Career Planning and Successful Applications
Careers Service
www.imperial.ac.uk/careers
Your success. Our goal.
Contents Chapter one – Getting started
Chapter two – Self awareness
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Get informed
5.
5.
JobsLive
6.
Develop your career step-by-step
Chapter three – Discovering opportunities
12. 13. 14. 15.
What is important to you in a career?
8.
Skills Audit
9.
Personal Development Plan
11.
Plan:Me
Glossary of terms
Chapter four – Applications and interviews
Make work experience work for you
25.
Building your knowledege and gaining experience
26.
First year activity timeline
16.
Second/penultimate year timeline
17. Final year activity timeline 18.
Master’s activity timeline
19.
Networking and social media
22.
Postgraduate study
27. 30.
Ace applications and transition process Psychometric tests How to succeed at assessment centres Preparing for interview
Welcome to the Career Service at Imperial College London. Our goal is to support you through your career planning and decision making during your time at Imperial and for up to three years after you graduate. Our website is a good place to begin exploring the opportunities and resources available to you. • The career planning section encourages you to reflect on yourself, your skills, qualities and interests and how these relate to possible careers along with introducing Plan: Me which will help you structure your career search. • There is a wide range of information such as publications, downloads of events and talks, useful tips and videos on every aspect of the graduate applications and interview process from CVs to preparing for psychometric tests. • The careers, occupations and job sectors section will help you find out more about different careers available.
The Graduate Job Market COVID-19 has impacted the graduate job market, with the Institute of Student Employers reporting that overall in 2019-20 graduate recruitment had reduced by 12% and internship opportunities by 29%. Although this has affected some industries more than others it is increasingly important to be fully prepared when making researched and targeted applications in your chosen field. Your degree is one of your best assets in a competitive market. As well as achieving academically, make the most of your time at Imperial – work experience, involvement in student societies and voluntary work can help you build up the skills you need to impress employers. Although traditional work-based opportunities may be reduced over the forthcoming year, it is worth pointing out that employers do recognise the worth in all your activities, valuing students who can demonstrate resilience, flexibility and the ability to problem solve in an ever changing environment.
• You can also book an appointment if you want to talk to one of our experienced career consultants or internship Advisers • If you have a disability and would like to find out more about disclosing it to an employer, the kind of adjustments that can be made during the recruitment process, and also your legal rights, take a look at our support for students with disabilities webpages.
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Get informed
Learning how to articulate what you have to offer to an employer is vital, both verbally and in writing. Employers can only go by what they see, so don’t get beaten to a job role by someone less qualified who has written a better application or is more prepared for an interview. Keep a look out for the following events to learn more.
• Employer Led Skills Workshops • Recruiter in Residence and Mock Interview Sessions • Skills Seminars and Workshops
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Get ahead of the game The Careers Service provides you with an opportunity to explore a range of career options. Maybe you are curious about a sector you don’t know much about or you want to network with company representatives and gain an insight into an interesting company. Our Focus on weeks, Careers Fairs, Careers Forums and Getting into talks are just some of the ways to find out more. Many employers, especially the larger graduate recruiters, will set early closing dates or will recruit on a rolling programme, which means that often it can be a “first come, first served” basis. Don’t leave your job search too late.
JobsLive
Get connected Registering for JobsLive is an essential part of your career journey at Imperial. Once registered you will be able to view job and internship vacancies, keep up-to-date on the latest events and book your place, as well as booking appointments with our consultants and advisors. Follow the steps below to get started...
1. Go to JobsLive
2. Log in with your Imperial username and password
3. Update your profile from the ‘My Profile’ tab. You can adjust your settings to
match your requirements, so opt to receive daily or weekly emails alerting you of job vacancies and events that are relevant to your specified areas of interest. It’s also a good idea to subscribe to the weekly Careers Newsletter which keeps you up-to-date with the latest Careers Service news and events
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Develop your career step by step Although everyone’s situation is unique, there are some key steps to take in order to develop and progress your career. The diagram shows the main elements of career planning; start this process early on in your course and you will save yourself time later. This process continues as your career develops too. Check out the Plan: Me model to help you put these steps into action. There are four main aspects to career choice and development: 1. Self awareness: To make choices you need to know what interests you, what motivates you, the skills you have and those you wish to develop more. 2. Opportunity awareness: Explore opportunities open to you, whether directly related to your degree background or in new career areas. 3. Decision making: Review and evaluate your options and make decisions, focusing on areas of particular interest. 4. Transition: Find out how best to present yourself – in writing and in person – so you can start to put your plans into action.
Self awareness
Opportunity awareness
What do you enjoy doing?
Research occupations, employers, further study and training opportunities
What can you learn from your experiences? What do you really want from work?
Who do you know to talk to who can help you find out more about opportunities for you?
What skills and strengths do you have and what are you good at?
Keep a file of key contacts and information you gather
What would you like to improve?
Process of career development Transition
Decision making
Check deadlines and how to apply
Be clear about what you want, and rate your options in order of preference. How achievable and realistic are they?
Develop a good CV and work on your cover letter and applications Prepare for interviews and assessment centres Are there aspects of your plans you need to refine?
Find out what you can do to improve your chances e.g. work experience Have a plan B – if you are struggling with this seek help from the Careers Service
6(Taken from Law and Watts, DOTS Career Development Model 1977,2003)
What is important to you in a career? To begin thinking about what you would like to do after you have finished your course at Imperial or check that your chosen career path will meet your needs and aspirations it is a good idea to undertake a values assessment. Values and motivations include things like your ethical perspective, as well as factors that give your work personal meaning and a sense of purpose. These may include things like security (for example, stable employment), material benefits (like financial reward) or altruism (working for the benefit of others), among many others. Understanding your personal values can help you make clearer career decisions and perform better in applications and interviews because you will be prepared to demonstrate how your values align with those of the company you are applying to work for.
