IN SEARCH
OF DECENT
WORK AFTER
UNIVERSITY
STUDENT HANDBOOK:
A ca ee -de elopmen lea ning esou ce o
non- adi ional s uden s and g adua es
The EMPLOY p ojec : owa ds enhancing ansi ions
o meaning ul and sus ainable g adua e ca ee s o
non- adi ional s uden s
In sea ch o decen wo k a e uni e si y
2
EMPLOY PROJECT S uden Handbook 3
Acknowledgemen s
Fi s ly, we would like o hank all he s uden s
and g adua es who pa icipa ed in he EMPLOY
esea ch p ojec . You s o ies, which you sha ed so
gene ously, a e a he cen e o all ha is use ul in
his handbook.
We would also like o hank he employe s and
uni e si y s a who pa icipa ed in he esea ch
and whose knowledge and expe ience ha e been
in aluable in pu ing his handbook oge he .
A since e no e o app ecia ion and g a i ude o he
ex e nal e alua o s in ol ed in he p oduc ion o he
handbook.
We would like o say a pa icula hank you o he
s uden s ac oss he pa ne coun ies who ook he
ime o ge in ol ed in ad iso y g oups ha allowed
us o es his handbook.
O cou se, he p oduc ion o his handbook, and he
associa ed esea ch ac i i ies, would no ha e been
possible wi hou he unding p o ided h ough he
E asmus+ p og amme.
Many o hose who ha e con ibu ed emain
unnamed he e, bu , included in he abo e, we would
like o hank he ollowing: Sallyann Alexande ;
Magdalena Fi ; Meadhbh Healy; Lisa Hennessy;
Ashling Johns on; Sand a Los y; Roisín Mullen; Dawn
Nelson; Suzanne O’Toole; Linda Ryan; Eliza Tomczyk;
Linda Walsh; and Joanne Whelan.
EMPLOY p ojec websi e: employ.dsw.edu.pl
EMPLOY on Twi e : @EMPLOY2016
In sea ch o decen wo k a e uni e si y
4
Table o Con en s
5. RESPONDING TO THE CHALLENGES:
STUDENT AND GRADUATE STRATEGIES ............... 21
 Re lec ions om esea ch:Waysinwhich
s uden s espond o challenges o g adua e
employmen ....................................................................... 21
S uden oices on s a egies ......................................... 23
6. WHAT SUPPORTS CAN STUDENTS AND
GRADUATES DRAW UPON? ........................................25
Suppo s o non- adi ional s uden s in
ansi ion ............................................................................. 25
In o mal suppo s ............................................................. 25
Suppo s a uni e si y ..................................................... 26
Spo ligh on placemen s, in e nships and
wo k expe ience ............................................................... 29
Suppo s beyond he uni e si y .................................. 30
7. STUDENT DIVERSITY AS AN ASSEST IN THE
GRADUATE LABOUR MARKET ...................................35
 Final e lec ions ................................................................. 37
8. FURTHER RESOURCES .................................................. 39
9. EMPLOY: ABOUT THE RESEARCH PROJECT .........43
1. ABOUT THIS HANDBOOK .............................................. 5
Who is his handbook o ? ................................................5
Lea ning om non- adi ional s uden
expe iences ...........................................................................5
How o use his handbook ................................................6
Di e si y o expe ience as a ich esou ce o
ca ee de elopmen ...........................................................6
P e iewing he chap e s ....................................................7
2. REFLECTING ON YOUR EDUCATIONAL AND
OCCUPATIONAL EXPERIENCES ................................ 9
3. PERSPECTIVES ON EMPLOYMENT AND
‘EMPLOYABILITY’ FROM EMPLOYERS AND
NON-TRADITIONAL STUDENTS ................................ 11
Wha employe s a e looking o in g adua es ..........11
 Re lec ions om esea ch:employe son
g adua es’ employabili y ................................................11
Employe s in hei own wo ds ...................................... 12
Non- adi ional g adua es employabili y alue ...... 14
A c i ical look a employabili y – no jus he
esponsibili y o he g adua e ...................................... 14
4. WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES FOR NON-
TRADITIONAL STUDENTS IN MAKING
THE TRANSITION TO MEANINGFUL AND
SUSTAINABLE GRADUATE EMPLOYMENT? .......... 15
 Re lec ions om esea ch:challenges acing
non- adi ional s uden s sea ch o g adua e
employmen ....................................................................... 15
S uden case s udies on challenges in
ansi ioning o he g adua e labou ma ke ............ 16
EMPLOY PROJECT S uden Handbook 5
1. ABOUT THIS HANDBOOK
Who is his handbook o ?
This handbook is aimed a ‘non- adi ional’ s uden s and g adua es who a e looking o some suppo in
iden i ying a ca ee pa h ha will build on hei li e expe iences and hei uni e si y educa ion in a sa is ying way.
By ‘non- adi ional’ we mean s uden s and g adua es om communi ies and g oups who a e, in some way, unde -
ep esen ed in uni e si y. This includes qui e a di e se ange o g oups such as ma u e s uden s, wo king class
s uden s, s uden s om e hnic mino i ies and s uden s wi h disabili ies.
O e he pas wen y yea s o so uni e si ies ac oss Eu ope ha e begun o open hei doo s o non- adi ional
s uden s. This has eno mously en iched uni e si ies making hem mo e ib an , in e es ing and genuinely
ep esen a i e ins i u ions. We wish o ensu e ha hese s uden s a e ully suppo ed h oughou he a ious
s age o hei uni e si y expe ience including ca ee de elopmen - no leas because we know om his, and
o he esea ch, ha some non- adi ional s uden s con inue o encoun e ba ie s in he job ma ke .
Thespeci icchallenges acedbys uden s omnon- adi ionalbackg oundsa eno iden i iedinalo o ca ee 
guidance ma e ial and impo an issues a e o en le unadd essed. We ha e de eloped his handbook because
we hink i is impo an o ake accoun o he expe iences and needs o non- adi ional s uden s as hey seek o
build hei ca ee s and make, he some imes icky, ansi ion om uni e si y o employmen .
Lea ning om non- adi ional s uden expe iences
The ma e ial om he handbook d aws on 360 in e iews conduc ed by esea che s om a ne wo k o six
uni e si ies om England, I eland, Poland, Po ugal, Spain and Sweden ( u he in o ma ion on he EMPLOY
p ojec can be ound a he back o he handbook).
The esea ch was unded by he EU h ough E asmus+ and conduc ed o e a h ee-yea pe iod. The esea ch
in ol ed a e y wide ange o people ac oss he six coun ies. We spoke o: non- adi ional g adua es and
s uden s; uni e si y s a ; employe s; ep esen a i es om a ious s a e bodies; unions; employe o ganisa ions;
and p o essional bodies.
In hese in e iews we asked o people’s iews on wha makes a g adua e ‘employable’ and explo ed s uden and
g adua eexpe ienceso educa ionandemploymen .Inpa icula ,wewe ein e es edin indingou wha could
help non- adi ional s uden s as hey lea e uni e si y and en e he job ma ke .
Thishandbook o eg ounds he oiceso s uden sandg adua esandhighligh s hei expe iencesandspeci ic
needs. You will, as you engage wi h his handbook, come ac oss s uden expe iences o case s udies om o he
coun ies.Thismayseem,a  i s appea ances,no immedia ely ele an  o heissuesyou acewhe eyouli e.
Howe e , his ans-Eu opean dimension o he handbook, we eel, allows us all o s ep ou side ou own local o
na ional expe iences a bi and may help us o look a he issues we ace om ano he pe spec i e.
Thehandbookdoesno o e alis o  ipsand echniques o  indingwo k-pa lybecause he ea emany
publica ions ha al eady do ha (please see he Fu he Resou ces sec ion a he back o he handbook o a
lis o ca ee se ices and use ul publica ions). Bu we also hink ha some imes his ad ice is oo simplis ic and
sugges s ha unemploymen o being s uck in unsa is ying wo k a e hings ha can be o e come by ha ing he
‘ igh a i ude’.
This is simply no he case. Decades o esea ch, including he ma e ial ga he ed o his p ojec , indica es ha
inequali ies in educa ion, wo k and socie y a e deeply oo ed in Eu ope. Such inequali ies canno be ackled by
indi iduals alone.
Consequen ly, we hink a no ion o ‘employabili y’ as some hing ha is amed as he sole esponsibili y o
g adua es, and all he assump ions ha equen ly go wi h ha , needs o be in e oga ed. I is om his c i ical
and ealis ic pe spec i e ha we wan look a wha non- adi ional s uden s and g adua es can do o enhance
ca ee oppo uni ies.
So ins ead o being a ‘’how o ge a job” handbook, we see his, ins ead, as a lea ning esou ce o hose who a e
hinking abou making he ansi ion om uni e si y o employmen – and pa icula ly as a esou ce ha p omp s
you o ecognise he g adua e labou ma ke wo h o he di e se expe iences ha you al eady ha e as a non-
adi ional s uden .

In sea ch o decen wo k a e uni e si y
6
Thehandbookis ailo edwi h heneedso speci icg oupso s uden sinmindandincludesma e ialon:
 non- adi ional g adua es’ expe iences in making he ansi ion om uni e si y o wo k
 wha employe s a e looking o in g adua es
 some o he common challenges aced by non- adi ional g adua es in he job ma ke
 suppo s and s a egies ha can be used by g adua es in seeking employmen links and e e ences o u he
in o ma ion on employabili y, equali y and highe educa ion
Finally, you may be in e es ed o know ha his handbook is one o wo emana ing om he esea ch: a
companion handbook has been p oduced o employe s and uni e si y s a and can be ound on he p ojec
websi e: h p://employ.dsw.edu.pl/language/en
How o use his handbook
I is in ended ha he handbook will be used in many con ex s and o many pu poses. As such, we ha e chosen a
simple, adap able design.
The handbook is, as we ha e men ioned, a lea ning esou ce and i may be used indi idually o collec i ely in a
g oup-lea ningcon ex .I aims oencou agec i ical e lec iononemploymen andemployabili yinaway ha 
we hink may be o some use o non- adi ional s uden s explo ing possible g adua e ca ee pa hs.
Soyouwill ind, h oughou  hehandbook,ase ieso lea ningac i i ies,whicha edesigned oge you hinking
abou  hesigni icanceo you ownbiog aphical,educa ionalandoccupa ionalexpe iencesiniden i yingand
secu ing he kind o wo k you would like o do.
The ac i i ies a e based on adul educa ion p inciples and me hods which ecognise li ed expe ience as a sou ce
o ich knowledge.
Anadul educa ionpe spec i ealsohighligh s heimpo anceo c i ical e lec ioninpe sonalandg oup
con ex s as a way o challenge o hodoxies which es ic oppo uni ies o de elopmen and o iden i y he
sou ces o injus ice and inequali y.
Each chap e , hen, which ocuses on an impo an aspec o g adua e employabili y, will usually open wi h an
in i a ion o you, he eade , o e lec uponyou own hough son hemain hemeo  hechap e .I will hen,in
mos cases,con ainsomeo ou  e lec ionsonwha we eelweha elea n  om he esea ch.
