Criminal Justice Career Insight by LJMUCareers

Criminal Justice CAREER INSIGHT

LJMU CAREERS TEAM 0151 231 2048/3719 ❚ careers@ljmu.ac.uk

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Career Insight: Criminal Justice

Introduction Studying towards a degree in Criminal Justice will help you develop a number of skills, which will put you in a good position to enter a range of careers, both within and outside of the criminal justice system. Although your degree would be an excellent foundation for different career paths in the public, voluntary and charity sectors, you are by no means restricted to these areas and could use your transferable skills and work experience to follow a number of other career paths in areas like: research, retail, HR, consultancy, law, finance and general management. In recent years, securing a graduate role has become increasingly competitive, so gaining relevant work or voluntary experience and engaging in extracurricular activities alongside your studies is crucial to demonstrate to prospective employers that you have the motivation to succeed in your chosen area and have developed the required skills. Researching different career pathways and entry requirements is essential preparation for your graduate career, so ensure you make the most of available resources, attend career events or employer talks, and take every opportunity to network with professionals to find out as much as possible about the career areas that interest you. You could also consider setting up a LinkedIn profile and following relevant organisations and vacancy sites on Twitter. In recent years there have been cutbacks to the criminal justice sector which have impacted upon areas of recruitment. Consequently it would be worthwhile for students to research career opportunities that are available both within and outside the sector.

Typical job options A significant proportion of Criminal Justice graduates who enter employment after graduation work in the public sector. Types of work include: information and advisory roles, support work and administration within the public sector, charities and voluntary organisations. Once you have gained relevant experience or qualifications, your longer term career options within the criminal justice and social care sectors include:

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Probation Officer: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/probation_officer_job_description.htm https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/national-probation-service https://www.workwithoffenders.co.uk/

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Youth Offending Teams: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/youth_worker_job_description.htm https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/youth-justice-board-for-england-and-wales/about https://www.gov.uk/youth-offending-teams-north-west-england

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Social Worker: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/social_worker_job_description.htm http://www.stepuptosocialwork.co.uk/ https://www.gov.uk/guidance/step-up-to-social-work-information-for-applicants http://www.thefrontline.org.uk/ http://www.hpc-uk.org/aboutus/

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Career Insight: Criminal Justice

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Prison Officer: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/prison_officer_job_description.htm https://www.gov.uk/noms-graduate-programme

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Police Officer: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/police_officer_job_description.htm http://recruit.college.police.uk/Pages/home.aspx

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Solicitor/Barrister: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/solicitor_job_description.htm http://www.prospects.ac.uk/barrister_job_description.htm

The suggestions listed here are by no means exhaustive, so we would encourage you to consider other relevant options e.g. based on previous work or voluntary experience, skills and interests. To explore job options by sector, check http://www.prospects.ac.uk/types_of_jobs.htm. You can also use career planning tools like http://www.prospects.ac.uk/myprospects_planner_login.htm and https://targetjobs.co.uk/careersreport to generate initial career ideas. Ensure you check entry requirements for each area e.g. will you need a degree in a specific subject? Is a 2:1 degree classification essential? Will you need to obtain/work towards a postgraduate qualification? Is any specific work experience required? We also recommend that you download a copy of our “Planning your Career” guide from the Careers website at https://www2.ljmu.ac.uk/careers/123871.htm this includes a list of useful questions to help you explore your career options and introduces you to the DOTS model to help you with your career planning.

Main employers Although many Criminal Justice graduates work in the public and voluntary sector, there are also good opportunities in the private sector in areas like retail, finance and law. Typical employers include: 

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Community Rehabilitation Companies: http://www.merseysidecrc.co.uk/, http://cgm-probation.org.uk/, http://www.clcrc.co.uk/, https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/432888/probation -directory-June-2015.pdf Police forces: http://www.police.uk/contact/force-websites/ HM Prison Service: http://www.justice.gov.uk/contacts/prison-finder Local Government: http://www.ngdp.org.uk/, http://www.lgjobs.com/ Crown Prosecution Service: http://www.cps.gov.uk/careers/ Civil Service: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/civil-service-fast-stream

Occupational profiles listed on http://www.prospects.ac.uk/types_of_jobs.htm include a section on typical employers and vacancy sources, so use these as a starting point to research potential employers within the career areas that interest you.

