job market, I’ve found that even the Careers Service cannot answer all my questions. One of the main problems lies in the informal portions of a job search. As I began to find out, many of those hired for internships have been chosen due to connections and additional communication outside of just a CV and cover letter. As a uni student, it can be difficult to do this, which is why connecting to Edinburgh University alumni is important. Unfortunately, though, the Careers Service doesn’t quite have this covered. While there is an alumni LinkedIn Page and a connection request form that can provide you with the names of alumni who work in fields you are interested in, neither of these platforms enables the same amount of engagement that an alumni database would. On LinkedIn, for example, the alumni page remains difficult to navigate and is sometimes inaccessible.
Aside from this, while the Careers Service does provide opportunities for students to meet possible employers through events like pop-ups and dedicated career fairs, the options within these events are often limited. Information about possible opportunities is similarly limited. With most of this information held on MyCareerHub — the service’s UoE-dedicated job hunting platform — prospects can be difficult to find, and often many relevant postings fall through the cracks. Here, the Careers Service could improve by providing more information about possible opportunities to students in a more accessible way.
Overall, our Careers Service is excellent at teaching students the basics. If you need help during application season, they are your best bet. At the same time, there are improvements to be made when it comes to assistance with the job search at a higher level.
Image by Mark Chan for The Student
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Is it worth going to the Careers Service?
As an international student trying to stay in the UK after graduation, my future career is something I think about often. Naturally, earlier this year, I turned to the Career Service as I began my search for a 2026 summer internship. Hoping to help fellow lost uni students in search of employment, I took this week to gather my favourite (and least favourite) parts of the Careers Service.
Like many other students, my first exposure to the Careers Service was through their emails. Unfortunately, like many other students, I never check my email unless I’m waiting for marks back. When I started doing so, though, I quickly noticed that the Careers Service mailing list is a great starting point for finding out about the multitude of events that they run at any given time. From foundational workshops to library pop-ups with possible employers, the Careers Service tries its best to teach us the basics and introduce us to future career options, even providing options for those of us who have no idea where we’ll go after our four years. In this sense, our Careers Service is a great one. Navigating from their latest email to their website provides us with all of the most important information at our fingertips. For both employment and graduate school paths, the website consolidates up-to-date knowledge about what to put on a CV and cover letter, how to get both of them proofread, preparing for an interview, and dealing with online interviews. Additionally, it provides information about future events, appointment bookings for any questions you may have, and drop-in session schedules. Finally, alongside all of these resources, the service takes an additional focus on inclusivity, with specific assistance for international students and those who face additional barriers. The bottom line is, the Careers Service’s website, emails, and office (on the 3rd floor of the library!) is the best place to begin planning for the future.
However, as I have gradually learned more about what it takes to win against the increasingly selective job market, I’ve found that even the Careers Service cannot answer all my questions. One of the main problems lies in the informal portions of a job search. As I began to find out, many of those hired for internships have been chosen due to connections and additional communication outside of just a CV and cover letter. As a uni student, it can be difficult to do this, which is why connecting to Edinburgh University alumni is important. Unfortunately, though, the Careers Service doesn’t quite have this covered. While there is an alumni LinkedIn Page and a connection request form that can provide you with the names of alumni who work in fields you are interested in, neither of these platforms enables the same amount of engagement that an alumni database would. On LinkedIn, for example, the alumni page remains difficult to navigate and is sometimes inaccessible.
Aside from this, while the Careers Service does provide opportunities for students to meet possible employers through events like pop-ups and dedicated career fairs, the options within these events are often limited. Information about possible opportunities is similarly limited. With most of this information held on MyCareerHub — the service’s UoE-dedicated job hunting platform — prospects can be difficult to find, and often many relevant postings fall through the cracks. Here, the Careers Service could improve by providing more information about possible opportunities to students in a more accessible way.
Overall, our Careers Service is excellent at teaching students the basics. If you need help during application season, they are your best bet. At the same time, there are improvements to be made when it comes to assistance with the job search at a higher level.
Image by Mark Chan for The Student
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