Top three
Half
YOUR VALUES Look at the following factors and decide how important they are to you. • In the free choice column select all the values that are important or desirable to you. • In the half column cut the number of values you have chosen by half discarding those of lesser importance. • For the final column choose only your top three essential values.
Free choice
The following activity can help you begin – download the Motivational Quiz from the Self Reflection section of our website.
Organisation — Working in a well-known or well-respected company Global environment – Working for a global company with offices all over the world Community — Working in a place where you can get involved in the local community Controllable lifestyle — Being able to achieve a satisfactory work/life balance Flexible working — A role in which there is the possibility of working in a number of roles or parttime Job security — Knowing that your work will always be there for you Being expert — Being known as someone with special knowledge or skills Research — Having the opportunity to carry out research Supervision — Having responsibility for supervising others Learning — A rapidly changing role in which you will continually be learning new things Technical – Working with a specific process or product that requires in-depth knowledge
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Skills Audit A Skills Audit helps you consider your strengths and areas for development. If you’ve rated yourself as confident or really confident in a particular skill, that’s great but you will need to prove this to future employers by giving specific examples/evidence. You can download your own full copy of the Skills Audit to complete yourself.
Skills Audit example: Key professional skills How competent am I for employability (not an in this skill? exhaustive list…)
This Skills Audit was based on the CV ‘Des Student’ found in CV and Cover Letters pg 18)
Negotiation
Adequate
Team work
Excellent
Problem-solving
Commercial awareness
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What specific examples/evidence do I have that proves this? Was able to resolve a dispute about workloads in my group design project to everyone’s satisfaction. Led the discussion about timings and amount of work to complete, based on prior knowledge and difficulty. Successfully completed the Duke of Edinburgh Award outdoor activities as a team overcoming illness to complete the hike together.
Adequate
Had to spend significant amount of time trying to understand why my prototype was not successful – could have saved time by asking a friend but wanted to try to solve it myself.
Limited knowledge
Have undertaken some paid work but not at graduate level. Think I might need to find out more about what is happening in industry in my chosen career path.
This Personal Development Plan was based on the CV ‘Des Student’ found in CV and Cover Letters pg 18)
Personal Development Plan
If you’ve rated yourself as weaker in any skill within your Skills Audit, this may be because you haven’t yet had a chance to develop in this area. A Personal Development Plan (PDP) gives you the opportunity to consider how you could improve in that particular skill. Why not use the example below to create your own Personal Development Plan?
PDP example: Specific objective (What skill/ knowledge do I want to develop?)
Steps to achieving objective (How will I develop this skill? Include specific details)
Timeline Support required (When will I develop this skill/ (Who/what do I need to help knowledge?) me achieve objective)
Read the ‘What can I do with my degree’ section of the careers website to get some ideas.
This week
Just me
Autumn Term 2021
Find out dates and how to attend on the Careers website.
During this term What I can do after I have completed my MEng degree?
Attend the online Careers Fairs- especially the Engineering related one.
Use events calendar on JobsLive and speak to tutors about upcoming department organised events.
Listen to three different employer related talks or events from interesting companies. Watch an online course in presenting skills.
Presentation skills
This week
This month Attend a Careers Lab on presentations to practice with Next month’s group design project presentation. people I don’t know. Build up confidence by volunteering to speak more in meetings and eventually take the lead in group presentations.
Research options on LinkedIn Learning or TED talks. Book place via JobsLive. Gain feedback and advice from attendees and Careers Consultant. Ask for feedback from both tutor and group members on how I could improve my presenting skills after this.
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Quality work, leading clients and an environment where you’re given all the early responsibility you can handle. No matter your starting point, if you’re interested in becoming a solicitor, there is a career path for you here at Bristows.
Plan:Me (Descion making)
Click to watch a short video
Creating your own Plan:Me is an effective way to consider what information you need to have acquired in order to make each career related decision in your life. An example is below of a student who is considering three very different post degree options and the research they need to do to before making their decision. You can always talk through your ideas with a member of the Careers Service to help you create your own Plan:Me in more detail.
Complete Values and Skills Audit
Talk to tutor, academics and GTAs about research careers
Join a relevant student society
Speak to employers at the Autumn Careers Fairs
Attend department PhD talk and meet current students
Undertake virtual and/ or in person work experience
D E S C I O N D A Y
PhD Study
Engineering job role
Consultancy
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Glossary of terms Assessment centre A typical component of the recruitment process for graduate opportunities, assessment centres involve undertaking tasks and activities, such as group-work exercises and e-tray tasks. Competency/strength A competency is a skill you can demonstrate and you may be asked to give an example of a time you have utilised this skill in the past. A strength is something you have a natural aptitude for and may be an indication of what you like doing. Employability Simply put, this refers to your skills and abilities that allow you to be employed. Graduate job/could also be referred to as Direct Entry The Careers Group defines this as a job that requires a degree, but is not a position on a structured graduate scheme.
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Graduate scheme A graduate scheme is a structured training programme run by an employer, targeted to recent graduates, and usually last between one and two years. They are often available in a number of specialisms.
Internships Internships normally take place in the summer, from July to September, or over the Christmas or Easter vacation period. Internships can also be undertaken by graduates. They vary in length depending on the time of year, but are typically between eight and twelve weeks, and do not form a component of your academic study. Placements Placements last between six and twelve months, and are part of your degree. SME Small and medium-sized enterprises that have less than 250 employees. They often have a range of opportunities available, but may not be well known brands…yet! May be more open to receiving speculative applications than larger firms are. Spring Insights These are structured programmes lasting anything between one-two days to a week to give you an insight into different areas of a firm’s operation. Transferrable skills A key consideration in career planning and making applications, transferrable skills refer to the application of skills already gained to a new situation.
