School of Bioscience Education Careers Guide
Contents Lab-based careers The pharmaceutical and biotech industries
4
Research and development roles
4
Getting lab experience
5
Improve your communication skills
5
Head for business
5
Commercial and support roles in the pharmaceutical & biotech industries
5
Science careers away from the bench Communication science
6
Commercial/support functions
6
Regulatory affairs
6
Science policy
7
Non-science careers
7
Further study What am I hoping to gain from further study?
8
What are my options?
8
Applying for further study
9
What do King’s bioscience students go on to study?
9
Graduate destinations Where do they go? Getting experience Extra-curricular and volunteering
10 11 11
Finding work King’s Internships
11
JobOnline
11
Applications, CVs & interviews Application forms
12
CVs
12
Bioscience CV checklist
12
Interviews
13
Assessment centres
13
Commercial awareness
13
Employability Bioscience Professional Skills Programme (BPSP)
14
Welcome Dear student, I hope you find this guide, produced jointly by the School of Bioscience Education and King’s Careers and Employability, a useful launch pad to a rewarding and fulfilling career. As students of King’s College London you will graduate from one of the most prestigious universities in the world and from a School that is immensely proud of its graduates. We strive to provide all our students with an education that not only takes them to the forefront of knowledge in their chosen discipline, but also equips them with a set of skills and attributes that are attractive to potential employers across a range of professions. Our success is reflected in the success of our graduates, a number of whom are featured in this guide. This is the second edition of the guide. Following feedback we received on the first edition we have now provided more information of how you can take a more strategic approach to improving your employability. In some instances this will be nothing more than learning to recognise skills you already possess or skills you need to develop. So for example, if you struggle with giving talks then consider developing that skill by taking modules that require you to give an oral presentation. Or the next time you do group work, take a few moments to think about what is required to make a group function effectively and how you can best contribute to that. The ability to communicate with confidence, or to work in a team, are essential skills whatever career you choose to follow. An excellent way of engaging with this strategic approach to your career development is to complete our Bioscience Professional Skills Programme (BPSP). Details of the programme are given toward the end of the guide. One of the key messages is that it is never too early to start thinking about increasing your employability. Try not to leave it all until your final year; use your time at university to build up a portfolio of knowledge and professional skills that will make you highly sought after by employers, not only because of your academic ability, but also because you have the generic skills required to bring that academic ability to bear in whatever career path you choose to follow. Best wishes,
Dr Ian McFadzean Dean of Bioscience Education
Edited by:
Designed by:
Morag Walling King’s Careers & Employability
Jonny Lott King’s Careers & Employability
Information correct and up to date at time of publication. ©2015 King’s College London Map data ©2015 Google
This guide only represents a small proportion of the help which is available to you from King’s Careers & Employability. Make sure you complement this information with a visit to the careers service.
Lab-based careers There are opportunities for scientific careers in a diverse range of therapeutic areas and working environments, from large pharmaceutical companies employing thousands of employees to small biotech firms with a handful of research scientists.
Find out more Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry careers.abpi.org.uk The Bioindustry Association www.bioindustry.org One Nucleus www.onenucleus.com
The Pharmaceutical & Biotech industries The business models used in this industry are changing and there is now a move towards outsourcing the early stage of drug discovery to contract research companies (CRO) or biotech discovery companies. It is often within Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) that job opportunities for aspiring bench scientists will be found. Within the overall pharmaceutical and biotech sector there will also be opportunities for more commercial and support roles.
Research and Development roles Many of the research roles require you to have a high level of scientific knowledge and skill and are often filled by people with a PhD. To understand more about further study, turn to page 8.
If you’re still undecided on what career you might want, take a look at some occupational profiles by using the ‘bioscience’ and ‘prospects profile’ tags on Careers Tagged.
The BioIndustry Association www.bioindustry.org has lots of information and the One Nucleus site www.onenucleus.com has lists of companies within the London area and arranges regular careers events. Medcity brings together those interested in the life sciences sector in London www.medcitylondon.com To gain an understanding of developments in the sector, keep an eye on London & Partners www.londonandpartners.com and UKTI (Life Sciences) www.lifesciences.ukti.gov.uk which support SMEs in London. The London BioScience Innovation Centre www.lbic.com gives an overview of The Bio Incubator and start-up areas. It is important to understand the skills and experience you will need to succeed in this area as it continues to change.
