Why subject-aligned career talks matter – and how to deliver them

The reality of breaking into the job market is often far tougher than many graduates expect. Even after submitting dozens (or even hundreds) of applications, they might still feel that securing relevant or stable work is out of reach. For many, competition for roles is compounded by lack of experience, limited support, unclear routes into their chosen field and increasingly automated recruitment processes that seem impersonal and opaque. This leaves them unsure how to turn their degree into a viable career.

Central careers services play an important role but broad advice often falls short. Increasingly, evidence points to the value of subject-specific interventions – approaches that resonate more strongly with students in a particular discipline because they are grounded in relevance, realism and relatability. 

• We need to teach ‘uncommon sense’
• ‘Employability is more than getting a job’
• What if the undergraduate journey were a four-year internship?

One example is the Economics Employability Insights (EEI) talk series at The Open University. This monthly programme connects students with economists from across sectors to share candid career insights. Drawing on a student focus group, this article explores what makes these interventions effective, what students still find lacking and what institutions can do differently.

Why subject-aligned careers talks matter

Students we spoke to consistently drew a clear distinction between generic careers advice and subject-specific talks. Central provision was valued for foundational skills, such as CV writing or interview preparation, while discipline-aligned sessions encourage students to picture themselves working in that field.

Hearing from professionals in the area (in this case, economists) helped students understand what an economics graduate does in concrete terms. Although economics courses often connect theory to real-world issues, practitioners add further dimension by demonstrating how economic knowledge is used in day-to-day professional roles and career trajectories.

What students need from career talks

Students highlighted key elements they wanted from discipline-related career talks: 

• insight into day-to-day roles
• clear examples of how disciplinary skills are used
• sector-specific recruitment practices
• honest reflections on career progression and change
• information on modern recruitment practices
• guidance on identifying inclusive employers
• perspectives from non-linear career paths.

In particular, students wanted to understand modern recruitment practices. They asked for more transparency about how hiring decisions are made, including insight into often-opaque selection criteria, the role of automated screening tools and the reality of receiving little or no feedback after rejection. Without this knowledge, even well-prepared candidates can feel uncertain and disempowered as they navigate the application process. 

Students also reported that although discipline-specific career talks improved preparedness for the labour market, they had limited impact on confidence. One reason is that confidence is shaped not just by knowledge but by experience of the recruitment process itself. This they often described as confusing or discouraging. The literature suggests that this gap is largest for students from lower socio-economic backgrounds, international students and those from minority ethnic groups, for whom informal employer networks and cultural barriers can compound the difficulty of entering professional life.

Taken together, these insights suggest that students are not simply seeking more information about careers but are looking for better tools to help them navigate a complex employment landscape.

Finding and preparing the right speakers

The success of subject-aligned talks depends heavily on the speakers themselves. Effective speakers are not necessarily high-profile; they are relatable and reflective. 

The EEI series recruited speakers through professional networks and platforms such as LinkedIn, with an emphasis on diversity of sector, career stage and background. Representation remains a challenge, reflecting wider inequalities within the economics discipline. So, intentional selection and preparation of speakers was even more important.

Key considerations in finding speakers for a talks series include:

• a mix of career stages (early career voices are often highly valued)
• diverse pathways, including non-linear trajectories
• representation across gender, ethnicity and background
• willingness to engage honestly with challenges.

Strong speaker guidance is crucial. Without it, talks risk drifting into generic or overly polished narratives. A speaker guidance document, for example, can include both content and approach. 

It can be helpful to ask speakers to offer students a realistic picture of what a typical day or week in their job looks like, explain how subject-specific knowledge is used in practice, and reflect on key transitions in their own career journey. Insights into recruitment processes are also valuable, particularly where speakers can draw on recent experience of hiring or recruitment. This is important given the pace at which recruitment practices and employer expectations are evolving. 

Alongside this, speakers should be encouraged to provide practical, actionable advice – on how to prepare for interviews, for example, using structured approaches such as the STAR (situation, task, action, result) method. Students also appreciate honest discussion about common pitfalls in applications. 

Students without established professional networks need advice on how to build social capital and widen access to connections. Suggestions for gaining relevant experience – for example, voluntary work – especially when opportunities feel limited, can also help students take their next steps. 

Be aware of setting the right tone for the session. Students are most engaged when speakers adopt a level of transparency and realism, sharing not only successes but also setbacks. Speakers should also be explicitly invited to address issues of inclusion and belonging. This includes discussing workplace culture, sharing experiences of navigating barriers or discrimination where appropriate, and offering advice for students from under-represented backgrounds. Making these aspects visible ensures that all students can see a place for themselves within the profession, rather than having to infer it. 

From employability initiative to job market success

The overarching message from our initiative is that discipline-aligned careers talks bring the labour market into the classroom as a lived, evolving space that students can begin to navigate. Yet the extent of their impact also depends on intentional design. When embedded within curricula, aligned with student needs and delivered through diverse, well-prepared speakers, these interventions can do more than inform. They can transform how students see their futures.

Emilie Rutledge is head of economics and senior lecturer at The Open University and managing editor of the Journal of Gulf Studies. Merim Baitimbetova is lecturer in economics at The Open University.

Acknowledgement: the authors thank Open University student intern Jaspreet Kainth and the WELS/FASS access, participation and success internship programme for supporting the Economics Employability Insights research that informed this article.

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