Make work experience work for you Work experience allows you to gain an insight into a career and demonstrate to future employers how you have put your degree theory into practice. Having experience can help you make an informed decision about your career direction by either affirming, or disproving, your interest in a certain area. Recruiters want evidence that you have a selection of the skills required for their graduate roles. These can be transferable skills, such as teamwork or communication, or technical skills required for a specific role, such as programming in Python or Java. However, it is worth noting that employers recognise the difficulties many students may have had in obtaining relevant experience due to COVID-19 and will take this into account during the recruitment process. What can I do? Work experience can include activities such as: • Work Shadowing or Spring Insight Schemes • Internships • Industrial placements (if your course gives this option) • Volunteering • Part-time or summer jobs • Competitions and awards • Remote or online learning opportunities Research a job profile or sector to understand the essential skills required and use this knowledge to develop these skills using online courses such as LinkedIn Learning and massive open online courses (MOOCs).
This extra-curricular online learning can showcase your motivation and proactive attitude to continued professional development. Job boards and online vacancy sources You can access job vacancies via the jobs board on JobsLive, by industry sector, location, and job role. Many opportunities from employers are specifically targeting Imperial students and graduates. Other useful places to look include: Gradcracker Bright Network Student Ladder Prospects TARGETjobs There are also some department specific resources on our website to help you get started with your research. The hidden job market Don’t overlook the importance of speculatively approaching organisations of interest and the value of networking. A personal approach can help you to uncover opportunities for work experience that never get advertised.
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Building your knowledge and gaining experience
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JobsLive - Register to receive emails about to research at Imperial, which can also link with internships, placements, part-time seasonal work final year project ideas. and voluntary opportunities on JobsLive, as well as information about events to meet employers Volunteering and outreach - Volunteering can be as beneficial as other work experience in Work Shadowing - Gain an insight into a job developing and improving skills and increasing function and/or sector, aiming to mirror Spring your employability through practical experience. Insight Schemes. This scheme is exclusively for Further information on ways to identify a Imperial first year undergraduates. volunteering experience can be found on our volunteering webpage. Alumni Mentoring Scheme - Be mentored by a professional alumnus working in your chosen IAESTE - The International Association for the field of interest, or a related profession. Exchange of Students for Technical Experience Mentoring partnerships will officially run for just (IAESTE) aims to provide science and engineering under a year from October. undergraduates with paid, course-related vacation training abroad. Ask an Alumnus - Browse our database of alumni contacts who can provide an answer to your GoinGlobal career related questions about their industry and GoinGlobal helps new and experienced work role. experience seekers find opportunities both at home and abroad. Providing information Professional Project Fund - Opportunity for that is location-specific in detail and global in continuing Imperial undergraduate and PhD perspective it is a good place to start to look for students to develop your own full-time fourboth internships and graduate roles. week summer graduate level project for an organization in the third sector. A bursary is on AIESEC - A global platform for young people to offer to successful students. explore and develop their leadership potential with a range of international schemes and Undergraduate Research Opportunities opportunities. Programme (UROP) - Opportunities for undergraduates to participate in and contribute
First year activity timeline September • Enrol on Imperial Horizons • Log in to your JobsLive and set your profile • Imperial Alumni Mentoring applications open
November • Submit applications for spring Insight schemes and summer internships with upcoming deadlines • Attend careers workshops and events around CVs and applications
January • Look for volunteering opportunities or part-time work • Look for summer work or work experience • Consider setting up, or updating your LinkedIn profile
October • Join clubs and societies and get involved with university life • Check deadlines for Spring Insight Schemes and summer internships • Imperial Alumni Mentoring applications open December • Submit applications for Spring Insight Schemes and summer internships with upcoming deadlines • Attend careers workshops and events around CVs and applications
February • Imperial Professional Project Fund opens for application • Imperial Work Shadowing applications open for Easter opportunities
March • Spring insights take place • If your summer plans are not yet finalised, consider booking an Internship Discussion to discuss making the most of the upcoming summer break May • Imperial Work Shadowing applications open for summer opportunities • Enrol on Imperial Horizons for second year
April • Spring Insights take place • If your summer plans are not yet finalised, consider booking an Internship Discussion to discuss making the most of the upcoming summer break
Summer • All experience in first year is positive, whether its clubs and societies, volunteering or part-time work • Don’t forget that Imperial Careers Service is open all summer. Consider booking in for an Internship Discussion to discuss career planning and getting ahead on applications for second year 15
Second/penultimate year activity timeline September • Check deadlines for Easter and summer internships • Update your LinkedIn profile with any experience gained over the summer • Imperial Alumni Mentoring applications open • Begin researching further study especially if you are considering studying abroad
November • Attend careers workshops and events • Submit applications for summer internships with upcoming deadlines • Prepare for interviews, assessment centres and psychometric tests
January
October • • • •
Update your JobsLive profile Attend careers workshops and events Attend Careers Fairs in October Imperial Alumni Mentoring applications open • Submit applications for summer internships with upcoming deadlines • Plan for an industrial placement if intend to undertake one
December • Attend careers workshops and events • Submit applications for summer internships with upcoming deadlines • Prepare for interviews, assessment centres and psychometric tests • Closing date for many graduate schemes
• If your summer plans are not yet finalised, consider booking an Internship Discussion to discuss making the most of the upcoming summer break
• Imperial Professional Project Fund opens for application
March
April
• Most deadlines for summer internships will have already passed, but consider making speculative applications to small and medium-sized enterprises
• Spring Insight schemes take place for second year students on four-year degree
February
Summer May • If your summer plans are not yet finalised, consider making speculative applications to small and medium-sized enterprises
