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 enjoyYou will match in terms of skills

requirements, values, personal qualitiesWill provide you with ‘life/work’ balanceMeet 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

• 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

• Specific

• Measurable

• Actions

• Realistic

• Timebound

Having a Degree

• What does this confer on you?

What do you get from your degree?

• Highly developed skillsAnalytical, 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?

• 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 ExperiencePlacementsInternshipsVolunteeringPart-time work

Useful Resources

• 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?

• Have a great CV

• Have a great cover letter

• Complete Applications Effectively

• Hone your interview techniques

The CV – Top Tips

• 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

• Keep it to one side• Use business layout format• Use professional formal English• No errors!• Cover the following:

Why you are writingWhat you are offering• Why you want to work there

Application Forms: Top Tips

• 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:

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

• 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