Advice Appointments

Appointments for students are available to book in CareerConnect as 'Student Careers Appointment'.

How we can help

Our careers advisers offer objective, confidential careers guidance based on your individual needs. This guidance can include (but is not limited to):

• feedback on CVs, cover letters, etc.
• helping you to explore career paths
• discussing further study options
• providing sector specific information - advising where to find it
• suggesting where to find work experience
• advising on interview preparation and techniques
• showing you relevant resources and services

If our careers advisers are unable to meet your career needs then they will suggest alternative ways for you to seek assistance.

What we don't / can't cover

While we are able to provide comprehensive careers education, information and guidance in relation to the UK graduate labour market, we are not able to provide the same level of information about all other labour markets and practices.

We are not permitted by UK legislation to advise on immigration/visa matters, though we can help you find relevant sources of information (see also the International Student Advisory Service) and hold such information at the Careers Service.

Before you book

Before you book your one-to-one appointment please ensure that you have checked the relevant information on our website, as many answers to career related queries can be found within our articles. In particular, if you are looking for CV feedback please check through our CV page first for basic formatting and content guidance.

If you have any documents that you wish a careers adviser to look over, please upload them when you book an appointment.

If you have any questions about the information we have online, then please contact our Reception team on hello@careers.ox.ac.uk

Who you can contact

All our careers advisers are capable of dealing with all queries so please feel free to book in to any of the available appointments. However, if you’d like to find out more about which adviser you will be contacting, please see our list of advisers.

How to book

If you would like to have a discussion with a careers adviser, you can book a 'Short Discussion' appointment. Once you book an appointment, you should receive a confirmation email in your Inbox.

For online appointments, we will either email a Teams meeting invitation to you before your appointment or if this has not been possible we will phone you at the time of the appointment. 

Please check that the phone number listed in your CareerConnect account is correct.

We can still give you feedback on your CV and other documents on Teams or over the phone - these can be uploaded to your CareerConnect account when you book your appointment.

You are permitted to book up to one advice session per week.

Appointments are released in CareerConnect, two working days ahead.

• Monday 1:1s are available to book from Thursday
• Tuesday 1:1s are available to book from Friday
• Wednesday 1:1s are available to book from Monday
• Thursday 1:1s are available to book from Tuesday
• Friday 1:1s are available to book from Wednesday

NOTE THAT if you need to have a discussion between 8:30 and 10:00, or between 16:00 and 18:30 (BST) because you are not currently in the UK/Europe, we will try to offer you one; please contact hello@careers.ox.ac.uk to arrange this.

If an appointment is cancelled, it is re-released so that someone else can book it, so do keep checking if you find the appointments are fully booked. If there are any last minute changes to the availability of appointments (due to sickness etc.) our Reception team will contact you as soon as possible to reschedule.

If you are having any difficulty booking an appointment then please contact us on 01865 274646 or email hello@careers.ox.ac.uk

If you are currently on a grade 6-9 fixed-term research contract at Oxford University

The Careers Service offers advice and guidance on careers to all research staff employed on a contract with the University of Oxford at grades 6 to 9, including Junior Research Fellows and Teaching Fellows. Our support is available for the duration of the contract and for 12 months post-contract.

Research staff may book a 30 minute appointment with Dr Susan Black or Dr Chris Jeffs, the careers advisers for research staff. The appointments can be booked in CareerConnect as 'Research Staff Careers Appointment' and are made available to book up to four weeks in advance.

You are welcome to use this opportunity in whatever way best suits you. You can discuss your current career plans, some alternative options and how to explore viable routes or transitions most effectively, as well as specific guidance on networking, CV-writing, an application or interview preparation.

Other research staff at Oxford University

We have very limited capacity to offer careers support to University staff and associates beyond our official remit. However, we may be able to help. Find out more about CareerConnect access for other research staff.

Members of our Internship Office hold 20-minute 'Internship Advice Sessions (Summers and Micros)' for students who are applying to the Micro-Internship Programme and Summer Internship Programme, available exclusively for Oxford students. 

During these sessions you can get advice on CVs and personal statements which are part of applications for these programmes.

The appointments take place during the advertising periods for both programmes, and are bookable on CareerConnect.

Please note these sessions cannot be used for general careers advice, or advice on applications to internships outside of our programmes.

Book a one-to-one online session to help you prepare for interviews or assessment centres as part of the Civil Service Fast Stream and other public sector graduate entry recruitment schemes.

