LIVERPOOL BUSINESS SCHOOL CAREER PLANNING GUIDE by LJMUCareers

career planning guide

LIVERPOOL BUSINESS SCHOOL

PRODUCED BY THE LJMU CAREERS TEAM IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LJMU SCHOOL/FACULTY STAFF

CAREER OPTIONS WITH YOUR DEGREE

LOOK TO THE FUTURE WITH POSTGRADUATE STUDY Masters study has set me on the right track. When I graduate, I will be looking for a career rather than a job. Josh McDowell, International Journalism MA

For more information, go to: ljmu.ac.uk/postgraduate CAREER PLANNING GUIDE

www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

WHAT’S IN THIS GUIDE

What’s in this guide ... CAREER OPTIONS WITH YOUR DEGREE Careers in accountancy, banking & finance

Careers in marketing, advertising and public relations

Careers in human resource management and related professions Careers in retail and sales

Degrees including a work placement

11 14

SUPPORT AND OPPORTUNITIES AT LJMU Get support on your doorstep in our campus Careers Zones

Careers Website

Connect with employers

Careers Zone 24/7: Online careers tools

CareerSmart: Explore, Experience and Engage

Get great work experience with your Students’ Union How to make the most of your university time

Move up to Masters: The benefits of postgraduate study

Professional and personal development opportunities abroad

23 25 26 27 28 30 31

TACTICS AND CHOICES Planning your career

Finding graduate level jobs

Thinking about postgraduate study Thinking of starting your own business?

The importance of relevant work experience

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GETTING THE JOB How to write a winning CV and covering letter

How to succeed at interviews

How to write effective application forms

Psychometric tests and assessment centres

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Introduction Liverpool Business School has a track record of developing strong partnerships with our local, regional, national and international partners. Colleagues in the School are keen to ensure our students develop into confident graduates who are prepared well for the world of work. The School has excellent Student Survey ratings and students positively comment on how our academic programmes connect to the world of work. We regularly invite guest speakers into classes, have site visits to different types of business facilities and help students experience the practice of business through simulations and case studies. We believe all students should have the opportunity to go out on placement and we have a dedicated placement unit located in the Liverpool Business School to help you obtain a placement in the UK or overseas. We ensure that our academic programmes are at the forefront of preparing students for employment by working with professional associations and accrediting bodies to ensure our programmes are current and relevant. It is the Business School’s responsibility to ensure we provide you with every opportunity to develop your knowledge and skills to enhance your employability prospects. You, however, need to play your part by engaging fully with the opportunities we provide. This guide offers a range of materials that will assist you in making the right career choices. Whilst at University, please use this guide and all the opportunities offered to you to understand the career choices open to you on graduation and the actions you need to take to acquire your first position in your chosen area. I firmly believe taking up a range of career events at university will help you to develop a distinctive profile that can give you that positive edge when you apply for a job and/or further study. I wish you well during your time in Liverpool Business School, and hope you fulfil the career aspirations you strive for. Remember, we are here to support you along the way.

TIMOTHY NICHOL, DEAN, LIVERPOOL BUSINESS SCHOOL PRODUCED BY: LJMU Careers Team || Tel: 0151 231 2048/3719 || Email: careers@ljmu.ac.uk || Website: www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

Please contact us if you would like this document in an alternate format, eg large print.

www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

CAREER PLANNING GUIDE

CAREER OPTIONS WITH YOUR DEGREE

Introduction LIVERPOOL BUSINESS SCHOOL STUDENTS HAVE A WEALTH OF CAREER OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO THEM. CAREERS ADVISER GARY DOUGLAS LOOKS AT SOME OPTIONS TO GET YOU STARTED. The Liverpool Business School (LBS) includes undergraduate and postgraduate courses in: ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚

Accountancy and Finance Business and Public Relations Business Management Business Studies Human Resource Management Marketing Digital Marketing Entrepreneurship and Business Administration

LBS is a modern and student-centred business school with a track record of almost 40 years of serving the regional business community. LBS is justifiably proud of its approach in providing a responsive business education with an emphasis on practical knowledge and its application that helps to prepare graduates for a wide range of business/finance careers (accounting, marketing, public relations, human resource management etc).

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. Being aware of the range of options open to you is essential to make an informed career decision. The Careers Team is committed to helping you with this preparation and we are here to support you from the beginning of your studies to the end and beyond. Whether we see you during curriculum workshops, careers guidance and employability appointments, or employer events, our aim is to help you achieve your career aspirations. Achieving career success does require you to be proactive from an early stage. This may involve researching different career pathways and entry requirements, making the most of available resources, attending careers events or employer talks and so on. To get you started we have provided you with a brief overview of the different career options available in various job sectors from the business/finance field, alongside case studies of current and former students. The information is only brief but you can find a much more detailed overview of careers related to your degree in our ‘Career Insights’ that are available on our website – www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers/

Your Careers Adviser: Gary Douglas

I am the link Careers Adviser for the Liverpool Business School. I offer careers-related workshops within the curriculum on topics such as Linkedin, postgraduate study and psychometric testing as well as CV checking sessions. If you would like to discuss your career plans or need support and guidance in considering your options, please arrange a careers consultation with me. Remember it is never too early to start planning your future! I will also be available for drop in sessions so please keep an eye out for any posters or emails advertising this service.

