Aside from studying and enjoying university life, it can be daunting to think about your future career. To help you plan, this handy timeline will help guide you to a top graduate job whichever year you are in!

First year: settle in and get to know the graduate job market

First few weeks
Sign up to Milkround.com. If you haven't already registered, or you have not seen us on your campus, register now via the website now. We will keep you updated with all the developments in the graduate job market, advice for making the most of your time at university and an idea of the types of jobs you can apply for when you do graduate.

Throughout the year
Read Milkround.com's advice for top tips about university and be sure to check if there are any internships that interest you - getting in early in the first year can do wonders for your career. Update your Milkround profile whenever necessary so you get emails alerts relevant to you.

Summer Vacation
Start thinking about what internships would benefit your career. They are ideal opportunities to get real workplace experience and find out what it is like at potential employers in your second year.

Second year: consider internships and your future career

November
The first closing dates for Christmas placements. If you are looking to get a working insight with an employer before the real job hunting starts next year, there may be opportunities for you now.

February to May
Keep an eye on any internship opportunities for the Easter and summer vacations, both prime periods when graduate employers will be looking to fill placements with potential employees of the future.

August
Ensure your Milkround profile is fully up to date so you get sent job alerts matching your career preferences throughout your final year. Update your CV in preparation for the job hunt including any experience you have gained over the vacation and an up-to-date predicted degree grade in preparation for job applications.

Final year: find a job

September
Decide on what industries suit you best - perhaps visit your careers service and Milkround.com for advice on choosing which companies to apply for based on your interests.

October
Attend company presentations and careers fairs on campus to talk to potential employers. If you are applying for popular areas such as accountancy, banking and business management, or looking to join a major firm, check the closing dates for graduate schemes as some close as early as December. Some companies will organise first interviews on campus and at regional sites so be prepared for these.

November/December
Get those applications for the initial vacancy deadlines finished and sent. Interview season gets underway. During the vacation, draw up a shortlist of companies to make speculative approaches to for jobs and draft a cover letter and email you can adapt to each company.

January/February
The second stage of selection including second interviews and assessment centres with psychometric testing and other exercises. Prepare with Milkround.com's advice. Start looking for individual graduate vacancies advertised on the Internet with sites such as Milkround.com and the press. Many small and medium businesses won't start advertising until now at the earliest.

MarchThe chance to take a break from applying and assess how the job hunt has gone so far and consider talking to your careers service for advice on next steps. If your applications to graduate schemes weren't successful, or you missed the deadlines of the ones you had singled out before Christmas, keep checking Milkround.com for more graduate vacancies and any remaining schemes still open to new candidates. If you haven't started looking for a job yet, now is a good time to start before your university work takes over.

April/May
Keep looking, but concentrate on finishing your degree. After all, this will be the qualification many employers are most interested in on your CV. Make sure you have a break when you finish all your work!

June/July and beyond
Summer graduate recruitment fairs are held around the country. Milkround.com will keep you updated about many of them with emails and entries on our events calendar.

Keep on the look out for vacancies – Milkround.com has graduate jobs all year round!