In this guide
For careers services and recruiters
Supporting graduates in the year after they finish
How careers services can stay useful after graduation: keeping access open, timely outreach, small practical steps and honest measures of what support achieved.
Why the year after graduation matters
Final-year students are busy with assessments, and many do not start a serious search until they finish. By then, university email addresses may expire and routines disappear, so the support they most need becomes hardest to reach.
Keep the door open
Before students graduate
- Collect personal email addresses with consent for careers contact.
- Explain how long careers support remains available after graduation.
- Make sure any tools or accounts students use continue to work after university email ends.
- Give every student one named route back to the careers service.
Reach out at pressure points
| When | What to offer |
|---|---|
| Just after results | A short check-in on plans and a booking link |
| Early autumn | Application and interview workshops as recruitment restarts |
| After common rejection periods | Encouragement, feedback on applications and alternative routes |
| Around six months out | A review of direction for those still searching |
Offer small, practical steps
- Short online sessions graduates can join from work or home.
- Resume and application reviews by appointment or asynchronously.
- Mock interviews before real ones.
- Introductions to alumni in fields graduates are exploring.
Hi [first name], Congratulations on finishing your course. Careers support is still open to you until [date]. If you're applying for roles, we can review an application, run a practice interview or talk through options. Book a slot here: [booking link]. If you've already started a job, we'd love to hear where (optional, and only if you want to share). [Careers team name]
Measure honestly
Report how many graduates used support, how actively, and what destinations they chose to report, with response rates and definitions. Avoid presenting self-reported outcomes as verified or implying the service caused them.
Where Luceria fits
Luceria gives graduates one workspace for applications, tailored resumes, tracking and interview practice that continues to work after university email ends. Universities can explore it through a scoped pilot, with aggregate-only reporting.
Common questions
How long should careers support last after graduation?
Policies vary by institution. Whatever the period, say clearly how long it is and how graduates can get back in touch.
How do we reach graduates who have gone quiet?
Short, specific offers at predictable moments get better responses than general newsletters. Personal email addresses collected before graduation make this possible.
Put it into practice
Luceria for organisationsDrafted with AI assistance and checked against Luceria’s editorial standards. Examples are illustrative, not real people’s results. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.