To book an appointment with me or any other adviser, call into the Careers Zone at Aldham Robarts Library. Alternatively telephone 0151 231 3719.

CAREER PLANNING GUIDE

www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

CAREER OPTIONS WITH YOUR DEGREE

Careers in accountancy, banking and finance A degree in Accounting and Finance will help you develop a number of skills (including numeracy, IT, communication and analytical skills) as well as theoretical knowledge and management techniques. This will put you in a good position to enter careers in accountancy, finance, banking and investment, insurance or more general business areas. As your degree qualifies you for a number of exemptions from accountancy exams with CIMA, ICAEW, ACCA and CIPFA, you will also have a head start on the path to achieving professional accountancy qualifications. It is also worth noting that most careers in the accountancy, banking and finance sector are open to graduates from any degree discipline – students from a wide range of LBS degree programmes regularly gain employment in this job/career sector. Possible job/ career options include:

❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚

Chartered Accountant Chartered Certified Accountant Chartered Management Accountant Chartered Public Finance Accountant Accounting Technician Operational Investment Banker Financial Trader Financial Risk Analyst Actuary Management Consultant Retail Banker

Top Employers: The biggest accountancy and financial services firms are: KPMG, E&Y (Ernst & Young), PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers) and Deloitte – also known as the ‘big four’. Many large private companies also run graduate schemes in accountancy and finance e.g. Royal Bank of Scotland, Barclays Capital, Rolls Royce, Network Rail, Unilever and Aviva; the public sector also provides opportunities e.g. the NHS runs a finance graduate training scheme.

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An employer says:

“Having a degree is a very valuable asset when you are entering the job market, but it’s not the only thing that employers will be interested in. Having had some kind of work experience makes you stand above other applicants, building useful skills that cannot be taught in the classroom as well as contacts that students otherwise would not have access to. A prospective employer will often look favourably on the effort taken by those who have been proactive and found and undertaken some sort of work experience, as it allows them to put their academic talent into practice and ultimately may give them a better chance to be interviewed for the most sought-after graduate positions.”

Julie Scatterson, University Relationship Branch Manager, Santander Universities UK

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CAREER PLANNING GUIDE

CAREER OPTIONS WITH YOUR DEGREE

Placement Case Study ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE STUDENT AIMEE FLANAGAN UNDERTOOK A SANDWICH PLACEMENT AS AN AR AND AP ACCOUNTING INTERN AT THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY. Why did you want to complete a placement? I wanted to do a placement to broaden my knowledge and skills. I moved to London to experience something new and my placement enabled me to do just that. I moved from working at a family-run business to a multinational corporation known to most people on the planet. Describe the role you have undertaken: I worked within the SSC (Shared Services Centre) for Disney with both the Accounts Receivable and the Accounts Payable team. I was responsible for collecting cash for three territories (Spain, Italy and France) as well as sending out invoices to all our Disney Media customers. For AP, I processed all of the Disney stores’ invoices and audited non-PO Nordics invoices alongside many other tasks. I gained a very broad knowledge of how the business works and have mastered the art of SAP. What did the application process involve and how did you prepare for each stage? The application process is kept very simple and differs from floor to floor. I had one interview with my manager and team manager at the headquarters in Hammersmith. My main advice is to learn about the company, i.e. what it does, who its competitors are and what they stand for, and to be confident speaking about it. I also created a portfolio of work and evidence of previous work I had done to support what I was saying in my interview.

Understanding the key traits employers look for is very important to do well in the application process, for example confidence, character, charisma, being a team player, the ability to work effectively and efficiently, time management and organisation. I had the required knowledge, however I got the job because I was able to fit into a team and I was confident in what I could do and passionate. This is what set me apart from the other candidates. What advice would you give to other students to improve their employability? Be yourself, as you are your biggest asset. You are up against a bunch of people who all have the same degree and experience. Once you’re at the interview stage, they know you’ve got the grades. You need to apply yourself and show the employer that you have what it takes to fit in their team and be an asset within their team and to the company. Any other advice you would give to students about their employability? Work! A lot of employers look for work experience. Gain skills which will be beneficial in your field of work, as this will make you stand out. The more work and experience you’ve got, the more chance you have at getting the job you want!

Graduate Case Study AFTER GRADUATING WITH A BSC (HONS) ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE IN 2017, PAUL BRADLEY JOINED EY AS AN ASSOCIATE AND IS ALSO STUDYING TO BECOME A CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT THROUGH ICAS. What does your current role involve? My role in Assurance within the Financial Services department involves engaging with clients within banking and capital markets. I work as part of a team to provide reasonable assurance that the financial statements of the audit client represent a true and fair view. The work is split up into a number of stages throughout the year, from planning, where the goal is to gain an understanding of how the client’s business operates, to working through the various accounts that form the financial statements and performing appropriate testing at the year end. Why did you decide to apply for this graduate scheme? The opportunity to work with complex, large and global clients was an exciting prospect. EY also offer excellent support in terms of progressing towards chartered status. What did the application process involve and how did you prepare for each stage? ❙❙ Online tests - I practiced tests online to become familiar with the format/type of questions. ❙❙ Telephone interview - I prepared answers to common interview questions to make sure I covered relevant experiences/qualifications. ❙❙ Assessment centre - This included a group activity and an individual laptop-based exercise. I made sure I knew the structure of the day and what it would involve.

