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Welcome to the brand new Career Zone Podcast. In each episode, staff from the Career Zone discuss careers related topics that‘s on students‘ minds right now. Our goal is to help prepare you for life and work after University, offering quality assistance and advice throughout your course, and for as long as you need it after Graduation. We’ll help you with a wide range of enquiries, such as: CV and application form advice, booking 1:1 appointments, advice on finding work experience, graduate jobs, or postgraduate study, Guidance for interviews and assessment centres, Helping you decide which of our free workshops and events will be right for you. Visit: www.exeter.ac.uk/careers or email careers@exeter.ac.uk Follow us on Instagram @uoecareers or @uoecornwallcareers and include the #careerzonepodcast so that we can follow up in a future episode Find our Spotify playlists on topics including Creative Careers, Getting into Law and Getting Ready to Graduate, search ex.ac.uk/thecareerzoneplaylists
Episodes

7 days ago
Understanding Commercial Awareness
7 days ago
7 days ago
In this week’s podcast, we consider commercial awareness in your job search and future career: what is it, why employers value it and how it can benefit you. Rachel Sloan, Employability and Career Consultant, explores how you can improve yours and how your commercial awareness will be assessed when you are applying for jobs.
Useful Links:
- Explore sectors and opportunities on the Career Zone website.
- Use the University Library Guides to find company information.
- Access Industry Reports on My Career Zone Digital.
- Find out more about the range of employability schemes available to Exeter students.
- Forage provides access to virtual work experience programmes with some of the world’s leading companies.
- For more advice on finding internships and work experience and finding a part time job, sign up for an advice session on Handshake.
- Use Glassdoor to discover what an employer is really like through reviews and ratings from people who have worked for them.
- The Student Room has forums where students discuss work in different industries and sectors.
- Use you Exeter email address to register and explore Employer Job Guides on Graduates First.
This episode was written by Melissa Benson and recorded by Rachel Sloan.

Tuesday Feb 04, 2025
Tuesday Feb 04, 2025
In this episode Tess Read, Employability and Career Consultant, talks to undergraduate Molly Miles, on her experience of getting a placement and a training contract. Molly shares her experience of how she found a placement just by speculative asking, how much she enjoyed her year, and how it led to that prized goal - a fully funded training contract.
In addition to this episode you can find more information to help with career planning here; University of Exeter Career Zone , My Career Zone Digital , Law and legal services: Information for Law and Non-Law Students , Employability for Law Students and The Law School.
Other links:
If you're a current Exeter student, you can book onto a Time and Stress Management session via Handshake.

Thursday Jan 30, 2025
How can upReach help you?
Thursday Jan 30, 2025
Thursday Jan 30, 2025
Kate Foster, Employability and Career Consultant, is joined by recent alumni Evie to discuss upReach, a social mobility charity that partners with the Career Zone to support students in receipt of the Access to Exeter bursary to develop their employability. With 28% of current students receiving a bursary, Evie shares how she found out about upReach, the activities she got involved with and the advice she would give to her first year self.
You can find out more about upReach and whether you are eligible for support on the upReach website.

Tuesday Jan 21, 2025
What is a master CV and why should you keep one?
Tuesday Jan 21, 2025
Tuesday Jan 21, 2025
In this week’s episode Nicky Hutchinson, Employability and Career Consultant, focuses on the importance of having a master CV. Nicky explains what they are, why it is good practice to keep one and explores the kind of experiences you can include in yours.
Useful Links:
- Sign up and complete The Exeter Award
- Book onto a skill session via Handshake
- Access the online training for Green Consultants
- Find out more about Professional Pathways
- Check out out Help with CVs webpage
- Listen to our CV of Failure episode.

Friday Jan 17, 2025
How to answer interview questions
Friday Jan 17, 2025
Friday Jan 17, 2025
You’ve been invited to a job interview, but how can you prepare yourself?
In this week’s episode, Leanne Bisatt, Employability and Placements Adviser, focus on how you can prepare for answering interview questions. Leanne shares how to answer ‘tell us about yourself’ question and how you can structure your examples using the S.T.A.R technique (situation, task, action and result).
Useful links:
- Help with…interviews
- Help with...researching sectors and employers
- Book onto an Interview Techniques session on Handshake
- Find out more about reasonable adjustments on our Supporting Equality and Diversity webpage.
- Contact the Career Zone to book a 1-1 appointment.
- Register for the Exeter Award

