Introduction
Building confidence in your ability to navigate your career path and achieve your career goals in an important part of your experience as an apprentice learning with the University of Winchester. Whether you plan to use your new qualification to progress within your existing career, explore self-employment or move into a completely new career, you can build confidence by intentionally preparing for your future career whilst you learn. This guide, produced by the Careers and Opportunities Team at the University of Winchester will help you better understand the careers support available to you – both whilst you learn with us, and after you graduate. It will also give you some practical steps to follow to equip yourself for your future.
How do we support you now and in the future?
The Careers and Opportunities Team support apprenticeship learners in a range of ways:
F 40-minute pre-bookable 1-to-1 Careers Guidance Appointments
F Our qualified Careers Consultants can help you explore your career options and make informed decisions. Their approach is non-directive, which means you won’t be told what to do, but provided with support that encourages reflective thinking and informed decision making. These appointments can be in person or online to fit around your learning and work schedules.
F 15-minute drop-in slots with an Employability Advisor
F An Employability Advisor is available for dropin appointments from 10am to 3pm, Monday to Friday. These appointments are perfect for quick CV reviews, part-time job searching or help with booking a careers guidance appointment with a Careers Consultant. Alternatively, you can e-mail careers@winchester.ac.uk. or contact us by phone,
(01962) 827310. This gives you additional flexibility around your work and learning commitments and ensures you get the help you want when you need it.
F Access to CareerConnect, the careers platform of The University of Winchester
F CareerConnect can be accessed 24/7 and is packed full of advice videos and resources on everything from interview preparation to CVs and covering letters. Graduate and part-time jobs (including campus employment opportunities) are advertised on the platform. This is also where learners can book careers guidance appointments with a Careers Consultant and find out about all the careers events across the year.
F Careers Fairs, Workshops and Employer Events.
F The Careers and Opportunities Team run a series of careers events for learners including careers fairs with local and national employers, recruitment days with employers and workshops and talks on specific subjects. Recent topics have included Disability and Employability and AI in the Recruitment Process. Spaces on these events can be booked through the CareerConnect platform.
Take charge of your future career: your step-by-step checklist
We’ve put together the following checklist to help build your career confidence and ensure you are ready to take full advantage of your career options at the end of your qualification.
Whether you tackle them independently or with the support of a Careers Consultant, you’re not just preparing for the end of your apprenticeship, you’re building the confidence, clarity, and professional habits that will carry you into the next stage of your career.
1. Reflect on your reasons for embarking on an apprenticeship.
Self-understanding is the first stage of career planning. Set aside time during your learning to reflect on your original motivations for undertaking a degree apprenticeship. Where did you want this qualification to take you? Has this goal changed? Use this time to deepen your self-awareness and
formulate your career goals with the support of a Careers Consultant.
2. Understand your unique offering to potential employers.
Spending time to really understand your strengths and skills will pay dividends in the long run. Strengths are activities or ways of thinking that you find motivating, enjoyable, and effortless. They are things you do well without much conscious effort and that leave you feeling energised. Employers want to know your strengths; they see these as indicators of your future potential. Skills are learned and measurable abilities, you have been acquiring them throughout your life, through your studies, hobbies, volunteering and your current or previous jobs. You need to be able to articulate and evidence your skills in your CV or in an application form. Some of the most sought-after skills by employers are:
• Communication
Being able to share information, emotions and ideas clearly and effectively, in writing and verbally.
• Analytical thinking
Breaking down complex problems into smaller manageable parts to find logical solutions, enabling informed decision making and effective problem solving.
• Teamwork
Individuals working together, recognising strengths and contributing to a positive work environment.
• Self-motivation
Being able to work towards and achieve goals without needing prompting from others or rewards.
• Leadership
When you motivate, organise or support a group of people to reach a goal. Now is the perfect time to think about what skills you can demonstrate to an employer and how you would evidence them.
3. Create an up-to-date CV
Your CV is your first chance to make a positive impression to employers and secure a job interview. These are some of the fundamentals that ensure a strong CV:
• Clear structure
A clean layout with clear headings (Profile, Skills, Experience, Education) helps employers scan quickly.
• Tailored content
Match your CV to the role by highlighting the skills and experience that matter most for that job.
• Strong personal profile
A short, punchy intro that sums up who you are, what you offer, and what you’re aiming for.
• Evidence of impact
Use achievements, not just duties. Numbers help: ‘Improved efficiency by 20%’ lands better than ‘Responsible for admin tasks.’
• Relevant skills
Include both technical skills (tools, systems, qualifications) and soft skills (communication, teamwork, problem-solving etc)
• Work experience that tells a story
Focus on what you did and what you achieved, not just what the job was.
