Foreword

Welcome from the Director of Career Development and Skills…

While COVID-19 continues to represent a risk to us all as a global community, there can be no doubt the world of work has changed forever. As we continue to “live with covid”, remote working has opened many opportunities for graduates to work from home in jobs located many kilometres away. For most of us work is now partly conducted via Zoom, Google Meet and other platforms with a few days per week on site. The flexibility presents many great opportunities but there exist challenges also. Starting a new job and getting to experience the work culture for yourself and become integrated into a team of colleagues can be more daunting and more difficult. The Cibyl Graduate Research Report (2023) surveyed students nationally and found that this year, students were more likely to prioritise a friendly work culture and job security over other factors.

At Careers Networks, Career Consultants continue to enable students and graduate enter and thrive in the workplace. You can find out more about the work we undertake, the services we deliver and how we can help you in this guide and at www.ucd.ie/careers

Director of Career Development and Skills and Associate Editor of the British Journal of Guidance and Counselling

Whether you have no career plan, some ideas or a well- developed plan, Careers Network can help you achieve your goals. The team works to combine written, online and in person support to help you decide on where you want to go and how best to ensure your success. Please take some time use this career guide in your career planning, opportunity awareness and appreciation of what skills will make you most employable. Finally, wishing you a successful and enjoyable year ahead!

Meet your Career & Skills Consultant

As the Career & Skills Consultant for the Undergraduate School of Business, I am delighted to introduce you to the many initiatives that the UCD Careers Network has to offer for the College of Business Students to enhance your employability skills during your time in UCD.

Having worked in a business environment myself, I understand the skills and attributes that employers are looking for when hiring graduates. Prior to joining UCD I worked in recruitment and HR roles in multinational technology companies where I have managed graduate and internship hiring programmes. Having always had a passion for coaching and developing people, I decided to move into the career guidance area 2 years ago and I can honestly say this is the most rewarding job I have had so far!