Getting lab experience Many roles will only be open to those with sufficient experience. Start by ►► Thinking carefully about modules or further study options to maximise exposure. 4 | School of Bioscience Education Careers Guide
►► Exploring summer placement opportunities within your department and university. Also try The Wellcome Trust. ►► Identifying companies that you could approach directly. The ABPI provides a list of bioscience companies who offer work experience and placements on its careers website careers.abpi.org.uk.
Improve your communication skills Work experience and opportunities in this area are often found through networking. You need to feel comfortable talking to people you don’t know. Start by ►► Going to events you are interested in and engaging in conversations with fellow attendees. ►► Taking advantage of opportunities within your department or the university to become an ambassador, give a presentation or engage with the community.
Show that you have a head for business and can act in an entrepreneurial manner To be successful in this environment, you will need to demonstrate more than great hands-on science. Look for opportunities that build your skills in all these areas. Start by ►► Finding opportunities to sell. Ideas and skills count just as much as products. ►► Demonstrating yourself as a finisher, and have great time management and organisational skills. ►► Having confidence in your ideas, yourself and others and being able to express yourself clearly and concisely. ►► Being willing and able to learn new skills and understanding risks and how to mitigate them as you act.
Commercial and Support roles within Pharmaceutical & Biotech industries There are entry points to some of these roles through normal job adverts, as well as graduate recruitment schemes run by the large pharmaceutical companies. Roles can include project management, marketing, sales or investment and finance. Keep up to date with the sector using the weblinks on page 4. For more details, turn to page 6 which focusses on working in science but away from the bench.
I currently work as a pharmaceutical and medical technology industry analyst for a business intelligence company in London. I first became aware of the job opportunity at a University of London careers fair where my company had a stall. After speaking with some of the staff there, their enthusiasm and genuine love for the job led me to apply for the analyst role on offer. The recruitment process consisted of two online tests – verbal and numerical, before then going on to the interview stage. While I was at uni, I was the vice president for the biomedical science society, marketing manager for KCL-UNICEF, and I managed to get involved with other societies including the finance society. This helped me in my job interview as I was able to draw on all these experiences to show that I had the skills required for the job. My advice to any student would be to always make the most of the resources the uni offer to sharpen their skills. For example, my marketing role with KCLUNICEF laid the foundation for the client-management skills I now use in my job, while having a great personal tutor at uni helped me to choose a career path that I believe is right for me. Moses Akintomide-Akinwamide Biomedical Science BSc, 2012 Industry Analyst
King’s Careers & Employability hosts a Internships & Career Options careers fair every November, giving you the chance to meet employers who run placement opportunities www.kcl.ac.uk/careers | 5
Science careers away from the bench If you want to use the knowledge you have gained from your degree but do not want to work as a lab-based researcher, then consider why you chose to study a science degree and which aspects of your course you have enjoyed and would like to use in the future. Below are just some of the options you could choose within other areas of science.
Communicating science This covers a broad area of careers focussed on the communication of scientific ideas and issues to a wider audience – either members of the general public or a specific target audience such as government and policy makers. It could involve working in print media, broadcast media, online media, live events, museums, scientific journalism/publishing/press work, medical or technical writing. Consider if ▼ Communication - you enjoy doing presentations as part of your course and have an ability to tailor information appropriately for the audience.
Commercial/Support functions This area of the industry covers a wide range of roles, including pharmaceutical sales, healthcare marketing, public relations, personnel and management services. It is not usually necessary to have a life sciences background to do many of these jobs, although knowledge of the biosciences and the drug development process would be an advantage. Consider if ▼ Sales - you thrive in a competitive environment and have strengths in communication and understanding your audience. Marketing/PR - you enjoy working in a fast paced environment and combining communicating and creativity with your subject knowledge. Management services - you enjoy facilitating and making things happen and have strengths in communicating and negotiating.
Regulatory affairs Regulatory Affairs covers all aspects of the legislative safety of pharmaceutical products, from keeping up to date with new legislative requirements, to preparing documentation for the licensing of a new product. This area of the industry has its own professional body, TOPRA, which provides information on the career roles and opportunities www.topra.org
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Find out more British Science Association www.britishscienceassociation.org Association of British Science Writers www.absw.org.uk Science Media Centre www.sciencemediacentre.org Society of Biology www.societyofbiology.org
Consider if ▼ Intelligence & accountability - you are interested in processes and have an eye for detail.
