Transcript Business Partnerships Team - University of East London

Planning for that Graduate Career –
everything you need to know!
Careers and Student Employability
Learning Objectives
• By the end of this session you will
understand:
• The mechanics of effective career
planning
• Ways of improving your employability
• Where and how to access opportunities
• How to sell yourself effectively
Career Planning: The Big
Questions!
At the stage you are at today you need to be
clear about:
 What career you are aiming for?
 What kinds of skills, knowledge and experience
will you need to succeed in this career?
 How do you plan to acquire these things?
Not sure? Assess your
Career Options
“Best” option is to select a career that:
You will enjoy
You will match in terms of skills
requirements, values, personal qualities
Will provide you with ‘life/work’ balance
Meet any other personal requirements you
have
How can you find out what
you are suited to?
• Personal Analysis: look at what you have done
before
• Computer Aided Guidance
 Adult Directions
 Prospects Planner
• Assess your Career Motivators
• Psychometric Testing/Various Ability & Personality
Tests
• Careers Research
• Gaining Work Experience/Work Shadowing
• Attending Career Fairs and Speaker Events e.g. “A
Day in the Life”
Research is key!
• Identifying occupational options is fine but
you must fully research each option to
identify:
What is involved in the role?
What is required in terms of skills,
knowledge, qualifications?
Will it fulfil salary requirements?
Will it offer opportunities for progression?
Current opportunities?
Occupational Websites
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www.careersadvice.directgov.uk/
www.careers-gateway.co.uk/
www.careers-portal.co.uk
www.hobsons.com/
www.learndirect.co.uk/
www.monster.co.uk/
www.prospects.ac.uk/
www.skillset.org/
http://msn.careerbuilder.co.uk
Websites of professional bodies
Career Planning should be
SMART
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Specific
Measurable
Actions
Realistic
Timebound
Having a Degree
• What does this confer on you?
What do you get from your
degree?
• Highly developed skills
Analytical, research, communication
(written & verbal), problem solving..
• Specialist knowledge of your subject area
• Proven commitment to future career
• The opportunity to compete as a graduate
What do Graduate
Employers Want?
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Good first degree – ideally a 2:1 or above
Employability Skills – with evidence
Relevant Experience
Other Experience
Anything that sets you aside
What do employers want
from graduates?
• In a survey of 500 recruiters, 64 per cent said
that when hiring graduates, employability
skills were more important than any specific
occupational, technical or academic
knowledge gained from the graduate’s
degree. In other words, it’s not what you’ve
studied that makes you an
attractive proposition, it’s what else you can
bring to the organisation: skills, attitude,
energy, insight, potential for development.
What are the skills
employers want?
According to the CBI, true employability
depends on mastering four essential skills:
• Self-reliance skills;
• People skills;
• General employment skills; and
• Specialist skills.
What do these skills
involve?
• Self-reliance – self-management, readiness to
accept responsibility, flexibility, resilience, time
management
• People skills – teamwork, communication skills,
listening and questioning, respecting others,
contributing to discussions
• General employment skills – problem solving,
literacy, application of numeracy
• Specialist skills – business and customer
awareness, application of information technology
Attitude
• In a survey of over 600 employers
undertaken by Reed 96% said they would
prefer to recruit someone with the right
attitude though lacking the complete skill
set than someone with the complete skill
set but the wrong attitude.
What does this all mean?
• A Degree is not enough on its own
• Developing the right skill set and attitude is
essential- employers are competency
focused!
• A personal development plan is essential to
address individual needs
• Undergraduates need to look for
opportunities throughout their studies to
develop and evidence their skills
How do you find
experience
• Work Experience
Placements
Internships
Volunteering
Part-time work
Useful Resources
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Employability and Enterprise Team: www.uel.ac.uk/eet - offers
volunteering, work placements and mentoring opportunities.
Inspiring Interns: flexible placements in Finance, Marketing, HR and
other areas. Latest opportunities: www.inspiringinterns.com
Employment Opportunities - part of the Shaw Trust and dedicated to
supporting people with disabilities into employment
University talent - a site from WestFocus offering placements and
graduate jobs
Prospects - further advice and placements
InternshipHelp - information on internships ranging
from investment banking and politics to travelling and teaching abroad
Intern Jobs - UK internships and worldwide placements
Placement UK - for EU and EEA-based students looking for UK based
placements
Student Employment Services - specialises in recruiting and employing
university students on behalf of organisations.
UEL Skills Academy
• The Academy is centred around practical
and interactive training opportunities to
develop the skills employers want.
• Sign up!