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Career Insight: Criminal Justice

Useful links and websites             

LJMU vacancy website - http://ljmu.prospects.ac.uk/ Prospects - Careers information and graduate jobs - http://www.prospects.ac.uk/ TargetJobs - Careers information and graduate jobs - https://targetjobs.co.uk/ Milkround - Graduate jobs, placements & internships - http://www.milkround.com/ Jobs in the public sector - http://www.lgjobs.com/, http://www.jobsgopublic.com/ Vacancies in higher education and research - http://www.jobs.ac.uk/ Graduate to Merseyside - Graduate placements in small/medium-sized businesses in Merseyside http://www.graduatetomerseyside.co.uk Graduate Talent Pool - Graduate internship opportunities - http://graduatetalentpool.direct.gov.uk/ Lawcareers.net - Careers options in the legal sector - http://www.lawcareers.net/ British Society of Criminology - News, jobs board and useful links - http://britsoccrim.org/ Skills for Justice - Career pathways in the legal and criminal justice sector http://www.skillsforjustice-cp.com/ CommunityCare - Website for people working in the social care sector: information on upcoming events, legal changes and vacancies - http://www.communitycare.co.uk/ Careers in care and social work http://www.skillsforcareanddevelopment.org.uk/Careersincare/careers_in_care.aspx

Follow relevant companies/websites through Twitter for example:         

@LJMUCareers @Prospects @ProspectsJobs @targetjobsUK @MerseyPolice @MerseysideCRC @cgmprobation @BritSocCrim @MoJGovUK @FrontlineSW

Depending on your specific career interests, you could also follow relevant websites and organisations e.g. @LawCareersNetUK for news and updates on the legal sector or @retailweek for news relating to the retail sector.

Sources of work experience Download our mini-guide on “Making yourself employable whilst at University” from https://www2.ljmu.ac.uk/careers/123871.htm for an overview of the different types of work experience available and some general suggestions about finding work experience opportunities. LJMU has been managing a summer internship programme for Level 5 students in recent years, so keep an eye on your LJMU inbox for details of any opportunities.

www2.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

Career Insight: Criminal Justice

Many large organisations/companies offer summer internship opportunities or year-long sandwich placements. These are generally advertised on websites like Prospects, Targetjobs or Milkround, as well as on more subject-specific websites e.g. Lawcareers.net for legal vacation placements. Opportunities are also advertised on organisations’ own websites and on the Careers Team’s vacancy website http://ljmu.prospects.ac.uk and www.ratemyplacement.co.uk. Many placement schemes are open to students from any degree discipline. Check your eligibility before making an application e.g. some summer placements are specifically aimed at penultimate year students. Application deadlines for sandwich placements and summer internships can be as early as October/November for a start date between June and August the following year, so start your research early to ensure you don’t miss out on relevant opportunities! Applications for summer internships or year-long placements with large employers are very competitive, so involvement in extracurricular activities, previous work experience or voluntary work can give you the edge over other candidates. It’s never too early to start getting involved in clubs and societies or to gain work experience, so explore relevant options early on in your studies. Many societies/clubs through LiverpoolSU have co-ordinator/officer positions which could be an excellent opportunity to gain valuable/relevant experience which can significantly enhance your employability. Many undergraduate students also secure work experience through a more ‘speculative’ or ‘creative’ approach i.e. after contacting organisations directly through networking events, via email or through LinkedIn. You might, for example, consider contacting a local law firm/community rehabilitation company (depending on your career interests) as a starting point. Once you have some initial career ideas, undertaking work experience or voluntary work in these areas can be a great way not only to find out whether this role would be right for you but also to build up a network of professionals and organisations in your chosen sector, which can often lead to further work experience or even a full-time role after graduating. Before contacting organisations about work shadowing or work experience opportunities, make sure you research the organisation and find out the best person to get in touch with. It is important that you demonstrate that you are interested in the organisation and have spent some time finding out what they do. Even when applying to secure work experience for the first time in a particular industry, show the employer what you have to offer e.g. briefly outline any relevant skills or knowledge gained from your course. Look at the skills listed under entry requirements in the occupational profiles on Prospects http://www.prospects.ac.uk/types_of_jobs.htm and try to evidence these on your CV, drawing on examples from your course, work experience or extra-curricular activities to demonstrate how you developed these. Useful websites to research a range of voluntary opportunities include https://do-it.org/ and http://www.liverpoolguild.org/volunteering. You could also contact LJMU Volunteering Manager Chris Prescott on 0151 904 6356 or c.j.prescott@ljmu.ac.uk to enquire about current opportunities. It is also worth researching relevant organisations/charities and contacting them directly to find out about voluntary roles on offer.