Science policy In this broad and growing area, you may be involved in promoting public engagement with science, developing research briefings to influence policy makers or developing policies on the future of science education. A useful starting point is: POST (Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology) www.parliament.uk/post Consider if ▼ Science policy - you are good at seeing the bigger picture and enjoy working collaboratively.
Non-science careers If you have a degree in a life science subject, you are not restricted to working in life sciences. Particularly in the UK job market, many graduate level jobs are open to graduates from any degree discipline. The challenge, therefore, is discovering a job or career area that you think you would enjoy. It is worth spending some time thinking about the skills that you have developed during your time at university, both during your course and outside of it, and how these might be relevant to different career areas. For example: Experiment design and implementation Library projects
“Project management skills” “Research and critical analysis skills”
It is also important to consider what is important to you in terms of your:
Interests
Skills
What have you enjoyed/not enjoyed in your course and why?
What are you good at and how might you be able to apply these skills?
Environment
Values
What sort of working environment will be important to you?
What do you consider important in terms of your own success/what your job would contribute to etc?
An online tool that can help you to do this is Prospects Planner. www.prospects.ac.uk/planner
My current role is Assistant Clinical Editor for Pulse, the UK’s leading general practice magazine. I got this role after working as a paid intern on their digital team for 9 months. When I was at university I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do but I always enjoyed writing. Two things that really helped me in getting my role was my 1-month BBC internship when I graduated, and setting up my blog. My initial interest was in beauty writing - so completely unrelated to pharmacology but it showed employers my enthusiasm and ability to write, along with showing initiative. The pharmacology department staff always encouraged and supported me to follow my interests, be it with module selection or choices after university. It can be scary not having a set plan, but by following my interests I was able to try a few different options before I settled into what I’m doing now. My advice to students would be to stay true to their interests and what they enjoy. Cat Attfield Pharmacology BSc, 2011 Assistant Clinical Editor
Find out more Careers Tagged www.careerstagged.co.uk Prospects www.prospects.ac.uk Milkround www.milkround.com Target Jobs www.targetjobs.co.uk Inside Careers www.insidecareers.co.uk www.kcl.ac.uk/careers | 7
Further study Studying beyond undergraduate level gives you the opportunity to specialise or to take your studies in a different direction. There are some further study areas which you can enter regardless of your undergraduate degree type; most notably teaching and law. There are others, particularly medicine and dentistry, where a science undergraduate degree is a requirement. For the purposes of this guide the focus will be on more general science progression. Ensuring that you are considering the right course at the right time and for the right reasons is not always easy. It can be a good idea to talk to a careers consultant before you make a final decision.
Find out more Find a Masters www.findamasters.com Find a PhD www.findaphd.com Jobs.ac.uk www.jobs.ac.uk
What am I hoping to gain from further study? It can be easy to drift into further years of study without thinking properly about what you hope to gain from it. Do you want to become more specialised in an area of interest? Do you want to improve your employment prospects for a particular sector? Are you interested in an academic career? Whatever your initial motivation, research the options and sector in more detail before committing. Also bear in mind that people often undertake further study at a later stage in their lives, so this can be something you could come back to at a later stage in your career.
What are my options? Master’s level (MSc or MRes)
Love being at King’s? Visit kcl.ac.uk/sudy/pg to learn more about what postgraduate courses are available to you here.
Research
Involves learning through research. You’ll study one topic closely with the support of a supervisor, producing a dissertation. Research degrees suit students who work well independently, want their work published, are interested in a specific topic or are planning to undertake PhD study.
Taught
Similar to undergraduate degrees. They involve lectures, seminars and practical work, with assessment through essays, exams, dissertations and group projects. You’ll study independently while receiving close tutor support.