Then, he e will be some e idence (case s udies, s o ies, e c.) om he esea ch which we in i e you o ead
h ough and anno a e – some imes sugges ing a ques ion o bea in mind as you ead. Following his, he e a e
someac i i ies ha askyou o e lec ,indi iduallyand/o ing oups,onyou  eac ion o hema e ial.
Finally,andinahope ha wecanex endandsus ain helea ningandcon e sa ionsonlineyouwill indano ea 
he end o each chap e which looks like his:
Con inue he con e sa ion on Twi e … @Employ2016
We ha e used Twi e h oughou ou p ojec o sha e indings, esou ces and o alk abou non- adi ional
s uden s’ ansi ion o g adua e wo k. We would lo e i you could join in his con e sa ion o sha e
you eac ions o he a ious ac i i ies and p o oca ions in he handbook bu also o sha e you own
knowledge and expe iences.
Di e si y o expe ience as a ich esou ce o ca ee de elopmen
Al hough he e a e, undoub edly, challenges o non- adi ional s uden s in he sea ch o good g adua e wo k,
i ’s also impo an o ocus on he weal h o di e se expe ience ha you, as such a s uden o g adua e, can o e .
And indeed, wha we ha e lea ned in ou esea ch is ha he e is a desi e amongs many employe s ac oss
Eu ope o mo e owa ds c ea ing a wo k o ce wi h mo e ich and a ied expe iences and backg ounds.
We a e keen, hen, ha in wo king h ough his handbook ha you s a o see he alue in he di e si y o
expe ienceso non- adi ionalg oupsand ha yougain hecon idence ode elopa ichandhones s o yo you 
educa ional and occupa ional li e which will be o eal in e es o g adua e employe s who know he alue, in lo s
o ways,o adi e sewo k o ce.In ac , hehandbookwill inishon hisimpo an andhope ulpoin –i.e. he
di e si y o non- adi ional expe ience and backg ound as a esou ce o g adua e employmen .
EMPLOY PROJECT S uden Handbook 7
Ac i i y 1.1: C ea ing a Ca ee De elopmen Jou nal
A lo o he lea ning ac i i ies in his book a e based a ound indi idual and g oup e lec i e p ocesses. In
o he wo ds, we a e asking you o ake ime o hink qui e deeply abou you pe sonal expe iences in a
b oad social con ex .
You may be amilia wi h his ype o p ocess. O i may be some hing e y new o you. Whe he you a e new
o e lec i e lea ning o no , i is impo an ha you ha e a space somewhe e o cap u e you hough s and
eelings ha come up in esponse o he ac i i ies.
One place o cap u e such hough s is h ough a jou nal. So, we’d like o sugges , ha be o e you go any
u he , ha you s a a Ca ee De elopmen Jou nal which will become he place o you o eco d and
wo k h ough any lea ning ha comes wi h his handbook. This ‘ jou nal’ can ake many o ms– i could be a
adi ional, pape -based jou nal, o maybe a Wo d-based documen , o blog, o audio oice memos on you
phone – wha e e wo ks o you!
Rega dless o i s o m, we hope ha you will con inue o use he jou nal long a e you ha e o go en
abou his handbook and ha i becomes a ui ul space o wo k h ough some o he pe sonal and wide
challenges in you e o s o de elop a ca ee o occupa ional pa h ha has meaning o you.
Jus a inal no e on e lec ion and jou nals. I you ge in o his p ocess, i can become qui e an emo ional
way o lea ning as we hold up he mi o o some o ou pas expe iences. O cou se, no all o hese
expe iences a e always posi i e and e- isi ing hem may ha e qui e an impac on us in he p esen . I you
eel ha he p ocess o e lec ion has unse led you, you may need o alk i h ough wi h someone you us
o wi h he counselling se ices o you uni e si y.
P e iewing he chap e s
A e his in oduc o y chap e , we will s a , hen, by asking you, as we asked he pa icipan s in ou esea ch,
o e lec uponyou ownoccupa ionalandeduca ionalbiog aphy.Tohelpwi h hiswesugges ,andgi esome
guidance, on de eloping a imeline.
Following ha chap e , we hen u n o look a how employe s and s uden s eel ha a uni e si y does, o should,
enhance employabili y. We conside , and will ask you o conside , wha employe s hink makes an employable
g adua e.
We hen mo e o mo e conside a ion abou he challenges acing non- adi ional s uden s in making ansi ions
og adua eemploymen .Again,weaskyou oengagewi h hes o ieseme ging om he esea chby e lec ing
upon he challenges you ha e, o s ill do, in de eloping a g adua e ca ee pa h.
The ollowingchap e swilllooka s a egiesand, inally,suppo swhicha ea ailable o,o need obe
de eloped, o suppo non- adi ional s uden s in hei e o s o de elop a g adua e ca ee pa h.
In sea ch o decen wo k a e uni e si y
8
EMPLOY PROJECT S uden Handbook 9
2. REFLECTING ON YOUR EDUCATIONAL AND
OCCUPATIONAL EXPERIENCES
The app oach ha we ook in ou esea ch wi h s uden s and g adua es was a biog aphical one. Wha ha means
is ha we belie e ha we can lea n a lo abou wha is wo king and no wo king in socie y by lis ening, eally
lis ening, o people’s li e s o ies.
In his p ojec we hoped o lea n om s o ies o educa ion and employmen abou wha wo ks and doesn’ wo k
o non- adi ional s uden s as hey p og ess in o and h ough highe educa ion owa ds g adua e employmen .
Ou hope is ha you may lea n some hing use ul oo by engaging in he s o ies and ac i i ies h oughou .
Bu ,be o eengagingwi hsomeo  hes o iesand iewso o he s,we hink ha i isuse ul o you o e lec a
bi  i s onyou owneduca ionalandoccupa ionalexpe iencesandjou ney.Wehope ha ,byexplo ing he
ques ions ha we pose h ough he ex , ha you can wea e you own s o y in o he s o ies o he pa icipan s o
he p ojec .
One way o s a ing o hink abou you own occupa ional s o y is o wo k h ough a imeline. You can use a
imelineasabasis o a e lec i epieceo w i ingwhich ells hes o y(o ones o yanyway)o you wo kand
educa ional jou ney. O you could use a d a o you imeline as a basis o g oup discussion abou highe
educa ionandca ee s.I mayalsobeuse ul o youin e mso  e isingyou CV,o LinkedInp o ile,in o
some hing ha ells he s o y o you educa ion and wo k ha you eel would be mos ele an o a p ospec i e
employe - wha s o y do you hink hey wan o hea ? Simila ly, i migh be e y use ul in e ms o p epa ing o
an in e iew o a job ha you a e keen o ge – i can help us make he connec ions be ween ou expe ience and
educa ion in ways ha may no seem immedia ely ob ious and may help you con ince an employe ha you
wo k and li e s o y was leading up o his job! Adding in some b oade socio-economic con ex s o he imeline
- such as imes o na ional ecession – can also help us o keep he bigge pic u e in mind and emembe ca ee
oppo uni ies a e no dependen on indi idual e o alone.
Ac i i y 2.1: C ea ing an educa ional and occupa ional imeline
Jus a ew wo ds o ad ice on comple ing he imeline. The emp a ion migh be o s a when you le
school, o possibly going back u he , he yea o you bi h, bu we’d sugges o keep bo h ends open.
In ou con e sa ions wi h s uden s and g adua es, s o ies o en c ep back along amilial imelines o alk
abou pa en s, e en g andpa en s – ou ex ended amilial and b oade social con ex s a e all pa o ou
s o ies and i ’s impo an o cap u e ha de ail oo i we a e o ge a ulle pic u e o ou own s o y. And you
should keep i open a he u u e-end oo - don’ inish i in he p esen , lea e space o specula e abou he
mid- and long- e m u u e – ou lea ning and ca ee s akes place ac oss hese h ee dimensions o ime:
pas , p esen and u u e. Some imes we need o a el back in ime and do his wo k on ou pas o make
ou u u e.
One way o app oaching he imeline is o cap u e he ‘ ac s’ on one side – i.e. signi ican biog aphical da es
and e en s – e.g. yea o bi h; le school; i s job; o any signi ican li e e en you eel com o able sha ing.
And on he o he side, lea e a bi mo e space o you hough s and e lec ions on he signi icance o hose
de ails in you li e now – don’ wo y i you a e no su e i i is ele an o ca ee s o employmen a his s age.
As men ioned abo e you should conside including b oade socio-economic e en s and momen s which
ha e a bea ing on you s o y.
We’ e s a ed an example on he nex page o show you wha i migh look like as you s a o pu i oge he ,
bu be c ea i e and add as much de ail, colou and image as you like. Li e can be messy so he e may be
some messiness in you imeline oo. In he example below we ha e combined pe sonal e en s wi h some
wide socio-economic ones such as ecessions.
Once you’ e done ha , s a eading h ough he es o he handbook – and come back o you own
imeline now and again o do some mo e wo k on i . The wo k on you imeline ne e eally ends.
In sea ch o decen wo k a e uni e si y
16
The commi men o amily and place es ic s many non- adi ional g adua es om emb acing he so-called
‘ lexibili y’(in e mso  imeandloca ion) ha manyemploye sseem o alueing adua es.
In e es ingly, when we ead ac oss he a ious accoun s eme ging om he esea ch he e a e some con adic ions oo.
Fo example,insomecasess uden s eel ha ,e enwi hadeg ee, heya eno quali iedenoughand heyneed odoa
pos -g adua equali ica ion ogainemploymen which,again o e u n o inancialchallenges, o manyisuna o dable.
Ye , he e a e ins ances o o he s uden s claiming ha hei age combined wi h hei highe educa ion has made
hem ‘ oo expe ienced’ o ge wo k – ha hey a e no he pliable human subjec s ha many employe s a e
looking o in younge g adua es. The con adic ions, o cou se, do no lie in he li es o g adua es, bu mo e, in
he ba ie s placed in on o hem in a highly compe i i e g adua e labou ma ke .
One majo challenge - lack o use ul in o ma ion - is one ha , in some ways, can be mo e easily add essed. Fo
some s uden s coming o he end o hei deg ees, he g ea es challenge was no knowing wha ca ee pa hs
we eopen o hem.Theses uden s el  ha  heywouldbene i  omaca ee sad ice ha could ake he ime
o lis en ca e ully o hei educa ional and occupa ional s o ies and hopes be o e, du ing and a e uni e si y. A
lo o s uden s we e no qui e su e wha pa h, i any, was open o hem as a g adua e and eg e ed ha hese
pa hwayswe eno clea e  o hemwhen hey i s chose hei deg eecou se.
A inal,bu signi ican ,challenge ha wasmen ionedbysomes uden s,andmaybemo ep edominan lyin
I eland, Spain and Po ugal, was he lack o oppo uni ies o wo k. The impac o he c isis, in hese coun ies
inpa icula ,hasp esen ed heg ea es challenge o manyhighly-quali iedandemployablenon- adi ional
g adua es in hei sea ch o wo k. Meaning ul wo k ha builds on a uni e si y educa ion was simply no a ailable
o hem due o high le el o unemploymen and aus e i y measu es.
Ac i i y 4.2 Responding o he esea ch indings on challenges: wha is missing o you?
