Your results – what next? July 4, 2011
Posted by TCG Info in : employability and skills , 1 comment so farSo the results are in. How did you do? Did you get that 1st class degree everyone hopes for? Or do you feel there are no options now you failed to grasp that 2:1? You are not alone. Around 30% of graduates leave with a 2:2 degree and the good news is that there are still lots of options open to you.
As careers advisers we often see graduates with a 2:2 suddenly start to talk about doing a masters course. Typically there are three reasons for doing a masters: a) desire to specialise and increase employability; b) passion to learn more about the subject and c) compensate for poorer grades achieved to date. Unfortunately the third reason doesn’t usually work. Many graduate recruiters don’t differentiate between a masters and an undergraduate degree – although some (e.g. ExonMobil) will take a 2:2 plus a relevant postgraduate qualification. If you want to do a masters then make sure your motivation is right.
So how can you progress in life with a 2:2?
OK so many of the Graduate Schemes are closed to you because they require a 2:1 or above. But there are some schemes out there that are open to 2:2: degrees. Some examples that might help you get started:
- PWC Inspired Talent
- Civil Service Fast Stream
- Network Rail
- London Treasurer’s Graduate Scheme
- NHS Management
- Cassidian
- Wilkinson
- Westinghouse
- Scottish Power
- Jaguar Landrover
- Stagecoach
- Toyota
- EMCOR
- Siemans
So from that (non-exhaustive) list you can see the diversity of schemes available – from Government to manufacturing, professional services to retail. Trawling through the internet should help find many others.
It’s easy to get distracted by graduate schemes. These corporations often have large budgets to market their career opportunities to students. But typically only about 10% of graduates go into a graduate scheme. That’s all, just 10%. Maybe about 35% will do further study, leaving 55% of graduates doing something else.
It’s tough out there. There aren’t any jobs. The media keeps broadcasting a message of doom and gloom about the job market which isn’t very helpful. The graduate job market is generally always challenging and competition is usually strong. When thinking about your next steps there are several factors to consider.
- If you wanted a specific graduate scheme, why was that? Was it because of the company (if so, search entry level positions in same firm), the role (find alternative employers with similar roles) or location (refine your job search geographically but broaden criteria).
- What can you do in the short term to position yourself better in the future? For example, aspiring accountant and Royal Holloway graduate is building on his 2:2 by putting himself through the ICAEW Certificate because it shares the same modules as the ACA.
- Can I do it myself? Many current entrepreneurs have started their businesses with very little money, just a positive attitude and some basic business skills.
A 2:2 is not the end of the world. Alumni from across the University of London have done very well in life despite their 2:2 degrees. It may seem like it’s a barrier but, by thinking differently, it shouldn’t be a major disadvantage.
Graduates can continue to get careers support from their colleges in the University of London Careers Group by joining Gradclub.
Is your CV heading for the shredder? August 17, 2010
Posted by Helen Curry in : CVs , add a comment
Photo by Matthijs Rouw
Recruiters are having their say about common CV mistakes to avoid in The Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) LinkedIn discussion group – some useful tips here that I had to share.
Mistakes to avoid:
- Poor spelling and grammar (as ever – but they all say it!)
- Unusual formatting – it should be easy to scan.
- Hard-to-find contact details
- Targeting another company/job
- Too long – two pages is the standard for graduates in the UK, unless it is for an academic position. You can always put ‘references available on request’ instead of lengthy referee contact details
- Awkward copy and paste
- Not specifying the necessary grades when the position has minimum requirements
Stating they have four A-levels ranging from A* to C is of no help… I’ll cynically assume there were more Cs than A*s!
- Last-minute applications – tolerance levels go down when recruiters are swamped by a rush of applications at deadline-time
- Use of tiny fonts and slim margins to cram in more text – instead make strategic cuts to highlight the best, stand-out content.
- Cover letters that begin “Dear Recruiter”…
It is so easy to pick up the phone to find out the name of the lead recruiter – a personal approach is so much more powerful.
- Crazy fonts and colour schemes – often inappropriate for traditional corporate roles, though it can be good for creatives…
- Obvious template CVs – recruiters do get familiar with some of them!