• Education and training
Include your apprenticeship details, certificates, and any additional training.
• Keywords from the job description
Many employers use automated screening, so matching their language boosts your chances.
• Professional presentation
Consistent fonts, spacing, and bullet points make you look organised and detail focused.
To help you create the perfect CV, you can access a series of advice videos and a CV guide (which includes a range of common CV templates) on the Career Connect Platform.
By crafting a solid CV before your apprenticeship ends, you’ll be ready to hit the ground running.
4. Review and optimise your job searching techniques Whether the job you aspire to next is within your current organisation, a different employer within your current sector or you are branching out into a completely new career direction, you should be constantly reviewing your job searching strategies to ensure they are up to date. Here are some approaches to consider:
• Make sure you know what jobs boards are relevant to the jobs/sector you are targeting. The Career Connect platform hosts a list of up-to-date job boards across all sectors and you can set up job alerts.
• Utilise LinkedIn to make connections and join groups of interest, this can increase your visibility of opportunities that may interest you. You can connect with other University of Winchester graduates via the University’s LinkedIn page by clicking the Alumni button. If you require support with setting up a LinkedIn profile, or optimising your existing account, the careers team can support with this.
• Keep an eye out for secondment opportunities within your organisation. This could be a great way to try a new role on a temporary basis.
• Use specific recruitment agencies for the industries that interest you. Agencies work on behalf of employers to find suitable candidates and act as the link between jobseekers and employers. Many employers use them and signing up will sometimes give you access to jobs that aren’t advertised elsewhere. Search on Find Recruitment Agencies at Agency Central to find the recruitment agencies in the sectors or industries you are interested in.
• It’s a good idea to keep a close eye on the websites and social media accounts of the organisations you specifically want to work for. Many employers now post job openings on their own channels before they appear anywhere else, so checking them regularly means you can spot opportunities early. It also helps you stay connected to the companies you are targeting and shows genuine interest in their work.
5. Get ready to produce winning application forms
Producing a job application takes time and practice. In addition to adding contact details, education and employment history, many applications ask for a personal statement to demonstrate how your experience, values and skills match the person specification for the job you are applying to. The personal statement is a crucial opportunity to showcase who you are, your goals, your values, and what you can bring to a role. A strong, persuasive personal statement can really set you apart from other candidates.
How to ace the personal statement:
• Use the STAR method to structure your answer and ensure you provide the evidence the recruiter is looking for. STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action and Result. Check out this video to find out more How to use the STAR technique
• Use professional language and avoid slang, jargon and abbreviations.
• Don’t fall into the trap of using the same personal statement for different applications as each employer is looking for different things. You should target the evidence that you provide to the job description and don’t be afraid of echoing the language used by the employer.
• Keep to the wordcount. Draft the personal statement in Word to make editing easy. You can then copy and paste it back into the application form once you are happy with it.
• Check out this video on CareerConnect which explains how to craft a strong and persuasive personal statement that sets you apart from others. How to write a personal statement to support a job application
6. Prepare for interviews
The key to doing well at an interview is do relevant and focused preparation beforehand. You will be expected to give examples of experiences and using your skills, either from your current or previous job or apprenticeship or hobbies.
Pay close attention to the description of the person the employer wants. For instance: the job advert may state ‘We are looking for a self-motivated, organised and enthusiastic learner.’ Prepare answers that give examples of activities and achievements that demonstrate these attributes.
The job description will often state the skills they are looking for e.g ‘provide clients with insightful data analysis and software-driven audit results’. As above, prepare answers that include examples of when you have completed such a task, or something very similar.
The STAR framework mentioned above is very useful to help you prepare your examples, and ensures the anecdote is concise and stays relevant. Without this, it’s very easy to lose track of what you’re saying.
Employers often want candidates who have the potential to grow and take on positions of responsibility. To elicit this, they may ask question about your strengths. These are designed to disclose your motivations, where you perform well and your preferred behaviours. For example, ‘what motivates you to do your best?’.
At the end of the interview, most candidates are given the opportunity to ask a couple of their own questions. This is still part of the interview so have these questions prepared. Don’t be tempted to ask about pay or holidays here, use these questions to find out more about the organisation or show your enthusiasm and ambitions. For example: What upcoming projects will the successful candidate be working on?
If you are asked to prepare a presentation, make sure you practice it, that you are comfortable with any technology being used and that you can complete it in the time stipulated.
For all the steps in this checklist, whether you tackle them independently or with the support of a Careers Consultant, you’re not just preparing for the end of your apprenticeship, you’re building the confidence, clarity, and professional habits that will carry you into the next stage of your career.