Sessions are usually 50 minutes long and run as a virtual meeting. Students will work with Richard Jackson, an Oxford alumnus and retired Senior Civil Servant with extensive experience in how to do well in Fast Stream and other graduate scheme recruitment.

In booking this session, you are agreeing that we can share your email address with Richard in order to provide the service. 

Richard offers support for:

• practice interviews, advice and practical tips for in person, phone or online video interviews (eg the FS personal development conversation);
• practice presentations with advice and practical tips;
• discussion and practice for role-plays (eg the FS stakeholder communication exercise);
• discussion of written exercises, with the option of a completing a practice exercise;
• discussion of group / team exercises;
• preparation for other elements of public sector graduate entry recruitment schemes.

Richard also offers support for Fast Stream Final Selection Boards.

Appointments are usually available on Mondays in Michaelmas and Hilary Terms and open for booking one week in advance. Additional sessions may become available.

The Careers Service will use your email to set up the meeting and you will receive confirmation of the online video link for your appointment. Richard will then have your email address, and will contact you directly for further information to help him prepare, including: the government or other graduate scheme that you are applying for, where you are in the recruitment process, and a copy of your CV if you have one.

Please email hello@careers.ox.ac.uk if you have any questions.

Richard’s sessions are additional to the core services that you can access, including short discussion appointments with our Careers Advisers to talk through your concerns around graduate recruitment, and our skill sessions and workshops.

Crankstart Scholars have unlimited access to 30-minute one-to-one support to chat about anything careers related. It may be that you are unsure of what you would like to do and don't know where to start, or perhaps you would like some CV and application guidance or interview practise. Support is available from a range of careers advisers and Dr Fiona Whitehouse, who works with Scholars, specifically on internships.

The appointments take place during term and vacation time and are bookable on the appointments section in CareerConnect and are listed as 'Crankstart Scholars CV & Internship Appointment'. If you cannot find an appointment, contact crankstart-internships@careers.ox.ac.uk and we can help.

One-to-one appointments with disability careers advisers are available for Oxford University disabled and neurodivergent students.

The 'Health/Disability Careers Appointment' can take place via Teams or by telephone and can be booked in CareerConnect. If you cannot find any available slot, please let us know at hello@careers.ox.ac.uk

To request an in-person meeting at the Careers Service, please email hello@careers.ox.ac.uk with the subject: 'Requesting in-person Health/Disability appointment'.

Who can access the appointments

Students who identify as having a disability, neurodivergence and/or long-term health condition. This includes but is not limited to: sensory or mobility impairments, long-term health conditions, specific learning difficulties, autistic spectrum conditions or mental health difficulties.

What we can discuss

These appointments can be useful to discuss specific questions or concerns related to disability and/or health conditions and how they may intersect with careers related topics. This can include (but is not limited to):

• discussing what impact your circumstances might have on your career choices
• considering if, when and how to talk to employers about your disability, neurodivergence or health condition
• discussing support you might need during recruitment or once in post
• offering advice on how to account for gaps in your CV or limited experience
• helping you prepare for assessments and interviews 
• showing you relevant resources and services.

Appointment length

The appointments are 30 minutes long, but they can be shorter if that is helpful for you.  

Where they take place

These appointments can be online, by telephone or in person upon request.

How often can I book a Health and Disability appointment

Students can book one health and disability appointment every 28 days. In addition, you are permitted to book up to one standard student careers appointment per week.

How you can ask for adjustments

If you need any adjustments to be able to access the appointment, or if there is anything we can do to help you make the most of the meeting, don't hesitate to contact us at hello@careers.ox.ac.uk

Other types of support we offer

For more information about our support, including a list of dedicated events planned for this term, check our "Careers Support for Disabled and Neurodivergent Students" webpage.

*Recent alumni, which we define as normally those within two years of their course-end date, can access one-to-one careers advice appointments outside normal term-time (priority in weeks 0-9 of each term is given to current students).

To book an advice appointment, simply log into CareerConnect, select “Alumni Careers Appointment (within 2 years of completing)” and choose a session from the list available.

Alumni appointments are held online using Teams. If you would like to request an alternative platform or phone call for your appointment please let us know when you book. It is also possible to arrange to meet in-person, if you would like to explore potential availability for an in-person appointment please email hello@careers.ox.ac.uk. 

If you have questions about our support for Oxford University alumni, contact alumni@careers.ox.ac.uk.