CAREER PLANNING GUIDE

❙❙ Final partner interview - It involved a 10-minute presentation and approximately 50 minutes of general interview questions. I prepared the presentation on the relevant topic and practised several times. As above, I made sure I was ready to answer any questions about past experiences/qualifications. Having had mock interviews with the Careers Team during my time at LJMU definitely helped with that. What relevant work experience and skills did you discuss during the selection process? I referred to my experiences during my placement year at Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust and also talked about my volunteering in Zimbabwe as part of a lion conservation programme. What advice would you give to other students to improve their employability? Apply early as graduate jobs get filled up quite quickly. Take part in practice interviews so you are familiar with the structure and gain confidence. A key factor at most firms is that they want to be sure they can put you in front of a client. Get as much experience as possible. My placement year was crucial in obtaining the role and I also found guest lectures from firms really useful.

www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

CAREER OPTIONS WITH YOUR DEGREE

Graduate Case Study ELLEN DAWSON GRADUATED WITH A BSC (HONS) ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE IN 2017. SHE SECURED A POSITION AS A GRADUATE MANAGEMENT TRAINEE WITH NEWCASTLE BUILDING SOCIETY AND IS COMPLETING HER ACCA QUALIFICATION ALONGSIDE THIS. What does your role involve? My main duties are preparing the management accounts for NBS’s subsidiary company Newcastle Financial Advisers Limited, posting the financial accounting entries for the Society’s property portfolio, reconciling the Society’s subsidiary cashbooks and preparing notes for the Society’s published financial statements. Why did you decide to apply for a graduate scheme? I thought this would be the best option for me as I wanted to complete my professional accountancy qualification as soon as I could. The Society have paid for all of my exemptions, exams, tuition and study materials. I also thought a graduate scheme would look more prestigious on my CV, as they are notoriously competitive. The support offered throughout the scheme is fantastic and very structured. Three things you like about your job: ❙❙ I am trusted to organise my day independently and manage my own workload. ❙❙ The social side of my job is great, as the Society has a Staff Association which runs events and quizzes etc. throughout the year for just £2 membership a month. This means I am able to form relationships with colleagues that I do not communicate with in my day-to-day work. ❙❙ The variety of work. My managers are always keen to delegate some of their work to me whenever I feel comfortable, meaning that I am able to experience a wide variety of tasks and processes. This keeps me on my toes and ensures that the role remains interesting. What did the application process involve and how did you prepare for each stage? The application process at NBS consisted of an online application plus CV and cover letter submission, a telephone interview and finally an assessment centre, which was made up of a group task, skills tests, an interview and a short presentation which we were able to prepare before the day. For the initial application stage, I

prepared by researching the company thoroughly, picking out key facts and interesting things that stood out to me - a company’s own website is the best place to do this. For the assessment centre, I focused on preparing interview questions to generic behavioural questions as I was unsure what the rest of the day would entail. I tried to think of as many possible examples as I could using the STAR technique and practised answering them with members of my family.

What help and support did you access from the Careers Team?

I attended a mock interview prior to my assessment centre, and before that had my CV and cover letter reviewed. The staff from the Careers Team were amazing and helped me so much throughout my job hunt, I would recommend you utilise them as much as possible!

What relevant work experience and skills did you use during the selection process? I used my placement year and charity volunteering as well as skills taken from my part-time job that I thought would be transferable to the role I was applying for, which included communication, innovation and teamwork.

What advice would you give to other students to improve their employability? I would definitely recommend doing a placement year if you are able to. Not only does it give you a break from studying and an insight into the real world of work, but as jobs become more competitive in today’s climate, employers are looking for this above all. My placement year also helped me to decide which final-year options I wanted to take and which potential career routes I wanted to go down. If I were a first-year student again, I would definitely join a society/club. So many of my friends at uni had done this and had made so many friends through it. It also improves your employability as employers are keen to see what additional skills you have built up through extracurricular activities.

Placement Case Study BEN THOMPSON IS CURRENTLY IN THE FINAL YEAR OF HIS BSC (HONS) ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE DEGREE, HAVING COMPLETED A 12-MONTH PLACEMENT AS A PROCUREMENT ANALYST (CAPS, CLOSURES AND PLASTIC ASSEMBLIES) AT UNILEVER PLC, WHICH INVOLVED CONTRACT MANAGEMENT, SUPPLIER LIAISING AND SUPPLIER EVALUATION. Why did you want to do a placement year? In the modern day graduate market, there is so much competition, so I knew I wanted to do a placement before I had even started university. Completing a placement puts you ahead of other candidates, but also gives you a chance to earn your own money and develop some real-world business experience. It is also an opportunity to apply some theoretical knowledge learnt at university in the real world. What did the application process involve and how did you prepare for each stage? The application process involved a CV and application, Skype interview and assessment centre. I contacted the current placement student on LinkedIn to understand the role and tailor my CV. For the Skype interview, I attended a mock interview with

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the Employability Support Unit. For the assessment centre, I had to prepare a presentation, and also benefited from practice interviews with the ESU and as part of my course. What advice would you give to other students to improve their employability? Start early! Many organisations open opportunities early, as this tends to be the time when the most eager candidates are looking. Applying for roles early also means you still have time to secure a placement when you get rejected, as this will happen. Look for opportunities to do some work experience, but also think about what you have done so far and how it is transferable to the business world - there is often more than you realise. Employability modules were also really useful.