We ha e, abo e, ou lined in e y b oad e ms he challenges which he non- adi ional s uden s in ol ed in
ou esea ch encoun e ed. Howe e , we a e e y awa e ha his is a om he ull-pic u e.
Again, e lec ing on you own expe ience, wha a e he challenges which ha e been le ou ? To wha
ex en do hese challenges o e lap you own ones?
This ac i i y can be done as an en y in you Ca ee De elopmen Jou nal o conduc ed as a g oup ac i i y.
S uden case s udies on challenges in ansi ioning o he g adua e labou ma ke
We’ e summa ised some o he challenges abo e, bu now we’d like o zoom in on some he de ail o some o
he s uden s in ol ed in ou esea ch o de elop a clea e pic u e o he eali y o hese challenges. So, in wha
ollowsyouwill inesomeaccoun s omspeci ics uden sabou  hechallenges ha  heyha e aced,o do ace,
in hei sea ch o g adua e wo k.
Ac i i y 4.3
an in i a ion o iden i y, ead and ac i ely e- ead a case s udy on he challenges encoun e ed by s uden s in
sea ch o a g adua e ca ee
Read h ough he ollowing case s udies a couple o imes and, hen, pick one ha speaks mos closely o you
own expe ience o ha mo es you o engages you in some way. Read he case s udy o e a couple o imes
(anno a ing as you go) be o e mo ing on o he ac i i y ha ollows.
Ana – Po ugal
Ana is 37 yea s old and was bo n in Po ugal. He a he wo ked o he Ci y Hall and he mo he was a p ima y
school eache . She conside s he sel as an a e age s uden in school.
She did a deg ee in Mode n Languages and Li e a u e; howe e , she was ne e able o ge a job as a eache ,
e enwhenshe ieda na ionalle el(including hePo ugueseIslands).Shealso ied o indaposi ionin
Spain and in he Uni ed Kingdom, bu discou aged by high unemploymen a es among eache s, she ga e up
ollowing his p o essional pa h.

EMPLOY PROJECT S uden Handbook 17
Whenshe inishedhe  i s deg eeshego aplacemen inhe home own,inaUni e si y o  heElde ly.In his
placemen , she o ganised a se o cul u al ac i i ies o he elde ly and pa icipa ed in Eu opean p ojec s. She
also spen a ew hou s eaching English o kids a beginne s’ le el. In his ins i u ion, he e was a uni e si y
Mas e s p og amme in Adul Educa ion and Communi y In e en ion. Ana hough his p og amme was
a ac i eandwouldbeopenmo edoo s oemploymen .Al houghshe inishedall hecou sesshene e 
comple ed he inaldisse a ion.
When he in e nship ended, she s a ed o wo k in he Po o Guadiana. Sailo s a i e he e om di e en
pa s o he wo ld wi h di e en needs and Ana’s job was o help hem in mul iple ways. She wo ked o wo
yea s and whils also doing some eaching.
Ana schedule was ha d: she had o wo k e e y weekend and du ing holidays ( es ing du ing he week) and his
wasdi icul  o i wi hhe desi e obecomeamo he .
She begun o sea ch o a di e en job and had an o e om wo o me s uden s om he USA who had
de eloped a P ope ies Managemen en e p ise.
Anabeganwo kingonapa - imebasisbu  odayshewo ks ull- ime,and inallyachie edsomes abili y.Ana
hinks hecul u eo he bossesisdi e en and e lec sposi i elyonhe e e ydayli e.Theyo e ed opay
he ees o he Mas e s p og amme she is doing p esen ly, on Business Managemen . As long as he wo k
is done, Ana is ee o manage he ime. As a wo ke , she hinks ha esponsibili y, assuming commi men s,
keepingdead-lines,beingp oac i eand indingsolu ions o hep oblems,a ec ucial obuildaclima eo 
us wi hhe employe .Sheseessomeo he expe ienceasanasse ; o example,beingp o icien inEnglish
o e en he knowledge o he nau ical wo ld.
Ne e heless,sheiden i iedsomep oblems ela ed oageandgende :shehasmalecolleagues ha en e ed
he company a e he , pe o m simila unc ions and ecei e a highe sala y. Ana knows some cu en
ini ia i es and se ices o he uni e si y ha could help s uden s’ employabili y, bu s esses hese se ices a e
sui able solely o younge s uden s. E en i she wan ed o join some p og ammes, i would be impossible o
ind he ime:shehasalso oconside he job, heclassesa  heuni e si y,andhe  amily.
Mike – UK
Mike,whoisinhisla e hi ies,comple edasocials udiesdeg eemajo inginpoli icsandob aineda i s 
classdeg ee– hehighes classi ica ion.Hede ineshimsel asbeingwo kingclass.
He was no encou aged by his school eache s o go o uni e si y and his pa en s saw i as a was e o ime and
‘no  o peoplelike hem’.So,hele schoola 16andwen in o oo ing.
Bu i was ne e a passion o him. A e lea ing school he con inued his in e es in lea ning.
He chose o s udy a Wa wick because o i s epu a ion. He enjoyed lea ning o his deg ee bu always el he
didn’  i ina Wa wickbecauseo hisageandsocialclassbackg ound.
Hisidealchoicea e comple inghisdeg eewouldbe odopos g adua es udybu  inanciallyhecanno a o d
his.Hewen once oseeaCa ee sO ice in heCa ee sandSkillsO icebu didn’  ind hesessionhelp ul.He
in o med he pe son ha he did no wan o wo k o a la ge company bu ins ead was in e es ed in he public
sec o . He was old ‘ o go and look a his websi e’ which he said he could ha e wo ked ou o himsel so he did
no go back. Mike el le down as he had wan ed some guidance and in o ma ion abou pa icula jobs.
One o he key easons why he did no wan o wo k in indus y is because he eels ha hey would
disc imina e agains him because o his age bu also because o his wo king class cul u e in e ms o his
accen and language. He also eels ha he ‘old boys ne wo k’ is s ong in helping ce ain s uden s ge op
jobs. As he s a es ‘when i comes o wha employe s a e looking o , I don’ hink I’m i o hem’. He also ne e
a ended any ca ee s ai s on campus as hey a e domina ed by he big companies and p i a e sec o . Mike
would ha e liked mo e suppo and ne wo k sys ems o help in looking o a ca ee .
In heend,Mike ook hedecision ogoback o oo ing o pu ely inancial easons.Hein ended obecome
sel -employed and wo k o himsel so ha he can con ol his own ime.
Ra ael – Spain
Ra ael is 23 yea s old and he su e s om a a e, degene a i e disease and was diagnosed when he was only 8 yea s.
He comes om a e y poo amily. His a he was a building wo ke and s a ed wo k a 14 yea s old and does
In sea ch o decen wo k a e uni e si y
18
no ha e any basic educa ion. His mo he used o wo k as a cleane bu she had o qui wo k o de o e all o
he ime o Ra ael’s help and ca e. She abandoned educa ion as she belonged o a la ge amily, consis ing o
ninesiblings,wi hsigni ican economicp oblems.Today,Ra ael’spa en sa edi o cedandheli eswi hhis
mo he , his sis e and his mo he ’s pa ne .
Ra ael has ne e el he suppo o his a he o his a he ’s amily. They conside ed Ra ael should no s udy as
he is a disabled pe son. Howe e , he has always had he suppo o his mo he , who ins illed he impo ance
o ha ing a good educa ion o ‘be someone in li e’. She also has passed on hese concep ions o his li le sis e
who is comple ing he seconda y educa ion.
Cu en ly, Ra ael is s udying an unde g adua e p og am in Jou nalism and he would like o ge some specializa ion
in hesocial ield, ohelpo he peoplewhoa einasimila si ua ion,andalso ohelp eache sassome imes‘ hey
do no know how o deal wi h some disabili ies’. His goal is o no malize disabili y, o make i mo e isible, and o
p omo e he iew ha ha ing a disabili y is no a ba ie o acqui e a deg ee o o p o essional de elopmen .
His amilyisgoing h oughsigni ican economicdi icul ies,de i ed om hepa en s’di o ceandhe 
mo he ’s abandonmen o wo k in o de o ake ca e o him. Thus, he only amily income comes om he small
pension he ecei es o his disabili y.
Howe e , he has managed o co e he cos s o his educa ion by means o g an s and schola ships. In spi e
o  ha ,he indso he obs acles ocomple inghisdeg eesuchas:commu ingonadailybasisadis anceo 
abou 40 kilome es, and he need o go in a special ehicle adap ed o wheelchai ; and he lack o pe sonal
assis ance in he class oom which is necessa y o him o mee he mos basic needs like d inking wa e ,
going o he oile , aking no es o comple ing exams. This would help him o ‘ eel independen ’. These gaps
a e no mally co e ed wi h he e o and dedica ion o his mo he , who is in cha ge o aking him o college
[uni e si y]ands aywi hhime e ydayun il heendo  hedayandso,Ra aelcan ul ilhisd eamo becoming
a jou nalis and de eloping a ca ee .
Ra ael in o de o imp o e his employabili y skills he wo ks as a olun ee doing a spo slo on a local adio p og amme.
He knows ha he will ha e o cope wi h many ba ie s due o his disabili y bu he seeks o c ea e oppo uni ies
sui able o his si ua ion.
Hewiselycombineshisp o essional ield(Jou nalism),hisskillswi hICTandhis‘disabili y’ o akead an age
and launch his message ega ding people wi h disabili ies. He has appea ed se e al imes in he media as an
ex ao dina y example o sel -imp o emen .
And his ha e had some impac in his ca ee p ospec s: ‘Now, I am going o collabo a e wi h he TV, because
hey a e going o do a p og am abou disabili y once a mon h, and hey ha e o e ed me he possibili y o
collabo a e. And his is e y good o gain some wo k expe ience o my ca ee ’.
In addi ion, he has se e al p ojec s in mind o publicise his wo k o media companies and iden i y job
oppo uni ies. ‘I am also making a websi e [...] and I will se up he po al and in e iews [...] o make mysel
known’. He does no discoun con inuing his educa ion as well as lea ning languages.
Cla e – Sweden
Cla e came o Sweden six yea s ago when she was 41 om one o he EU-coun ies whe e English is a main
language. She has a Swedish husband and a li le son o ake ca e o . Cla e has wo deg ees in Law and in
Psychology, and 20 yea s o expe ience as a lawye .
Shecame oSwedenasshema iedaSwedeandimagined ha  he ewouldno beanydi icul ies oge a
job in he own p o ession. She s udied Swedish be o e she mo ed and con inued he s udies when she came
o Sweden. A e a couple o yea s, she ealised ha she needed o change he ca ee o be able o ge a job.
Cla e’s mo he and a he didn’ ha e a uni e si y educa ion, bu he sis e s and b o he a e HE g adua es. She
chooses he Huma Resou ces cou se a e alking o a ca ee counsello a he uni e si y.
Shenows udies ull imeandisawa eo  hedi icul iesinge ingajobasshe eelssheis ooold.Sheapplied
o apa - imeHRassis an job,anddid e ywella  hein e iew,bu was old ha shewaso e quali ied.When
shewasw i inghe  inalessay o  hedeg eesheapplies o anIn e nshipCou sewhichisp o ideda e  he
p og amme.Cla ewassuccess ullyg adua edbu couldno  indanin e nshipplacea e college[uni e si y]...
