Transcript BX101 - London Metropolitan University

Careers Introduction
Judith Baines
Development Manager &
Careers Adviser for BSSM
Career Development & Employment Service
Lecture Plan
 Introduction
 Graduate
Labour Market
 Transferable Skills
 Ways to Develop Transferable Skills
 Resources
New World of Work
Gone is the job for life with planned career
structure and company training scheme
 Gone are the clear functional identities of jobs
Instead:
 World of customers, clients and adding value
 Lifelong learning, portfolio careers, self
development and staying employable
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Skills for Graduates in the 21st Century: Association of Graduate Recruiters
“having a degree opens up more doors than
without one …. Graduates have significantly
higher earnings than non-graduates and the
financial benefits of a degree increase
markedly with age.”
www.prospects.ac.uk, 2003
Good News for Business
Graduates
 Graduate
unemployment is low,
6.9% in 2002
 Graduate unemployment amongst
Business graduates is lower, at 6.7%
 Business & administrative studies
graduates are a marketable commodity to
employers
Source: Prospects website
Graduate Destinations 2002
Source: Prospects Website
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
All First
Degrees
Accountancy
Business &
Management
Employed
Further
Study
Seeking
Work
Other
Outlook for 2004
 Graduate
vacancies expected to rise by
11.9% in 2004
 Over 40% of 2003/04 vacancies were in
the capital
 Recruitment in London is expected to
increase by around 8%
Source: Prospects website
Some facts on Advertising
 30,000
people working in PR in the UK
 Relatively small number of employees & popularity
of the sector mean that competition is tough.
 76% of the employee base is in London
 The UK advertising industry is regarded as being
highly innovative and among the best in the world.
 One advertising agency employs 7,000 people in
138 offices in 82 countries, ranging from Argentina
to Zimbabwe
However...
We are in an era of mass Higher Education
In 2003:
 over 5000 graduated from London Met.
You are competing with a lot of equally
qualified people.
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 A degree
more!
is an excellent start, but you need
“The most recent labour market information
appears to provide evidence that a degree on
its own, without accompanying work
experience, evidence of achievement, and/or
transferable skills, is not enough. This is true
especially against a backdrop of increasing
participation in Higher Education…..”
Prospects website, 2003
Improve your
career prospects

1st Year
 Find
your feet
 Explore your degree subject
 Have fun
 Develop some transferable skills
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2nd Year
 Gain
work experience in chosen field of study
 Think about your placement
 Final
Year
 Undergo
your placement
 Consider your career after graduation
 Start applying for positions/training schemes
What are Employers Looking
For? Interpersonal &
Transferable Skills:
Willingness to learn
 Commitment
 Dependability/reliability
 Self-motivation
 Team work
 Communication skills
(oral)

Co-operation
 Communication skills
(written)
 Drive/energy
 Self-management
 Desire to achieve/
motivation
 Problem-solving ability

Source: Employer Satisfaction Survey, in AGCAS Making Applications booklet
Advertising and PR Example
One recent recruit to the The Ogilvy Group
offers some advice
“Throughout they are seeking teamwork,
leadership (without pushiness), insight and
enthusiasm. Make them smile as they are
trying to work out whether they want you.”
Source: Prospects website
Skills Gaps Identified
by Employers
Communication skills
 Customer service
 Team working
 Problem solving
 Management skills

Initiative
 Managing your own
development
 Business awareness
 Interpersonal skills

