Xinyue Zhao explores her journey navigating CVs, job interviews, and career aspirations as one of GDI’s employability champions.
This blog is part of a series by our Employability Champions, helping to prepare graduates for life after study. Read our piece by Raju Sarkar discussing the challenges and opportunities associated with finding a development sector job in India here, or read Vinka Maharani’s tips on navigating your career journey as an international student returning home here.
I am Xinyue Zhao, currently studying MSc Management and Implementation of Development Projects.
As an international student pursuing a master’s degree at the University of Manchester, I undertook a challenging and rewarding career exploration journey through the university’s Career Services Centre. This blog post aims to share how the resources provided by the school helped me transition from having little knowledge of the UK job market to becoming a confident newcomer to the professional world.
In the UK, international students encounter significant difficulties in accessing job market information while studying. This is particularly challenging for master’s students, as their intensive one-year academic programs leave little time for career preparation. Additionally, international students who are not native English speakers face language barriers during interviews, further complicating the employment process.
Initial exploration and preparation
When I started my career exploration journey, I had an unfamiliarity with resume formats and interview techniques in the UK. The Careers Service provided significant support with this, equipped with a dedicated team ready to assist international students and a wealth of online resources.
By accessing the International Pathway and participating in the “Get CV Ready” pathway, I received not only systematic feedback on my CV through the CareerSet online tool, but also practical advice on adapting to the UK job market from CV review advisors. These experiences greatly boosted my confidence in job hunting. It was also a valuable start to receiving professional help from the university, understanding the UK job market, and meeting more people.
Engaging with peers as an employability champion
The careers service not only provided a platform for learning and sharing, but also offered the opportunity to interact with like-minded international students, creating a supportive network. For me, it has been a great honour to become a member of the GDI Employability Champion team. This role involved specialized training, which equipped me with the necessary skills to support my peers by listening to their voices.
As part of my responsibilities, I led events such as Open Space, where students from diverse backgrounds could share their experiences and discover valuable resources. Through my observations and interactions, I noticed that many peers were keenly interested in improving their interview performance. However, they recognized the need for more professional guidance on CVs and cover letters as a preparatory step.
Many students primarily rely on social media to filter information and are often not proficient with or aware of the valuable resources provided by the university. Therefore, I realized the importance of offering step-by-step guidance and professionally curated resources for international students new to the UK. It’s meaningful to introduce these students to Careers Service resources, helping them feel more confident and prepared for their careers.
For more insights into our findings and summaries of student needs discovered during Open Space, please visit the GDI Employability Champion Padlet.
Additionally, as international students often face challenges in navigating a variety of unfamiliar resources and opportunities, we can also engaged in more discussions about what we needed: how to improve networking skills, how to make our CVs more competitive, and unique interview patterns in the UK. We also invited each other to participate in Career Connect events, expected in boosting our competitive edge.
Participating in career events
Throughout our master’s program, the University of Manchester carefully prepared a series of special career development events for international students, from an Introduction to the UK Job Market to building confidence in interviews and assessment centres. Through participating in each event, I gained a deeper understanding of the UK’s professional environment and job-seeking requirements.
The mock interviews with peers helped me enhance my response skills and build my confidence. It was also a great opportunity to connect with other international students who shared similar career aspirations.
We exchanged valuable information and insights, laying the groundwork for a professional network. Some of them were still pursuing their studies while others had already graduated. They mentioned that even after leaving campus, they continued to receive support from the university’s career services during their job searches.
Utilizing university resources for interview preparation
When applying for positions, the application materials and the interview process are crucial. At the GDI’s Open Space event, participants mentioned that international students could face challenges due to cultural and language barriers, which might affect their performance in interviews. This could lead to outcomes below expectations.
Professionals at various interview skills workshops advised us to consider what information the recruiter wants to obtain from us and what abilities we should demonstrate in our answers, by putting ourselves in the interviewer’s shoes. ShortlistMe can be used for online video interview practice, where personalized feedback on aspects such as speech rate and common phrases from AI assessment is received.
Additionally, booking Interview Simulation through Career Connect involves meaningful discussions about the skills required for the positions applied for, and it mirrors the actual interview process, including skills-based and behavioural questions.
The advisor personalized the experience by asking whether to simulate an actual interview (completing all questions at once before receiving feedback), or to receive feedback in real-time for each question. This personalized guidance is significant, enabling the applicant to learn and adapt to the interview environment and approach interviewers with greater composure.
More importantly, the mock interview practices, along with the online simulations, can be booked multiple times, allowing continuous refinement of your skills.
Conclusion
Through the range of Career Services offered, I not only improved my professional skills but also built a supportive network for sharing information. I am deeply grateful to the University of Manchester’s Career Services for gradually helping me understand and adapt to a foreign job market, instilling confidence and a sense of achievement in my career journey.
This experience was not just about preparing for a job, it was a journey of self-discovery and growth. Looking forward, I will continue using the skills and knowledge I’ve gained to take on more professional challenges and opportunities, and hope to inspire more international students to seek out similar support and derive benefits from it.
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Note: This article gives the views of the author/academic featured and does not represent the views of the Global Development Institute as a whole.
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Photo by Jan Kahánek on Unsplash