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• Don’t forget that Imperial Careers Service is open all summer. Consider booking in for a Careers Discussion to discuss career planning, graduate applications, or personal statements. career planning and getting ahead on applications for second year
Final year activity timeline September • Check deadlines for graduate schemes • Update your LinkedIn profile with any experience gained over the summer • Imperial Alumni Mentoring applications open
November • Attend careers workshops and events • Submit applications for graduate schemes with upcoming deadlines- Prepare for interviews, assessment centres and psychometric tests • Deadlines for PhD applications begin • Earliest PhD funding deadlines
January • Further deadlines for graduate schemes • Interview and recruitment processes for graduate schemes
March • Most deadline for graduate schemes will have already passed, but consider making speculative applications to small and medium-sized enterprises
December • • • •
Update your JobsLive profile Attend careers workshops and events Attend Careers Fairs in October Submit applications for graduate schemes with upcoming deadlines • Research and prepare to apply for further study especially if considering studying internationally • Imperial Alumni Mentoring applications open
December • Attend careers workshops and events • Submit applications for graduate schemes with upcoming deadlines – many schemes will close before the end of term • Prepare for interviews, assessment • centres and psychometric tests
February • If your future plans are not yet finalised, consider applying directly for opportunities that are not part of a graduate scheme
April May • If your future plans are not yet finalised, consider applying directly for opportunities that are not part of a graduate scheme
• If you are still unsure about your next steps, book a Careers Discussion to look at your options
Post-Graduation • Continue to access Imperial Careers Service for up to three years after career planning and getting ahead on applications for graduation
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Master’s activity timeline September • Check deadlines for graduate schemes • Updates your LinkedIn profile with any experience gained over the summer • Imperial Alumni Mentoring applications open November • Attend careers workshops and events • Submit applications for graduate schemes with upcoming deadlines some may close early • Prepare for interviews, assessment centres and psychometric tests • Deadlines for PhD applications begin • Earliest PhD funding deadlines • Attend sessions covering a range of careers and other topics from The Graduate School January • Further deadlines for graduate schemes/ specialist training programmes • Interview and recruitment processes for graduate schemes
October • Update your JobsLive profile • Attend careers workshops and events • Attend Careers Fairs in October • Submit applications for graduate schemes with upcoming deadlines • Research and prepare to apply for further study • Imperial Alumni Mentoring applications open • Attend sessions covering a range of • careers and other topics from The Graduate School December • Attend careers workshops and events • Submit applications for graduate schemes - many schemes will close before the end of term • Prepare for interviews, assessment centres and psychometric tests • Continue applying for PhD applications and funding
March • Book mock interviews if appropriate • Make speculative enquiries to potential supervisors for non-advertised PhD opportunities May • Begin to research for direct entry opportunities that are not part of a graduate scheme • Attend sessions covering a range of careers and other topics from The Graduate School Post-graduation • Continue to access Imperial Careers Service for up to three years after graduation • Register as an Alumni for full access to JobsLive to find Careers events, 18 seminars and jobs
February • Make speculative enquiries to potential supervisors for non-advertised PhD opportunities • Book a Careers Discussion to help with your decision making April • Book a careers interview to help with your decision making • Book mock interviews if appropriate • Continue to make speculative enquiries for PhD opportunities Summer • Begin to research for direct entry opportunities that are not part of a graduate scheme
Networking and social media
Spending time in developing a network of contacts can help develop career ideas and gain great advice. As you can see from the recruitment triangle below, employers prefer to recruit based on people they know or who are recommended to them whilst jobseekers prefer to use advertised opportunities to seek work. Developing your network and contacts can boost your knowledge about your future career path, provide career related suggestions and advice, and help you get you one step closer to employment.
pl oy er Em
r te un
University contacts and Careers Fairs
bh Jo
Adverts and agencies
Targeted speculative applications Recommendation and networks 19
Networking and social media Building a network There are many ways to start to build your own contacts: • Approach people you know as they may be aware of friends or colleagues in your chosen industry. Start with family, friends, academics, graduate teaching assistants and see if they may be able to introduce you. • Join a professional society as a student member (e.g. British Society for Immunology) and attend online or in person events. Build up your confidence by approaching at least one new person each time you network. • Attend online and face to face talks run through your department, the Careers Service or by student societies. The JobsLive events calendar lists a range of sessions run internally and externally.
• Develop your online networking profile. Use LinkedIn to make new contacts by applying filters to explore profiles by industry, geographic location, employer name etc and connect to relevant people. • Use LinkedIn to search and connect with Imperial Alumni by typing in Imperial College London in the search box, and then clicking on the alumni section. Filtering by job or course studied may help you find new contacts who you already have a link to and also find out what types of ‘stepping stone’ roles they undertook to get into their chosen career.
Making the first contact Prepare a brief introduction about yourself and what you would hope to get from any connections you make. It is also a good idea to prepare a few questions that you would like to explore. Our section on informational interviewing has some suggestions you could adapt. Your initial contact should explain who you are, how you found the contact (if applicable) and that you would like to ask a few questions about their career and to seek their advice. Explain why this would be of use to you and look to arrange a mutually convenient time. You do need to prepare for rejection at this stage but many people will be quite willing to spend a short amount of time answering a few questions.
Using Social media Check out a company’s presence across the social media spectrum to see how they portray their values, ethos and interesting projects. Not only do you get a better idea of if you would like to work there but this can also be part of your research process for applications and interviews to help explain why you want to work for that organisation. It could also provide conversation topics when networking with their employees. You can also use Twitter and a combination of hashtags (#) to search keywords related to your career, e.g. #job #intern #hiring #data
Follow-up and maintenance Effective networks thrive when there is mutual respect and trust between the people involved. Thank your contacts for their time and nurture beneficial relationships by keeping in touch; you never know when the contact may be able to assist you in the future.
