Appointments

Over the Easter Term, most appointments are released one week in advance, at 11am each day. Handshake will show any later days as having ‘no appointments available’, but if you log in shortly after 11am the next working day, an extra day's appointments should be available. Postdoc appointments are available one month in advance. Postdocs who haven’t used us before need register on Handshake using in this quick registration form. You can view and cancel your appointment at any time on Handshake.

For further details of eligibility and levels of access, please see here

Appointments with our Careers Consultants are via a Handshake video/audio call. We also offer in-person appointments in the afternoons, during term-time. You can use these sessions for career planning, interview preparation, or to have your application documents checked over.

Please ensure you are in a quiet space without distraction during the appointment, so that you can focus on the meeting and both you and the adviser can hear each other clearly.

If you'd like to talk to a member of our team in person, please email us in advance if you are travelling specifically to see us.

This neurodiversity-friendly guide explains what happens in a careers appointment so you know what to expect.

If you are a care-experienced student you can contact one of our named contacts directly: Jane Ansell at janeansell@careers.cam.ac.uk, Darren Johnson at darrenjohnson@careers.cam.ac.uk, or Beka Kimberley at bekakimberley@careers.cam.ac.uk

Please note that:

  • we are unable to offer detailed advice by e-mail
  • we do not provide advice by e-mail as one of our types of appointment
  • we are unable to offer Visa advice - please contact the International Student Office.

More information

We offer appointments to current students (including undergraduates of all years, PhDs and MPhils) and alumni from every year of graduation. To be eligible, students must be matriculated, paying the University composition fee, and have a College membership.

We also offer appointments to postdoctoral researchers currently on contract with the University of Cambridge or one of our partner institutes.

Alumni beyond two years of course completion may book appointments outside of term time.

You can find further details of eligibility and levels of access here

 

For students and alumni

Application review

Run through your application with a Careers Consultant. We can advise you on CV’s, cover letters, application forms, personal statements for postgraduate study, and fellowship applications. If you upload your documents to Handshake prior to the appointment, the Careers Consultant will try to look at them in advance.

Career Consultation

We can help you to explore your career options, narrow down your ideas, or develop an action plan. We can also support you to navigate company research, manage job offers, or explore your options for working in the UK or other countries after graduation. We are, however, unable to provide visa advice.

Interview Preparation

Discuss how to prepare for an upcoming interview, talk through any concerns you have, and have the chance to practice your interview technique with a Careers Consultant. Due to high demand, these sessions are restricted to one per term.

Getting started

A 20 minute Getting Started appointment can help you explore your career options, focus on a career goal, and understand which Careers Service resources or services will support your next steps.

Disability Careers appointment

These 30 minute appointments are to discuss any aspect of jobs, careers or further study. The extra time in a disability appointment allows for a fuller discussion of your career or applications. You may also want to use the time for questions or discussion around:

  • Talking to an employer about your disability.
  • Adjustments - helping you to work out what adjustments you might need.
  • Impact of a disability on career choice.
  • Explaining unusual timelines on an application or CV.

If you are unable to see these appointments, but you have a disability or health condition, please email enquiries@careers.cam.ac.uk and we will resolve this.

For postdoctoral researchers

We also offer appointments for postdoctoral researchers currently on contract with the University of Cambridge or one of our partner institutes. Appointments with our Postdoc Careers Consultants are made available on Handshake a month in advance, but if you cannot see an available appointment, please email postdocs@careers.cam.ac.uk.

Interview Preparation

Discuss how to prepare for an upcoming interview for a fellowship, academic position, or role outside of academia. Talk through any concerns you may have and practice your panel interview and presentation techniques with a Postdoc Careers Consultant.

Application Review

Run through your application with a Postdoc Careers Consultant, including academic and non-academic CVs and cover letters, statements, fellowship applications, and other application materials. If you upload your documents to Handshake prior to the appointment, the Careers Consultant will try to look at them in advance.

Quick Query

A quick chat with a Careers Consultant about anything related to careers or to follow-up on an application review or interview preparation session. Talk to us about: getting started with exploring options, advice on getting in and getting on in your chosen career areas, making the most of your time in Cambridge, application advice and more. We're here to answer your questions, signpost to resources and to provide advice and support.

How to book

  • All appointments are booked via the ‘Career Centre’ section on Handshake. All Cambridge students and alumni can register for a free Handshake account by using their @cam.ac.uk email address. Postdocs who haven’t used us before need register on Handshake using in this quick registration form. Already registered on Handshake and can't see the specialist Postdoc Appointments? Email us and we'll fix this for you.
  • Once you have booked, you can upload CVs & Cover Letters onto Handshake - so our Careers Consultants can see them during your online appointment.  Click on your initials and navigate to the 'Documents' area to do this. NOTE: You can choose to make documents public by using the 'Visible' option in the document area. You do not need to do this for our Careers Consultants to see them - so only select this option if you are happy to share these documents with employers and other users in the Handshake Community.
  • If you have a disability that means you find making an appointment online difficult or impossible, please contact us at enquiries@careers.cam.ac.uk. A member of the Information Team will be happy to discuss this via a Microsoft Teams video or audio call, and help set up your appointment. If you have a disability, please see our accessibility information.

