There was a time when students did not turn to thinking about careers until their final year at university. Now most university careers services advise them to start considering their employment prospects during their first year.

With the credit crunch there is less demand for graduates. There are also signs that in some sectors, such as investment banking and consultancy, for example, the cycle of graduate recruitment is being brought forward a year. More banks are offering jobs that would have been filled by graduates to students who have shone during company internships during their penultimate year’s summer holiday. Such students are being hired, effectively, after an extended eight-week interview.

While this may be the exception rather than the rule, it is increasingly important that students think about how they are going to obtain work experience and hone their communication, team-working and leadership skills while at university.

“Gathering evidence that you possess these key skills is very important,” Fiona Sandford, director of the the careers service at the London School of Economics, says. “You can do this very easily from day one by getting involved in student life, student societies and volunteering.”

You should also think about what kind of work or activity you could do in the summer of your first year. This might be a seasonal job or a spell working in a Camp America summer camp. Employers also run job taster events, even for first years.

For your second year, you should try to land a more formal summer internship in an organisation in the field in which you want to work.

If you make good use of your time in the holidays and take an active part in student life during term time in the early years, this will help to provide evidence of your social and leadership skills, which will be invaluable when compiling a CV.

This autumn Warwick University is launching a web-based initiative called Warwick Advantage, which will enable students to see what work, volunteering and social activities are available locally and to reflect on their own skills and experiences.

“Twenty years ago employers came looking for potential,” says Jeff Goodman, director of Bristol University’s careers service. “Now it’s much more likely that they expect students to be able to talk sensibly about the skills they have.”

Employers look for problem solving ability, the capacity to apply intellect, the ability to communicate and harder numeracy and IT skills.

Paul Redmond, head of careers at Liverpool University, says: “Employers want to see motivation, enthusiasm and commitment. They also want self-starters. They want people who can make things happen.”

The main port of call for jobseeking undergraduates and postgraduates is the university’s careers service. It will help students to analyse their skills, values and motivations. The service will also organise company presentations on campus, arrange job fairs where employers discuss roles in their companies, stage talks on careers and offer skills training, psychometric and aptitude tests, interview practice and help preparing CVs.

Guidance on researching potential employers on the web is also offered and sometimes a mentoring network of former alumni can be called on to advise on what working life is like in particular jobs.

“Thinking about a career can be really enjoyable if you start early,” Goodman says. “It can be a positive experience and add to what you gain from university. If you leave it too late it can feel like real pressure.”

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