CAREER PLANNING GUIDE

CAREER OPTIONS WITH YOUR DEGREE

Careers in human resource management and related professions

Studying towards a degree in Human Resources Management (HRM) will help you develop a number of skills, which will put you in a good position to enter a range of careers: your knowledge of the legal aspects of business and employment, business management and employment relations will make you suitable to pursue a range of HRM-related careers, but transferable skills like IT, analytical, interpersonal and problem-solving skills will also enable you to follow a number of other career paths in sectors like finance and accountancy, retail management or management consultancy. HRM-related careers are usually open to graduates from any degree discipline – students from a wide range of LBS degree programmes regularly gain employment in this job/career sector. Possible job/career options include: ❙❙ ❙❙ ❙❙ ❙❙ ❙❙

Human Resources Officer Recruitment Consultant Training and Development Officer Equality and Diversity Officer Management Consultant

Top Employers: Large employers in the public sector include the Civil Service, local councils and the NHS. Both the NHS and the Civil Service offer a human resources graduate training scheme. Many large private companies also run HR graduate schemes e.g. Rolls Royce, Unilever, Royal Bank of Scotland, Aviva and the Co-operative. Other opportunities are also available for graduates with recruitment agencies. Top agencies include: Blue Octopus Recruitment, CG Consultants, the Morson Group and Reed Employment.

Graduate Case Study SINCE GRADUATING WITH AN MA IN HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN 2016, MARKETA NERADOVA HAS BEEN WORKING AS A HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER AT HOME CARE PROVIDER SABAOTH CARE LTD. What does your current role involve? My main duties include recruiting and staffing; organisational and departmental planning; performance management and improvement systems; organisation development; managing compliance with regulatory concerns regarding employees; employee on-boarding and training; policy development and documentation. I also manage employee relations, employee and community communication and am responsible for compensation and benefits administration as well as employee safety, welfare, wellness, and health.

examples for different aspects of the job. I also prepared some guidance and recommendations regarding a HR department set-up. During the whole selection process, I drew upon my HR knowledge and experience from both my HR placement and HR employment.

Three things you like about your job: ❙❙ It is very challenging and that contributes to my job satisfaction. ❙❙ Every day is different and no two employees are the same. ❙❙ Being in a position where “making a difference” is not just a phrase, but a possibility.

What advice would you give to other students to improve their employability? When applying for a job, ensure that you tailor your CV to the advert. Discuss suitable examples for what you say you have achieved in the way of experience on your CV. When preparing for interviews, try to think about what else you can do to stand out from the other candidates whether that is preparing a piece of work, i.e. a written report, or researching the company and role more in-depth to make the interviewer believe that you are the right person for the job.

What did the application process involve and how did you prepare for each stage? After sending my CV and covering letter via a job board, I completed a telephone interview with a recruitment agent who then put my CV forward to the company. I was invited to attend an interview with the company director. To prepare for my interview, I conducted research not only into the company but the wider sector. I also read employment law updates on the CIPD website and re-read the job advert/person specification for the role to prepare relevant

Gain experience through placements and part-time jobs to show that you are driven and self-motivated. Try to extend your university placements to build up as much experience as possible. In the second year of my undergraduate HR degree, I had to arrange a two-week HR placement for myself. At the interview with the HR Manager, I expressed an interest in a more long-term arrangement to enable me to gain real HR experience. My placement lasted about four months and towards the end, I was approached by the same HR Manager and offered a part-time post within their HR team.

CAREER PLANNING GUIDE

www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

CAREER OPTIONS WITH YOUR DEGREE

Postgraduate Case Study MATTHEW JOHNSON COMPLETED A DEGREE IN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL HISTORY IN 2000 FOLLOWED BY A POSTGRADUATE DIPLOMA IN CAREER GUIDANCE IN 2004. HE COMPLETED A SECOND POSTGRADUATE QUALIFICATION IN HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN 2016 AND NOW WORKS AS A HR ADVISOR. What did the application process involve for the programme? I attended a course open evening and spoke one to one with a lecturer. Following that I filled out an application form and was quite quickly accepted onto the programme.

What help and support did you access in the Careers Zones? Even though I am an ex Recruitment Consultant and have run CV workshops before, I attended several CV sessions as you can never get enough advice. I also took a mock interview to get some feedback for a competency based interview. I knew I interviewed well, and thought the mock interview wouldn’t help that much, but I would advise anyone to get this excellent support whilst they can. The LJMU Careers Adviser really knew his stuff regarding competency based interviewing and I definitely benefited from the support. Remember you need to interview to a high standard every time you want a new job or promotion.

How have you benefited from previous experience and professional body membership?

