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Archaeologists look to the future as well as the past May 24, 2013

 Those who might think of a career in archaeology as (quite literally) dry and dusty should perhaps think again.  Archaeologists are very much involved in contemporary decisions.  Their aim is to unlock new knowledge which may have lain hidden for hundreds and thousands of years.  You may be surprised to learn that much archaeology work in the UK is funded by property developers.  This is because, to get planning permission, developers have to show they have done any necessary excavations and protected any pieces of archaeology that have been found.  They can’t do this without the support of archaeologists.  This career also appeals to a wide range of people.  Archaeologists need to be able to analyse data and solve problems, but also to communicate their findings with people in an accessible way.

Archaeology also offers the opportunity to travel the country and the globe.  As an archaeologist, you need to be mobile, as field work assignments are often temporary (three to six months).  This could be the career for you if you like variety and discovering new cultures and ideas.

The Arjuna Temple Complex, Indonesia, Image courtesy of Vichaya Kiatying-Angsulee / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

So, how would you go about getting into archaeology?  Many people have studied a relevant degree, although this isn’t strictly necessary.  As with most careers, experience and insight are important.  Many archaeological organisations offer work experience placements.  Others, such as the Museum of London hold community excavations which allow members of the public to get involved in a dig.

 Another fantastic source of information about the profession is the Institute for Archaeologists.  Here, for example, you can find a list of archaeological organisations who you could approach for work experience or to find out more.

 Just think, your future could be helping others to make sense of the past.

Considering Postgraduate Study? Find out what financial help you can get May 21, 2013

Originally posted at QM Jobs Blog

Figuring out funding for postgraduate study can be a confusing and lengthy task. You will often have to look in an endless amount of places to find information on what funding is available, and sometimes search tools are limited in their ability to return accurate results. With such a wide range of funding sources from charities to educational trusts, a comprehensive search tool is a useful way to more efficiently discover what funding is out there.

Finding out where students who have previously studied the same course received funding from can be a great place to start (you can usually find this out by asking the department). But, online search tools are also useful too.

TARGETcourses have recently launched a new comprehensive postgraduate funding database. The new funding database lets you narrow down your results based on your preferred subject area, institutions and region.

The Alternative Guide to Postgraduate Funding is another useful resource for those seeking funding. As well as highlighting the top 300 charities and trusts which offer funding, it features advice on how to write your application.

TARGETcourses also have their own bursary competition where you can win £2,000 towards the course fees for a taught or research postgraduate course in 2013/14. The deadline for applications is the 30 June 2013. Find out more about the competition here.

Remember you can find postgraduate funding in the most unlikely places.

So you’re studying Art. Here’s just a few of the career paths you could take May 20, 2013

Where do Art graduates work?

Art graduates have gone on to be:

• Freelance Artists
• Designers
• Curators
• Stage and Studio Managers
• Conference, Exhibition and Events Co-ordinators and Consultants
• University and Higher Education Lecturers
• Community Arts Workers
• Public Relations Officers
• Advertising and Marketing Executives
• Librarians

What skills will I gain studying Art?

Studying Art will provide you with a variety of skills that can be applied to a broad range of employment areas:

• creative problem solving
• resourcefulness
• effective oral and written communication
• observational and analytical skills
• teamwork
• IT, particularly using creative software
• organisation and planning
• self-motivation and self-management
• working to briefs and meeting deadline
• decision-making
• an appreciation of diversity

What kinds of graduate employers might be interested in me?

Lots of different sectors will be interested in your skills and knowledge.  Below are some ideas to get you started but you can relate your degree to many more areas.

Galleries and Art Organisations

After graduating you may decide to work as a freelance artist or behind the scenes as an arts administrator. In this vibrant industry no two days are ever the same. As an arts administrator your job will involve planning and organising logistics related to events, buildings, performers/artists and other personnel. As a freelance artist you will interact with galleries and arts organisations and manage your own time, working to produce artworks for exhibition or sale.

Community and Education

Community arts workers collaborate with groups and organisations at a local level. As an arts worker you will encourage the use of artistic activities to support the development of the local community. Generally arts workers are employed in areas where there are social, cultural or environmental issues that need to be addressed. As a graduate of Art you can also pass your skills on to others by pursuing a career in education.

Curating and PR

Curators work within museum, galleries, heritage centres and tourist attractions. They acquire, care for, develop and display a collection of artwork or artefacts in order to inform, educate and entertain the public. Alongside this you may be involved in other activities such as public relations and marketing.

Where can I find further information?

You can visit Careers Tagged to explore a comprehensive directory of careers resources including web links, downloads and videos. http://www.careerstagged.co.uk/.