Master’s studies are generally over one calendar year full time although some can also be undertaken part time. There is currently no system of loans for postgraduate study so you should take into account fees and living expenses. A high proportion of postgraduate students fund themselves and where there are grants or awards offered, the competition for them can be high. For more information, visit postgraduate_study.htm 8 | School of Bioscience Education Careers Guide
www.prospects.ac.uk/funding_
PhD A PhD course is largely based on independent study. Full-time courses usually last three or four years; part-time courses usually last six. Over this time, you must conduct original and significant research in a particular field or subject. Your department and an academic supervisor will guide you with the end result being the submission of a publication-worthy thesis of up to 100,000 words long. Many students who undertake a PhD do so to gain the necessary qualification to become an academic or an industry researcher. Whether you go down this route eventually or not, employers will value the key skills that you’ll have honed, such as researching, discipline and presentation. Funding a PhD Research Councils provide funding opportunities for selected projects. However if you are an international student or non-UK, EU student funding may cover fees only. PhD studentships or assistantships are also common. These are a great way to undertake supported study while gaining valuable work experience, as they involve a mixture of research and teaching. Check the individual offer arrangements carefully.
Applying for further study Points to note: •
You must apply to institutions directly and as individual applicants there is no equivalent to UCAS for postgraduate study.
•
Personal statements are likely to form part of the application process.
•
Speculative applications can be worth making for PhDs to a lab where you have a particular interest in their work.
•
You can use the Kings Careers & Employability Service menu of activities on page 14 &15 of this guide to support your decision making and application process.
What do King’s Bioscience students go on to study? Information taken from data for 2013-14 from 77 per cent of students who responded to the graduate destination survey showed that from the undergraduate School of Bioscience Education 164 students went on to further study within 6 months of graduating. 30 per cent went on to study a taught master’s programme whilst 10 per cent undertook a research master’s. 10 per cent of those going on to further study achieved places to study Medicine or Dentistry, with the majority on undergraduate courses; only 3 students went on to study in those areas at postgraduate entry level. Some master’s students will go on to study PhDs in the future but only 10 per cent of students went straight from an undergraduate degree. Figures can only help so far but understanding your own person motivation for further study is key.
I am on a 4 year MRes/PhD in the musculoskeletal department at Newcastle medical school, meaning I have done a one year master’s degree and am now doing a three year PhD. Extra-curricular activities are very useful in helping to make you stand out for any form of job application. During my time KCL, I was a member of the university football team and did voluntary work with a centre for recovering drug and alcohol addicts. Being a member of a sports team can be useful when applying for a job as it reflects the ability to work in a team and be disciplined, while working in the community shows you have the capacity to work with a diverse range of people. King’s provides lots of support, amongst which I found careers events and alumni events to be the most useful. It was very insightful to be able to talk with students who had done a similar degree and learn about the types of career path they have chosen. At the beginning of my degree, I didn’t find research very appealing. I then did a summer studentship in a research laboratory during my second year though and discovered that I actually really enjoyed it! Importantly, if you find something that really interests you, don’t be put off by the amount of training or study it requires - as long as you enjoy it, it won’t matter. Emma Rogers Anatomy, Developmental & Human Biology BSc, 2012 PhD student at Newcastle
www.kcl.ac.uk/careers | 9
Graduate destinations You may have completely different aspirations compared to other students in the School of Bioscience Education, but since you’ve all decided to study a similar subject, your career dreams may actually be quite similar.
Find out more What London Graduates Do wlgd.thecareersgroup.co.uk Unistats unistats.direct.gov.uk Prospects www.prospects.ac.uk/options_ biomedical_sciences.htm
Where do King’s graduates go? The chart shows information supplied by 77 per cent of King’s graduates from the Faculty of Life Science & Medicine who responded to a survey 6 months after graduating. 56 per cent of the respondents had entered employment in great variety of employment sectors, too many to list. The sectors are sometimes determined by the nature of the course with some offered in the faculty being very vocational. Wholesale and Retail (7 per cent) for example will include Pre-registration pharmacists working in places like Boots Pharmacy or Lloyds Pharmacy. Other courses that are less vocational allow students to benefit from an excellent academic base to aspire to any area of graduate employment. Patterns do change over time and in the chart the major sectors have been highlighted along with those that might be of interest, for example, Research and Development (2 per cent). Here are some of the major sectors which King’s Bioscience Education graduates have gone to work in ▼
Health Education Wholesale & Retail ▲Here are some companies which have employed King’s Bioscience Education graduates in the past
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Manufacturing Research & Development Other
Getting experience Many scientists, whether by chance or planning, end up in careers which are unrelated to their first degree but which draw upon the skills that they developed as science students. Particularly in the UK job market, many graduate level jobs are open to graduates from any degree discipline. Therefore, just because you have a degree in a life science subject, you are not restricted to working in life science. To develop experience that might be useful and relevant for your future career, think about what you do in your personal time, both at King’s and outside. For example:
Extra-curricular and volunteering Taking part in groups and events outside of your academic life can make you much more attractive to employers. It shows eagerness to stand out and develop yourself. For example, consider joining one of the KCLSU Science Societies to prove that you’re genuinely passionate about the life science sector. Sports teams, volunteering and part-time jobs also look great on your CV and give you those all important examples to expand on in interviews. Think about opportunities you might have in the community or at home to extend the scope of your search.