I was the Trustee responsible for HR for a medium sized charity three years prior to starting the course. This helped me realise that HR was definitely the career I wanted to go into. It also showed employers that I had been thinking about HR for a significant length of time. I continued to do this role for the charity during my course, and ended up completing my MA dissertation using the charity for my research. I have only recently given up this role to take up another volunteer role for a local organisation. Being a member of the CIPD has allowed me to attend events and build a network that supports finding work. Furthermore I continue to learn theory and practical tips re workplace issues when I attend

events now as a HR Advisor. I can take real work problems to these evenings and get advice from senior people including, on occasion, employment law solicitors. CIPD events also expose me to a wide range of people and opinions in HR, rather than just the opinions of my relatively small and spread out specialist HR Manufacturing Team. The CIPD website gives me access to information and practical tips that help me in my day to day and project work in the office.

Would you do anything differently in terms of career planning if you were a first-year undergraduate student again?

I would go and speak to a Careers Adviser. They will, if nothing else, get you to think about what you might do in the future, and what you can do to help make that decision. I would also do some voluntary work (I only really started volunteering after university), as that can give you an insight into particular work roles/sectors, plus you gain contentment and satisfaction, and potentially life long friendships.

What are your plans now you are finished?

Since finishing the MA HRM, I have found a role as a HR Advisor in a workplace that is ideal for my previous work experience. My career has progressed far quicker than I dared it might, and already I am covering much of the HR Director’s role when she goes on holiday or is at another site. I am the one they turn to regarding HR theory in our nationwide team of 10; that’s because only three of us have CIPD L7 and I gained mine recently, plus I continue to attend CIPD events where that theory is refreshed.

Graduate Case Study LIZZIE MONE GRADUATED IN 2016 FROM THE HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME. SHE IS NOW ON THE LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME AT ROLLS ROYCE What does your job role involve (e.g. main duties)?

My graduate rotation programme consists of three six-month rotations and an 18 -24 month substantive role. These roles are throughout the entire HR function and allow you to get involved in key business critical projects, talent and culture to give you a broader knowledge of the HR function and business.

What did the application process involve and how did you prepare for each stage?

The university were fantastic in supporting me with my CV, cover letter, competency based questions and psychometric test practice for my application. There was a phone interview and then an assessment centre where it is vital to do research into the company so you can link all your experience and knowledge to their issues and show them you would love to join their company: passion is key!

www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

What relevant experience did you use during the selection process?

Work experience is always useful to draw on to show how you have achieved things in a workplace context. I have always tried to tell them something that they would remember me for, something that makes me stand out. This doesn’t need to be anything big, it could be from a charity run to a big volunteering activity.

What advice would you give other students to improve their employability?

When you start it seems silly to think about starting to prepare for interviews you will have in two or three years’ time, but trust me, university goes so quickly that you will be there before you know it. The more experience you can get to see how the workplace operates, or to hold a position of responsibility in a group or even just the chance to network, take them as LJMU offers lots of opportunities.

CAREER PLANNING GUIDE

CAREER OPTIONS WITH YOUR DEGREE

Careers in Marketing, Advertising & PR

Marketing, advertising and PR professionals can be found in most businesses in all sectors. They help organisations/companies to connect with their audiences and to promote brands, messages, products and services. Public relations is all about reputation management and influencing customers’ opinion and behaviour; consequently PR professionals work in organisations/ companies of all sizes across a range of industries/sectors. They can work both in-house (i.e. working exclusively for one company or organisation) and in consultancies (i.e. providing PR advice and services for a number of clients). Marketing is a fairly broad field and there will be opportunities to work either in-house (client side) or for an agency in areas/functions such as: events management, public relations, advertising, digital marketing, market research and branding. Most advertising professionals work within advertising or multi/full-service agencies. Most careers in this sector are open to graduates from any degree discipline – students from a wide range of LBS degree programmes regularly gain employment in the marketing, advertising and PR sector. Possible job/career options include:

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Advertising Account Executive Advertising Account Planner Advertising Art Director Advertising Copywriter Market Researcher Marketing Executive

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Media Buyer Media Planner Public Affairs Consultant Public Relations Account Executive Public Relations Officer Sales Promotion Account Executive

Top Employers: Graduate schemes exist in different sectors, from retail to manufacturing. The following are examples of companies offering graduate schemes in marketing, advertising and PR: Unilever, Boots, Royal Bank of Scotland, WPP and GlaxoSmithKline. Examples of advertising, marketing and PR agencies include: Saatchi and Saatchi, Diffusion PR, Pulse Group, BD Network, RLM Finsbury, Mintel and TNS.