The Prospects website Options with Your Subject section is also a useful starting point.   Here you can access detailed information about careers relating to art.

www.prospects.ac.uk/options_with_your_subject.htm

References and referees – the how, why, when and where May 16, 2013

Originally posted at QM Jobs Blog

References. Who? When? Where? How many? Why do I need them?

These are questions that we are often asked, and I would suggest it is important to think about how you will approach the issue of references BEFORE you need them.

Why is this? Because you may find that your tutor or former employer is at a conference / on holiday / busy marking exams etc so could take time providing your reference and you do not want any additional delays when it comes to potential employers asking to see them.

This morning I read a great blog post from the Careers Service at Coventry University titled Getting Ready to Graduate: A Quick Guide to References which answers these questions.  Read it here.

Gay by Degree May 13, 2013

Gaybydegree is a guide to universities by Stonewall, the LGBT organisation. With the cost of higher education increasing for many students, there is increasing attention to the student experience and value for money. Stonewall’s guide is designed to help students consider their options in choosing a more gay friendly institution. If you are going to spend three or more years living and studying somewhere, it’s good to have the information to decide where.

The Stonewall guide gives an indication of the gay-friendliness of an institution through several categories:

• Homophobic bullying policy
• Compulsory staff training on LGBT issues
• Student LGBT society
• Information on LGBT issues
• Stonewall Diversity Champion
• Events for LGBT students
• Explicit welfare support for LGBT students
• Consultation with LGBT students
• Specific career advice for LGBT students
• Staff LGBT network

Stonewall argue that this should give an indication of how friendly an institution should be and how seriously they take LGBT issues. As careers professionals we are slightly stumped at the specific careers advice for LGBT students – some of our colleges get that box ticked whilst others don’t – even when we share the same careers service.  We provide, through Reach and other measures, help to all students whether they feel they face barriers to work or not.

Stonewall have done well to raise this as an issue for universities and perhaps some will compete to ensure their GaybyDegree status is the highest they can achieve. For prospective students it does give an indication but probably shouldn’t be used to base a commitment on. It’s important to scout around the local town to see what that is like, to see how many homophobic attacks there may have been, to see how open the gay community is in the area.  Combine this information with your academic interests, institutional profile and other motivation before deciding which institution to attend.

This post previously appeared on our sister blog Reach.

Behind the Scenes of Social Media May 13, 2013

You’re part of the Internet generation; you’ve grown up with Facebook and communicating online is second nature.  But aside from using social media to chat with friends and share your photos, it’s a vital tool for businesses to both promote their services and build relationships with customers. If you’re looking for a fast-paced, creative career social media could be the perfect industry for you. Sedge Beswick, Social Media Executive at ASOS, shares her story and some tips on how to bag a job in social media.

Firstly, how would you define social media?

Social media for me is an online dialogue between two parties – it’s based on their needs and ours. You could say its social democracy.

What made you get into social media?

How I got involved in social is quite a funny story. I entered a competition on a whim where you had to get the most fans on a Facebook group for a brand, to win £25K to throw the best party ever. I was thrown in as the entrant to make the competition look ‘normal’, up against DJ’s, event organizers – the works! I came second, (everyone at the time hated me as it was all I talked about and completely spammed everyone I know!) rallying together 6K fans within 5 days.

The agency that worked on the competition offered me a job there and then. I said no as I was still at uni, but the brand (Three UK) offered me a job as soon as I graduated.

There are so many different social media channels, the obvious being Facebook and Twitter, but what do ASOS use?

ASOS are on A LOT of social channels, I’m kept nice and busy! We have Facebook which has 2.3 million followers; G+ with 1.5 million followers then we have 67 Twitter accounts, Instagram, Vine, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Spotify, YouTube… The list’s really quite endless but it’s what I love, we like to test things out to get a real feel of our customers wants and needs – once we work out what they’re engaging with, we can then put a strategy in place.

For someone thinking about a career in the industry, what do you love the most about your job?

The thing I love the most about working in social media is that it’s instantly rewarding. I know within a matter of seconds whether something has gone down well and whether it’s been a success. I can take that insight and immediately implement it into other pieces of activity – I hate to say it but I’ve become a numbers girl, I love looking at the reach, the revenue, the engagement. It’s fascinating!

You got into social media in an unusual way, but what tips could you give to others looking for a job in the industry?

Set up a Social channel, whether it’s a blog, a Tumblr account or a Flickr channel that you really focus your time on – this is the first place to look when I review CV’s.

There’s nothing worse than someone promoting Twitter accounts on their CV when they haven’t tweeted in months (sometimes even years!).

Social also takes a lot of TLC and dedication – it never sleeps so you need to know that people can really commit to updating something. I think LinkedIn is really important too, you have to sell yourself. Go get yourself some recommendations.

