Laura Davison
Post Graduate Qualification and Diploma in Careers Guidance 2006
Laura Davison is Careers Adviser at the University of Sunderland. She provides student and graduates one-to-one and group support with CVs, applications, interviews, graduate job search and careers information advice and guidance. She also liaises with academics and employers to ensure students and graduates receive relevant and timely support with their career.
For Laura, who is the first generation in Higher Education within her family, gaining her qualifications and progressing into her current job at the University of Sunderland have been her greatest achievements to date.
She added: “Helping and supporting students and graduates to find successful employment/study opportunities is an achievement within my career. Also bringing up a family and balancing work and parenting is a recent achievement for me.”
Laura maintains that the ability to step out of your comfort zone is an important trait when growing personally and professionally.
“Standing up in front of 100 plus students and academics and delivering a presentation in a lecture theatre was a big step for me and something I feel much more confident with. Taking on new experiences as well as learning from achievements and not being afraid of failure and taking on feedback is crucial to success,” she said.
Laura was attracted to the University of Sunderland because of the vocational post graduated qualification that it provided.
“I liked the course and how it was a balance of theory as well as the placements in education and the community working with different people from various backgrounds,” she said. “The University was fairly local to me being from the North East and I liked the fact that I was able to find support and funding whilst studying - I found this out during an open day that was hosted by the University.”
She continued: “The course quite literally changed my life as it provided me with a platform for an influential and enjoyable profession. Without this course and the experience it provided I would not be working in the University within this role today.
“The University is really life changing! I also got on well with my lecturer at the time Neil Evans who currently still teaches within Education and Society, I found him to be very supportive and I enjoyed his lectures.”
As a Careers Adviser Laura has plenty advice to give to current students on how to get a foot on the career ladder.
She said: “My main advice would be to make sure that you are proactive from day one and in your first year find out about activities you can get involved in within and related to the university.
“Employers are looking for well-rounded graduates who have developed skills in a range of different areas and not just purely on your course. The University Careers and Employability Service can help you with this and can also help you search for student jobs/placements and explore your future career options from day one. Don’t leave it until last minute and access our support early as three or four years can pass by quickly.
“Also don’t panic if you’re unsure about what you want to do, I was unsure after I graduated in a degree in English but through volunteering/work shadowing/networking and gaining careers guidance, I quickly found out that being a Careers Adviser was the right pathway for me.
“Also never lose hope if you are rejected from roles, everybody faces rejection at some point in their career but with hard work and determination as well as our support you will find the right role for you.”
She concluded: “My future plans are to continue supporting students and graduates within Higher Education and stepping outside of a comfort zone where possible.”