Be o e and a e he summe 2016 she applied o HR jobs, bu was no e en called o in e iew. She s a ed
o look o o he jobs and by he la e au umn she was success ully employed a he s a e Insu ance Agency.
EMPLOY PROJECT S uden Handbook 19
He Swedishuni e si yeduca ionob iouslyhelpedhe  o indajob,bu i doesno ha eany hing odowi hhe deg ee.
Howe e ,sheishappy ha a e suchas uggle,shewas inallyable oge ajob,ands a anewli eandca ee .
Lila – Poland
Lila is 44 yea s old, ma ied, and mo he o wo child en. She was bo n and g ew up in W oclaw and s ill li es
he e.Sheis he i s gene a ioninhe  amilywhowen on os udyinhighe educa ion.A e g adua ingshe
s a ed he employmen as a social wo ke , which co esponded wi h he p og amme o s udy.
In1992Lila inishedhe seconda y echnicalschoolo  ex iles.Due oadi icul  inancialsi ua ionhe 
amilydidno ag ee o Lila ocon inues udying.He  i s a emp sa  indingemploymen  u nedou  obe
unsuccess ul.
Thesewe e he i s yea so  hepoli icalsys em ans o ma ioninPolandandshe emembe s hispe iodin
he li e as, on he one hand, a ime o social eupho ia, bu on he o he hand, as a ime o an ‘unemploymen
wa e’ and ‘illegal wo king’ wi hou employmen con ac s in, p ima ily, small s a -up amily businesses.
Shegainedhe  i s wo kingexpe ienceasashopassis an .Fo a ound h eeyea sshewo kedinabeau y
shop and hen o he nex wo yea s in a child en’s clo hes shop. Du ing his ime, she go ma ied and ga e
bi h ohe  i s child.Shedecided o ake h eeyea sex endedpos -ma e ni ylea eanda e  ha pe iod
she decided o e u n o wo k.
He amily si ua ion (lack o suppo om he pa en s, pa en s-in-law and he subsequen necessi y o o ganize
daily ac i i ies in a way ha would enable he o ime sha e he ca e o he child en wi h he husband) o ced he
olook o employmen whichwouldo e he  lexibili yin e mso  ime.She oundwo kasa amd i e in he
Municipal T anspo Company. In o de o be able o ake up he ole she had o comple e a am d i ing cou se.
Lila’sheal hp oblemss a edand heyp omp edhe  o e lec onhe li esi ua ion,onwhosheis,wha she
does, wha she would like o do, and wha po en ial and alen s she has. The hough o adical change in he
ca ee pa h and o commencing uni e si y s udies occu ed o he :
Lila’sea lyexpe ienceso  heuni e si yawe edi icul  o he mos lydue o helacko suppo  omhe 
employe and he need o juggle he h ee wo lds o s udy, wo k and amily.
Despi eini ialdi icul ies hes udies u nedou  obeasuccess o he (shewasawa dedbes s uden )aswell
as he sou ce o pe sonal sa is ac ion.
A e g adua ing Lila ound a job wi h he employe who she’d done he s uden placemen wi h.
Julia – I eland
Juliaisa45-yea -oldhumani iesg adua e.Du inghe  inalyea a uni e si yshewascommu ing oMaynoo h
om Dublin whe e she li ed wi h he wi e and hei child en om p e ious ela ionships. Julia comes om a
pa o Dublinwhich, adi ionally,has e ylowuni e si yaccess a esandshewillbe he i s inhe  amily o
gain a deg ee.
Julia enjoyed p ima y school and aces he li e-long passion o playing oo ball o his ime. She wan ed
o a end he local co-educa ional seconda y school bu he mo he , imagining a be e educa ion, sen he ,
ins ead, o he local gi ls’ seconda y school which Julia ha ed.
E en ually, he mo he old he ha she could lea e as soon as she ound a job which Julia did when she was
six een.Juliale school,wi hou si ing heIn e media eCe i ica e, o ajobinalocal ac o ywhe ehe 
a he wo ked.
Julia wo ked in he ac o y o ou een yea s. Feeling he need o mo e on, and as he indus y s a ed o
decline, she spen some ime mo ing a ound a numbe o low-paid jobs.
E en ually, h ough a s a e unded communi y employmen scheme, she became in ol ed in coaching in
schools which she lo ed. She also wo ked o a while in adminis a ion and, la e ly, as a ca e o an agency.
Du ing hese yea s she was also ca ing o he mo he who was e minally ill and he younge b o he who
died be o e she en e ed uni e si y.
Julia has elied on a igh /ex ensi e ne wo k o iends and amily (he wi e and he son a e also a ending
uni e si y)inmakingkeydecisionsin ollowinghe educa ionalpa h.Sheisn’ o e ly-speci icinde ining he
kind o wo k she wan s o do bu would like i o in ol e, a some le el, helping people.
In sea ch o decen wo k a e uni e si y
20
Julia’s ne wo k, which p o ided models o educa ional p og ession and sou ces o us ed ad ice, e en ually
encou aged he o a end a HEI access cou se in a local u he educa ion uni e si y. This cou se was
designed o p o ide access in o selec ed p og ammes in one o I eland’s mos eli e uni e si ies.
Howe e , Julia ne e el com o able on isi s o he campus and ‘didn’ hink hey’d wan someone’ om he
a ea. Ins ead, she was encou aged by, wha she ega ded as, he mo e ma u e-s uden iendly en i onmen
o Maynoo h Uni e si y.
Juliadidn’  ecei eanyca ee -speci icad iceabou he choiceo cou sep io  ouni e si y.Howe e ,shehas
qui e a s ong ai h in he alue o a deg ee in he labou ma ke and e u ns a numbe o imes in he s o y o
he lack o educa ion c eden ials and, wha she sees as, an associa ed inabili y o escape low-s a us, low-paid
and un ewa ding wo k.
Julia is awa e ha he e may be a need o u he s udy, a pos g adua e le el bu , while he go e nmen
con inue o esis unding mos pos g adua e educa ion, his is some hing ha is no an op ion o Julia. Ins ead,
he hope is o ge a ‘good’ job in he public o NGO sec o which will allow he o p og ess once she employed.
Julia didn’ ha e much in e ac ion wi h he ca ee s se ice a he uni e si y– she wasn’ su e i i was some hing
ha was di ec ed owa ds he . She did a end a ca ee s ai bu , again, didn’ eel ha any o he employe s
we e in e es ed in he deg ee discipline. She keeps an eye on online esou ces o jobs bu hasn’ seen
any hing ye . She also eels ha uni e si ies could do a bi mo e abou making g adua e occupa ional
des ina ions mo e isible o p ospec i e s uden s.
Julia conside ed o wha ex en he non- adi ional s uden cha ac e is ics migh wo k agains he in a sea ch
o wo k. She was qui e clea ha she hinks, in pa icula , he add ess, would ha e a nega i e impac . She
has in he pas masked he add ess in a ious ways o ci cum en o ganisa ional bias owa ds people om he
a ea. He age, she eels will ha e less o a nega i e impac on he capaci y o ge wo k bu would p obably s ill
besomewha signi ican ,inanega i eway, o employe s.Beinggay,she eels,is heleas signi ican in e ms
o ec ui men bias and she no es ha a i udes seem o ha e shi ed ela i ely swi ly in his ega d.
Julia is unsu e o how he ca ee pa h will un old bu main ains ai h, as he unde g adua e s udies come o an
end, in he labou ma ke cu ency o he deg ee o ge he a ‘decen ’ job.
Since Julia has g adua ed she has been unable o ge he ‘decen ’ job she had hoped o . Fo a pe iod o
ime a e he g adua ion she el qui e nega i e abou he alue and use o he deg ee – in ac , she e u ned
o he ca e wo k ha she was doing be o e a ending uni e si y. Howe e , she ealises now ha she is qui e
sui ed o ha wo k and she sees i as aluable wo k e en i socie y doesn’ . He ambi ion now is o ge u he
aining o posi ion he sel in a ‘decen job’ wi hin he ca e sec o . Al hough, he deg ee didn’ lead di ec ly o a
g adua ejob,she eels ha he uni e si yeduca ionallowedhe  ode elopenoughcon idenceandskills o eel
com o able aking on a g adua e diploma which, she hopes, will posi ion he mo e s ongly in he ca e sec o .
Ac i i y 4.4 Going deepe and wide wi h s uden s o ies
I you a e using his handbook on you own, espond o he ques ions below in you Ca ee De elopmen Jou nal.
 I you a e wo king as a g oup, hese ques ions may be used as discussion p omp s.
 We asked you o ead h ough he case s udies and pick one ha you we e d awn o in some way. Why
did you choose his case s udy? Wha d ew you in o i ?
 Wha a e he b oade issues behind he s uden ’s s o y which a e con ibu ing o hei challenges?
 Wha a e he op ions o he s uden in con on ing hese challenges?
 Wha a e he esponsibili ies o he uni e si y, employe s, s a e and wide socie y in con on ing such challenges?
I you a e wo king in a g oup, you can use you Ca ee De elopmen Jou nal o eco d you hough s
ollowing he discussion.
Ac i i y 4.5 Ex ended s udy ques ion
Job in e iews, adi ionally, cons i u e he i s con ac o he g adua e wi h he wo ld o wo k. Wha should
job in e iews be based on? Should hey be based mainly on he analysis o he candida e’s educa ion
biog aphy and he e ec s o in o mal and ex a-cu icula lea ning o he g adua es/wo k candida es? Is i
wo h s uc u ing you CV/Linkedin p o ile his way and why?
Con inue he con e sa ion on Twi e … @Employ2016
EMPLOY PROJECT S uden Handbook 21
5. RESPONDING TO THE CHALLENGES: STUDENT AND
GRADUATE STRATEGIES
Asweha eseenin helas chap e , he ea eanumbe o signi ican challenges acingnon- adi ionals uden sin
hei sea ch o meaning ul and sus ainable g adua e employmen . In his chap e , we will explo e how we migh
e ec i ely add ess hese challenges by conside ing u he how s uden s and g adua es ha e esponded o
hem. Bu be o e we look a he s a egies o he s uden s and g adua es in ol ed in his esea ch p ojec , please
comple e Ac i i y 5.1. Again, i is impo an , we eel, in he lea ning p ocess o s a wi h ou ou sel es and wo k
slowly ou om ha o con empla e he expe iences o o he s.
Ac i i y 5.1 Wha can you do o espond o challenges acing you as a g adua e?
In he p e ious chap e (Ac i i y 4.1) we asked you o e lec upon he challenges you ha e aced in you
e o s o de elop he kind o g adua e ca ee ha you would like.
Now, we a e asking you, o e lec upon he hings ha you can do ha will help you o e come hese
challenges. The e a e many hings ha a e no in ou con ol when i comes o ou ca ee de elopmen . Bu
he e a e hings we can wo k on all he same. This is wha we’d like you o e lec upon he e.
Again, i would be use ul o you o mo e om pe sonal e lec ions o a small g oup discussion i his is
possible. As always, i you a e wo king wi h a g oup, make su e you eco d you pe sonal hough s and
e lec ions on he o he discussion in you jou nal.
