Careers Offices

Advantages: CV Service, Help with interviews
Disadvantages: It takes time and effort to find good information. You need to identify what's useful to your interview and it's VERY boring wading through all the different material available!!

Never underestimate your university career office. Last year, when I was in my final year at university (at UMIST), I spent a short period of timeliving in there because I had a job interview at PricewaterhouseCoopers. I never realised the vast amount of services these places offer, nor did I realise the vast amount of information they hold on each company. ~~~~MOCK INTERVIEWS~~~~ For instance do you know, on request, the career office will give ...
...for? This interview is actually recorded on video and after the interview, the staff will make you watch the video (cringe) and go through all the positive aspects and, more importantly, all the negative aspects of your interview which range from not answering a given question fully to constantly playing with your hair. Watching the video actually gives you, the interviewee, the chance to see the interview from the interviewers point of view (if ... Read review

Advantages: Info in one place
Disadvantages: Info not always suitable for diverse cases

...experience I went to the careers office to get a job. Once I had explained all my situation they were gobsmacked and werent sure what to recommend! As a mature student I am finding that graduate positions are impossible to come by, they all seem to want people fresh at the age of 21 I cant even get an interview even when I have experience of the job already! Then came the problem with the two children I have, I dont think slightly flexible working ...
...against me what could the careers people do? Not a lot, to put it politely. Suggest I start at the bottom in the most menial, low paid job, not a chance with £8,000 student loans and overdrafts. Anyway why should I, I have more experience and better knowledge then someone who just left school!! Warehouse work, ditto! Working a clerical job? I didnt go to uni to type letters all day! So what is the solution? Keep perservering I think, I even go for ... Read review

Advantages: Set me up with training providers
Disadvantages: Annoying as hell

...trip down to my local careers office. Thought they could help me. Got there and what a nightmare I had over the space of 3 months. I talked to at least 5 different careers advisors who I had to repeat all the same information to and got me so wound up. They were not one bit helpful for me and 3 months later I still had no job. After a very long time they set me up with some training providers which were a lot more helpful - but, alas! I still look ... Read review

Advantages: None
Disadvantages: They waste your time

...under eighteen. Go to the Careers Dept. My son made an appointment which took over a week to get,he took all their tests and was interviewed which took 90 minutes only to then be told ,"Sorry, we have no jobs", the careers department then gave him the local paper to look through. What a waste of time. He had been doing that at home. Under eighteen's receive no Job seekers allowance, you can only claim family allowance for several weeks after they ... Read review

Advantages: okay if you have all day
Disadvantages: if looking for a job try elsewhere

went into my local job centre to look for another job,as i am sick of mine,and i could not find any cards on boards anywhere.instead there were these big blocks with screens on , telling you to press this and that on the screen.i thought "oh this looks good!"how wrong was i ,i pressed the screen and was took to a screen with a list of careers,so i pressed general work and it took me to another screen partime/fulltime/any ,i pressed any,hey presto ...
...job to come ,no a map of the area,please press one square,so i pressed one,and waited ,and waited ,thinking i need to press another button but no it changed,sorry no jobs in this area please try again,so i tried again. if you have ever used one of these machines ,was it me or don't you think they are a complete waste of time,i could go in before and scan the boards and be out within 30 mins ,using these machines would probably take a few hours looking ... Read review