Even though many of our graduates will have progressed in their careers since completing a case study, they are still of interest to students who wish to gain an understanding of the world of work.

Careers advice to students on a 1-to-1, group and teaching basis, from under to postgraduates and early years researchers.

I also liaise with employers, ranging from those in the Leeds area through to global organisations such as the U.N.

In some ways there is no such thing as most days are different though it is likely to include a mixture of the above. There is some preparation for the group and teaching sessions I have to do and for the latter there is marking.

My days are also influenced by the academic year with term-time being taken up with student facing activities and employer work usually taking place in the student holidays or the summer (these times are not holidays for us)!

The variety of it! As well as the activities mentioned above I also get to work on discrete projects, for example I got the opportunity to take 17 students to New York on a leadership programme for a week.

I have also been involved in a project with Leeds City Council to look at how Leeds as a city region can retain its graduate talent.

The main challenge is to juggle all of the above especially during term-time, so, organisation is key as well as being flexible for those events that take place outside of the normal working day.

From doing my undergraduate degree (History & Politics) I always wanted to work in H.E. initially as an academic. Also, as someone who went to university as a mature student I had wished I had been more aware of careers advice when I probably needed some.

Though I didn’t end up being an academic in politics I now work mainly with politics students at Leeds. Having a PhD in the subject gives me both in insight as to how they might be thinking as well as an interest in what they might do on graduation.

After my undergraduate degree I did a Postgraduate Diploma in Careers Guidance but with regard to skills these are mainly interpersonal skills, especially communication and presentation skills.

From my PhD I would say that an awareness of the H.E. sector in general and the research skills I gained as I relay on these in parts of the role that involve taking part in projects.

Whilst working at the University of Leeds, further training has been on-going. As part of my role involves teaching I have been on an accredited teaching course which gives me fellowship of the Higher Education Academy. I can also take advantage of the University of Leeds’s staff training programmes, ranging from IT to leadership courses.

At the moment I still see myself continuing to work in the H.E. sector with students either advising as I am now or getting involved with employability related projects.

PhDs can lead to work in many fields apart from the obvious one of academia so it is a good idea to try to keep an open mind and be curious. Don’t be afraid of getting in touch with people who do the kind of work or are employed by an organisation that appeals to you.

For instance, if you are interested in this kind of work there is the Careers Service at the University of Sheffield!