Networking and upskilling
For starters, if you would like to get some insight into different workforces, our societies are a great start. Take the Finance industry for example, Durham’s Finance Society regularly hosts talks and networking events with large global banks which gives students the opportunity to network and ask questions. The same is true for many of our other academic societies, like Law and Consulting. Societies accept anyone regardless of their degree, which means you are not limited to your subject. This allows you to branch out into several industries.
Aside from this, academic departments (which operate separately to societies) also offer support. For example, all students under the Business School can complete Bloomberg Certificates free of charge using our Bloomberg Terminals (saving hundreds of pounds). This can be useful in terms of upskilling and using industry specific instruments as well as showing proactivity to employers when completed.
Prep support
In terms of interview prep, you can request a mock interview, CV review, references and many other services from our Career, Employability and Enterprise Centre. If your subject department also offers prep, it may be a good idea to request this from them, as the department can offer more niche feedback.
Another great place for interview prep is our academic societies because often, society executives book interview training sessions and mock interviews from an external service. The University does a great job at looking out for its students, so do not hesitate to use these services, especially considering they are free of charge.
Interviews and internship costs
If you are fortunate enough to land an interview or an internship, but cannot afford transport/attire or food, the university has a Student Employability Fund. Provided your household income is below a set threshold, they will offer a grant to cover things like the cost of your attire and/or the transport for the event (you are not required to repay Grants and Scholarships).
It is also important to note that some specific departments also offer further employability grants for internships, like our Computer Science Department’s ‘Internships and Industry Fund for Computer Science’.
Scholarships
The University also offers a range of scholarships, from academic scholarships to creative scholarships to sports scholarships. If you can secure a scholarship, it would be a great idea to include this in your CV because it will help you stand out to employers due to their competitive nature. Various scholarships are offered by the University, our colleges and our academic departments.
Discover more
Career, Employability and Enterprise Centre
Computer Science Internship and industry fund
College and department scholarships