Re lec ions om esea ch: Ways in which s uden s espond o challenges o g adua e employmen
The e a e a numbe o ways in which non- adi ional s uden s a e esponding o he challenges o de eloping a
g adua e ca ee . Ac oss he six pa ne s in ol ed in his esea ch p ojec , i seems ha he e a e some commonali ies
in e mso s a egies;andsomea especi ic oone,o acouple,o speci icna ionalo sec o alcon ex s.
O en non- adi ional g adua es go on o some o m o u he educa ion a e g adua ion o enhance hei
expe isein hei chosen ield.Thismaybe ull- imeand/o pa  ime.I was el  ha  u he s udywas
pa icula lyad an ageous o g adua eswhowe eal eadywo kingin hei desi ed ield.O cou se,andwe
men ioned hisbe o e, he ea esigni ican  imeandmoneycos sassocia edwi hg adua es udyal hough his
will a y om coun y o coun y.
Mos o he s a egies ou lined below a e o s uden s and g adua es who a e no ye posi ioned in he ca ee ha
hey wish o pu sue bu mos o hem a e also use ul o g adua es who may be in a g adua e job al eady bu a e
conside ing changing posi ion o occupa ion. Some o he mos common s a egies include:
 indingwayso  o mallyo in o mallyne wo kingwi hindi iduals,companiesandsec o sinwhichg adua es
wan o wo k;
 engaginginpa - imeo  olun a ywo k ele an  oaspeci icca ee ;
 doing in e nships/wo k placemen s du ing o a e s udies;
 ailo ing CVs ailo ed o indi idual posi ions and companies
 usingonline esou ces(insomesec o s,i appea s ha LinkedInp o ilesa e eplacingCVs.)
 esea ching p ospec i e companies in ad ance o in e iews
 de eloping awa eness o a ious s ages and me hods used in ec ui men o g adua e posi ions;
 seeking ou in e iew aining;
 de elopingp o iciencyin i s o secondlanguages
 de eloping ela ionships wi h men o s in he sec o
Fo mo e ad ice and ips on hese s a egies can be ound in he Fu he Resou ces sec ion a he end o he handbook.
One poin wo h s essing is ha i seems ha he e has been a mo e away om gene ic CVs – now, a CV mus be
ailo ed o each job applica ion. Indeed, some sec o s ha e mo ed away om CVs al oge he and ely mo e on
pla o ms such as LinkedIn.
This is whe e some good and c ea i e backg ound esea ch in o he o ganisa ion comes in. Many o he
employe s alkedabou  hei ‘ alues’andseekingpeoplewhoiden i ieds ongly,and i edinwi h, hei 
company e hos. The implica ions o his may be ha non- adi ional s uden s and g adua es ha e o become
qui e expe in elling he s o y o hemsel es ha employe s wan o hea .

In sea ch o decen wo k a e uni e si y
22
We migh be p omp ing you hen, as a non- adi ional s uden , o de elop you ca ee -s o y elling skills and,
indeed, many o he ac i i ies in his handbook ha e been designed o help you do jus ha . This is, in some
ways, a pe o mance whe e he audience and he s age changes all he ime as you adap you ca ee s o y o he
shi ing expec a ions o a ious employe s. The icky pa , hen, is o you a e o keep ue o you own alues
and goals, while pe o ming he ec ui men /p omo ion dance o employe s.
These a e hings ha we ha e some con ol o and can wo k on, indi idually and h ough seeking suppo om
colleagues, pee s, men o s and ca ee se ices, bu hey do depend on job oppo uni ies being a ailable. Also,
some o hese s a egies, as we ha e al eady seen, p esen challenges o non- adi ional s uden s: o example,
in e nships may be a e y aluable way o g adua es de eloping hei ea ly ca ee , howe e , o en hese a e
unpaid,o poo lypaid,posi ionsa eno  inancially iable o manynon- adi ionals uden swhoa eunde 
p essu e o s a ea ning a decen wage. Fo mo e in o ma ion on in e nships and wo k expe ience, ake a look a
he Fu he Resou ces sec ion a he back o he handbook.
Ac i i y 5.2 Resea ching employe s
Pick a sec o ha you hink you migh like o wo k in. You migh s a i s by hinking o he kind o wo k in b oad
e ms ha you wan o do (e.g. Ca ing; c ea i e; lab wo k; eaching; e c.). Once you ha e na owed i down o a
b oad sec o , y o ind wo o ganisa ions om he sec o which look a ac i e o you as an employe . Find ou
as much as you can abou he wo o ganisa ions. The aspec s you migh ouch on migh include:
 O ganisa ion’s co e pu pose (wha do hey do/why?) and hei alues.
 Who is he o ganisa ion se ing? Who a e hei ‘clien s’?
 Wha is he his o y, s uc u e and u u e plans o he o ganisa ion?
 Who a e he key pe sonnel?
 Wha is hei ec ui men p ocess? Do hey ha e a g adua e p og amme?
 In wha ways is you expe ience as a non- adi ional s uden a bene i o he o ganisa ions? How would
you enhance he wo k hey do and he o e all o ganisa ional cul u e?
 A e he e any Co po a e Social Responsibili y Ini ia i es o do hey make any so o commi men o
suppo ing equali y?
I you a e wo king on you own, eco d you esponses o hese ques ions in you Ca ee De elopmen
Jou nal. These esponses will help in you esea ch and p epa a ion o g adua e wo k.
I you a e wo king as pa o a g oup, please p esen you esea ch on one o he o ganisa ions o he es o
he g oup. Once he g oup ha e p esen ed and discussed hei esea ch, ake some ime o e lec on wha
was discussed and wha s ayed wi h you a e he discussion. Again, jo down hese hough s in you Ca ee
De elopmen Jou nal.
Ac i i y 5.3 Towa ds de eloping an o ganisa ion o sec o -speci ic CV and co e le e
De elop a e sion o you CV ha is ailo ed o one o he o ganisa ions you did some esea ch on.
W i e a le e o no mo e han one page o he o ganisa ion’s Human Resou ces depa men ou lining why
you wan o wo k o hem and how, by p o iding speci ic examples and commen , you expe ience, skills
and educa ion makes you a desi able p ospec i e employee o he company.
The e a e esou ces in he esou ces sec ion a he back o he handbook ha gi e ad ice on CVs and co e
le e s – use hese
Ac i i y 5.4 De eloping a LinkedIn p o ile
Use you CV o help you de elop a LinkedIn p o ile ha is ailo ed o he sec o o ype o wo k ha you
would like o do.
Look in Fu he Resou ces o some guidance on de eloping a LinkedIn p o ile.
EMPLOY PROJECT S uden Handbook 23
Ac i i y 5.5 Role-play in e iew
I you a e wo king as pa o a g oup, please o ganise a ole play in e iew in which one s uden /g adua e
ac s as he employe and he o he as a job-seeke . The ‘employe ’ should ake in o accoun he aspec s
ha make a g adua e employable (see ac i i y 2.2); and he ‘ job seeke ’ should ake in o accoun he las
exe cise he/she did: wha he/she said in his/he CV and wha was highligh ed in his/he mo i a ion le e o
he human esou ces.
S uden oices on s a egies
In he ollowing ex ac s, s uden s and g adua es in ol ed in he esea ch desc ibe some o he s a egies hey
ha eused oenhance hei chanceso  indingg adua ewo k.
Ac i i y 5.6
As you ead h ough hem, make no es and commen s and hink, in pa icula , abou s a egies you eel a e
wo hwhile and migh be ele an o you si ua ion.
I handed my CV pe sonally. I spoke wi h hem abou wha I was able o each and I showed eadiness
o wo k. A mon h la e , I was con ac ed by hem because hei Po uguese Teache le he ins i u ion.
Al hough hey had a lo o CVs, hey emembe ed me because I was he e and we had a con e sa ion.
WhenI inishedmydeg eeIal eadyhadajobo e .I wasa empjob,bu Iwan ed o ake he
oppo uni yandIwas heo icialdesigne o  heMOTELx-LisbonIn e na ionalHo o Film
Fes i al. I was con ac ed by hem h ough my con ac s in he a ea o Design. I did all he es s hey asked
meandIs a edwo kinginSep embe .Iga emybes ,I hough Ihad odoi ,Imadealo o sac i ices,
bu I hough ‘I’m going o gi e my bes because I wan o keep on wo king wi h hem nex yea ’. In ac ,
e enbe o e hep ojec  inished heysaid heywouldlike owo kwi hme henex yea .I was e y
ewa ding (Jo ge, Communica ion Design G adua e, ma u e s uden , Po ugal).
I hinkcompaniesa ede ini ely ailo ingi like‘ hisisou  ole, hisisou company, hisiswhowe
wan o he job’ and hey’ e making ha public. So you can ei he choose o p e end o be ha
pe son o you can make you sel in o ha pe son … i you’ e no he pe son he company wan s you’ e no
going o ge employed (Ann, Uni e si y o Wa wick s uden , UK).
Las yea I wen o a Royal Bank o Sco land dinne . I wasn’ pa o he applica ion p ocess – i was kind
o disco e ing mo e abou us bu hen om ha hey did in i e me o apply o hem. I hink because
i ’s in o mal bu o mal bu he e a e employees who ha e been wi h he company qui e a while o some imes
g adua es so you can alk o hem. And because i ’s dinne , i ’s no an in e iew se ing you can ask hem any
ques ions you wan o, you can ge ips. I does ac ually help (Ann, Uni e si y o Wa wick s uden , UK).
I decided o be on mysel , on wha I like, and ha is he s a egy I ollow. I cons an ly upda e my
CV, I s udy languages (…). I you ha e no expe ience, you will no ge anywhe e. An e ec i e
public in es men has o be buil , o unemployed people o people like me who ha e no been able o
wo kye andIdono ha ea ypeo bene i .Ineed oli e,I’mno si inga ound,I’mea ningmybeans
as well as I can and I am doing unpaid in e nships. And I would e en be willing o lea e Spain bu o a
de ini ejob,no likeo he peoplewhoa egoing o y hei luck.Icanno a o d ha economically(Lau a,
g adua einLaw, i s gene a ions uden ,Spain).
“S a egies?” T y o make he bes possible CV, sea ch job ad e s on he in e ne . [..] some o hem
ha e good wo k condi ions, o he s don’ … bu I no mally apply o hose I’m in e es ed in. And I also isi
egula ly he websi e o my Facul y… any hing ha is published, a semina , a con e ence… I en ol on hem in o de
obemo ep epa ed(Ama illo,G adua einHis o y, i s gene a ions uden ,lowincome amily,Spain).
In sea ch o decen wo k a e uni e si y
24
… Bu I s ill hink maybe one can make con ac s wi h companies o be able o c ea e a bigge
and wide solid ne wo k and ... because i is so impo an [..] o ge he oo in he doo in a place.
Somewhe e o show o who you a e and wha you can do … (Sweden, Emma, 26 yea s old)
Wha is impo an is he abili y o ad ance one’s pe sonal de elopmen skills de elopmen ,
enla ging one’s knowledge by pa icipa ion in a ious cou ses and aining. This in ol es ha ing
con ol o wha I ha e, wha I can do, wha I ha e achie ed so a , bu also being awa e o wha is happening
on he labou ma ke . I wo k while a he same ime I con inue my educa ion. All he ime I ha e in he back
o myhead ha Icanbe i edbu also ha Ican indanew,muchbe e posi ion.Iwouldn’ sayI egula ly
ollow he job ads on he In e ne , I check wha he ac ual employe s’ expec a ions a e. The poin is o be
one s ep ahead, (Jakub, a 30-yea s-old g adua e, Poland).