So if you’d like a career in the industry, set up a social media account and make sure to update it regularly. If you’re not comfortable sharing your personal opinions online, set up an account focussed on your interests, such as fashion or sports and publish updates on the latest hot topics. The main points are to engage with others and show your dedication, and that you’re willing to put the time and effort into it. Additionally, it’s important to keep up to date with the latest developments in this ever-changing industry by reading social media news and blogs, such as mashable.com

If you can, getting some professional industry experience with a brand or agency will put you ahead of the competition. Seek out internships or part-time work in your area. This will enable you to get hands on experience, giving you an insight into what it’s really like to work in social media – not only for the experience but also to work out if it’s the right career for you.

This is an interview with Sedge Beswick, Social Media Executive at ASOS, one of the UK’s largest online fashion retailers.

Getting into Radio May 10, 2013

I worked in radio for a short time a few years ago, at the time I had no idea how to get into it, so I thought I would let you know the path I took and other options I learnt along the way so that you can gain some insight on how get into this industry.

Hospital radio

This is where it all began; I researched local hospital radio stations to see if there was a possibility of volunteering for a station. I would say this was one of the best ways to learn the technical side of radio as hospital radio have fewer restrictions than community, regional or national radio stations. As a presenter you are able to have more freedom regarding your playlist (as long as it is appropriate for the audience), this is because unlike regional and particularly national stations you do not have to ensure that a certain song gets a certain amount of airtime which is necessary in order to boost sales etc.

With hospital radio it is also the best place I found to work on your technical skills of mastering a mixing desk. Due to its limited audience you are able to use it as a learning curve and make mistakes while you attempt to use the equipment and learn about fading, talking over the music, cuing songs and advertisements etc.

I started in hospital radio presenting the news and the weather which got me used to talking on air; I then presented a music competition and later trained on the desk and had my own show which was incredibly liberating and exciting and a great chance to practice presenting!

Like hospital radio stations it would be useful to get involved in university and student radio stations, you should be able to have the chance to be creative as with hospital radio and be able to develop your presenting style or practice your technical skills, plus this looks great on your CV to potential employers; not just in the radio industry but anywhere; as you will be demonstrating communication skills, teamwork and commercial awareness if you are discussing what is topical on the show.

Try and get involved as much as you can in a show that is of interest to you, if you want to specialise in music then present a music show, if you prefer current affairs and debating topical issues then find a radio show that explores that (or create one yourself if there is a need for it at your University or local hospital).

Local and community radio

After the hospital radio station, I wrote to a local radio station to ask if they had any volunteering opportunities and demonstrated the experience I had gained at the hospital station. I worked at Heartbeat FM, now known as Jack FM in Hertfordshire and I was at first given the opportunity to edit and voice jingles. I was then given the role of film reviewer where I would see a new release and then write a review for the website as well as broadcast it on air which was recorded and repeated throughout the week. I would also help out where it was needed with other tasks as community/local radio is likely to be a very small team so you need to be willing to provide your support and helping hand where it is needed, I often helped set-up for an outside broadcast. While working as a film reviewer a vacancy opened for a new reporter, conducting interviews with local people and businesses over the summer as part of a tour of the radio. The object of many community stations is showing that they provide a service to the public and people of the local community, it advertises only local businesses, and it supports and encourages local people.

“Community Radio stations are small, micro-local stations who offer training and opportunities for those looking to get involved with radio locally.” The Radio Academy

To find your most local community radio station take a look at this site and search their map to find one close to you http://www.commedia.org.uk/map/

You can also set up your own community radio station…Ofcom invites applications for community radio licences on a region by region basis http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/broadcasting/radio/community/.

“To obtain a community radio licence, applicants must demonstrate that the proposed station will meet the needs of a specified target community, together with required “social gain” objectives set out in the application. These usually take the form of a commitment to train local people in broadcasting skills or provide a certain amount of programming aimed at an underserved section of the population.”(source: The Radio Academy)

A successful example of community radio and grass roots outreach work is Rinse FM, http://rinse.fm/about/

For further information, including funding I would recommend visiting The Radio Academy website http://www.radioacademy.org/knowledge-bank/getting-in/voluntary-radio/community-radio/

National radio

Now I am guessing that this is where most of you want to be, to work for a popular national radio station like Absolute Radio, Kiss, Radio 1 etc. This was something I experienced on the production side of radio; I was given the opportunity to work for the Hit 40 UK, and did a variety of different roles at Capital FM as well as working for a radio production company which produced entertainment news for national radio stations.

This is the more difficult calibre of radio to get into as it is the most competitive and the area where you can begin to make a bit of money and build a name for yourself, which is why all the work before getting to this point is important.

Keep all your previous recordings of presenting whether it be on hospital, community or university stations, this will build up a portfolio for you to demonstrate your skills. If you are creative and wish to be involved in the more production side of radio then think of ideas for new shows, or segments of shows that you can pitch to potential stations. Get experience in interviewing people to show your interviewing and journalistic skills which are essential in radio, you could do this with friends and record it on your phone or iPad.