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Postgraduate study Postgraduate study is a very popular option with Imperial graduates, with over a quarter of all graduates from Imperial (and over a half from some degrees) choosing to undertake a postgraduate course. These can be taught courses or research-focussed degrees, or a mixture of both. A postgraduate qualification can be desirable for entry into some careers and is sometimes essential. It is a good idea to find out whether it is necessary for your career of choice before committing to it, as most careers are open to graduates with a good first degree. Postgraduate study should not just be a way to delay career decisions and postpone work experience or employment. Think carefully about what you would gain from postgraduate study and what your reasons are for choosing this option. You can always do postgraduate study later on if you are not sure it is right for you now. The following are the main types of course: • One or two-year taught courses leading to Master’s degrees (MSc, MPhil, MA) • One or two-year research courses leading to Master’s degrees (MRes, MPhil)
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• Three+ year research degrees leading to PhDs (called a DPhil in Oxford University) • Vocational courses, required for entry into professions such as teaching or law Typically Master’s courses are one year of study in the UK and can be two years in other countries. Similarly, a PhD may take different lengths of time in different countries, for example five-six years in the US as compared to three-four years in the UK. There is relatively little funding available for Master’s study but there is much more funding available for PhDs in the sciences and engineering disciplines. You can find out more about funding postgraduate study from FindAMasters and FindAPhD. Common reasons for postgraduate study Here are some of the common reasons students choose to continue into postgraduate study: • To deepen knowledge in my subject e.g. statistics Master’s following a maths degree • To change direction e.g. chemistry into data science with a Master’s course; graduate entry medicine
The Careers Service can help you at every stage – researching and exploring options, getting feedback on your PhD applications and helping you prepare for interview.
• To build research experience towards a PhD and test if research is for me e.g. researchbased Master’s • To gain professional qualifications e.g. PGCE for teaching • To prepare for a career in research - a PhD is a necessary requirement for an academic career and will be beneficial for a career in research and development (R+D) in industry Application timelines Ideally you should start researching postgraduate options 12 to 18 months before you intend to start the course if you can. This will give you a good amount of time to assess all your options, network and make sure you have the experience in place to make a good application. There is no centralised system (like UCAS) in the UK for making most postgraduate study applications. Therefore you will usually need to make a separate application for each course you are applying to and they are all likely to have different deadlines and processes. You will need to be organised to keep track of all the dates and documents you will need. For some vocational courses e.g. teaching or law you may need to apply through a centralised system on a specific date. As a general rule starting to make applications in October/November of the year before you plan to start your postgraduate course will allow you to have the maximum number of options available to you. However, you may find courses advertised all year round so you can keep looking through the winter and spring of your final year.
When applying in the US and some other countries you may have to take a test such as the GRE before you make your application so you will need to factor in extra time for this. The summer before you start your final year of study is a good time to use for preparing for and sitting these tests. Different types of PhDs There are variations in how PhD programmes are set up and how long they take, but what they all have in common is that they are an opportunity to do an extended, independent research project in your discipline. In the UK some PhDs are advertised for specific projects with a designated supervisor and you will start your main research project as soon as you start the PhD. There are also Centres of Doctoral Training (CDTs) and Doctoral Training Partnerships (DTPs). Each CDT or DTP is focused on a specific topic of research. They bring together different research groups, universities and sometimes industry partners that link to the topic of the CDT/DTP. The CDT or DTP will recruit a set of students who start together and will usually do one or two smaller research projects and have training before starting their main PhD project in their second year of the PhD. Some PhDs are projects set up in collaboration with industry and some are full or part-funded by industry. If you want to work in industry later on, choosing a PhD like this will ensure that the topic you are working on has industry relevance and give you the chance to build contacts in industry during your PhD.
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Postgraduate study
PhD ready checklist • Achieve the best possible grades on your degree. • Build up your research experience e.g. with summer UROP if possible. • Think about the areas of your discipline that you may be interested in doing research in and do some extra reading about them, choose relevant modules and projects where you can. • Discuss your interest with academics such as your personal tutor, lecturers and your final year project supervisor and seek their advice. • Identify possible PhD supervisors and speak to them if you can. Advice on reaching out to potential supervisors can be found on the TARGETjobs website. • Identify if there are any CDTs or DTPs in areas of research that you are interested in. • Be ready to start applying in the autumn of your final year of study. • Check whether the PhD programmes to which you are applying are funded; this is usually the case in science and engineering. Check your eligibility for funding (there may be rules around nationality or level of qualification)
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• Explore widely - you are not restricted to Imperial or to doing a PhD that continues research you have already started. This is a good moment in your research career to explore lots of options. • The Careers Service can help you at every stage – researching and exploring options, getting feedback on your applications and helping you prepare for interview. Postgraduate study websites For general advice on postgraduate study options, funding and searching for opportunities in the UK and other countries visit: • The Further study and funding webpage from the Careers Service • The Postgraduate study webpage from Prospects • The Postgraduate advice webpage from TARGETjobs • Search for Master’s courses via FindAMasters • Search for PhD via FindAPhD and jobs.ac.uk • Find information on postgraduate study in the US on the Fulbright website • Information on writing a strong personal statement can be found on the Careers Service website under Personal statements
Ace applications Types of questions: open or closed? Some questions are straightforward. You are asked to provide personal details, followed by exam results and work experience. These questions require short, factual answers or selecting options from drop-down lists, such as your preferred geographical location and choice of career, and the function or role of interest – e.g. research, production, marketing or finance. Open questions are harder to answer. These are designed to test your self-awareness and career understanding, for example: • Why have you chosen a particular career? Click to watch a short video Take action on your applications and tailor each one. Your efforts should then pay off. Recruiters apply their company’s selection criteria when assessing an application and gain their first impression of you from reading this. Producing a well researched and carefully focused application is vital! Make or break Many applications fail for basic reasons that could easily have been avoided – such as mistakes in spelling and grammar, waffle, clichés or not being concise and specific enough. Most large organisations will want you to use the company application form and apply online. Check the instructions carefully so you know whether you need to be fine-tuning your CV or filling in an online form. Be aware that for some large multinational organisations your application documents may be scrutinised by applicant tracking software to score how relevant your application is to the job requirements. Using similar language to the advert and providing clear and unambiguous evidence of the skills and qualities required will help you do well with this part of the application process.