I ha e mainly been wo king in a ious p ojec s (...) a a ie y o p o essional expe ience; his job
in ol es wo king wi h e y di e en people (which is a g ea ad an age o me), wo king wi h
people wi h di e en p oblems, a di e en ages - om child en o he elde ly people, wi h disabili ies,
wi h di e en men al p oblems, om di e en backg ounds [..] I ’s eally impo an o me because I ha e
always been in e es ed in o he people. And es ablishing ela ionships, con ac s – his is impo an o me.
(..) I’ e been wo king on di e en p ojec s and am hinking abou se ing up a business. I ha en’ always
been able o do my wo k he way I wan i o be done in all hese ins i u ions... How o exp ess i … I had
a eeling ha hasn’ been able o ealize mysel , ha I couldn’ show my po en ial. (…) The hing I ealized
qui e ecen ly[..] was ha all hese di e en expe iences which I had a e somehow di ec ing me owa ds
opening my own company and so ha I could wo k o mysel . (U szula, 27 yea s old, Poland)
[Du ing and a e he deg ee] I applied o e e y hing. I applied o e e y job on Ac i elink [social
and communi y sec o jobs websi e]. And I wasn’ ge ing anywhe e. I was e y dishea ening
he whole hing. … I go h ee in e iews in a yea and a hal . Compe ency-based in e iews. I didn’ know
any hingabou  ha .Ididn’ doanyplanningo any hing.The i s one-Idida e iblein e iew.…And
whenI inished hemas e sIwasapplyingagg essi elyandno ge inganywhe e.Ve ydishea ening.…
Maybe I could ha e gone o he ca ee s depa men [a he uni e si y] and ound ou abou compe ency-
based in e iews bu I didn’ . My aul I suppose. Bu wha I did was I go in ol ed wi h a job club. … I saw
a no ice in my local lib a y abou a jobs club and I wen in and alked o hem. [ ….] They had a p og amme
o g adua es. I applied o ha and did ha o wo mon hs on a F iday a e my mas e s. [..] How o
ne wo k. LinkedIn. Jobne . How o do in e iews. How o do CVs. How o do a pi ch. How o sell you sel
wi hin h ee minu e – all ha s u . … I was all alien o me. Al hese buzz wo ds. … I was b illian . I had
o go in in a sui e e y week. I augh me how o ne wo k. … And he e we e all hese employe s he e. I
was men o ed by a guy om he Ci il Se ice and he was b illian – old me wha hey we e looking o in
in e iews (An hony, 36 yea s old, I eland, Social Science g adua e
Ac i i y 5.7
Once you ha e ead h ough he s a egies and e lec ed upon ou own hough s om he beginning o he
chap e , e lec in you jou nal o discuss in a g oup you hough s o he e ec i eness o he s a egies ha
s uden s a e using o enhance hei employabili y. Again, ela e i o you own con ex .
Take some ime o e lec on he hings you ha e con ol o e in e ms o you employabili y and jo down
you hough s in you jou nal.
Con inue he con e sa ion on Twi e … @Employ2016
EMPLOY PROJECT S uden Handbook 25
6. WHAT SUPPORTS CAN STUDENTS AND GRADUATES DRAW
UPON?
We ha e explo ed, in his handbook, many o he hings ha impac on non- adi ional s uden s who a e seeking
meaning ul and sus ainable g adua e wo k.
This b oade socio-economic con ex , and he ex en o which a ious s a es wi hin he EU pu sue social equali y
and os e di e si y in educa ion and wo k, ce ainly has a majo bea ing on he quali y and ease o s uden - o-
g adua e employmen ansi ions.
In hecoun iesbadlya ec edby he inancialc isis(Po ugal,I elandandSpain)weknowla gesegmen so 
hepopula ionha ebeenlockedou o meaning ulca ee s.Mo egene allymanyg adua esac ossEu ope ind
hemsel esinp eca iousanddi icul wo kingsi ua ionsa e uni e si y.
Bu e en hough we mus always keep ha ‘big pic u e’ in ocus – and impo an ly wo k on collec i e ways o
ensu ing he esou ces and social condi ions needed o c ea e meaning ul oppo uni ies o g adua es and good
wo k o all membe s o socie y – we ha e, in his handbook, also explo ed ways in which i migh be possible o
non- adi ional s uden s o enhance, as much as is achie able, hei ‘employabili y’ as a g adua e.
Wes a ed,asyouwill emembe ,byaskingyou os a wo kingona imelinewhichcap u essigni ican 
momen s, and you esponse o hem, in you own educa ional and occupa ional s o y. We ha e asked you o
c i ically e lec onyou educa ionalandoccupa ionalbiog aphybykeepingaca ee de elopmen jou nal o
cap u e you esponses o he a ious s o ies o wo k and educa ion (you s and o he s). You a e close o he end
o his handbook, bu we hope ha you con inue o use you jou nal as a esou ce in he u u e.
We ha e also cas a c i ical eye on wha employe s a e looking o , highligh ed some o he challenges aced by non-
adi ionals uden s,anddiscussedsomeo  hes a egies ha g adua esuse o indwo k.Wewilllook,now,a  hekind
o suppo s ha we came ac oss in ou esea ch ha we hink may be use ul o non- adi ional s uden s and g adua es.
Suppo s o non- adi ional s uden s in ansi ion
In ou e o s o iden i y use ul suppo s, we d ew on he expe ience and expe ise o s uden s, g adua es,
uni e si y academic and suppo s a , employe s om a ange o sec o s, non-go e nmen al agencies and
o ganisa ions, s a e agency ep esen a i es.
Weencoun e ed i emaincon ex s o suppo :in o malsuppo s;suppo sinuni e si y;suppo sp o idedby
employe s; NGO suppo s; and suppo s p o ided by he s a e.
O cou se, he a ailabili y o hese suppo s a ies g ea ly be ween he di e en pa ne coun ies. In ou lining
some examples below we hope o make he exis ence o such esou ces isible o s uden s in ansi ion ou o
uni e si y. To his end we ha e also included a sec ion a he back o na ional and in e na ional o ganisa ions
whe eyoucan ind u he in o ma iononhow oa ailo  hesese ices(seeFu he Resou ces)
In o mal suppo s
One hing ha was e y s iking in ou esea ch was he impo ance ha s uden s and g adua es pu on in o mal
suppo s uc u es linked o iends, amily and communi y. This appea s o be he mos common and eadily
a ailablesuppo  o mos s uden s.Typically hisincluded amily’semo ionaland,a  imes, inancialsuppo 
and he suppo p o ided by wide social ne wo ks. Wha we also ound s iking was he p oblems ha s uden s
aced when hese suppo s we e no a ailable o hem.
Below we o e a case s udy om Poland which illus a es wha we mean.
Take he ime o ead Lena’s s o y ca e ully and anno a e i as you go – as you ead hink abou he a ious
suppo s ha ha e assis ed Lena in he educa ional and occupa ional jou ney. The e a e a se ies o ques ions
posed ollowing he s o y which p omp you o hink abou Lena’s s o y in ela ion o you own.
Case s udy – Lena and he impo ance o in o mal suppo (Poland)
Lena,a40-yea -olds uden ,isma iedandhas wochild en.Sheis he i s gene a iono he  amily oa end
highe educa ion. Lena has ecei ed he in o mal suppo om he immedia e en i onmen . In he ollowing
ex ac s, she alks h ough suppo s in a ious ways:
Ha ing comple ed my seconda y school, a echnical one, I s a ed wo king in a shop. I ma ied qui e young
andIhadmy i s child.A e gi ingbi h omysonIs ayeda home,andwhenmydaugh e wasbo nI hen
In sea ch o decen wo k a e uni e si y
32
Belowyouwill ind wocases udies( omSpainandI eland)o g adua esuppo s ha exis beyond he
uni e si y.Thesesuppo sa eo en hemos di icul  o ind o busynon- adi ionals uden sbu i mayhelp,in
eading hese, o know ha hey do exis . As you ead h ough, hink whe e you migh look o explo e some o
he suppo s beyond he uni e si y ha you could access.
Case s udy – Spain
ACTIVITY OF PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES FOR EMPLOYMENT (EXPERIENCIAS PROFESIONALES PARA EL
EMPLEO / EPES) (WITHIN THE PROGRAMME “ANDALUCÍA ORIENTA” / ANDALUSIA COUNSELS)
This p og am (EPES) ocuses on imp o ing he employabili y o he unemployed, h ough business p ac ices
and pe sonalized men o ing. The objec i es o he p og am a e o acili a e he app oach o he wo ld o wo k
and p o ide knowledge o he habi s, p ac ices and alues ypical o he wo k en i onmen .
TheEPESac ionsa eaimeda unemployedpeoplewhoa ein he i s  woyea so access o helabou 
ma ke andwholackwo kexpe iencein hep o essional ieldwhich heywan  oen e .
The equi emen so  hep og ama e:a) hecandida esha ecomple eda o mal ainingo aspeci icT aining
o Employmen ; b) hey a e egis e ed in Andalucía O ien a (Andalusia Counsels), which demons a es an
ac i e sea ch o employmen .
This ac i i y ep esen s ‘bes p ac ice’ o se e al easons:
1. In e iews wi h g adua es show ha one o he main ba ie s o accessing a job is he lack o p o essional
expe ience.Thisac ionspeci ically ela es o hiscondi ion.
2. These icep io i izes h eesigni ican g oupso non- adi ionals uden s:e hnicmino i ies,peoplewi h
disabili ies and g oups a isk o social exclusion.
3. Al hough he in e nships a e no always paid, hey a e emune a ed wi h a schola ship o a endance and,
some imes, o a el.
The se ice connec s unemployed people wi h companies in he a ea, o de elop wo k ac i i y o a maximum
pe iod o six mon hs. The con ac wi h a company a ou s an app oach o he cul u e o wo k, he knowledge
o  hep o essionalp o ile ela ed o heuni e si ydeg eeand hein eg a ionin hes uc u e,no msand
alues o an economic o ganiza ion. In many cases, a e he comple ion o he in e nships, he company can
o e a wo k con ac .
One aspec o be emphasized is he pe sonalized u o ials wi h he candida e by skilled wo k media o s,
who help o make he mos o he in e nship expe ience ( o bo h pa ies: company and s uden ). On he one
hand, he u o pu s a alue on he ad an ages ha hese g oups a isk o exclusion om wo k can p o ide
o hecompany,aswellas hebene i sin hei subsequen con ac ing: he ecogni ion ha canmean o 
he collabo a ing company as a socially esponsible company ha o e s oppo uni ies o p ac ical aining
o s uden s in hei wo k cen es; and, o cou se, also he oppo uni y o iden i y and de elop, wi hin hei
co po a e cul u e, u u e employees o he company.
