Whatever stage your students are at with their career planning, from first year to final year and beyond, there are many ways in which they can interact with our professional Careers and Employability team, including one-to-one advice and guidance, academic placement and upskill opportunities. Students can contact us through our Careers Connect portal and our Placement Connect portal. Students login using their MU student number/password.
Maynooth University Careers and Employability Service
ToggleOne-To-One Advice and Guidance Appointments
Through providing information, advice and guidance, we aim to support students assess and develop their self-awareness, make informed decisions and move through the steps of the career planning process. We assist students who are:
- Unsure of their options after their course of study.
- Requiring information on particular career areas and options.
- Seeking information on graduate employment.
- Seeking information about Academic Placement.
- Seeking information about Upskill Programmes.
- Requiring assistance with CV, Interview or Personal Statements.
- Considering postgraduate study, courses, funding, etc.
CV/Application Advice and Feedback
We have a range of information to help students and graduates create applications that are relevant, focussed and, ultimately, successful. This includes guidance on CVs, applications, psychometric testing, assessment centres and different types of interviews.
We offer feedback on CVs, covering letters, personal statements, application forms and online profiles via appointments on the Connect portal.
We encourage all students to use our employability tools, which are provided with free and unlimited access:
- Profiling for Success, an assessment tool which explores skills, interests, personality and learning styles.
- CareerSet, an AI-powered online platform designed to empower students to independently improve their CVs and cover letters via personalised, tailored feedback.
- ShortListMe, which gives access to on-demand mock interviews and provides instant actionable feedback on their interview performance.
- Forage, an online resource which offers virtual experience programmes designed by leading companies.
Developing Future-Focused Skills and Competencies
Eligible students can participate in Academic Placement as part of their degree experience. To find out more about the degree programmes with a placement component please visit our Academic Placement page.
Students can also get involved in a wide variety of co-curricular and other activities while they are at university, including the Alumni Mentoring Programme, the Summer Programme for Undergraduate Research and Micro Internships. These offer a chance to maximise their employability by developing their skills in addition to those developed through their studies. Students can get recognised for their skills through the Maynooth University Student Experience (MUSE) Award also. Selected co-curricular activities are recorded on their Transcript.
Jobs and Work Experience
We offer a range of opportunities for students and graduates to connect with employers, including academic placements, internships, mentoring, graduate jobs, careers fairs and workshops.
All students also have access to Forage, an online resource which offers virtual experience programmes designed by leading companies. Students develop skills and gain a real understanding of different roles and sectors by working through these self-paced modules, with tasks similar to those you would undertake during a traditional internship.
We also advertise part-time jobs, internships, graduate jobs and other opportunities on our Connect Portal. Students and graduates should be encouraged to update their profile on Connect and opt to receive regular email alerts of new opportunities specific to their preferences.
Staff members are also welcome to register for Careers Connect to receive vacancy information.
Supports for Graduates
Maynooth University graduates are welcome to access the full range of our services. You may create an alumni account on Careers Connect. A print-out of these services is available to download here (coming soon) for inclusion in your programme handbooks.
Bespoke Careers and Employability Talks and Workshops
The Careers and Employability Service is keen to work in close partnership with all faculties. This is the best way to ensure that students receive early and well-targeted careers information, advice and guidance, and can develop the skills and experience which will allow them to reach their career goals.
If you would like to discuss opportunities for talks and workshops, please use our new online booking form here. The relevant Faculty Lead will then be in touch.
- ACSP: Eanan Strain and Máire Buckley
- Social Sciences: Natasha Marron and Rebecca Boyle
- Science and Engineering: Anne Mooney and Máire Buckley
We offer talks and workshops on:
- Using The MU Careers and Employability Service.
- Discover Your Career (Self Awareness, Occupational Research, Decision-Making and Action Planning).
- Job Search (CVs, Job Search, Making Applications, and Interviews).
- Employability Skills (Groupwork, Problem Solving etc.)
- We also hold Placement talks on degrees that offer accredited Placement.
We can tailor our input to any Faculty, Discipline and Course.