When to book

  • Appointments are available Monday to Friday all year round (except for Bank Holidays).
  • Student & alumni appointments are bookable 2 days ahead. Bookings open up from 11am every working day.
  • For postdoctoral researchers, appointments are made available on Handshake a month in advance.

How to cancel

You can view and cancel your appointment using Handshake. If you would like to cancel, please let us know as soon as possible. If you have difficulty cancelling your appointment, please contact us at enquiries@careers.cam.ac.uk

 

For all appointments, it is useful to consider what you’d like to get out of the session, and to write down any specific questions you may have. Please be punctual, whether the appointment is in person or via Handshake. 

Appointments usually take place virtually, within the Handshake platform. We suggest that you join the meeting on Handshake five minutes early, in order to ensure that you are able to access the appointment and the camera and sound are functioning. Please ensure that you are in a quiet space if possible, and wear headphones if not. This will allow you and the adviser to better concentrate on your conversation.

This neurodiversity-friendly guide explains what happens in a careers appointment so you know what to expect

What to expect during the appointment

  • Any information you give whilst booking your appointment will be passed on to the Careers Consultant so they know what you'd like to discuss. If you change your mind about what to cover then the Careers Consultant will be happy to talk about anything careers-related.
  • Careers Consultants make short notes of the discussion, including anything that would be useful should you book a subsequent appointment. The notes are held confidentially and are used exclusively by us.
  • Careers Consultants won’t be able to proofread all your documentation, or rewrite your material for you where English isn’t your first language.

Prepare for a specific appointment type

Application Review

  • Use the CVs and Applications guide to help structure your CV, cover letter, speculative application, or Masters application.
  • Upload your application documents to your Handshake profile before your appointment, so that your Careers Consultant can access them. Click on your initals and navigate to the 'Documents' area to do this. NOTE: You can choose to make documents public by using the 'Visible' option in the document area. You do not need to do this for our Careers Consultants to see them - so only select this option if you are happy to share these documents with employers and other users in the Handshake Community.
  • If you are having a CV reviewed, make sure it is visible on your Handshake profile.
  • Bring digital or printed copies to your appointment, ready for you to amend or write down notes.
  • Please use our CV checking tool CareerSet before your appointment to make the best of your time with the consultant.

Career Consultation

To help you decide what your next steps might be, and to get some idea of what to discuss with the Careers Consultant, consult the page below that describes your situation best:

Interview Preparation

  • Read about interviews and assessment centres. These pages discuss how to prepare, what to expect and do on the day, and how to follow up your interview with an employer. If you're short on time, read our Quick Guide on Interviews.
  • Don't panic! Careers Consultants are here to guide you and give constructive feedback on your answers. Think about the type of questions employers might ask you and prepare answers using the STAR method described in the Quick Guide on Interviews. Read our list of example interview questions.
  • There is no need to dress formally for your appointment. For advice on how to dress in the real interview, read 'Dress for Success' in our Quick Guide on Interviews.
  • Before your appointment, please use the practice interview tool on Graduates First to get the best out of your session with the consultant.

Careers Quick Query

  • If you have a document (e.g. CV or cover letter) you would like to be briefly reviewed, upload it to your Handshake account where the Careers Consultant will be able to access it.

For further details about our Careers Consultants, take a look at their profiles on our Meet the Team page.

Please note that the Careers Service is currently operating remotely, and only offering appointments via Handshake.

There is a disabled parking space available at the Careers Service, as well as ground floor rooms for appointments. If you need either of these facilities, please let the Careers Consultant or the Client Enquiries and Information Team know prior to your appointment. You can do this on Handshake or email enquiries@careers.cam.ac.uk

For full information about access to the Careers Service and our resources, visit our Careers Service accessibility page.

Our fair use policy

  • We aim to enable as many students as possible to meet a Careers Consultant within a reasonable period of time.
  • In order to be fair to our many users we limit any user to three contacts with a careers consultant in any four week period. You may book more than one Quick Query, but at very busy times of the year it is unlikely that we will be able to offer you multiple appointments. Our aim is to support as many students as we can, therefore we may need to limit a client’s ability to book appointments where instances of high usage occur.
  • To make the best use of your time and that of the Careers Consultant, we recommend that you use our website to prepare and carry out background research before attending your appointment.

If you have a question, please contact us on enquiries giving as much detail as possible about your query. We'll aim to respond to queries within one working day.

If you would like us to respond to you personally please add your name, Raven ID and email address.