On he o he hand, he u o ad ises he candida es, so ha hey can polish hose skills o employabili y ha
needs imp o emen . In addi ion, e e y week he p og amme con empla es g oup u o ials o all he people
ha coincidea  hesame imedoingin e nships,al hough heya e omdi e en p o essionalp o ilesand
he pa icipan s come om di e en companies. This si ua ion p omo es di e si y. G oup wo k imp o es
employabili y, en iching he g oup wi h he syne gy gene a ed om he exchange o expe iences, opinions
and cul u es o he di e en companies in which he in e nships a e ca ied ou .
Case s udy – AHEAD (I eland)
AHEAD (Associa ion o Highe Educa ion Access and Disabili y) is an o ganisa ion ha suppo s uni e si y
s uden s and g adua es wi h disabili ies h oughou I eland. Based in Dublin, AHEAD wo k wi h s uden s,
g adua es, uni e si y s a and employe s o enhance he expe ience o s uden s wi h disabili ies. Ge AHead
and WAM a e wo AHEAD ini ia i es which, di ec ly, suppo s uden s wi h disabili ies make he ansi ion o
g adua e wo k.
Ge Ahead is a ne wo k o s uden and g adua es wi h disabili ies cu en ly making he ansi ion om hi d-
le el educa ion o ull ime employmen . The pu pose o he Ge AHEAD ne wo k is o up-skill g adua es
wi h disabili ies by p o iding aining e en s and aluable in o ma ion co e ing a wide ange o opics and
esou ces including: olun ee ing and wo k expe ience; in e iew p epa a ion; CV w i ing; job seeking; legal
en i lemen s; g an s a ailable; and disclosu e.
WAM (Willing Able Men o ing) is a wo k placemen p og amme which aims o p omo e access o he labou
ma ke o g adua es wi h disabili ies and build he capaci y o employe s o in eg a e disabili y in o he

EMPLOY PROJECT S uden Handbook 33
mains eam wo kplace. Pa icipa ing employe s (WAM Leade s) collabo a e wi h WAM o o e men o ed,
paid wo k placemen s o g adua es wi h disabili ies. This pa ne ship b ings g adua es wi h disabili ies
andWAM’sne wo ko employe s oge he so ha bo hcanbene i  omeacho he -ensu inggenuine
lea ning oppo uni ies o all. WAM is unique in ha i seeks o engage and suppo employe s in o de o
simul aneously de elop he po en ial o employe s and g adua es wi h disabili ies. To da e, he p og amme
has p o ided o e 250 placemen s o g adua es wi h disabili ies
(AHEAD, 2017)
Ac i i y 6.4 – Re lec ions on suppo s
In you jou nal o g oup discussion, e lec upon any o he suppo s iden i ied in his chap e which you eel
would bene i you.
As a ollow-on exe cise, you should do some u he esea ch (using he Fu he Resou ces a he end) o
h ough he se ices in you uni e si y o local employmen o ices o make a lis o he a ious se ices and
suppo s ha could assis you once you lea e uni e si y. I would be use ul o s a con e sa ions wi h hese
se ices be o e you inish uni e si y – i ’s ne e oo ea ly o s a wo king on he nex s ep o you ca ee .
Con inue he con e sa ion on Twi e … @Employ2016
In sea ch o decen wo k a e uni e si y
34
EMPLOY PROJECT S uden Handbook 35
7. STUDENT DIVERSITY AS AN ASSEST IN THE GRADUATE
LABOUR MARKET
Weha eco e edalo in hishandbookandyoumay ind ha youha emo eques ions hananswe saswecome
o he end. Fo us, his would be a posi i e ou come as i sugges s ha he handbook has, in a small way, helped
you o s a hinking c i ically abou you ca ee ajec o y. The e a e, undoub edly, hings ha you can do o
enhanceyou chanceso de eloping hekindo ca ee  ha youwan .Howe e ,i isdi icul  odo ha aloneand
impo an o ecognise ha many o he challenges you ace a e hose p esen ed by he social, economic and
cul u al con ex s in which you li e.
Andwhilewemus no  o ge ,andindeedcon inue o igh agains  hemany o mso injus ice ha con ibu e
o he challenges o non- adi ional s uden s, we also eel ha i is impo an o e e y s uden and g adua e
eading his handbook o see, and impo an ly, o speak o , you di e se expe iences and backg ound as a ich
asse in e ms o you ca ee de elopmen .
To ha end,le us inishonaposi i eno eandlooka  wo inals o ies:s o iesinwhich wos uden s’
backg ounds – he e y aspec o hei li es which labels hem as ‘non- adi ional’ - in he end, becomes a
esou ce o hem o de elop a ca ee .
Case s udy – James (Po ugal)
James comes om a amily o a me s wi h low economic esou ces and low educa ional achie emen .
Howe e , his pa en s did own some land whe e hey g ew ci us ui s. James wo ked wi h his pa en s du ing
he summe aca ions since he was 14 yea s old and la e in his eens abandoned school o dedica e himsel
solely o his wo k.
F om hen on, his educa ional ajec o y was any hing bu adi ional. Responding o he p essu e o his
mo he and sis e , he wen back o educa ion o en ol on a p o essional cou se in elec onics and echnology.
Howe e , he s ill helped his amily du ing weekends and aca ions.
He hen wen on o comple e a pos -seconda y p o essional cou se (Main enance o G een Spaces). These
cou ses, in Po ugal, a e o e ed in highe educa ion ins i u ions, las o one and a hal yea s and a e
supposed obea as  ou e oemploymen , a ge ingspeci icsec o so p o essionalac i i y.Howe e ,
s uden s also ha e he oppo uni y o con inue hei s udies o a e ia y le el.
I was while he was in highe educa ion ha James esol ed o use he expe ience and knowledge he al eady
had in ag icul u e o de elop i u he . And so James decided, in 2011, o s udy Ag onomy a he uni e si y.
As a uni e si y s uden he ound he was able o isi nume ous p oduce s (access was easie ha way) and
he ook e e y oppo uni y o ac i ely lea n om s udy isi s, semina s, e c. G adually his knowledge g ew
om his capaci y o mix heo y wi h p ac ice gained a uni e si y, bu also, and impo an ly, wi h his yea s o
ag icul u al expe ience. This expansion and deepening o p e ious expe ience wi h a uni e si y educa ion
was undamen al o James secu ing a job, in 2013, in an o cha d.
James non- adi ional backg ound became an asse , and no a p oblem, a some c i ical poin s in his ca ee biog aphy.
The alues he kep om a wo king-class amily (such as: esponsibili y; humili y; he impo ance o wo king
ha d; being punc ual; knowing he alue o money) we e also used as asse s o ge a job, as hese pe sonal
ai s, he disco e ed, a e app ecia ed by employe s.
Highe educa ion ga e him, no only an oppo uni y o de elop social ne wo ks bu also he desi e o know
mo e and o unde s and ha inno a ion and knowledge is c ucial in employmen .
James s ill wo ks in he ag icul u al sec o . Howe e , now is in pa ne ship wi h his boss o de elop an
inno a i e p ojec . His nex s ep will be o en ol in a mas e ’s p og amme in u icul u e.
Case s udy – Kalle (Sweden)
Kalle is a 34-yea -old ma u e, human esou ces g adua e. His pa en s a e om a wo king-class backg ound
and a e now e i ed. His mo he d eam o be educa ed bu could ne e a o d i – in ac , his pa en s’ highes
le el o o mal educa ion was p ima y school. Kalle li es wi h his pa ne who is also a g adua e and who
encou aged him o e u n o uni e si y.
Be o e he en e ed uni e si y, Kalle wo ked in he ca e sec o as an assis an nu se. Howe e , he wan ed o
In sea ch o decen wo k a e uni e si y
36
change, and p og ess mo e in, his ca ee . A e g adua ion he was no su e o ge ing a job in he HR sec o
no only because o age bu also because o his sexual o ien a ion (Kalle is gay). He was no su e he would be
welcome. So, ins ead o looking o wo k a e his deg ee, he applied o a pos g adua e in e nship cou se in HR.
And i was du ing his p og amme ha Kalle’s p e ious low-s a us wo k – he wo k ha he was keen o mo e
away om – became an asse in he, some imes slow, de elopmen o a g adua e ca ee . Kalle was able o
d aw on his p e-uni e si y wo king expe ience in he ca e sec o o secu e a placemen in a heal h ca e public
ins i u ion.A e some ime,hewaswo kingasa ec ui men o ice wi hasupe iso .
I wasn’ a s aigh o wa d success s o y hough: his wo k expe ience was p og essing well and he was on his
way owa ds secu ing a pe manen posi ion when his supe iso le he company. As a esul Kalle was mo ed
o he adminis a ion sec o once again wi h a new supe iso o lea n a new ole a a lowe sala y le el.
Howe e ,in heendKalle inallysecu edhispe manen posi ionwi h heo ganisa ion.A e  hese u bulen 
expe iences, he eels good ha he has a s eady job.
Kalleis e yclea  ha hisea lie wo kinheal hca eadded ohissuccessin indinghisg adua ejoband,
looking back on i now, i is wo k ha he can app ecia e. In ac , he Swedish esea ch eam we e also able o
speak o his new employe and i is clea , om wha hey said, ha hey eally alued he pe spec i e and skills
ha Kalle b ough om his p e ious expe iences:
.. Yes, bu he had expe ience as an assis ance nu se and ha was a huge ad an age when i comes o ou
wo k; he b ings new ideas, and wise iews ... He has shown in e es and con ibu es a lo wi h his iews, wi h
new knowledge … and ques ions ‘bu why do you hink so and why do you do i so?’ I ’s e y aluable … [His
expe ience as an] assis ance nu se makes i possible o include a pe spec i e ha we miss, he comes om he
eal wo ld …
(Kalle’s employe )
Many o he s uden s and g adua es in ol ed in he EMPLOY p ojec alk abou going o uni e si y as pa o
an occupa ional li e-p ojec o mo e away om low-s a us wo k. Howe e , Kalle’s case makes clea ha such
wo k doesn’ become i ele an o ou ca ee s when we go o uni e si y – o many o us, like Kalle, p e ious
wo king expe ience can become an asse when we e u n o he g adua e labou ma ke .
Ac i i y 7.1 – Naming you non- adi ional expe ience as you s eng h
You ha e spen some ime o e his handbook e lec ing on he challenges acing non- adi ional s uden s
and e lec ing on you own. Bu we ha e also p omp ed you, h ough a ious ac i i ies, o e lec on you
own expe iences. Deep and p olonged e lec ion on ou expe iences can ans o m hem in o knowledge –
a eally use ul knowledge ha can be used o you ad an age in he g adua e labou ma ke .
Take some ime o e lec on James and Kalle’s s o ies and, al hough you s will be e y di e en , use i as a
s a ing poin o hink (o discuss) he ways in which you backg ound and expe ience as a non- adi ional
s uden can become a esou ce in e ms o you g adua e employabili y.
These s eng hs may ake some ime o unco e as hey a e so embedded in who you a e ha you may no
immedia ely see hem as asse s. Fo example, i you a e a pa en o young child en who has s uggled o
jus su i e uni e si y while ca ing o you amily, you may no sel -iden i y he ime-managemen skills,
capaci y o mul i- ask, esou ce ulness, and commi men o sel -de elopmen ha has go you his a - and
ye hese a e he skills ha so many employe s alue.
