Chances are, ‘grad jobs’ will be a term you are all too familiar with. From conversations, lectures, and just engaging in the daily happenings of uni life – grad jobs have somehow found a way of sneaking into almost every student-related discussion.

This commonality with the term may not necessarily equate to knowledge, however. Grad jobs are widely perceived as a sort of obscure, unobtainable phenomenon, so we endeavoured to find out exactly what they entail and how they can be found. To help us, we reached out to an expert on the topic – Katrina Forbes, Head of Careers and Employability at the University.

What Exactly Are Grad Jobs?

Perhaps the most pressing question we had for Katrina was that of clarification – what do careers services, tutors, and peers mean when they talk about ‘grad jobs’?

“Graduate jobs are those that you would need a degree to qualify for. That is quite a broad definition, so I will break it down a little more,” Katrina explained. “Some jobs will ask for any degree but not specify a level, so they could be open to someone with a pass degree, Honours, Masters or PhD. Other jobs will be specific about the level of degree, and others the subject studied.”

Delving further into the grad job conundrum, Katrina detailed what these positions can look like: “Some of the opportunities available to graduates come with a specific training programme which can last from six months to three years – these can be called graduate schemes, graduate programmes or graduate trainee roles. Others are jobs and don’t have a long training period, but will have an induction like any job.”

While essays, examinations and part-time jobs can occupy so much of our time that even considering the post-study world can feel overwhelming, Katrina insists that taking small steps can achieve a lot: “There is a wide range of potential graduate jobs out there, so people often look at options open to them with their degree as a starting point.” Katrina highlighted the university’s Careers Service website as a great place to look for those beginning their job search.

Katrina also recommends attending one of the university’s events focused on career prospects, in addition to those run by organisations recruiting graduates. A full calendar can be found here, and she suggests that those on the job hunt watch out for our soon-to-be-announced sessions. “Running on the week beginning 20 May, we will have lots of in-person and online sessions on all things careers,” Katrina says.

How To Find and Approach Grad Jobs

Now that general definitions and clarifications are out of the way, you may be wondering is how to navigate the intimidating world of grad jobs. Katrina understands the struggle of having so many graduate-focused websites out there, and how to determine which ones are the most useful. “The best place to start is our own vacancy system, MyCareerHub Strathclyde,” she tells us. “It’s free for organisations to advertise, so there are lots of them on there, and we quality check all the roles to make sure the company is advertising something that is relevant and offers an appropriate salary.”

For recruiting organisations that don’t utilise the MyCareerHub platform, Katrina points to the career service once again, which has information on other places to look for vacancies and sector-specific resources.

The Hidden Graduate Job Market

A major concern among many students and recent graduates is that of the ‘hidden’ job market – graduate- focused employment opportunities that are not advertised as such. For this, Katrina recommends checking out the university’s guide on making speculative applications for top tips on navigating the hidden job market.

Networking is also essential when seeking out lucrative, yet concealed, grad opportunities, but Katrina claims that it doesn’t have to be so daunting: “It sounds like a formal process, and I always think this puts students off, but we all network. We all have family, friends, colleagues and uni staff we talk to all the time. That’s networking! Not as scary sounding when you look at it like that.” By utilising the university’s resources and tips for approaching networking, Katrina insists students and graduates can find out how to make these chats work and expand the number of people they talk to.

Not Quite Ready Yet?

Dedicating years of your life to seemingly endless studying can be a draining experience, no matter how rewarding it can feel at times. Therefore, whether you have a clear career goal in mind or you’re considering various options, Katrina wants everyone to know that the University’s careers service will still cater for your situation. “Sometimes people are not ready straight out of university or feel they require a bit more experience. In this case, I would suggest that they look at the resources we have on choosing a career, or look at the course we have created,” Katrina says.

Katrina also recommends the relaxed environment of appointments with the university’s career consultants if you want to discuss your career prospects and ambitions. If you still haven’t got everything figured out just yet, don’t worry – all of the university’s career services are available for up to five years after you graduate, so there’s no rush.

Omar Malik

Since high school, I have been immersed in numerous areas of journalism.

Volunteering and interning at establishments focused on sports journalism, media reporting on underrepresented groups including disabled people, as well as writing monthly articles in my own time, the field of journalism has always captured my attention over the past decade.

I graduated in 2022 in English Literature MA Hons from the University of Edinburgh, and I feel as though those analytical and stylistic teachings have only aided my pursuit for a career in media writing and reporting, especially as I undertake a Masters in Digital Journalism MLitt at Strathclyde University.