What happens next, when you start your graduate job? Grad Expectations – book review April 29, 2010
Posted by Helen Curry in : Uncategorized , add a comment
Just got in an unusual new careers book – Grad Expectations by Rob Cross. Why unusual? Well I was most struck by the writing style – it reads a bit like a play at times, a bit like a novel. The book follows a group of new graduates from their first day at World-Corp PLC, their expectations, their experiences of fitting in, and their career choice crises. The whole book is comprised of their conversations and thoughts, giving this careers guide a much more personal, intimate feel (if at times sounding like a soap!).
Yet underlying this superficially chatty style, there is still a good foundation of careers theory and personal development guidance. There are exercises to complete, which the graduates explore along with the reader. Key principles for each chapter are highlighted and embedded in practical situations, principles like:
Always make conscious choices. You may not be able to choose your circumstances, but you can always choose how you respond.
It might not suit everyone, some might find the device artificial, and if you dislike buzzy personal development catchphrases, well… there are plenty of those. But if you find most career choice books too theoretical and abstract, if you want a fresh approach, this could be the one to hold your attention.
Drop by The Careers Group library if you want to give it a try – all University of London students can access the resources for free.
Freebies – the only reason to attend a careers fair? December 1, 2009
Posted by Helen Curry in : Uncategorized , 1 comment so farI spotted this diary article by student Duncan Robinson in the Independent, and I wanted to respond from a careers service perspective, as I think quite a lot of students have similar experiences. In fact, when I was a student my friends and I went just to compete to collect the most freebies. We were wasting our time. I now know how to get much more than chocolate at a careers fair!
Freebies are the only reason to attend a careers fair… There is very little in the way of actual information to be gained.
First of all, there is a lot of information to be had, it just depends what kind of information you are looking for! To get the most out of a careers fair, I would recommend you already have a good idea of what career path you want to pursue and what roles you want to consider.
Drifting into a crowded bustling environment and having random two-minute chats complete strangers is not the best way to make a career choice! If you visit your careers service in advance you can discover the details about what the job titles mean.
Finding a perfect fit!
A careers fair is best used to find information like:
- which company is best for you
- tips for applications and interviews at that company – what makes a candidate stand out?
- what sort of work experience is needed?
- an insider view to help you choose between a couple of roles you find interesting
- which areas of the business are on the rise and which areas are suffering
Work out what information you need before you go to the fair and perhaps think of a few approaches you might try – what questions will you ask, what further contacts you might like to seek out e.g. a name and email in HR. It is all about preparation! (For more tips, see this podcast on networking)
The brochures you receive rarely answer questions about what working for a particular company entails. There probably isn’t enough space between the pictures of the good-looking staff and inspirational headlines.
Company brochures will have a promotional slant. They are not aiming to produce a general guide to the profession, they are looking to inspire and to attract the best graduates to apply to them.
Question time...
To them, the best candidates will probably have already done research into the details of the role, or will be self-motivated enough to research the role after learning about it at the fair.
When it comes to details like what working for that company is really like – you are really better off just asking the staff on the stand as you are more likely to get an honest and grounded perspective. With a few well-judged questions you can find out what the working hours are really like, how much time-off you get to study for qualifications, and build up the bigger picture from there. These aren’t always the kind of details that can go into the management-approved, nationally-distributed brochure.
Those running the stands were often just as unhelpful. I went in the afternoon and five hours of slack-jawed undergraduates asking the same questions had obviously worn them down. Most queries were answered with a resigned “take this brochure and look on the website”.
From personal experience I can say it is exhausting to man a stand at a fair all day. Employers often mention to us whether the students seem well-informed or not as it really affects their experience of the fair. If students are prepared, they ask the employers intelligent and varied questions; the students benefit by receiving unique information, and the employers enjoy reflecting on their work and feel valued. If students come with a blank canvas, employers are faced with the daunting task of summarising in a minutes their role, the graduate scheme, the training, the application process, repeatedly… all day… Of course they will be worn down and frustrated if students can get that information anyway from the website. It is a waste of their time.
Always read the brochure first!
