What is the Oxford Careers Network?

The Oxford Careers Network (OCN) is a database of former Oxford University undergraduates and postgraduates, who have volunteered to share their experiences of employment, further study and gap year activities. Students really value reading the case studies and contacting volunteers for more advice and information. They use the Network to find out about:
  • employment sectors
  • a particular job
  • a specific organisation
and seek inspiration on:
  • what to do with a degree subject
  • gap year activities
  • options for further study

So please sign up - on CareerConnect - use the 'post-it' note on the right of the screen. Watch a video of how to register here.

Knowledge, expertise and insights from people like you

Like you, every volunteer on the OCN was once an undergraduate or postgraduate at Oxford who has already faced the often bewildering array of choices and decisions, and embarked on their chosen careers.

Students want to learn from your experience: your successes and your mistakes. The OCN is brought to you by the Oxford University Careers Service to give you a way to legitimately connect with Oxford students to help inform their career choices and action they need to take to prepare for life beyond their degree.

Members provide details on such things as: a typical day in their job, the best and worst aspects involved, a brief description of their career path to date, details of any further study they have undertaken since leaving Oxford and any gap year activities. OCN can provide students with behind the scenes information about a company or occupation, as well as creating valuable opportunities for networking as many volunteers are happy for students to contact them via email.

Volunteers represent a broad range of occupations, from the legal sector to journalism and from medicine to music. A huge variety of occupations and roles is covered. 

So what do students ask?

Often it's for information that company brochures and recruiters don't really provide: what is it actually like to work at a particular company, or what qualities do you really want to see in applicants? The volunteers on the Network won't be able to offer students a job, but they can often offer advice about work experience, or recommend further contacts within their organisation. One student who has recently used the scheme has emailed us to say:

"I am just amazed at how helpful (some) people are, across a wide range of companies, from fine-tuning my CV to individual company preferences, preparing me for the various selection processes, and taking time to tell me almost whatever I want to know about them and their firms (one of them has spent at least six hours over the past week helping me)."


Of course we can't guarantee students this level of success every time! But we do hear time and again how helpful this unique resource can be.

So please sign up - on CareerConnect - use the 'post-it' note on the right of the screen

Page last edited: 12 October 2011

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