• What evidence do you have of the qualities and abilities needed to succeed in it? • Do you understand what the career involves? • Can you provide examples of skills such as teamwork, commercial awareness and problem solving? Employers want your broader skills to match their selection criteria, hence they may ask the following of you: • Give an example of when you achieved a goal through working in a team. • What did you do that made a difference? • How do you know you were successful? Your answers • Draw up a list of skills the employer is looking for • Review your activities and achievements to find evidence that matches the selection criteria • Draft your responses, giving yourself credit for what you have achieved or learned • Always market yourself positively • See the application forms webpage for more information
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Psychometric tests Situational judgement tests Online situational judgement tests (SJT) measure your behaviour and attitudes by asking you to select (from a list of options) what action you would be most (or least likely) to take when faced by a series of work-related scenarios. Think about the impact on clients or customers, and also colleagues, as well as the values of the organisation and the competencies they seek, when deciding what action to take.
Click to watch a short video Online psychometric tests are often used by employers. You may have to take one of these tests when you apply or later at an assessment centre. There are two types – aptitude tests and personality questionnaires. Aptitude tests are strictly timed and typically involve verbal, numerical and diagrammatic reasoning. In contrast, personality questionnaires are not timed and feel less like an exam. Remember that test results are just one part of the picture when decisions are made. Interviews are often used to follow up the results of a personality questionnaire. Why do employers use them? Employers like tests because they are objective; it is impossible to completely eliminate subjectivity and bias from interviews. In very popular areas, such as banking, tests offer a quick way to screen out candidates. How should I prepare for psychometric tests? Practice can help you know what to expect. If an employer sends you examples, make sure you do them. Percentages, pie charts, histograms and ratios figure strongly. It may help to remind yourself of ‘the basics’ again. Visit the psychometric tests webpage on the Careers Service website for examples of a range of psychometric tests.
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What if I am disabled or have a specific learning disability, e.g. dyslexia? If you let employers know in advance, they can make suitable arrangements for you. If you get extra time in College exams, and you mention this to employers, you may be entitled to get extra time for the tests. How should I approach personality tests? Be yourself, the best of yourself –do not try to reinvent your personality. Respond in a positive way that is true to you.
How to succeed at assessment centres How will I be assessed? Employers have a checklist of skills, abilities or competencies against which they rate you during each exercise and interview. These may include:
Click to watch a short video Assessment centres give employers the chance to find out more about you by seeing how you perform in a series of activities and can either be held face to face or now more commonly online. So what exactly do they involve? Employers use assessment centres to obtain a more rounded view of candidates. They want to see how you interact with others, not just at oneto-one interviews. An invitation to an assessment centre usually follows a successful first-round interview, and a wide range of activities can take place there.
• • • • • • • • • •
Problem solving Team/group skills Communicating successfully Handling complexity Commercial awareness Drive/energy Initiative Ability to influence/persuade Technical understanding An enterprising approach
Assessors will keep detailed notes on how you are doing and grade you against each competency in each exercise and look carefully at your overall performance. Even the best candidates won’t do everything perfectly, so if you feel you have made a slip, don’t let it put you off – stay focused! Practicalities • If you can, familiarise yourself with the platform that the organisation will be using • Re-read all employer literature and your application form before you begin
What is in it for me? All selection processes are two-way: you can find out much more about your potential employer. You might meet a range of employees, gain a better understanding of the culture of the organisation and have the opportunity to ask lots of questions. You can be more certain that you are really interested in it.
• Dress codes may be indicated in the invitation and should be followed. It is better to be too smart than too casual. If the assessment centre is online it is still a good idea to look professional
How many people will be invited? Assessment centres can include group exercises where you work on a range of problems with five or six other candidates. Some, all, or none of the candidates may be appointed. It helps to regard them as future colleagues, people to cooperate with, rather than as competition. Boost your confidence by realising that assessment centres are time consuming to run – only strong, viable candidates are invited.
• Be friendly and cooperative to everyone you meet. You never know who will have the final say about you
• Follow all instructions carefully and if you are not sure of anything, ask for clarification.
• Participate: there are no marks if you don’t • Make a note of the names of all the company representatives you meet
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Examples of typical assessment centre activities What’s Involved
How to Succeed
Group tasks may be with Make sure you contribute but don’t different roles assigned beforehand, dominate the group or no roles assigned Speak clearly, listen and don’t interrupt others Problem solving exercises and group discussions are popular Argue your point assertively but be for both online and in-person prepared to compromise assessment centres
Group exercise
Practical tasks, such as building a paper tower, are more common for in-person assessments The objective is usually for candidates to work together to achieve a result
Check on time and summarise progress every so often Practice group exercises in Careers Service workshops
Assessors will be observing your behaviour and interactions You may be given a topic, in advance or on the day and told how long you should present on it for You will present to assessors and possibly other candidates
Good structure: introduction – middle – conclusion Make slides clear and not too detailed Prepare easy to read prompts to yourself (not a script) Practise in front of an audience and check you stick to time!