Graduate Case Study AFTER GRADUATING FROM THE BUSINESS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS PROGRAMME IN 2017, SYDNEY KEIGHREY JOINED INVESTMENT COMPANY MSIF AS A MARKETING MANAGER. What does your current role involve? I have quite a varied job role here as I am currently the only person within marketing. My duties include creating content for and managing our website and social media channels; writing press releases to showcase the work of MSIF; and organising and managing events. Using these different formats allows us to reach different people, enabling effective communication to take place. Overall, my job role is about communicating who MSIF are and what we do to the public. Three things you like about your job: ❙❙ My job role is so broad that I’m gaining experience in every area of marketing. ❙❙ I get on really well with the team here - there are 16 of us in total. ❙❙ I’m given the freedom to suggest what I think is most appropriate for the brand. It’s a lot of responsibility, but very rewarding. What did the application/selection process involve and how did you prepare for each stage? I found out about the role through an email from the Employability Support Unit. The initial application required a CV and covering letter, which I had reviewed by the ESU before sending it off. When I was invited to attend an interview, I asked if there was anything they would like me to prepare, and they suggested I look at the social media channels to see what I thought of the current activity. The interview with the CEO and investment director lasted around 20 minutes. They asked me about myself and my experience and about certain things I had mentioned in my covering letter. It was a nice interview where I was given the freedom to talk about my past experience and how I felt I could improve MSIF. I had analysed their Twitter page, suggesting how they could improve by showing them similar businesses who were achieving higher success rates. After the interview, I was invited back to deliver a 20-minute presentation to all of the investment directors, comparing MSIF’s online presence to its competitors. I was nervous, but the presentation went really well. It took me a whole weekend to make the perfect presentation, but they offered me the job straight after my presentation.

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What help or support did you access at LJMU? I had previously been through the application process for industrial placement programmes. In this time I used the ESU to tailor my CV and always sent my covering letters to the ESU to see if there were any changes or improvements they could suggest - they’re always quite quick at coming back to you, and it’s good to know if you’re missing a key area you should be including. It’s free, quick and effective. I always advise any lower year students to use the services available to them. What relevant experience/skills did you use during the selection process? I had completed a sandwich placement at Bentley Motors as a social media and digital content coordinator. This was a great help to me when applying as I’d had 12 months’ experience running global social media accounts. I’ve always enjoyed creating content, since I did a Media Studies A-Level and tried to keep this skill up by creating things like invitations or leaflets on Photoshop in my spare time. If any of my assignments allowed for anything creative, I’d use Photoshop, just to maintain and enhance my skills. This has paid off, as I now use these skills on a daily basis as part of my job. What advice would you give other students to improve their employability? I would suggest looking up skill sets for jobs you think might interest you when you graduate. Look at which skills you don’t think you’d get top marks on right now and spend your spare time improving them, i.e. if you want to go into marketing, but know nothing about email marketing, read up on it, look at the tools people use, mock up an email marketing campaign yourself. It’ll give you a better chance of being employed if you’ve shown interest and are willing to learn. What aspects of your degree were particularly useful? Guest lectures were helpful, as they give a great insight into the profession. I have actually been invited to an interview by a guest lecturer, so be professional, even in uni, as guest lectures could be your gateway into a job. Certain assignments were helpful, e.g. in final year, I developed an event proposal and portfolio. I now run events for MSIF and completing those tasks as assignments actually helped more than I first thought.

www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

CAREER OPTIONS WITH YOUR DEGREE

Careers in Retail & Sales Around one in 10 of the UK workforce works in the retail sector – providing jobs for three million people. The range of employment opportunities in retail is truly enormous. For example, in 2017/18 Tesco alone advertised 10 different graduate schemes from distribution to general merchandise. Employment opportunities in retail and sales can be grouped into the following categories: customer service, finance, human resources, IT and e-commerce, marketing and advertising, merchandising/buying/planning, product development, sales, store operations/management and distribution, logistics and supply chain. Careers in retail/sales are usually open to graduates from any degree discipline – students from a wide range of LBS degree programmes regularly gain employment in this job/career sector. Possible job options for graduates include: ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚

Retail Buyer Retail Manager Retail Merchandiser Sales Executive Warehouse Manager

❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚

Call Centre Manager Commercial Art Gallery Manager Customer Service Manager IT Sales Professional Medical Sales Representative

Top Employers: The main graduate recruiters in retail include household names such as: Marks and Spencer, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Aldi, John Lewis Partnership, Next and the Arcadia Group (includes Burton, Dorothy Perkins, Topshop and others). In home shopping, the main/top employers include Amazon and Shop Direct Group. There are many retail employers, each with their own unique approach to customer service and managing/developing staff.

Graduate Case Study AFTER GRADUATING WITH A BA (HONS) BUSINESS STUDIES IN 2017, JOE JACKSON SECURED A ROLE AS AN EXPORT ASSISTANT WITH ROSARIO EXPORTS. What does your role involve?

I handle the day-to-day running of Rosario Exports’ subsidiary company Britishfoodexports.com. This includes processing and managing orders, liaising with customers and transport companies, dealing with complaints, handling credit requests, seeking new customers, and helping warehouse staff pick and build orders.

Three things you like about your job: ❙❙ Level of Responsibility - From day one I was essentially given my

own mini-business to run. As time passed and confidence grew I began running the business almost completely on my own whilst my colleagues focused on Rosario Exports.

❙❙ Freedom - Whilst working at Rosario/Britishfoodexports.com I have had the freedom to try and improve processes and increase efficiency how I saw fit. I was able to negotiate my own deals with the buying team and generate sales by attracting new customers and implement new working practices which helped the entire office to work more effectively. ❙❙ Trust - The directors put a lot of trust in me from the beginning. They let me use my initiative which led to me rebranding the whole organisation, from creating a new company logo to working with web developers on the creation of two new websites for customers and introducing the company to online marketing tools which I had learnt about in my E-Commerce module.