Where do you find jobs
Online:
• CaSE: www.uel.ac.uk
• Prospects www.prospects.ac.uk/workexperience
• Inside Careers: www.insidecareers.co.uk/
• Graduate Jobs www.graduate-jobs.com
• TARGET Jobs: www.targetjobs.co.uk
• Fledglings : www.fledglings.net/
• All About Careers: www.allaboutcareers.com
• Talent ladder: www.talentladder.com
• www.thejob.com
• www.topjobs.co.uk
• www.jobhunter.co.uk
Sector Specific Sources
• Most sectors have related professional
websites where they will advertise relevant
vacancies.
• Check www.prospects.ac.uk: the
occupational profiles section will list these
for your sector
Speculate!
• Whether you are looking for experience or a
job don’t wait for opportunities to be
advertised – contact an organisation directly
enquiring about opportunities.
• Network- build your professional network.
Attend events, build a LinkedIn profile,
informational interviews
• Register with agencies
• Approx. 2/3 of jobs are not advertised
How do you market
yourself for jobs?
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Have a great CV
Have a great cover letter
Complete Applications Effectively
Hone your interview techniques
The CV – Top Tips
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Keep it short – 2 pages max!
Layout is crucial – make it easy to read
Put your key information upfront
Get your Profile right
No errors!
Ensure the CV is targeted towards the sector
you want
• Emphasise your skills gained through
experience
Cover Letters
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Keep it to one side
Use business layout format
Use professional formal English
No errors!
Cover the following:
Why you are writing
What you are offering
• Why you want to work there
Application Forms: Top
Tips
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Follow any instructions carefully
Fill in every section (if relevant)
Personalise your applications - avoid cutting and pasting
Stick to word counts
Avoid errors!
Avoid casual language, abbreviations or text/email talk
Use evidence throughout
Demonstrate research
Be specific – avoid general statements
Answer the whole question: is there more than one part?
Check that your sentences read well
Motivational Questions
“Why do you want to work for…?”
• Give specific reasons- avoid being vague/general
• Research the company: check their website, brochure and the press
• Aspects to consider:
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Business areas
Training programme
Recent deals
Future aspirations
Clients
Company culture
International opportunities
• Refer to contacts/speakers at presentations to back up what you say
• Avoid repeating large sections of the firm’s literature. Personalise it!
Competency Questions
• Designed to assess you against key competencies
required for the position
• Based on the belief that past behaviour is the best
indicator of future behaviour and potential
• The key is the evidence you provide
• Usually they are framed in a very clear way to indicate
how you should answer
• Often begin: “Please tell us about a time when….”
• Choose a variety of examples drawn from different areas
of your life to illustrate your answers - don’t draw solely
on your academic experience
• Be succinct! Often you may need to write to a very
specific word limit.
STAR/CAR
STAR: Situation, Task, Action, Result
CAR: Context, Action, Result
The most important of these, regardless of
which formula you use, is the Action
Tips for success- general
• Define your criteria and compile a list of companies you
are going to apply to
• Find out their deadlines and recruitment schedule
• Do your research
• Draft your applications one by one
• If possible, work on the ones you are less interested in
earlier – use these to develop your art!
• Ensure your documents create the right first impression
• Use formatting features to your advantage: eg, bullet
points
• Store your answers – create a databank of competency
responses
• Get someone reliable to proofread your applications
Question time
• What is an interview?
• How do we feel about interviews?
• What percentage of applicants reach the
interview stage?
The Interview: facts
• If you reach the interview stage of an
application process you are there for one
reason – the employer believes you have
the potential to do the job!
• It remains for them to decide if you are the
best candidate
• Selection = prediction. It is not an exact
science!
Interview facts
• Employers judge prospective employees
in the first few minutes as follows:• 55% on how we look
• 38% on how we sound
• Only 7% on what we say
Presentation
• Look good– clean clothes, hair, shoes,
nails
• Wear appropriate clothes
• Positive body language
• Turn off your mobile phone
• Don’t panic!
• Sell yourself
Interview questions
Typical questions
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Motivational Questions
Competency Questions
Scenario questions
Random Questions
Motivational Questions
• These are questions designed to assess
your level of interest in the
job/role/company/sector.
• Examples: “Why have you applied for this
role”? “Why are you interested in working
for us”?
• Motivational questions/responses illustrate
very well the 93/7% split
Competency Questions
• Most jobs – including trainee graduate
roles- are built around a specific set of
competencies e.g. communication,
interpersonal, problem solving
• Questions will be asked to assess your
potential in regard to these competencies
• Typical structure – “Can you tell us about a
time when…..”
Further Support
• Book a mock interview with a CaSE
Careers Consultant
• Attend CaSE’s Career Development
Workshops
• Attend our “Day in the Life” programme to
hear from employers about how they work
• Go online: Interview Simulator!
How CaSE can help you
with all this
• Careers Support
• 1-2-1 advice from Careers Consultants
specialising in your subject areas
• Online support 24/7: Plan Your Career
including career planning software,
psychometric tests
• Programme of workshops, training events,
speaker talks, employer visits
• Support throughout the year and for up to two
years after graduation