Physics Careers Week
Physics Careers Week is the annual event at the School for the final year physics students. The goal of the event is to give the final year students an overview of professional paths open to them upon graduation. Highlights of the week include a session with physics alumni who will tell about the companies where they work now, a session about doing a PhD and a talk about the "imposter syndrome". There are also sessions that provide practical training in all aspects of the recruitment process: how to write a CV and a covering letter, how to prepare for an interview, psychometric tests and so on.
The aim of the event is to prepare final year students to transition from the university to employment. The week consists of talks from industry representatives and practical workshops that allow students to prepare for all stages of the recruitment process (including writing a CV and cover letter).
Physics Careers week 2025 programme
Tuesday 11 November (C14, Physics building)
10.30 – 11.20 What can I do with a Physics Degree? Katie Bonner, Career and Employability Services
Please register here
11.30 – 12.30 How to choose a job? Dr Olga Ogorodnikova
What are the career options available out there? How to figure what one would like to do as a job, or at least where to start? How to get to know and connect to employers? We will cover these stepping stones in the session. This session will also prepare you for the networking session with alumni and PhD students the next day.
Please register here
12.30 – 1.45pm Lunch (provided), 1st floor Physics building, mezzanine area
1.45 – 2.45pm Career support from the IOP. Julian Guassardo, the Institute of Physics.
The talk will address how to build confidence, skills and experience and successfully navigate the transition out of university and into the workplace or further study, offer employability guidance from the IOP members’ own experiences, and outline the services professional bodies provide and benefits of accessing professional registration.
Please register here
3 – 3.45pm "You don't look like a physicist!" talk by Prof Clare Burrage and workshop.
This session will cover aspects such as Imposter phenomenon, discovering one’s professional identity and motivation. The workshop part of the session will help you explore your own strengths and aspirations and draw a mind map of possibilities.
Please register here
Wednesday 12 November (C14, Physics building)
10.30 – 12.30 Doing a PhD: what it is like and how to apply
The school’s academics representing different physics research areas at the school will talk about what it’s like to do a PhD in their field and describe a PhD application process. Current PhD students at the school will also join the session to talk about their experience of doing a PhD and answer any questions you may have.
Please register here
12.30 – 1.45 Lunch (provided), 1st floor Physics building, mezzanine area
1.45 - 3.30pm Session with physics alumni (open to 1st and 2nd years).
Hear from physics graduates who will be talking about their current role and career journey so far plus advice and tips for current students. Alumni will represent a diversity of companies and organisations: ServiceNow, Aviva, Experian, Amazon, NVIDIA and Nottingham Police.
Please register here
Thursday 13 November (online sessions)
10.00 – 10.45 CVs and applications. Christian Warren
This session will help you complete online applications. Many applicants fail to progress past this point and writing a researched and effective application is really important. We will cover motivation, competency and commercial questions as well as psychometric testing examples.
Please register here Click the link to connect to session
11.00 – 11.45 LinkedIn Olga Ogorodnikova
This is a practical workshop to help you set a LinkedIn profile and make the best of LinkedIn for job search and applications.
Please register here Click the link to connect to session
12.00 – 12.45 How to talk about your experience in applications and interviews. Katie Bonner
The session will offer tips for presenting your experience effectively.
Please register here Click here to connect to session
2 – 2.45pm How to find part-time work and experience. Katie Bonner
This session will offer practical advice on finding part-time roles and gaining experience.
Please register here Click here to connect to session
3 – 3.45pm Interviews. Christian Warren
How to prepare for an online or face to face interview and maximise your success. What questions will employers ask and what are they looking for?
Please register here Click here to connect to session
Friday 14 November
This day is dedicated to careers drop in for all questions related to job search and applications, including CV and cover letter reviews.
10 – 1pm - In-person drop-ins with Olga Ogorodnikova (office C400b, Physics building)
1-2pm - online Drop-Ins via MS Teams.
For any questions, please contact Olga.Ogorodnikova@nottingham.ac.uk