You belong here: inclusively enhancing student employability through alumni

Dr Alexander Reid

A quick summary of what I will cover

1. Project motivations.
2. A summary of themes and outcomes.
3. Benefits for students.
4. Implementing these resources.

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Barriers to employability

Widening Participation students often report:

• Feeling underprepared for the job market.
• Having less opportunities to network.
• Lower levels of confidence and motivation seeking employment opportunities.
• Imposter syndrome.

“If one is not (or does not feel) safe then surviving the present is more compelling than planning for tomorrow”

Savickas (2005)

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Alumni as a valuable resource

Students would benefit from interacting with professionals who "looked and sounded like them", a "trusted advisor.“ (Bridge Group, 2022)

The Graduate Voices Project

• Recruited 10 UG and PG students.
• 31 recorded alumni interviews conducted.

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Interns:

• Devised semi-structured interview questions.
• Ran interviews in person and online.
• Identified emergent themes.
• Created nine videos around these themes.

Emergent themes across videos

Struggles

Preparation

Opportunities

Community

Emergent themes across videos

Struggles

Preparation

Opportunities

Community

Emergent themes across videos

Struggles

Preparation

Opportunities

Community

Emergent themes across videos

Struggles

Preparation

Opportunities

Community

Emergent themes across videos

Struggles

Preparation

Opportunities

Community

Benefits for students

(UoY Psychology students, Y1 to PhD)

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Reflections from our WP students

“The ones I watched were relatable to me and gave me a good indication of how to make the most of uni and how to proceed following my degree.”

[Year 3 Student]

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“It’s nice that it comes from peers, so it feels connected and achievable.” [Year 2 Student]

“[A] nice additional thing to have as I can't personally reach out to graduates easily, so this is really helpful.”

[Year 1 Student]

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“I think they build confidence in students and I imagine dispel some of the imposter syndrome some first years might feel”

[Year 3 Student]

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Relatability

The need for community

Reduced anxiety

Intern perspectives

Imposter syndrome

The need for peers

Learning from employability setbacks

“It was discovered that a large percentage of [WP] alumni had imposter syndrome during their time at the University of York, leading to personal and academic setbacks.”

“Alumni felt it was vital to have representation within their respective Departments, and that underrepresented people are included.”

“Overcoming imposter syndrome requires acknowledging that failure, changes of mind, and not knowing what to do are all normal parts of career management.”

Circulation

Institutional dissemination:

• Used in Psychology and Biology at the UoY and are being rolled out across our institution.
• Circulated internally at a recent conference (Reid & Flack, 2025).

Wider dissemination:

• Available on YouTube!
• Published toolkit (Reid, 2025).
• Presented at a student co-creation HEA conference with our interns (Flack et al. 2024).
• Shared with colleagues and alumni from 12+ other institutions.

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Acknowledgements and any questions?

Support from UOY Staff

• Prof. Paul Bishop (Psychology)
• Dr Matt Foxwell (Psychology) ​​
• Nicola Clemmit (Careers and Placements)
• Andrew Ferguson (Careers and Placements)
• Lucie Stanworth (Careers and Placements)
• Hannah Fraser (Careers and Placements)
• Rachel Brothwell (OPPA)
• Dr Melanie Forster (Psychology)
• Siobhan Dunlop (Information Services)
• Kirstine Long (Qualitative researcher)
• Dr Emily Flack (Biology)

Our incredible interns

• Reflin Edwin
• Kaitlyn Bettie-Zarb
• Sarika Patel
• Violet Kennerk
• Zulfiya Hamzaki
• Zaynab Seedat
• Navin Shirodkar
• Alison Wong
• Steph Robinson
• Sam Pallen

Funding

A big thank you to the UoY Teaching and Learning Fund, and the UoY Careers and Placements Services.

Links to resources