At the beginning of the academic year our Careers Consultants are asked a lot of questions from students and graduates who have similar career aspirations. So to help you, we’ve answered some those Michaelmas Term frequently asked questions.

What do I do if I don’t know what I want to do?

We’re here to help all students – whether you know what you want to do or not. We know it can be difficult to find the time to think about your future job options/getting work experience when you’re concentrating on your studies so we’ve created a tool that can help you do this from the comfort of your own room. Career Builder is an interactive guide to help you navigate the career planning process and find the most appropriate information and resources whatever stage you’re at in the job/internship hunting process.

Give Career Builder a go, check out what services and resources we offer, and then book an appointment with a careers consultant to go through your career options!

Do I have to do a spring week?

Spring weeks can be a useful way of getting an insight into sectors and organisations you are considering, and in some instances they are an important first step towards a graduate job.  However, there are never enough places for all those interested and not all industries actually offer these programmes, so there are many alternative ways of getting the necessary insight and experience.

Think about work shadowing or applying to smaller organisations that don’t organise formal spring weeks.  You should also keep in mind that other aspects of your experience might be more important to an employer. For example, many law firms will check your academic grades first, so making sure you secure high grades in all your modules remains the priority.

Since the point of a spring week is to help you understand what it’s like to work in a given sector, there is no expectation that you will already have experience in it – it will however be important to explain convincingly what motivates you and interests you about the organisation.

Over the year we’ll be running seminars on the different things you can do during your vacations to help you get the skills and experience that employers are looking for.

If you do secure a place, have a look at our blog post on spring weeks to help you get the most out of it.

When are deadlines?

As most of you are already aware, applications season for graduate roles and internship roles is already underway, with deadlines falling throughout the term.  We have a list of closing dates for key sectors on our website, so make sure you check our employment sector pages regularly for information on banking and financial services, consulting and marketing/PR.

It’s also important to check the websites of any organisation you’re interested in to make sure you understand their key messages. For example, whether they recommend you should apply as early as possible, or whether they will only start assessing applications once the deadline is closed. This way you might get a bit longer to prepare.

Should I apply for an internship or graduate scheme?

There is no straight answer to this question and needs to be looked at on a case-by-case basis. For some roles eg. front office roles in investment banking, it is likely that you will need to show previous experience if you are to have a chance of securing a graduate role. In this instance it might make sense to apply for an internship immediately after graduating. Some organisations will also be happy for you to apply for both, in which case spreading the risk might be the right approach.

The best thing is to contact each organisation directly and ask them! If you’re considering the possibility of applying for more than one role in the same company, check their website or contact the recruiter directly to check whether they would expect you to use different cover letters for each.

Should I wait until I’ve met employers at events before applying?

It’s up to you to do a bit of self-analysis and decide if your application is ready, if it’s as good as it can be. If you have the relevant experience, are confident that you are showing that clearly and have articulated convincing reasons why you are interested in the company and the role, it might make sense to send the application off.

If you feel you’d benefit from gaining more insight into the organisation, then it’s probably a good decision to hold back, keeping in mind that in some instances jobs are filled on a first come basis. You’ll probably still find it beneficial to come to our employer events as this can give you useful information for completing your application from and preparing for your potential future interview!

Are there fewer jobs this year and are most of them filled already?

2016 was a very buoyant year for graduate recruitment, with numbers reaching pre-recession levels. While the Association of Graduate Recruiters predicts a drop of 8% in vacancies compared to last year, the market remains strong and as the QS World University Rankings show, we know that LSE remains a target university for many employers.

There’s a lot of activity on campus and increasing numbers of vacancies advertised on CareerHub, and so far employers are telling us that they are holding firm on the numbers they had set at the start of the year.

How many organisations should I apply to?

We find that students will apply for between six and 15 jobs, though this is very individual. You need to consider carefully your overall workload, the importance of spending time preparing the best, most targeted application you can, rather than taking a more general approach. LSE Careers can help with that, whether it’s by giving you the chance to meet employers, talk to alumni about what it’s like to work in a particular sector or organisation, or by reviewing your CV, cover letter or application form.

Make sure you check out events and services on CareerHub as well as the LSE Careers website.