Presentations
Make sure you know how to use the technology before you start Speak with energy and enthusiasm Talk at a steady pace and maintain eye contact with audience
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There may be follow up questions so make sure you can justify what you have said
What’s Involved Review and analysis of data (possibly related to employers’ business) requiring written report or discussion
Case study or e-tray exercise
E-tray exercise - working through a series of ‘e-tray’ items, making decision on action needed and drafting responses
May be one-to-one or panel
Second interview
Social activities
How to Succeed Manage your time – there will be a lot of information and a tight time limit E-trays – scan through all items initially and priorities your time allocation Be prepared to discuss your decisions and conclusions
Prepare as for first interview – review what was asked then. Revise technical areas if appropriate
Usually focuses on different areas from the first interview. May probe issues arising from the day For an in-person panel interview try to direct eye contact to the speaker but keep eye contact with the May include technical questions and rest of the panel discussions of case studies or scenarios
For in-person assessments this may mean lunch Be yourself but be aware of the impression you are on the day and the opportunity to talk to making graduate trainees and manages outside the Even when the atmosphere seems relaxed, be aware main assessment that you are still being observed It is an opportunity for you to find out more Ask interesting questions but don’t monopolise the about the organisation and your role in it conversation Remember that people you meet will probably all be asked informally to give their opinion of the candidates afterwards
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Preparing for interview 2. Gather your evidence Identify situations you have been in that match with the skills you have identified the employer wants to see. This helps you to create a database of situations that you can talk about at interview. The employer will also want to know why you want to work for them so you will need to build on the research you did for your application to prove this. Click to watch a short video Video, online, phone or in person – whatever interview type you face, the way you prepare follows the same steps. Being invited to an interview at any stage of a recruitment process is a major achievement as you have proved to an employer that you could be a good fit for their role. Now they need to take their assessment to the next level which means you need to move your preparation up a step also. 1. Think like an employer Look back on both your initial application and the job advertisement/person specification for the role. During the interview, employers will be basing their questions on these documents, creating questions and activities to assess whether you match with the skills they have said they need.
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Use the employer website, look at their annual report, know the employer’s values and use any networks you have (your lecturers, family, friends, colleagues) to learn what you can. This will form the basis of you being able to match yourself to the company. 3. Practice, practice, practice So you know what sort of questions you might be asked, you have gathered and brainstormed your evidence – now match this up. Practising out loud is the best way to get better at answering questions. Record yourself and listen back to get a good feel for how well you are progressing and ask others to listen to your answers. Phone interviews Similar to video interviews, these are generally screening interviews to assess if an employer will bring you into an assessment day and many of the same tips apply. Additional tips are:
• Smile while you talk – it will lift your voice and make you sound friendlier and enthusiastic. • Ask questions like ‘Would you like me to expand on this?’ or ‘Does this answer your question?’ if there are awkward silences. Video interviews (or pre-recorded interviews) These often happen at the beginning of an interview process and are used by employers to assess if they should bring you into a full assessment centre. You will be sent a link, asked to log on and will work through a set of questions which are all timed. Practise answering questions using Shortlist. Me This allows you to record yourself answering popular interview questions, watch your answers back and get useful tips on what employers are looking for. Developing your interview technique The Careers Service offers a range of opportunities to develop your interview technique, including seminars and practical sessions, employer-led skills workshops, lunchtime workshops and mock interviews. There is also a wealth of tools on our website and a database containing information gathered from previous students and their interview experience. Tell Me About Yourself Employers will often use this opening question to find out more about you and also to put you at ease. After all, the one topic you should be able to talk about confidently is yourself! To practice answering this question you could take the following approach: • Introduce yourself • Talk about your background
• Mention your experiences • Describe your interests • Briefly link to why you are interested in their opportunity (don’t go into too much detail about this as you will be asked about your reasons for applying later on in your interview)
Sample answer Hello, my name is Des Student and I am current in my second year studying Design Engineering at Imperial College London. I’m originally from Cambridgeshire and through both my sixth form and undergraduate degree I have enjoyed making and designing prototypes of my ideas and considering how this impacts the end user experience. During my course I have undertaken a number of group projects, from a remote-controlled robot to a prototype of a spirometer and have learnt how to plan and successfully deliver my work in a tight time frame whilst keeping the quality of my work consistent. Outside of academia I have undertaken my Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award and enjoy learning new technical and coding skills. I think the internship in product design with your company will be a great opportunity for me to develop both my skills as an engineer as well as learning more about app development. This Tell Me About Yourself question was based on the CV ‘Des Student’ found in CV and Cover Letters pg 18)
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Analysing interview questions
Why have you applied for this opportunity at XXXXX? This explores your motivation and is a chance for you to show you have thought how the opportunity may suit your longer term interests/goals. Be as precise as possible and demonstrate you have researched the organisation/role and considered your future. You may also want to highlight key skills that make you a strong candidate. Why are you suitable for this role? This explores your skills, abilities, knowledge and experience (SAKE). It also looks to identify if you can match these to the role and evidence your motivation for applying. Essentially it is asking “what value will you bring to us”. Describe your work experience and positions of responsibility. Start with your most recent experience. For each role give a short summary of your key accountabilities in two or three sentences. The recruiter has asked for a list but they do require some detail in relation to this. Emphasise aspects of previous roles that relate to the position you are applying to. Explain why you are suitable for this position? This open-ended question is your opportunity to evidence your skills and motivations. Ensure you match your answer against the key skills found in the job specification and it is a chance for you to go into more detail about your relevant experiences and demonstrate your enthusiasm. Give an example of your ability to work with conflicting deadlines and how you cope with pressure This question seeks information about your time management, diary and organisational skills. The recruiter is looking for evidence of how you plan your work and prioritise. ‘Work pressure’ can be both exhilarating and debilitating and this sort of question probes your approach to handling pressure and meeting deadlines.
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Give an example of how you have researched/analysed complex information. What methods did you use and how did you present your findings? This question could be used to explore your problem-solving abilities. The recruiter has placed specific emphasis on discussing your approach so they are likely exploring your planning and organisation skills too.