What did the application process involve and how did you prepare for each stage? The company is an SME, so there was just one interview. As there wasn’t as much information about this company on the internet as for multinationals, I therefore looked into the company accounts and searched LinkedIn for the members of staff who would be interviewing me. I found out they went to my university and studied my course which I then brought up in the interview to create a mutual connection. I also

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told them what areas of the company I felt I could improve including the logo which I later redesigned as I told them I didn’t feel it reflected the company and their operations. Telling them what difference I could make to their business really helped me secure the job.

What relevant work/voluntary experience and skills did you use during the selection process?

Winning the Aldi Placement Student of the Year award was a great addition to my CV, as it shows that I am an employee who can make a difference. I also talked about my involvement with the International Student Mentoring scheme. This took minimal time out of my studying but helped me to evidence strong communication skills to employers. My participation in a 127-mile charity canoe expedition and the Duke of Edinburgh scheme demonstrated my effective teamwork and leadership skills to employers. I also used my teaching experience in Thailand to answer questions about overcoming communication barriers and adversity. And finally, my work experience from my placement and part-time jobs gave me loads of relevant examples for applications and interviews for areas like customer service, initiative, teamwork and communication.

What advice would you give other students to improve their employability?

Take advantage of the extracurricular activities that the university offers. Whether it’s joining societies, volunteering, student mentoring schemes, or their partnerships with organisations such as the British Council, which allowed me to go teaching and travelling in Thailand for three months before my final year. I also got funding from the Going Global project so that I could spend four months in America in summer 2017 working with disadvantaged children and getting them involved in outdoor activities.

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CAREER OPTIONS WITH YOUR DEGREE

Graduate Case Study ANDREW THOMAS GRADUATED WITH A DEGREE IN BUSINESS STUDIES AND NOW WORKS AS A TRAINEE AREA MANAGER FOR LIDL WITH RESPONSIBILITY FOR RUNNING UP TO SIX STORES What does your graduate scheme involve? Responsibility for running four to six stores, recruitment, training and development of employees, conducting monthly meetings with store managers to address key issues, and communicating daily with stores to monitor turnover. Why did you decide to apply for a graduate scheme? I applied for a graduate scheme because of the opportunities available. A lot of graduate schemes offer the chance to work in different areas of the business, which is great, because you see how different areas operate and just how important they are to the business being successful. Three things you like about your job: ❙❙ The responsibility of managing upwards of 70 staff. ❙❙ The interaction with not only all levels of employees, but customers as well. ❙❙ Every day is a new day, there is always something new to learn, whether this is how to deal with employees, or new processes and procedures. What did the application process involve and how did you prepare for each stage? There is a three stage process which consists of a group interview and then an assessment centre where you have an interview, Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis, role play exercise, numeracy and situational judgement test and then a final interview. Preparation for each stage was key. Information on the company is always useful to know, especially if the company does anything differently to its competitors. It was also key to prepare any information about yourself, e.g. when you have worked under pressure, your time management skills and experience of managing staff. Having answers to possible questions will make sure you are well prepared. What relevant work experience activities did you use during the selection process? Any experience that you have, whether it’s through volunteering, working part time, sports or a work placement are great examples when asked certain questions in interviews. You should ensure you have some examples ready when you are asked a question, because the interviewer will want a quick response from you.

What advice would you give to other students to improve their employability? Take any opportunity that comes your way, whether this is a one-month internship or a 12-month placement. Any experience is vital and with it being so competitive for employment, you need to stand out from other candidates. Even if you worked for a totally different company than the one that you want to apply to, it shows the willingness to work and learn and you may have picked up skills which can be further developed in your next job. Would you do anything differently if you were a first-year student again? 100% yes! If I was starting my first year again I would have definitely looked at securing a three-month internship over the summer before starting second year. When I was in my second year applying for placements, I realised that other candidates at assessment centres had completed summer internships and as a result they went on to the next stage of the process. Yes, three months isn’t a long time, so you may think that it’s not worth applying, but it could help you secure that placement or graduate job that you want. What aspects of your degree were particularly useful in the selection process? Site visits were very useful. We had the opportunity to go to Jaguar Land Rover as well as spending a day with the chairman of Boodles. These were both great insights into how a multi-national and a small family-run business operates. Any other advice you would give to students about their employability? My advice to students would be to work hard making sure you secure a 2:1/1st and also try and secure your placement/internship fairly early. If you can do this, then you have more time to spend on the modules, as all the application forms and tests are very time consuming. I would also recommend the help of the Employability Advisers. They are great when helping with every aspect of an interview process as well as those psychometric tests! Make sure you have fun whilst at university, but when you need to get work done and secure a job, you need to ensure that you dedicate time for that.

Graduate Case Study SOPHIE STEVENTON GRADUATED IN 2017 FROM THE BA (HONS) MARKETING PROGRAMME AND IS NOW WORKING FOR PHARMACEUTICAL MANUFACTURER CHARGEPOINT TECHNOLOGY AS A MARKETING AND EVENTS ASSISTANT. What does your current role involve? My main duties include updating the website, creating mail shots to send to agents and suppliers, logistics for events, creating content for social media, and updating social media channels.