How can you overcome careers fair fatigue? It is always a good strategy to get there early on if you can, when people are still fresh. If that is not possible, then think about how you can mark yourself out as different to the rest. It is always encouraging to see a student get out of jeans and into office wear, as it is immediately clear they have given the fair some thought. When you begin to ask questions, you could start by stating – ‘I read your brochure and I wanted to know more about…’ and ask specific questions rather than the dreaded ‘so what do you do then?’. If you haven’t read the brochure before, then go to a quiet corner, read it, and come back to the stand later!
In some ways, the fair seemed quite surreal. “What recession?” I thought. “There are thousands of jobs here”. Then I realised that this was the same fair that was going to every other university in the country. My university alone will be spewing out more than 6,000 graduates this year…
It is not the same fair at every university! It is not a travelling circus! Each university careers service will be seeking out employer contacts and trying to persuade them to come to their fair. Some employers will only go to the top-ten universities in the league table, some will aim to target specific regions where they have offices. Some recruiters will be at lots of events because they like to have a high profile and they are ready for hundreds of applications to sift through to find the best – yes these will be competitive. Yet others are there because graduates don’t tend to think of them or they offer unconventional roles, and they want to attract more applicants. If you are feeling more open-minded about your career, these can offer you better odds on a job.
When it comes to the recession – so what if that is increasing competition for jobs? There are still thousands of jobs out there, and the best graduates will get them. Make yourself competitive! And as my Dad likes to say – ‘if you don’t enter, you can’t win‘.
British Council workshops for Chinese students planning to work in China November 18, 2009
Posted by Helen Curry in : Global Careers , add a commentWe have just received notice of these workshops which look very useful for Chinese students. The London workshop is actually this Saturday 21st November. If you plan to attend, register at http://www.educationuk.cn/alumniuk/uktour/ See below for more info:
Dear students,
The British Council, operating in China as the Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy, cordially invites you to join a series of workshop in the UK from 21 November to 27 November 2009.
The workshop aims to help Chinese students currently in the UK get better comprehension of the employers’ needs and the job market in China, as well as to prepare you to enter/re-enter the job market after graduation and enhance your employability and competitiveness in the field.
HR executives from China major employers will attend the workshop to give an overview on the competitive job market in China, and talk about various aspects of recruitment from employers’ view as well as to share successful experiences of other alumni via case studies.
Opportunities are also provided for attendees to raise questions during the interactive session to discuss their issues or problems encountered during the job hunting and career development.
The workshop will be delivered in Chinese.
Itinerary
| City | Time | Venue* |
| London | 15:00 – 17:00, 21 November 2009 (Saturday) | Westminster City Hall |
| Cardiff | 19:00 – 21:00, 24 November 2009 (Tuesday) | Cardiff University |
| Edinburgh | 19:00 – 21:00, 27 November 2009 (Friday) | University of Edinburgh |
*The detailed venue info will be sent to student in confirmation letter.
RSVP online now at http://www.educationuk.cn/alumniuk/uktour/index.html
闪耀职场–2009留英学生职业发展英国巡讲
英国文化协会中国办公室（在中国作为英国大使馆文化教育处开展工作）将于2009年11月21日- 27日在英国三地举办2009留英学生职业发展英国巡讲。
本次活动的目的旨在帮助留英中国学生更好的了解中国的就业市场，并在毕业前为进入中国的就业市场做准备，提高职场竞争力。
我们邀请了人力资源的专家向同学们介绍中国的就业市场现状，邀请中国的大型企业代表介绍招聘环节的方方面面，并且和大家分享成功求职的经验。
在活动中，同学们也可以将他们就在中国找工作和职业发展的疑问与专家进行沟通。
本次巡讲语言为中文。
活动日程
本活动面向所有在英国学习的中国学生，有意参加的同学需报名注册。活动的日程如下：
| City | Time | Venue* |
| London | 15:00 – 17:00, 21 November 2009 (Saturday) | Westminster City Hall |
| Cardiff | 19:00 – 21:00, 24 November 2009 (Tuesday) | Cardiff University |
| Edinburgh | 19:00 – 21:00, 27 November 2009 (Friday) | University of Edinburgh |
请立即报名注册你希望参加的场次：http://www.educationuk.cn/alumniuk/uktour/index.html
我们期待着您的参与和交流！
Have you signed up? The Guardian London Graduate Fair from The Careers Group is on Tuesday! October 16, 2009
Posted by Helen Curry in : The Careers Group , add a comment
Just a few of the employers coming to the fair
We’ve got some really exciting employers coming on Tuesday, including BBC, HSBC, Sky, Civil Service Fast Stream, Barclays, Abercrombie and Fitch… We’re feeling positive that it will be a great event!