Recruitment schedule Recruitment cycles and deadlines will vary depending on the type of work you are applying for. Again, research is key to ensure that you do not miss relevant opportunities. As a rule of thumb, the selection process takes longer in larger organisations, as they tend to receive a higher number of applications and use

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Career Insight: Criminal Justice

several different stages to reduce the number of potential candidates. As a result, application deadlines can be as early as October/November in your final year of study for a start date in August or September of the following year. If you are considering postgraduate study, find out if there are any specific closing dates for applications by contacting relevant universities directly. Many graduate training schemes with large companies will accept applications from students of any degree background. If you are interested in these roles, you will need to be aware of the recruitment cycle. Many employers begin the graduate recruitment process during the autumn term for final-year students – some placements are advertised then as well. Most closing dates are in November and December, but some are earlier so it is important to start researching companies that you want to apply to early on. The application process for graduate training schemes usually involves completing an online application form, which may require you to answer ‘competency based questions’. This may be followed by psychometric tests, a telephone interview and an assessment centre. You may also need to submit your CV. Most of the large recruiters have a section on the student/graduate pages of their website that outlines the different steps of their selection process, so check these to find out what is required. For more information about graduate schemes, download the ‘Graduate Schemes’ guide from https://www2.ljmu.ac.uk/careers/123871.htm. The Careers Team runs “Graduate Schemes Uncovered” workshop and webinars on a regular basis – please check our events pages on https://worldofwork.ljmu.ac.uk/events/ for details. Many of these opportunities are advertised in the Prospects Student Career Guide and the Targetjobs directories (available from Careers Zone) and on websites such as Prospects, Milkround and Targetjobs – also check organisations’ own websites. You may also find work through small and medium-sized enterprises/businesses (SMEs). These types of companies don’t usually have structured training schemes but will recruit ‘as required’. Depending on previous experience, you might find yourself applying for entry-level roles on an administrator grade at first, but once you have gained experience this should open up opportunities for promotion within your organisation, or give you the required experience to apply for higher-grade positions with other employers. Some SMEs may use their own application form but most applications will be by CV and covering letter. These positions will be advertised on company websites, relevant recruitment websites, the Job Centre and national and local newspapers. The ‘creative’ or ‘speculative’ approach to job hunting, outlined above, is also important when looking for graduate roles. Making contacts and approaching organisations speculatively to look for work is a common route into employment. For more information about the speculative approach to job hunting, download a copy of our guide to ‘The Hidden Jobs Market’ from https://www2.ljmu.ac.uk/careers/123871.htm. You can get advice about the recruitment process by booking a one-to-one appointment with a careers or employability adviser (call us on 0151 231 8099 (select option 1) to arrange this) or you can attend relevant workshops or webinars run by the Careers Team.

Key events and networking 

Liverpool Careers Fairs: are usually held in the autumn and spring of each year and the Liverpool Law Fair usually takes place in November, see fairs website http://www.liverpoolfairs.org.uk/ for details.

www2.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

Career Insight: Criminal Justice

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Manchester Careers Fairs: open to students and graduates from any university; check http://www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/events/ for details.

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Careers and employability events at LJMU: keep an eye on our events page at https://worldofwork.ljmu.ac.uk/events/ for details of upcoming employability workshops, networking sessions and employer talks – employers from the legal and criminal justice sectors play a regular part in our events programme.

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LinkedIn: you could also consider setting up a LinkedIn account https://www.linkedin.com to network online with professionals and organisations in your chosen industry.

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LiverpoolSU Clubs and Societies: http://www.liverpoolsu.com/clubsandsocs.

Careers Zones Our campus-based Careers Zones are based in the reception area of James Parsons Building at Byrom Street, in Aldham Robarts Library and in IM Marsh Library. Call in for help with any careers enquiries, to book an appointment with our advisers, pick up careers guides and resources, meet employers, book a practice interview and much more.

Other information Centre for Entrepreneurship - support for LJMU students and graduates interested in starting up their own business https://www2.ljmu.ac.uk/startup/. Postgraduate Study - download our mini-guide on “Thinking about Postgraduate Study” from https://www2.ljmu.ac.uk/careers/123871.htm for an overview of the different options available.

Examples of employment destinations (LJMU Criminal Justice graduates):                 

Police Community Support Officer-Merseyside Police Police Officer-Merseyside Police Prison Custody Officer-Serco Operational Support Grade-HMP Styal Drug Worker-HMP Liverpool Learning Mentor-St Chad’s High School Youth Support Worker-Catch22 Youth Worker-Liverpool Youth Services Caseworker-Crown Prosecution Service Trainee Solicitor-Jacksons Commercial & Private Law LLP Legal Assistant-Silverbeck Rymer Solicitors (now taken over by Quindell Legal Services) Civil Servant-Home Office Lecturer-St Helens College Case Administrator-Probation Service Management Trainee-Enterprise Rent-A-Car Savings and Investment Specialist-Barclays Bank Money Laundering Screening Sanctions Analyst-Santander

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