Career Development and Networking

We endeavour to provide our students with the best possible start to their careers after university. Our dedication to nurturing the professional development of our students opens up a world of prospects and possibilities to each and every one of our graduates.

In today's highly competitive job market, standing out from the crowd is more important than ever. During the third year of an undergraduate degree, students have an exciting opportunity to apply for a paid 12-month placement.

We work with a wide-range of employers to provide placements across different organisations and sectors offering students real-life, practical work experience and the opportunity to develop key skills and build their professional network to become more employable on graduation.

The Business School offers a work placement syllabus and topics as part of this include:

• Introduction to placements
• Final year presentations
• Psychometric tests
• Assessment centres
• Interviews and telephone interviews
• Commercial awareness and researching companies
• Completing online applications
• Effective CVs and cover letters

In addition to the workshops, there is ongoing advice and support on offer via student drop-ins and quick queries at the Placement Office.

Placement providers have included:

• Careers Events
  Careers events such as the Spotlight series, which include presentations and roundtable discussions on working in the Retail, Finance and Hospitality and Marketing sectors are available for students and graduates to attend. The annual Careers Fair is a great opportunity for students to network and attracts many Leeds Business School students and graduates.
• Skills Workshops
  The Business School offers various support on employability themed topics for students through inductions, lectures and workshops. Students are taught the importance of networking, interview skills and CV writing through a dedicated skills workshop programme, open to students across all levels.
• Guidance and Support
  With dedicated Careers Consultants to provide support along the way, our students are offered careers guidance on a range of topics including career decision making and planning and applications for graduate schemes and jobs.
• Online Resources
  Students can also access online careers resources, careers guidance, vacancies 24/7 and have the opportunity to obtain careers support for up to five years after graduation.

Our guest speaker events support students in their professional development, keep them up to date with current business best practice and offer the opportunity to hear from influential and inspiring business leaders from a wide range of backgrounds, providing invaluable professional networking opportunities.

Our annual Leeds Business School Speaker Series is open to students, alumni and professionals and offers opportunities to learn from industry experts covering a range of topics.