http://www.londongradfair.co.uk/
There are plenty of extra attractions too – employer presentations, careers advice workshops, panel debates, and lots of universities attending if you are considering postgraduate study. Do take a look at the schedules beforehand so you can time your visit to catch the key presentation for you.
My tip: Bring your CV and dress smartly – some employers you talk to will be taking CVs, and at previous events a few recruiters have even taken photos of potential applicants to help them remember faces. Make sure you look like a professional!
Graduate Talent Pool launches today July 29, 2009
Posted by Helen Curry in : Uncategorized , add a comment
Just a reminder that the Graduate Talent Pool internship matching website is now open for business.
Having had a quick look around the internship listings, it looks like there is a good number of opportunities available in London. Sectors covered range from Insurance to the Environment, Logistics to Finance, Advertising to Construction, so there should be something for everyone. Many of the internships I viewed were paid, but not all – it tends to vary by sector.
The site is definitely worth a look, and it might be a good idea to get your application in first as publicity surrounding the scheme may mean the positions receive a lot of applications. I hope more businesses will be encouraged to participate.
Boris launches new careers site for graduates seeking work in London July 28, 2009
Posted by Helen Curry in : The Careers Group , add a commentLast week the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, launched a new website aimed at helping students find work in London.
London is undoubtedly the place to be for young people and graduates and my clear message is that we want you, we need you and I will work endlessly to keep you here, in the world’s greatest city.
Looking for ideas about what you can do with your degree? Use the Idea Generator to see what careers London graduates went into after taking your subject – both the jobs and the employers.
Looking for more information about an occupation? Explore careers profiles and suggested websites.
There is also an essential list of upcoming recruitment fairs in London.
We at The Careers Group have been working with City Hall on the site for a little while, so it is great to see it becoming a success. We hope you find it useful!
Here’s what The Guardian had to say about it – “Graduate website offers hope to London job seekers”
Five things to do before The Guardian London Graduate Fair June 10, 2009
Posted by Helen Curry in : Uncategorized , add a comment
- Check out what is going on. The fair runs over two days, 16th-17th June, and there’s more than just employer stands. There are talks from our careers advisers on the job market in various sectors (very useful at the moment), plenty of exhibitor presentations, as well as careers workshops. Check out the presentations programme so you can plan your visit to fit.
- Prepare yourself for some networking. Many people find networking intimidating, but the fair is all about making a connection with an employer and finding out more. Here are some examples of questions to ask well as links to further resources.
- Get your CV checked at your university careers service in advance of the fair. It is worth bringing a number of copies of your CV for employers who ask for them. These CVs should be the real deal – spell-checked, polished, and printed on good quality paper. You can get a CV check at the fair, but the queue does get very long (over 30 mins) and you don’t want to waste time standing around. It’s much easier to get it done beforehand!
- Research. You can see who is exhibiting at the fair here and who they are looking for. Do some research on the companies you are interested in beforehand so you can impress the employers with informed questions.
- Plan to get there early and get to the front of the queue so you can get the attention of employers first. It is easier to make an impression at the beginning, and the employers will still be ‘fresh’ – by the end of the day everyone gets tired from talking to so many people in a busy environment. Pre-register and you can get in an hour before everyone else.
There are many more tips in the recruitment fairs podcast from The Guardian.
Survey: Considering an un-paid internship? June 8, 2009
Posted by Helen Curry in : Uncategorized , add a commentWith the government promoting the Graduate Talent Pool scheme, matching graduates to paid and un-paid internships, I was wondering if un-paid internships featured in our students’ current career plans or are they just a fall-back?
If none of these answers apply, please feel free to leave your opinion in a comment!
