Given their difference in age, life experiences and interests, it’s no surprise that many mature students find themselves trying to overcome more barriers than the typical student accessing the services that the University of Leeds has to offer. At the Careers Service, we understand this and are working on increasing the engagement of mature students, so that every student benefits from our services.
What we offer:
- Drop-ins with Peer Support Assistants (PSAs)
- Monday to Friday, 10:00am – 16:00pm.
- Student staff are trained to support fellow students with queries about CVs, Cover Letters, Interviews, Assessment Centres and anything else related to employment.
- A diverse team, including mature and Post-Graduate student staff with experience in the world of work prior to studying.
- Keep an eye out for themed drop-ins throughout semester two (some will be aimed specifically at mature students).
- MyCareer
- Follow this link to check it out!
- We use MyCareer to promote opportunities such as summer internships, placement years and graduate roles.
- Some opportunities are only available to students at the University of Leeds (Exclusive to Leeds – summer internships, part-time term-time internships, placement years and graduate roles).
- Appointments with Careers Advisors
- Full-time staff members with experience supporting all students across the university (including mature students).
- They can run mock interviews, give guidance on how best to prepare for assessment centres and interviews, and advise you on how to draw your skills out of any previous experience and tailor them to individual applications and CVs.
- Appointments can be online or in-person and are made via the MyCareer website.
- Interview rooms
- All students can book a room to use in the Careers Centre if they have an online interview or assessment centre – this is also done through MyCareer.
Specifically for mature students:
- We understand that some mature students come to University with professional experience, having already worked before studying. However, we also know that other mature students come to University without work experience, having spent time studying, caring for others, or travelling, just to name a few examples. Our advice and support for CVs, Cover Letters, Assessment Centres and Interviews are tailored to each student’s individual experiences (both educational and professional).
- We understand that some mature students may feel like they cannot take part in a placement year or enrol on graduate programmes – this is not true. We encourage and support all students to gain such work experience to complement their degrees, to experience a new work environment on a temporary basis with a focus on learning and growing. Our resources provide information on what programmes are available, how to apply and expert advice to ensure that you have the best chance at success!
- We understand that many mature students have other commitments besides university- so drop-ins are every weekday between 10:00am – 16:00pm, to cater for as many people as possible. If these times do not work for you, you can ask us any question via MyCareer or Instagram @leedsunicareers.
- We understand that many mature students will not be on campus as often – appointments with careers advisors can be booked online, anytime and take place via Teams during the week.
- We understand that many mature students will have preconceptions which make them adverse to attending the Careers Centre. However, staff at the Careers Centre are in regular contact with the Lifelong Learning Centre to ensure we are continuously improving what’s on offer for mature students.
Where are we?
5 – 7 Cromer (between the Esther Simpson building and Charles Morris Halls of Residences).
The Careers Centre is an inclusive and welcoming place for all students to use to make the most out of their time at university.
A personal note:
In my experience, being a mature student is an asset in the world of work. I am planning on doing an internship (placement year) between my second and final year. As I am now applying, I feel like being older than most other applicants, who are direct entrants, gives me an advantage. I can use the range of work and life experience that I gained before starting my studies when writing my CV, cover letters and discussing my background in interviews.
I feel like I have a better understanding of the kinds of jobs that I would (and would not) like to do during my placement year, and afterwards, too. The Careers Service has been able to help enormously – before working here, I used the service and found the environment and staff to be welcoming and friendly. Of course, as a member of staff, I have been able to learn about our resources in detail and how best to utilise them in my search, and I hope now to be able to share this with other mature students, too.
My advice would be to consider a placement year or summer internship – I strongly believe that being a mature student, of any age and background, can be an asset that I hope the Careers Centre can help you recognise in your CV and applications. Internships are a great way to gain more work experience in a new sector, without the pressure of it being a permanent position. They can also be a great first step into aspirational industries!
I have written this blog with not only with my own experiences in mind, but also considering those of other mature students that I have worked with on the Middle Ground Network start-up project and represented while sitting on the Mature Student Advisory Board.
I encourage all mature students to come to Cromer Terrace, say hello to us and ask any questions so we can help you out – I hope to see you soon!
Mitchell Hale – BSc Business Economics
Student Success Intern at the Lifelong Learning Centre
Peer Support Assistant at the Careers Centre
Careers Service Blog 