Source: Employer Skills Survey, Association of Graduate Recruiters 2002
Question
 Put
your hand up if you think that you
have already developed some of these
skills?
“Our employers look for individuals who
have some knowledge of the world of work,
have reflected on their experiences and can
articulate in a job interview what they have
learned.”
The Council for Industry and Higher Education
Key to Success
 Gaining
the experience to help you
develop transferable skills
 Learning how to communicate the skills to
employers via the application process:
 CV
with covering letter
 Application form
 Interview process
Developing Skills
 Through
school activities
 Through your home life
 Through your course
 Through vacation and part-time work
 Through a placement
 Through extra curricular activities
Work Experience
Helps you find out:
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Whether you are suited to working in a large or small
company
Whether you prefer to work in the commercial or not-for-profit
sector
Reality of every day working eg. timekeeping
Whether you want to work indoors, outdoors, at home or
abroad
What you like and don’t like doing
What you are good at
Whether you might want to start your own business
Liz Rhodes, National Council for Work Experience
http://nusonline.co.uk
Employment Online
 Part
time work
 Vacation work
 Placements
 Internships
 Graduate jobs
 Jobs by email
Register online
www.londonmet.ac.uk/careers/employment
Benefits of a
Placement
You often need experience in order to get a
graduate job!!
 Practice for the graduate recruitment process
 Get a thorough understanding of a sector,
organisation or job role
 Gain real evidence of achievement and the
skills employers look for
 “Test-drive” a specific job without long term
commitment
 Become aware of the culture and structure of a
working environment
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Business Placements
Unit
Helps students into sandwich placements
 Advice and guidance on skills audit, planning,
making applications, interview technique
 Advertises hundreds of placement vacancies
every year
 Offers advice on work experience for nonsandwich students
 Stapleton House, Room 213
 Helen Kidd: [email protected]
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Employability Unit
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For students who do not have a compulsory
placement as part of their degree
 A minimum of 5 weeks during summer vacation
after year 2
 A period which is equivalent to 5 weeks (25
days) during year 3
 Provide you with structured guidance and
workshops on CVs, applications, interviews
 Room M10 The Learning Centre
Development Opportunities within London Metropolitan University
Airport meet and greet
Arsenal double club
Bar staff
Buddying
DLHE phoners
Events staff
General volunteering
Giving talks to schools
Language shops
Mentoring
Open evenings
Peer support
RAG
Recruitment events
School ambassadors
Shine Tutoring
Student newspaper
Student Teacher Associates
Student Welcome Team
Summer schools
University shop staff
Work placements
Career Development
and Employment
Service
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Campus Student
Services Union
Other…including
Marketing and
College of London
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Extra- Curricular
Activities
 Volunteering
placements
 Tutoring/coaching
 Role model
 Mentoring
 Part-time work within the university/peer
support
 Self reflection/skills development
Volunteering
“Put aside preconceptions: volunteering is work
experience… the act of choosing to be a volunteer can
show greater initiative and commitment”
Miles Killingley, Senior Manager, Executive Education at
HSBC
“Volunteering can be a great way to develop
the skills we look for when recruiting graduates.”
Helen Feltham, Marks and Spencer’s Director of UK Retail,
Human Resources
Arsenal Double Club
(tutoring/coaching)
• Mentors act as tutors/coaches to primary school
children for Maths, English, IT and football or
hockey.
• Mentors trained as tutors and coaches
• 90 minutes per week - forty-five minutes (one half)
is spent on academic study Forty-five minutes on
sports
• Over 30 weeks a year
• No automatic certification but
promising mentors can be put
forward to the coaching certification
Aim Higher Project – ethnic
minority achievement service
(role model)
Run by CEA (Cambridge Education Authority).
 Links student volunteers as mentors to pupils
from ethnic minority backgrounds
 8 students mentor pupils in Year 10/11 who are
studying for their GCSE’s - scope for students to
provide reading support to primary age students
 To talk to students about their lives and career
aspirations; to encourage them to give serious
consideration to their futures
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www.londonmet.ac.uk/careers/stan
What’s Going On?
 Careers
Fairs
 Workshops
 Skills/Development Schemes
 Events
Careers 2004
www.londonmet.ac.uk/careers/events
Career Development &
Employment Service
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CVs, application forms, covering letters
Quick careers queries
Vocational guidance
Workshops
Information on jobs, careers and employers
Job vacancies “Employment Online"
Visiting employers-presentations, stands, workshops
Computer-aided guidance
Psychometric test sessions
Free take-away literature
Resources
Books
Marketing and PR Uncovered
 Careers in Marketing, Advertising and PR
 AgCAS sector briefing booklets to take away
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Videos
Advertising show reels – J. Walter
Thompson, TBWA, AMV BBDC
 Direct Marketing – is it the career for me?
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How to get in touch
Student Services, 1st Floor, Tower Building
Open 9-6pm
Drop-in 12-3pm, Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri term-time
Wed. 12-3pm phone to book on the day
Tel: 020 7133 2094
[email protected]
www.londonmet.ac.uk/careers
Prospects
www. prospects.ac.uk
Conclusions
 You
will already have many skills and abilities
that employers will value
 You will further develop these and learn
additional ones whilst at university
 Work experience and/or volunteering are vital
 Learning how to communicate your abilities to
employers is essential
 Use the resources that the university provides to
get ahead in the job market