Finding opportunities King’s Internships King’s Internships are set-up, run, and endorsed by King’s, so you can trust that you’re in safe hands. Simply visit recruit.thecareersgroup.co.uk/kingscollege/index.asp to register, and then search for opportunities you might be interested in. Don’t forget to visit King’s Careers & Employability if you need help with the application.
JobOnline Our online job board, JobOnline, includes current vacancies which employers have asked us to list. It is updated throughout the day with new opportunities so that you can find the very latest posts. You can use JobOnline to search for internships and placements, as well as graduate programmes, and full and part-time jobs.
I was never really sure what I wanted to do following my degree in Neuroscience. I had done a number of different job experiences in a range of areas from law to hospital work but nothing appealed to me. I thought about the types of qualities I would look for in a job - the main ones being that it was people based, had variety and would enable me to develop and progress over my career. The most frequent question I’m asked is ‘why from neuroscience to marketing?’ Science degrees give you lots of transferable skills such as being able to present, analytical skills, time management, mathematics, and other qualities that are vital for any career. As part of my grad scheme I will undertake 4 different rotations within the marketing function of KPMG (a professional service firm that is one of the ‘Big 4’ accountancy/ tax/management consultancy firms). Rotations include marketing for a sector/ region, the digital team, events, brand management, function. I am coming towards the end of my first rotation where I have been working on the marketing campaigns for the Data and Analytics/ Technology transformation capability of KPMG. Day to day involves helping with the webpage for the campaigns, brochure development, some technical systems for admin and the social media side of things. Joella Nussbaum Neuroscience BSc, 2014 Graduate trainee (marketing) at KPMG
Visit jobonline.thecareersgroup.co.uk/kings to browse current vacancies, many of which are exclusive to King’s students like you.
www.kcl.ac.uk/careers | 11
Applications, CVs and interviews There’s no one way of applying for jobs in the Life Sciences sector. Some employers will have application forms, while others will want a traditional CV and covering letter. King’s Careers & Employability has experienced careers consultants who can help you with all of them. Interviews are always different, depending on the employer and the particular interviewer. However, often the same sorts of questions pop up, so there are ways you can prepare.
Application forms Application forms might seem easy - but they’re more than just filling in your name and contact details. They often ask competency-based questions to give you a chance to show off what you know and how you would react to some situations. They’ll also ask why you want to work for that particular company so make sure you do your research.
CVs A CV has got to sum up why you should get the job in just a few words. It has got to be both persuasive and informative in order to sell yourself to the employer. Luckily, careers in the Life Sciences sector don’t have any special CV formats - as opposed to, for example, the media sector which often requires a portfolio. However, as with every sector, you do need to tailor the points you make to show off the skills required for the job.
Bioscience CV Checklist Listed up-to-date and correct contact details Highlighted course modules relevant to the job Put any Life Science experience before any other Emphasised your transferable skills Included any actual outcomes from your experience Made sure your CV is no longer than 2 pages Checked spelling and grammar
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Find out more Try using the tags ‘applications’, ‘CVs’ and ‘interviews’ on our online resource database Careers Tagged (www.careerstagged.co.uk) for more information.
Don’t forget, the Bioscience Professional Skills Programme will give you great advice on these and help you get an interview.
Interviews As daunting as they are, if you’re confident and prepared enough, interviews are the perfect opportunity to win your employer over. In the same manner as your application form or CV, you need to build your answers using the context of the situation, the actions you took, and the result. King’s Careers & Employability offer practice interviews, giving you a great opportunity to get feedback on your interview style.
