Early Futures

Early Futures:  From Potential to Placement > Book your place 

Wednesday 28 October 2026: 1.00pm-2.30pm - Online 

At this online session we’ll cover: 

• How (and where) to find placement opportunities - with live vacancies  

• Tips on tailoring your applications effectively 

• Key resources to support your journey from potential to placement 

Members of our Careers Network team and Placement Officers will be available at the end of the session to answer any questions you might have. 

This workshop is primarily aimed at second-year students who are currently applying for placement opportunities, as we’ll be showcasing live roles during the session. 

Get Hired!

A series of practical workshops open to all students to support your job hunting and career planning.

Get Hired:  How to make your applications stand out > Book your place 

Tuesday 20 October 2026: 1.00pm-3.00pm - room TBC - In person 

First impressions count! Employers receive hundreds of applications. How can you make sure yours stands out?  

Get Hired:  How to use AI effectively in your applications > Book your place 

Thursday 22 October 2026: 1.00pm-2.00pm – room TBC - In person 

AI is changing our world.  How can you ensure you harness this effectively to explore your career options and excel in applications and interviews? 

Get Hired:  How to impress at interviews > Book your place 

Thursday 29 October 2026: 1.00pm-3.00pm - room TBC - In person 

This session will cover: 

• The various formats of interviews and the question types you might encounter. 

• The differences between good interview answers and bad ones. 

• Demonstration of our online tools that can help you with your interview performance. 

• A segment on practising your interview responses and techniques in a safe environment with other students. 

• Further support and Q & A. 

Get Hired:  How to tackle online tests > Book your place 

Wednesday 11 November 2026: 1.00pm-3.00pm - SMB 1.09 - In person  

Applying for a graduate job, placement or internship? Many employers now use online tests as part of their recruitment process. Knowing what to expect can make a huge difference to your success.

By the end of this workshop, you will be able to:

• Identify common types of employer online tests
• Understand why employers use them
• Develop strategies to improve your performance
• Practise sample questions

Get Hired:  How to become an entrepreneur > Book your place 

Thursday 12 November 2026: 1.00pm-2.00pm - Online 

Discover the boundless possibilities and support available through the Loughborough Enterprise Network. 

Get Hired:  How to build professional connections > Book your place 

Wednesday 18 November 2026: 1.00pm-2.00pm - room TBC - In person  
 

Details to be confirmed.

Personal Best is an exclusive development programme for Loughborough students.

Make sure to complete Ready Set Loughborough, your essential induction programme into life at Loughborough. The programme will provide you with information to help you settle in and get involved, and essential training to help you and others feel safe and included in the Loughborough University community.

Actively engage in the Personal Best Lectures in the first year of your degree programme, which will require you to choose a skill and reflect on your development of this skill. These will be delivered as part of one of your core modules, so look out for these.

Work your way through Personal Best Badges and the associated activities designed to develop academic, personal and professional skills to prepare you for life at university and support your transition into the work environment. If you complete 4 or more badges before you graduate, and a final reflection, you will be awarded the Personal Best Award on your Degree Transcript when you graduate.

We have a wealth of resources available to you in the Career Success Toolkit in the Personal Best app, and a section dedicated to Early Futures.

It can be hard to know where to start looking for a job whilst juggling coursework deadlines and other commitments. At Careers Network we have information on a wide range of topics to help guide you through the process, and we suggest the following pages and information to get started:

• Visit our Options with your degree page to find out more about what careers your course could lead to. You can find information such as key skills you have developed as a student, resources to research career areas and to help you look for placements and jobs.
• Go to the Job profiles webpage on Prospects to research careers within a specific field, case studies and skills and further qualifications that may be needed for the role.
• Book a Careers and Enterprise Advice appointment to map out your ideas and talk about your career. You do not have to know what you want to do to book an appointment.
• Look on the LinkedIn Alumni tool to find out where our Loughborough alumni are working to inspire you on your career journey.

The Careers Network team is here to provide support and inspiration to help you, whatever your needs. For up-to-date details on how to get individual support, visit Book an appointment.

• Careers Hub: Edward Herbert Building 2.03: drop in with any careers related query, 11.00 -3.00 on weekdays during term time.
• Careers and Enterprise Advice: 20-minute appointments to check CVs, covering letters, or application forms, prepare for interviews and assessment centres or to ask any careers related query. Available via MS Teams, telephone or in-person. Book online or via telephone 01509 222765.
• Business and Enterprise Coaching: Email LEN@lboro.ac.uk to request an appointment or visit our Embrace Entrepreneurship web pages for more information.
• Attend events e.g. our careers fairs and online employer events, to network and find out about their opportunities.
• Visit our Get Placements, Internships and Graduate Roles  web pages signposting useful links and information, including our vacancy database Target Connect.
• Future Talent Appointments: These are dedicated appointments for black and South Asian students who are members of the future talent programme. You can book these via Target Connect to talk about application processes, interview support and coaching and general wellbeing for referrals to other support services.

It is a good idea to start looking at options to secure work experience and developing your CV over the first two years of your time at Loughborough. There are a range of options to consider including:

• Internships - a shorter term role (usually between 1 month and 1 year) often within small to medium size organisations, working on a specific project or within a specific department/team.
• At Loughborough, take part in our Talent Match Early Futures internship scheme which are paid professional work opportunities with employers between February and March 2025.  Internships last 50 hours in length spread across 4-6 weeks so you can manage the work around other commitments. Roles go live in October. Please see the website for launch dates and further information.
• Placements - All undergraduate degrees offer the option to take a placement year: professional-level work experience with one or more organisations, over 45 weeks, as part of the degree. Every year almost 2,000 Loughborough students do a placement, usually in their penultimate year of studies. Around 150 students a year go abroad for their placement.

Work shadowing - a short period of shadowing a professional(s) within a role and organisation of interest to you, to learn more about the role. Work shadowing is typically between 1 day and 2 weeks maximum in length as it is unpaid.

We have a range of support available to develop your skills and competence in applying for roles. You can get support from Careers Network from initial application right through to interview and accepting a job offer.

We encourage you to consider engaging in the activities and support below to maximise the effectiveness of your applications.

• Access our Make applications web pages and the Make applications resources on the Personal Best app for guidance on applying for jobs.
• Have a Careers and Enterprise Advice appointment or drop in to one of our Careers Hubs to get your CVs, covering letters and application forms checked.
• Use the following online tools to help you prepare
  • Excel in Employer Selection Processes (for all stages of the recruitment process)
  • eCareersGrad (for interviews)
  • Graduates First (for interviews and employer tests)
• Book a mock interview by arranging an Interview Coaching session.

Attend a Mock Assessment Centre to learn about the process and 'have a go' in a safe and friendly environment.

Join our LEN mailing list to stay up to date with all things LEN (programmes, funding, events and resources). 

To get started on your entrepreneurial journey, explore the Innovative and Enterprising badge on Personal Best. You can also access our LEN toolkit on the Personal Best platform, full of helpful resources designed to support budding entrepreneurs.  

Join the Skill-Up programme to up-skill your entrepreneurial capabilities, whether you are interested in running your own business/side hustle or boosting your personal skillset.

One of the best ways to explore opportunities and develop your employability skills is to attend our careers fairs and events.

At careers fairs and employer events, you can meet employers, network and find out about work experience opportunities, internships and placements.  To find out more, visit our Attend Events web page or search and book events directly via Target Connect.