After having collected some experience and getting used to the idea of presenting on the radio, create a demo for radio stations and other potential employers.

Key points to remember….

When contacting any station for work experience try and speak to the Editor, Producer or Station Manager

Consider asking about work shadowing

Read the radio press! This will help to keep you abreast of who owns who and what the current issues are

• Media Week
• The RADIO Magazine
• Broadcast
• The Guardian’s media section on a Monday

Listen to the radio! Sounds obvious, but it’s amazing how many people don’t and want to work in radio

Consider the different job roles – make sure you research the roles that are available in this industry to see what would suit you, they include

• Presenter
• Producer and Broadcast Assistant
• Broadcast Journalist
• Broadcast Engineer
• Interactive/Web
• Sales/Marketing
• Traffic
• Training & Development
• Station Manager

Good Luck!

Get a Boost to Your City Career May 9, 2013

Originally posted at UCL Careers Service Blog

Investment Banking. Management Consultancy. Commercial Law. Accountancy. Risk Management…….

What really goes on inside those towering, shining, slightly intimidating buildings at Canary Wharf and alike? As a student in London you no doubt know of at least one person who is adamant that a career in the city is for them. But what does that really mean to work in one of the roles listed above and how can you find out more?

For a unique, insider’s perspective on a career in the City, come on The Careers Group’s long-running and successful City Course. During the week you will visit prominent City employers and institutions. You will participate in employer-led business games and listen to presentations and graduate panels about the range of City careers.

At each employer visit you will get the opportunity to meet and network with recent graduates working within the firm, representatives from the graduate recruitment teams and sometimes more senior employees. You’ll start early, work hard, and come away with a detailed understanding of how the City works.

You do not have to be studying a particular degree route in order to attend this course but an interest in working in the City and an enthusiasm to find out more is a must!

The course is a long-running event and is extremely popular with all University of London students. You will need to apply with a CV and Covering letter – further details of the application process, including a few hints and tips can be found here. The deadline for completed applications is Friday 21 June 2013.

The cost of the course is £96, which is not payable until you have been accepted onto the course and bursaries are available for those in receipt of hardship funding.

Still not sure if this is for you? Take a look at the Facebook page and get involved in some of the discussions: www.facebook.com/CareersintheCity

Finding a job in the digital age May 7, 2013

The days of simply sending a CV and covering letter to apply for a job are being consigned to the history books. The digital age has revolutionised the job-hunting process and social networking has opened up new opportunities for recruiters and job seekers alike

While CVs remain an important tool in the job application process, they don’t really tell the whole story about you. Putting your profile on a social networking website will allow you to present a more human face and allow you to get to “know” some of the people you might hope to work alongside some day.

Your profile – The most common sites to use for job searching are Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. You can place your profile on these sites and show off all the little things that a normal CV would not include. You can put in everything that might attract the attention of a recruiter and mould your profile in any way you like.

With the popularity of social networking sites, getting your profile noticed is your most difficult problem. A little creativity will go a long way. Adding videos to your Facebook profile or uploading a video onto YouTube will help set you apart from the crowd. Anything outside the norm will help attract the attention you need.

The beauty of digital profiles is that you can place them on several sites at the same time. You can link your profiles and even link them to your own website (if you have one), where you can showcase your work and abilities. This will give you more exposure than you would receive any other way.

Get yourself known – Many companies and potential employers have their own websites, blogs and social networking accounts. You should carefully look at what they have to say and make positive comments – everyone likes to be flattered – but be careful not to comment too much or else you might come across as a crank or someone with nothing else to do.

Positive and constructive comments might even elicit a reply, so that will allow you to engage with employers on a personal basis. It may encourage them to follow your own sites and could even result in a job offer. At the very least you will be on the employers’ radar.

The LinkedIn advantage – LinkedIn has two important aspects apart from allowing employers to see your profile. First, it allows you to find out everything you might need to know about a company and its leading staff. You will be able connect with them for advice and information and can invite them to join your network. Second, it allows you to ask people with whom you have worked for endorsements. These alone might be enough to get you a job invitation. As you can see, LinkedIn is a powerful site if carefully exploited.

Don’t be shy – Social networking is a very effective tool for the modern jobseeker. You cannot afford to be shy. You have to put yourself forward and make sure that your achievements and attributes are there for all to see. But the competition is stiff, so you must be innovative in finding ways to get yourself noticed ahead of the pack

Sarah Long, a senior recruitment executive, has gained a reputation for inspiring and securing the unemployed into full time work – from jobs in reception to sales, and even engineering.

Finance jobs in the not-for-profit sector? May 1, 2013

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