Find Work
MyCareer is a great place to start your search for summer internships or graduate jobs. Remember though that applying for advertised jobs is not the only way to find work, there is also a “hidden” jobs market”. Learn about the different ways to find jobs below:
Graduate schemes
Many of the roles advertised for final year students are graduate schemes or graduate development programmes. The vast majority of these are advertised in autumn, with start dates the following summer or autumn. Larger organisations typically use this type of programme to recruit graduates who they deem to have strong potential to move into managerial or leadership roles within their company. These programmes are highly structured development programmes and typically involve training and support from mentors. They usually last from one to two years, or longer in the case of accountancy traineeships. Graduate schemes are found across all sectors, but are particularly common in Finance, Science and Technology companies.
Demand for these structured schemes is generally high and competition is strong. Organisations spend significant amounts of money on marketing these opportunities and developing their recruitment processes in order to attract the best graduates. Most of these companies will advertise on MyCareer and will have a presence at one of our Career Fairs as well as at the GradIreland careers fairs that take place in Michaelmas Term.
Graduate jobs/entry level jobs
Despite the large amount of publicity and attention that graduate schemes get, most students do not begin their careers on one of these programmes. The majority of jobs that are available to recent graduates are what are called graduate or entry level jobs. Many of these opportunities are with smaller firms, which can offer great opportunities for graduates to learn and develop. These opportunities are advertised at all times of year, according to when a company needs new staff. Companies typically look to fill these vacancies within a few weeks or months of advertising them, so you can apply for these roles towards the end of, or after, your studies. Take a look at the “Sourcing Vacancies” resource below, and the job search resources specific to your course on our “What can I do with my degree” web pages.
- MyCareer A careers portal for Trinity students interested in vacancies, further study options, competitions, events and personal careers appointment with a Careers Consultant
- gradireland Information about graduate programmes available in Ireland
- Start Your Career at an SME A guide covering the key aspects of finding your next job in Ireland’s SME sector
- Sourcing Vacancies A list of job vacancy websites
- Trinity Career Gate A career portal for students interested in international job opportunities
Experienced hire jobs
Companies looking to hire graduates with prior professional experience typically advertise on a range of websites such as www.irishjobs.ie, www.linkedin.ie, and sector-specific websites - please see our Sourcing Vacancies resource below for a list of relevant websites for your job search. Experienced hire roles are advertised throughout the year as businesses develop a need to fill a new or existing role. These types of roles are typically not advertised at careers fairs as these are primarily focused on the very specific Graduate Programme recruitment cycle. It’s best to apply for these roles towards the end of your studies close to the time when you will be available for full time work, as employers typically look to fill these roles within a month or two of advertising. In addition to keeping an eye on relevant recruitment websites, you can also increase your access to experienced hire roles through attending and networking at industry events and occasional career fairs targeting professionals – keep an eye on Eventbrite and sector-specific websites for these – and expanding your network of professionals in your target area via the Trinity Alumni Online mentoring programme or the Trinity College Dublin alumni community on LinkedIn.
Academic/research jobs
- www.universityvacancies.com
- www.jobs.ac.uk
- www.timeshighereducation.com/unijobs
- www.higheredjobs.com
- www.irishjobs.ie
Many research roles including research assistant, PhD roles and Post-Doc roles will be advertised on the vacancy pages of the individual Higher Education institutions website.
Internships and work experience
More information on internships can be found on our internship and work experience page:
Working abroad
More information on working abroad can be found on our working abroad page:
The hidden jobs market
The majority of jobs are never advertised. Some of the reasons for this include:
- Companies already have a bank of suitable candidates who have speculatively applied to the company
- Many companies use existing employee referrals to fill roles
- Potential employees are targeted using LinkedIn or other social media.
This can have a significant impact on how you plan your job search strategy. You need to ensure that you are putting yourself in a position to be considered for these unadvertised jobs.
Speculative applications
You can send job applications directly to a company even when they haven’t advertised a role. However sending a generic CV and cover letter to many companies is not effective. Identify a couple of companies that you would like to join and send each of them a tailored application. You need to spend time researching the company and identifying the person within that organisation who would be the best point of contact. In your cover letter you should outline why you are interested in working for them and why you feel that you would be a good fit for that organisation. Highlight your skills and experience and what you feel you could contribute to the company. It is important that you spend time identifying how you could add value to the organisation. After two weeks of sending the application follow up with a phone call. If there are no vacancies, ask the company to keep you application on file for future opportunities.
Identifying employers who are actively inclusive
An important part of the job search is identifying employers who will be able to create an inclusive and accessible environment for all their staff. This can be relevant to you from a specific Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) perspective in addition to aligning with your values and needs as an employee.
Many employers will have DEI policies in place, but it can be difficult for a prospective employee to gauge whether these policies are actively carried out. This can be done by examining their recruitment programmes, their diversity reports or familiarising yourself with their culture.
The below report is a resource research and complied by students in collaboration with the Trinity Careers Service and the Trinity DisAbility Hub. It is provided as a starting point for your own exploration of the inclusive recruitment practices of your potential employers.