Using the STAR framework Competency based questions can arise at both the application and interview stage. To prepare a clear, well structured answer it is a good idea to use the STAR framework. Try to choose an example where you have made a demonstrable outcome or have been able to reflect and grow substantially from the activity.
Describe the situation that you were in.
Approximately 10% of the answer
Describe what you needed to accomplish.
Approximately 10% of the answer
Describe the action you took and the skills you used and be sure to keep the focus on you (‘I’), rather than ‘we’. Focus on skills and attributes, what went well and what you learnt. About 70% of the answer should be here.
Approximately 70% of the answer
What happened? What were the results? How did the event end? What did you accomplish? What did you learn? Describe outcome, in positive terms, quantified where possible.
Approximately 10% of the answer
Situation
Task
Action
Result
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STAR in practice Describe a time when you have demonstrated leadership skills?
This STAR question was based on the CV ‘Des Student’ found in CV and Cover Letters pg 18)
S
I was undertaking my gold Duke of Edinburgh Award and was part of a small team who needed to undertake the expedition part of the challenge. This involved planning and undertaking a four-day walk. Several team members had set themselves their own personal goals in which to complete the distance.
T
Halfway through the second day one of the team became ill and was struggling to keep up with the pace, while one of the faster members of the team continued to try to match the original target for completion. As team leader it was my responsibility to get my team to finish together and support each other.
A
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R
My first action was to support my ill teammate and to check he was still able to continue the walk safely and would not be a risk to himself or other members of the team. I checked the amount of equipment he was carrying and was able to reassign a couple of items to other members of the team to lighten his load. I then took the opportunity to have a discreet word with the team member who was frustrated by the lack of progress and using a mix of humour and pragmatism convinced him that we needed to walk together at a reduced pace to complete the challenge, which was a team, rather than individual accomplishment and that doing so showed respect for all team members. Together we had a discussion to revise our daily target to one which was manageable for everyone. At the next rest break I got the rest of the group together and explained that the teams priorities had changed from our original plan and that we would now be working towards an adjusted target for that day. I learnt that effective leadership involves listening and being supportive to all members of the team and that including people in the decision-making process makes a more focus and motivated team. My team successfully completed the challenge together and we all achieved the gold Duke of Edinburgh Award later on that year.
Tell us about an occasion when you have needed to be resilient?
S
I was working on my summer lab project and needed to run numerous samples for my research using a specific piece of equipment. This machine was very popular for research projects on my course and in order to ensure fair access for everyone only a limited time could be booked to use it.
T
When I began running my samples I noticed that there were some problems with the machine, as every now and again it would stop working and a manual intervention was required in order to restart it. If I was not able to work around this, it would severely impact on my allocated lab time and the amount of data I would be able to collect.
A
After reporting the issue to the lab technician and realising that it was unlikely to be fixed during my allocated lab session, I knew that I was going to have to be resilient and not give up in order to get my work done. As I would need to be in the lab in person to restart the machine every time it failed, I cancelled my evening plans and I worked solidly through the whole day and evening, even coming back late the following evening to make sure I could complete my samples without taking up other people’s lab time. Having to restart the machine constantly was a very time consuming process and I had to manage my frustration in order to not make mistakes on the samples I was able to process.
R
I learnt that research requires patience and dedication and that there will be numerous things in my future studies that will require me to keep calm and be resilient when elements are out of my control. The main thing is to keep going and not give up.
This STAR question was based on the CV Alexa Smith found in CV and Cover Letters pg 21 - 22
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Example interview questions
Reasons for applying/motivation • • • • • • •
Tell me about yourself What made you apply for this job? Why have you applied to us? How would you explain what we do to a potential client? What aspects of this role are you particularly interested in? What do you think would be a challenging aspect of the job for you? How would you approach the first week/month/three months of the job role?
Strengths based • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
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What do you see as your main strengths? What sort of qualities do you feel you can bring to our organisation? What sort of role do you like playing in a team? What experience has most influenced your development as an individual? Describe one of your faults/weaknesses? In what ways do you think you can improve as a person? How would your friends describe you? Do you consider yourself to be a self-starter? How do you react to failure? How do you respond to change? Are you a big picture or a detail person? Which of the following best describes you, and why? Spending time simplifying things in advance, or clarifying things if people request it? What makes you unique? How do you think you could win the trust and respect of those you work with? How do you go about motivating yourself when you have no upcoming deadlines? Imagine your manager has asked you to be the clients champion in the project you are doing. How would you ensure all the members of the team supported this?
Competency • When have you made a mistake in university or other areas of your life? What did you learn? • Describe a time when you have worked with a team member who failed to deliver on a project. How did you resolve this issue? • Describe a time when you solved a problem, how did you identify the root cause, how did you resolve it and what was the outcome? • Think of a time when you have disagreed with teammates. How did you react? • How good are you at coping with pressure or responding to a crisis? Give an example of when you have had to do this? • Tell us about a time when you successfully handled a difficult team member? • Give me an example of an occasion when you have needed to encourage people to complete a challenging task? What strategies did you use? • Thinking about the last time you were part of group. What did you do to make sure you respected and included each group member? Commercial • What are the main challenges that our business faces in the current climate? • Do you feel that businesses should have a social responsibility? • What do you think about the impact of COVID-19 on our business? Peculiar questions • How would you design a kettle for the blind? • What important truth do you know that others don’t? • There are three bags, one contains only red marbles, one contains only green marbles and the last contains both red and green. You do not know how many marbles are in each bag. Each of the bags is incorrectly labelled. How many times do you have to draw to figure out the correct labels of each bag? • A friend is seriously injured and you are driving them to hospital. Do you speed through a red light?
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