Tuesday Dec 10, 2024
Tuesday Dec 10, 2024
In this week’s podcast, Rachel Sloan, Employability and Career Consultant, is joined by George Wade, Co-Founder of Zevero, a platform revolutionising carbon management. George shares his inspiring journey, from studying Geography at university to gaining hands-on experience at a startup, and finally, co-founding his own company. George discusses the benefits of working for a startup and shares his top tips on how to apply for a role at a startup and make your application stand out. George also provides an honest look at the challenges and rewards of being an entrepreneur.
STR - Sales Training Representative
Useful Links:
- Find out more about Zevero on the Zevero website and LinkedIn Page
- George Wade LinkedIn page
- You can book onto a Guidance appointment by contacting the Career Zone.
- Student Startups
- Access to Internships
- Career Development for Sustainability
- CV sessions - Book via Handshake
- Welcome to the Jungle - Formally Otta Job Board

Thursday Dec 05, 2024
What are employers looking for? December 2024
Thursday Dec 05, 2024
Thursday Dec 05, 2024
We last looked at the Graduate Labour Market in October 2023, but what has changed since then? In this episode, Rachel Sloan, Employability and Careers Consultant, looks at the current state of the graduate labour market and the sectors which are expanding.*
Links and Resources :
- If you would like help making career decisions or exploring your career/further study options, please contact the Career Zone to book a Guidance appointment.
- Book onto a CV/Application form advice session via Handshake
- Book onto a skill session via Handshake, topics include Problem Solving, Communication and Collaboration and Personal Resilience.
- Develop your sustainability skills with Green Consultants (ex.ac.uk/greenconsultants)
- Attend one of our Employer Events
*Data mentioned in this podcast is from December 2024
Devised by Dawn Lees and recorded by Rachel Sloan

Wednesday Nov 27, 2024
Wednesday Nov 27, 2024
In our Law mini-series podcast, our Law Employability and Careers Consultants; Rachel, Tess and Sunny, talk to experienced professionals from both legal and non-legal sectors to hear their career experiences and advice.
In this episode Sunny Lalli, Employability and Career Consultant, talks to Jon Lindley, Business Affairs at Apple+
In this conversation Jon and Sunny explore a theme of alternative careers to law, of how an academic law qualification can be harnessed in non-law graduate work, examine the transferability of skills from studying law, and how to harness the power of planned happenstance to secure a meaningful career.
Further resources touched upon in the episode:
- Career Zone Podcast episode on the Power of Mentoring: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7eIRTaCzor6ZDugKsi3jnf?si=315cde2d0a974991&nd=1&dlsi=fc86fc1de2674b89 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-power-of-mentoring/id1518561665?i=1000603422439
- University of Exeter Career Zone sector page on law: https://www.exeter.ac.uk/students/careers/research/sector/law4nonlaw/
- University of Exeter Career Zone sector page on media, publishing and journalism: https://www.exeter.ac.uk/students/careers/research/sector/mediapublishingandjournalism/
- University of Exeter Help with Networking: https://www.exeter.ac.uk/students/careers/research/helpwith/helpwithnetworking/

Wednesday Nov 20, 2024
Wednesday Nov 20, 2024
In our Law mini-series podcast, our Law Employability and Careers Consultants; Rachel, Tess and Sunny, talk to experienced professionals from both legal and non-legal sectors to hear their career experiences and advice.
In this episode Rachel talks to Zoe Bushby, Future Pupil Barrister. Zoe graduated from the University of Exeter in 2023 with a first class LLB Law degree, she then completed her bar training at BPP Law School in Bristol and has just started working as a Future Pupil Barrister for Magdalen Chambers, here in Exeter. Hear about Zoe’s experiences of studying her bar course and an insight into the factors to consider when deciding which one to choose, including different types of courses, funding opportunities and which provider to choose.
In addition to this episode you can find more information to help with career planning here; University of Exeter Career Zone , My Career Zone Digital , Law and legal services: Information for Law and Non-Law Students , Employability for Law Students and The Law School.

Tuesday Nov 19, 2024
Student Startups: How to start your entrepreneurial journey.
Tuesday Nov 19, 2024
Tuesday Nov 19, 2024
To celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week Rachel Sloan is joined by Jasmine Hammond, Student Startups Manager to discuss the support available to students interested in exploring entrepreneurship. Jasmine shares how you can get involved whether you have an idea you want to explore or whether you just want to find out more about entrepreneurship and social enterprise. Jasmine and Rachel share some of their favourite ideas that have come from students and the Startup Team and discuss some of the important skills you can develop.
Useful Links:
- Contact the Career Zone to book an Entrepreneurship guidance appointment with a Career Consultant
- Attend an Idea Generation workshop and find out more about the Pre-Incubator programme on the Student Startups webpages.
- Find out more on our Global Entrepreneurship Week webpage.
- Whether you are taking an entrepreneurship module or are simply wishing to enhance your employability, the Exeter Award Entrepreneurship Theme offers you a way to get University recognition for your extra and co-curricular entrepreneurship activities.
- Enactus (https://my.exeterguild.com/groups/GYXRW/enactus)