Bu his, o cou se, is one example. Think also abou he pe spec i e ha you, as a non- adi ional s uden ,
can b ing o e- i alise he cul u e and ision o p og essi e o ganisa ions.
Use you Ca ee De elopmen Jou nal o, unashamedly, w i e down you obse a ions abou he s eng hs
and asse s which can be loca ed in you expe iences and backg ound as a non- adi ional s uden .
W i ing hese down in you jou nal will allow you o begin o o m he wo ds and ge com o able wi h he
ph ases ha , one day soon, you will need o w i e mo e luen ly in applica ions, CVs and p o iles and hea
you sel say wi hou apology in in e iews and con e sa ions wi h p ospec i e employe s.
EMPLOY PROJECT S uden Handbook 37
Final e lec ions
Ac i i y 7.2 – Final e lec ions
Read (o lis en) back h ough all he en ies in you jou nal. Wha a e he hemes eme ging om you own
e lec ions? Wha a e he hings ha you come back o? In wha ways, can any hing ha you ha e lea ned
help you s a o see ways o wa d in he de elopmen o you ca ee ? Wha a e you nex s eps?
I you ha e been wo king as a g oup discuss you lea ning collec i ely and hen w i e an en y in you jou nal
which cap u es wha you ha e lea ned as a g oup by engaging wi h he ma e ial in his handbook.
I you ha e been wo king h ough his handbook on you own spend some ime o w i e a inal ( o now)
en y in which you e lec on wha you ha e lea ned.
We hope, and encou age you, o use you Ca ee De elopmen Jou nal (wha e e o m(s) i akes) in o he
u u e and ha i becomes a space o wo k h ough some o he challenging aspec s o making a ca ee ha
all o us ace h oughou ou li es.

In sea ch o decen wo k a e uni e si y
38
EMPLOY PROJECT S uden Handbook 39
8. FURTHER RESOURCES
Gene al
esou ces
The p ojec websi e o he EMPLOY p ojec : employ.dsw.edu.pl/language/en
Job hun ing ad ice o ma u e g adua es: g adi eland.com/ca ee s-ad ice/equal-oppo uni ies/
job-hun ing- o -ma u e-g adua es
Ad ice o job seeke s wi h disabili ies: ibec.ie/IBEC/ES.ns / Pages/HR_bes _p ac ice~Di e si y_
and_ he_in eg a ed_wo kplace~a-guide- o -job-seeke s-wi h-disabili ies-10-04-2014/$ ile/
WORKWAY+JOB+SEEKER+GUIDE.pd
How o use you disabili y as a s eng h when applying o a job (The Gua dian, May 2015):
jobs. hegua dian.com/a icle/how- o-use-you -disabili y-as-a-s eng h-when-applying- o -jobs
G adua e guide on LinkedIn (The Gua dian) hegua dian.com/ca ee s/linkedin-how-use-g adua e-
guide
O e iew o na ional guidance sys ems o each EU membe s a e: eu oguidance.eu/guidance-in-
eu ope/na ional-guidance-sys ems/
Online ca ee de elopmen aining modules aimed a he Eu opean job ma ke o s uden s and
g adua es: ca ee -modules.eu
England G adua e P ospec sp ospec s.ac.uk
Ta ge Jobs a ge jobs.co.uk
Milk ound milk ound.com
The abo e h ee a e good o bo h acancies, in o ma ion abou job oles and gene al job sea ch
sugges ions,andha elinks omo eindus y-speci icsou ceso in o ma ion.
I could (icould.com/isada abaseo  ilmclips ompeopledoingdi e en kindso jobs–i ’s
a ge is p obably school lea e s a he han g adua es and is s onge on some a eas o wo k han
o he s, bu none heless is a use ul esou ce o know o .
Na ional Ca ee s Se ice na ionalca ee sse ice.di ec .go .uk/job-p o iles/home is no aimed a
g adua es a all, bu i is s ill a use ul esou ce
G adua ess illlooking o anin e nshipwill indg adua e alen poolsea ch.di ec .go .uk/g p/index
and s ep.o g.uk use ul.
G adua es in he UK a e nea ly always able o use hei uni e si y ca ee s se ice a e hey ha e
g adua ed as in he case o Wa wick, his is in pe pe ui y. O he uni e si ies a e also likely o
ha e equi alen s o ou websi e, wa wick.ac.uk/se ices/ca ee s/ca ee s_skills and ou ca ee s
blog,ca ee sblog.wa wick.ac.uk
I eland g adI eland – an online pla o m which suppo s all g adua es in de eloping a ca ee . I does ha e
some help ul esou ces di ec ed a non- adi ional s uden s. g adi eland.com
AHEAD – o ganisa ion which suppo s and ad oca es on behal o s uden s and g adua es wi h
disabili ies. ahead.ie
Ci izensAd iceBu eausa eelocalse icewhicho e con iden ialad iceon igh sandbene i s
ci izensin o ma ion.ie/en/
IMPACT T ade union wi h in e es in you h unemploymen , non-exploi a i e in e nships and
p eca i yimpac .ie
I ish Na ional O ganisa ion o he Unemployed o e s aining, ad ice and o he suppo o he
unemployed inou.ie
Mig an Righ s Cen e m ci.ie
Na ional Cen e o Adul Guidance: ncge.ie/ u he -educa ion/adul -educa ional-guidance-ini ia i e
All he ETBs ( o mally called VECs) will ha e dedica ed Adul Guidance Counselling Se ices.
Non- adi ional s uden s may ha e used hei se ices o ge o uni e si y and a numbe o ou
pa icipan s ha e e u ned o hem as g adua es and ound he guidance se ice e y use ul. Find
you local ETB h ough he na ional si e: e bi.ie
In sea ch o decen wo k a e uni e si y
40
Poland ca ee sinpoland.com -p zewodnikdo .życia,p acyis udiówwPolsce
s udyinpoland.pl/en -se wisdo adczydlaosóbs udiującychwPolsce,zawie ającym.in.
in o macjedo .edukacji,językapolskiego,zakwa e owania,kosz ówżycia,służbyzd owia,
anspo upublicznegoo azzezwolenianap acę
p acuj.pl -s onazawie ającao e yp acywPolsce,p o ilep acodawców,po adydo . ynkup acy
cen ummig an a.pl/pl - Cen um Mig an a
mpips.go .pl/ -in o macjedo . ynkup acy,p awap acy,osóbzniepełnosp awnościami,wspa cia
dla odzinzdziećmi
o e y.p aca.go .pl – cen alna Baza O e P acy;
mojes ypendium.pl-ogólnopolskise wisos ypendiach;
niepelnosp awni.go .pl-pańs wowyse wisdlaosóbzniepełnosp awnością
biu oka ie .dsw.edu.pl/linki - p zyda nelinkidlaosóbzniepełnosp awnościami
biu oka ie .dsw.edu.pl/p zyda ne-linki
Po ugal GASP – Gabine e Alumni e SaídasP o issionaisdaUni e sidadedoAlga e(Alumniand
P o essional Ca ee s o he Uni e si y o Alga e): +351 289 244 460; iped [email p o ec ed];
[email p o ec ed]; ualg.p /p /node/97013
CRIA – Di isão de Emp eendedo ismo e T ans e ência de Tecnologia da Uni e sidade do Alga e
(Di ision o En ep eneu ship and Technology T ans e o he Uni e si y o Alga e): +351 289 800
097; [email p o ec ed]; c ia.p ; h ps://www. acebook.com/c iaualg
Po al Emp ego da Uni e sidade do Alga e (Employmen Po al o he Uni e si y o Alga e):
emp ego.ualg.p /p ocu a - abalho-emp ego/canal/4178/canal_des acado/0
IEFP–Ins i u odoEmp egoeFo maçãoP o issional(Po ugueseIns i u eo Employmen and
P o essional De elopmen ): ie p.p
Spain PORTALES DE EMPLEO:
Empléa e, po al de empleo del Minis e io de Empleo y Segu idad Social, emplea e.gob.es/
empleo/#/
Po al del Se icio Andaluz de Empleo, jun adeandalucia.es/o ganismos/
empleoemp esaycome cio/sae.h ml
Po al de empleo p i ado, Job and Talen , joband alen .com/es
Po al de empleo p i ado, Mons e , mons e .es
Po al de empleo p i ado, In oempleo, in oempleo.com
Po al de empleo p i ado pa a pe sonas con discapacidad, Po Talen o, po alen o.es
Po al de la ed de uni e sidades españolas, Uni e sia, emplea.uni e sia.es
Po al de olun a iado ( olun a iado y empleo), Haces al a.o g, haces al a.o g
GUÍAS DE BÚSQUEDA DE EMPLEO:
Adecco (2014): 15 años, 15 consejos pa a busca empleo.
undacionadecco.o g/ ecu sos_/15-consejos-pa a-busca -empleo- undacion-adecco.pd
Cáma a de Mad id (s/d): Guía de écnicas y habilidades de búsqueda de empleo.
escan os.es/po al/uploads/ uciudad/paginas/guia_habilidades[1].pd
Se icio Andaluz de Empleo (s/d): Guía p ác ica pa a la búsqueda de empleo.
jun adeandalucia.es/expo /d upaljda/Guia_P ac ica_Busqueda_Empleo.pd
ESIC (2015): Guía p ác ica pa a la búsqueda de empleo.
esic.edu/empleabilidad/pd / ecu sos/2015-guia-p ac ica-pa a-la-busqueda-de-empleo.pd
EMPLOY PROJECT S uden Handbook 41
Sweden In o ma ion o in e na ional s uden s
S udy and wo k ab oad. Independen Li ing Ins i u e (ILI), Sweden. As ILI is based in S ockholm,
Sweden, ou websi e ea u es an online se ice o epo ing disc imina ion due o disabili y in
Sweden and a da abase wi h in o ma ion abou pe sonal assis ance se ice p o ide s in Sweden
(bo h in Swedish).
Equal T ea men o S uden s in Uni e si ies Ac
www.s udyinsweden.se.
S udy and Ca ee Counselling – S ockholm Uni e si y – su.se/english/s uden -se ices/s udy-and-
ca ee counselling
Find jobs and in e nships on job po al MyCa ee - S ockholm Uni e si y – Regis e a MyCa ee
o access ads o jobs, in e nships, p ojec placemen s, and ainee posi ions, bo h in Sweden and
a ound he globe. su.se/english/s uden -se ices/s udy-and-ca ee
Men o skapsp ojek e – pao.su.se/s uden li /men o skapsp ojek e
Read mo e on jusek.se – Jusek ä akademike ö bunde ö ju is e , ekonome , sys em e a e,
pe sonal e a e,kommunika ö e ochsamhälls e a e.E  ack ö bundsoms ä ke medlemma nas
konku ensk a genom hela ka iä en.
A be sli -PAO-p og amme id S ockholms uni e si e – p ak ikpla se
pao.su.se/s uden li /a be sli /p ak ikpla se
pao.su.se/s uden li /a be sli /exjobb-upps as ö slag
pao.su.se/s uden li /a be sli /ex a-och-hel idsjobb
S hlmUP – pe sonal e a e ö eningen s hlmup.se/
Facebook acebook.com/g oups/596262767127903/
S e iges HR ö ening s e igesh o ening.se/