Assessment centres Depending on the employer, an initial interview (or possibly a phone interview) may be followed up by an invitation to an assessment centre. This is usually a day where you, along with other applicants, complete group exercises, presentations and individual interviews. See below for an example of how the day might progress. Round 1
Aptitude test
This will be a test of your analytical thinking. You may be given a puzzle which, as a group, you’ll have to work out. For example, “you’ve crash landed in a desert with only these items - which are most important and why?”
Role play
You may be asked to pretend you are already an employee in a particular position, for example, a manager, and then have to deal with one of the issues which that particular employee usually faces.
Group exercise
Instead of working with your group, you may be pitted against each other to put forward a case. For example, you might each have a different vaccine to cure an illness, and you’ll have to argue why yours is the best.
Round 2
Presentation
Interview
If this is a part of your assessment centre, you will be told ahead of the day to prepare for this. You will need to convince the employer why you are the person for the job, using any means possible, so be confident! To round the day off, you may be asked to chat to the interviewer about your skills and experience, just to put across a final argument for yourself. Use the same method as your initial interview to give clear answers.
Commercial awareness For all organisations that you apply for you need to show that you have some understanding of the sector, the business and how the role you are applying for fits in. Typically this is known as commercial awareness and shows that you can see things from a variety of perspectives, for example, those of its customers, competitors and suppliers. Start by ►► You can use student societies or voluntary organisations you are involved in to show you can make these links for real and combine with research in your chosen area to demonstrate it in applications and interviews.
I’m a Company Director at an agency called Firstlight public relations. We’re a relatively small agency that specialises in corporate and health/pharmaceutical PR. I realised quite quickly that I didn’t want to pursue a career in the lab but I didn’t want to lose the science side. I’d never heard of healthcare PR but managed to get some work experience and soon after I got my first permanent role at a small, healthfocused PR agency. Most of my clients are international pharmaceutical companies and we handle the PR for them as a company or for individual brands. This can involve talking about specific drugs or raising awareness of certain diseases. It’s a fast-paced, busy environment to work in and you need to be quick thinking, able to multi-task, able to work under pressure and very good at communicating with people so writing skills are also incredibly important. It used to be very difficult to get into PR without extensive experience but now most agencies, large and small, offer formal internships or graduate schemes. A good source of information on PR agencies is the Pharmaceutical Marketing website (www. pmlive.com). Paul Gittins Pharmacology BSc, 2001 PR Company Director King’s Careers & Employability run an assessment centre series once a year so that you can practice the skills necessary to compete.
www.kcl.ac.uk/careers | 13
Employability Your course goes a long way towards making you attractive to employers. When you graduate, you’ll have earned a degree from one of the best and most renowned Bioscience Education schools in the world. However, due to ever increasing numbers of university graduates, employers are looking more and more towards other skills which make graduates stand out from the crowd.
BPSP
Career options
Professional skills
Recruitment training
Resources to use
What can I do with my Life Sciences degree?
CareersTagged - “job sectors”, “professions” Leaflets - Choosing a career, Social media & your job search, Bioscience careers (available at Guy’s and Strand careers centres) Blogs blogs.thecareersgroup.co.uk/lifesciences
Further study; what is it, what’s it worth and applying?
CareersTagged - “further study”, “finding” Leaflets - Personal statements, Postgrad study
Know your strengths and develop them for work
King’s Careers & Employability website > Transferable skills
Commercial awareness; what is it, Why is it useful? How do I get it?
CareersTagged - “job hunting”, “networking” King’s Careers & Employability website Students and Graduates > Resources > Social media & your career Leaflets - Networking
Finding internships and work experience
King’s Careers & Employability website Internships > King’s internships CareersTagged - “job hunting”, “networking” Leaflets - Securing internships and work experience
CVs, applications and covering letters
CareersTagged - “CVs”, “applications”, “interviews” King’s Careers & Employability website Students and Graduates > Resources > CVs, cover letters & applications Leaflets - How to write a CV, How to write a covering letter
Interviews and Assessment Centres
CareersTagged - “CVs”, “applications”, “interviews” Leaflets - Selection methods & assessment centres, Competency-based applications & interviews: the STAR approach, Interviews, Psychometric tests
14 | School of Bioscience Education Careers Guide
Students and Graduates > Resources
Bioscience Professional Skills Programme (BPSP)
Bioscience Careers Fair
Run by King’s Careers & Employability in semester 1 & 2 each year these seven sessions make a great starting point for your career and employability journey whilst at King’s.
