Dr Malcolm J Todd is the head of learning, teaching and graduate employability in the Faculty of Development and Society at Sheffield Hallam University. He teaches sociology and is the author of publications on student learning, graduate employability and work experience. Malcolm is a trustee of The British Sociological Association

Sociology graduates are found in a wide range of occupations: The Higher Education Academy in the UK produces student employability profiles for most subject areas in the UK and they note that sociology graduates are found in a wide range of occupations. What I think is relevant here is that many sociology graduates are attracted to careers that centre on the challenges and demands that members of a society face. This leads to jobs in social services, education, criminal justice, welfare services, government, counselling, charities and the voluntary sector. They include charity fundraiser, community development worker, counsellor, lecturer, housing officer, teacher, probation officer, social researcher, social worker and welfare rights adviser. There are a range of specific abilities and skills associated with a degree in sociology but there are also wider transferable skills that you can develop. The UK Quality Assurance Agency lists these. The specific skills include ability to judge and evaluate evidence; understanding the complexity and diversity of situations, including organisations themselves; collecting information; making reasoned and logical arguments. Sociology students will also develop a wider set of transferable skills like team-working; verbal communication skills; showing initiative; being able to work in a way that is supportive of equality and diversity in the workplace.

Eric Harrison studied Social and Political Sciences at the University of Cambridge, and later did a DPhil in Sociology at the University of Oxford. He is currently senior research fellow in the Centre for Comparative Social Surveys at City University London

Sociology is a good fit for a career in business: It is very hard out there just now. The truth is that no one with any kind of degree is going to walk into a job. I don't believe sociology is non-vocational, simply that it equips you for most vocations. The problem with vocational courses is that economic sectors wax and wane. A degree in tourism and hospitality is fine until the currency fluctuates or the summer is washed out, or the regional development agency closes down. But having transferable analytical skills allows you to move between sectors, making connections between the different situations that you've studied and spotting patterns. So sociology is extremely good for a career in business, probably better than business studies in fact.

Sociologists should have a head-start if it's marketing that interests you: Marketing is a good fit for sociology - especially if you've done the 'right' kind of sociology. Market researchers are interested in mapping the shape of society, and identifying different types of people with different characteristics, lifestyles and attitudes. Social class and status are used routinely - concepts from sociology - in order to target 'segments' of the population. So understanding the dynamics of class, age, gender and ethnicity should give a sociologist a head-start, at least.

The subject should be a good basis for a career in journalism: It's a very discursive subject, you're practiced at writing to time and to word limits, you're used to being presented with a brief (an essay title) and researching the background. It would equip you well for writing features, analysis and 'think-pieces'. You could also package yourself as someone who'd like to specialise in commenting on social affairs, social change and so on. It is a specialist career so you should consider a master's in journalism, but also practice writing. Get a blog and write regularly - about anything - so that you form the habit.

Suzanne Hallam is director of learning and teaching at the School of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Leeds

Your university careers service can help you after you've graduated: In the School of Sociology and Social Policy at Leeds University we offer a range of opportunities for students, including an industrial placement year and internships where students can gain valuable employability skills while studying. For people who have already graduated, I would suggest that they contact the careers centre at the university they attended as it is usual for services to be available post-graduation, this is certainly the case at Leeds. I would also say don't give up, it is a challenging economic climate and try to find creative ways of building your CV and skills.

If you're interested in the third sector, get experience in the private sector first: Our careers office advise students wishing to work in the third sector to begin in the private sector, where you can gain experience and access training. The skills you can gain in the private sector are sought after especially by charities and they can get you a foot in the door.

Dr Roger Slack is a lecturer in Sociology and Research Methods at Bangor University

Present your skills in an employer-friendly manner: Sociology provides a skill set that makes them [graduates] eminently suitable for jobs in a variety of sectors. Interpretation and evaluation of evidence, communication, and working in groups are the kinds of skills employers look for. The job market is tough but it is tough for everyone - the point is to present your skills in an employer-friendly manner.

Dr Alana Lentin is a senior lecturer in sociology at the University of Sussex

Innovative employers value people with a critical mind who can think laterally: I think that, for various reasons, there is a public culture out there which devalues sociology, an opinion held by many employers unfortunately, but also which others reject. The notion that sociology isn't about 'the real world' is obviously false considering that it is precisely about the real world. However, the negativity about sociology for my mind comes from the fact that many (although far from all) sociologists have traditionally been involved in the critique of the status quo and have sought to overturn the way the world is. Think about Marx's dictum that the point is to change the world. As such, sociology has been held in suspicion by those who benefit from the way things are, especially in a capitalist society.

Now, all of this doesn't necessarily help when it comes to getting a job (although I think political sociologists in particular can help understand why the current economic climate is particularly difficult). For those suspicious of sociology, which often for some reason seems to epitomise the useless ivory towers, their opinion will probably not change. It is up to you as graduates to channel the skills you learned during your degree - power of analysis; the ability to summarize complex ideas; presentation skills; writing skills; team work; qualitative and quantitative research methods; interviewing; running focus groups; and so on - and show employers how these could be transferred for use at the workplace. Interestingly, the most innovative employers these days are not looking for one-size-fits-all employees but want people with a critical mind who can think laterally. I think that sociology's commitment to critiquing the status quo and developing solutions to social problems can be invaluable.

Want to enter academia? Start publishing and attending academic conferences early: A problem that a lot of people - especially at postgraduate level - develop is to focus too exclusively on their studies and to forget that unfortunately perhaps employers these days in a competitive environment look at the candidate's overall experience and will be particularly interested in what else you have done during your university career. I would particularly recommend that people doing postgraduate degrees who want to enter academia start publishing and attending academic conferences early!

Think about a combined sociology and modern language degree: In the UK there are too few people with language skills and international work experience. You will certainly stand above the rest if you can demonstrate this. A good idea for those thinking about doing a sociology degree but who haven't started yet is to do a combined sociology and modern language degree such as those we offer at Sussex. Students spend a year abroad during their degree either working or studying in the country whose language they are studying. For example, one of our students worked in an Italian school for a year before coming back to do her final year. Alternatively try to take advantage of the Erasmus study abroad programme while at university which funds you to send a term or a year abroad in Europe or more general study abroad programmes that allow students to go further afield to the US, Canada, Australia and more.

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