King’s Careers & Employability run a dedicated Bioscience Careers Fair at the beginning of the autumn term; a great opportunity to meet potential employers face to face, and find out about their industry.
Depending on your priority for action you can pick areas to focus on or attend the series as an introductory overview. 2nd and 3rd year students are given priority booking in semester 1. To benefit the most on your career journey through King’s you are encouraged to engage with this programme and other activities that develop your transferable skills as soon as you can.
How to use this Menu of Career & Employability activities Below are a selection of services offered by King’s Careers & Employability or that we would suggest to help you move towards your Career & Employability goals whilst at King’s. They are not exhaustive and you may engage with other things that also enable you to develop. Don’t just stop here though, if you need more advice on starting your career, book an appointment to see a Careers Consultant.
Step 1
Remember, start thinking about increasing your employability early on in your time here at King’s.
Step 2
Step 3
Careers Options Fair, Bioscience & Pharmacy Fair, Finance Consulting & Technology Fair, Media Series, Legal Week, Nursing Fair, Career Guidance appointment
Career Guidance appointment, Extended Career Guidance appointment, Sector insights - open to all offered by other faculties
Shadowing, Internship, Alumni links
Careers Group - Central Postgraduate Fair
Talking to existing postgrad students
Alumni links
Develop your skills - consider where you currently are in your career 1st step - do you have volunteering experience, if not; KCLSU Volunteering, Bioscience Volunteering Mini-Fair, Part-time Work Fair
2nd step - taking responsibility or widening your involvement to working outside the university - the following website can help doit.org vinsipred.com Part-time Work Fair Bioscience Volunteering Mini-Fair
KLPSA, Leadership training opportunities
Develop your skills - think about the setting you already work/volunteer in and how it relates to the sector
Develop your skills - consider how you would transfer this to other situations or companies
KLPSA, Enterprise/ Entrepreneurship opportunities, Leadership training opportunities
Internships & Work Experience Fair Part-time Work Fair
Shadowing Develop your skills - Build on your transferable skills to be able to reach 2nd step of Career Options
Secure an internship
CV/application webinar - see VC for details
Application Feedback appointment, Career Guidance appointment
Reflecting on previous applications to develop
Career Guidance appointment, Practice Interview, Practice Interview with employer - see King’s Careers & Employability website for details
Assessment Centre Series - run by King’s Careers & Employability- see website Reflecting on your experiences to develop
Assessment/Recruitment test webinar - goes into more detail about individual tests that you might encounter - see VC for details
www.kcl.ac.uk/careers | 15
Your careers service If you need help with any aspect of your career whilst here at King’s, there is a vast amount of support available at King’s Careers & Employability. We are primarily based on Strand Campus, but we know that for Bioscience Education students, that can be a trek. That’s why we also offer Career Guidance drop-in sessions at Guy’s Campus.
You can just drop into the Guy’s Campus office during opening hours - but you will need to call and book on the day to be seen at Strand Campus.
CareersTagged
Events
Practice Interview
JobOnline
Careers consultants
CareersTagged is your database of everything you need to know about finding and starting a career. Look online and search for the info you need to get a head start.
King’s Careers & Employability hosts a number of events throughout the year, including careers fairs and careers series such as Assessment Centres, Entrepreneurship and Public Policy.
If you have been invited to an interview, book a Practice Interview at King’s Careers & Employability, where a Careers Consultant will tailor the run-through to the role you’ve applied for.
Use JobOnline to find part-time or full-time work and internships in a number of fields, much of which is exclusive to King’s students like you.
Book a 20 minute Career Guidance appointment to see a Careers Consultant about applications, interview techniques, career ideas - or any other career issue you might have.
to restaurant
Locations
HRH
Student Services Henriette Raphael Building Guy’s Campus London SE1 1UL
Café
Guy’s Campus
Quad
Opening hours Monday - Tuesday
We are here
Strand Campus The Bridge, Level 1 Macadam Building Strand London WC2R 2LS
Opening hours 13.00 - 16.00
Monday - Thursday Friday
9.30 - 17.00 12.00 - 17.00