I also completed a social media marketing internship after university, which again helped me gain more experience and put me in good stead to secure a job in the sector.

Three things you like about your job: It is an interesting business to work within; my duties are varied; and the role is challenging so I keep learning.

What advice would you give to other students to improve their employability? Get as much varied experience as you can, ideally in your first and second year while the workload isn’t as heavy as in your final year. It can help to not be too picky when you come out of university and are looking for your first graduate job. It can take a while to find your ideal job, but you will get there in the end, so don’t get too disheartened!

What did the application process involve and what relevant work experience and skills did you discuss during the selection process? I saw the job advert on indeed.com and applied through their website. After attending an interview, I was offered the job. For my placement year, I had worked abroad in Vienna at a marketing and sales company through the Erasmus programme, which was a great experience, as it allowed me to live abroad for a year while gaining actual marketing experience. The placement definitely helped my CV stand out, so I would recommend doing a placement year to current students, whether abroad or in the UK.

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What aspects of your degree were particularly useful in the selection process? A lot of presentation work we completed in third year helped me during the interview, as I was able to draw on these experiences and provide good answers using examples from both my placement and university.

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Be the one who inspires CAREER OPTIONS WITH YOUR DEGREE

#GetintoTeaching

A SALARIED ROUTE INTO TEACHING MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR ME TO PURSUE A CAREER DOING SOMETHING I LOVE n Bursaries of up to £32,000* and salaried programmes available (subject dependent)

n Starting salary of £22,000-£27,000 a year (upon qualification)

n University-led and School Direct routes

n We are one of a small number of universities offering the PGDE route into teaching, enabling you to top up your qualification with further study and gain a Masters degree in your first year of teaching

n PGDE courses in Early Years, Primary Teaching and a wide variety of Secondary subjects n Excellent career progression opportunities

For a fulfilling career helping young people to achieve their dreams *subject and qualification dependent. For the latest bursary information, visit getintoteaching.education.gov.uk

START YOUR TEACHING JOURNEY TODAY www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

CALL: 0151 231 5340 VISIT: www.ljmu.ac.uk/education

CAREER PLANNING GUIDE

CAREER OPTIONS WITH YOUR DEGREE

Degrees including a

“

work placement

THE EMPLOYABILITY SUPPORT UNIT IN THE LIVERPOOL BUSINESS SCHOOL ASSISTS STUDENTS IN FINDING SANDWICH PLACEMENTS. Completing a placement provides students with valuable work experience in a relevant business area and gives you the chance to develop a range of work-related skills demanded by graduate employers.

Degrees including a work placement

A year’s work placement is an option across all of the school’s undergraduate degree programmes. Students who go on placement are supported by their tutors and can call upon assistance and advice from the school’s Employability Support Unit, not only in CV and interview preparation, but also during placement and in their final year. The sandwich placement allows students to gain essential experience before starting their final year of study.

Rosemary Capper, Liverpool Business School’s Employability Support Manager, commented on the increasing numbers of students applying for both summer and year-long placements: “Liverpool Business School students are becoming more aware of how important it is to gain relevant work experience in order to develop their future careers”. The Business School Placements Fair, which will take place in early November, offers students an opportunity to meet with a wide range of placement providers. Returning students have volunteered to work as placement mentors to regularly share their experiences and motivate new students to apply for the new roles available each year.

Research says ...

Graduate recruiters confirmed that 32% of this year’s entry-level positions are expected to be filled by graduates who have already worked for their organisations, either through paid internships, industrial placements or vacation work. High Fliers Research Ltd 2017

essential steps to securing a

sandwich placement

Get fully involved with your programme of study.

Take advantage of the wide range of careers and employability support available at the university.

Have a positive and self-motivated attitude.

Realistically assess your own skills and abilities.

Make your applications stand out – engage in extra-curricular activities.

Research the company and position you are applying for before you start any applicationemployers value targeted applications.

Demonstrate strong written communication skills, using appropriate business language when making applications.

Seek and act on feedback from employers, peers and academics.

Book a practice interview session.

10. Be persistent. Recognise that you probably won’t

get the first job you apply for, so try and try again.

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www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

CAREER OPTIONS WITH YOUR DEGREE

Placement timeline September ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚

Level 5 inductions including talks on employability and placements. Visit www2.ljmu.ac.uk/esu Start thinking about creating your placement CV Develop your personal placement plan

October ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚

Many placement schemes now open Employer presentations on campus including Aldi, Vauxhall, and Enterprise Rent-A-Car Visit ESU for CV and application advice

November ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚

Attend placement fair on campus National Placement Exhibition, Birmingham Employer presentations on campus including Bentley, Cummins Placements week on campus

December ❚❚

Employability Support Unit (ESU)

❚❚ ❚❚

Have applications checked by ESU and submit before deadlines Book mock interviews with ESU Employer presentations

January ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚

Placement activities continue on campus Review your CV and personal placement plan Visit ESU for CV and application advice

February ❚❚ ❚❚

Employer workshops arranged. Attend personal placement review session

March/April Rosemary Capper - Employability Support Manager Nikki O’Driscoll - Employability Support Officer Anne Pettitt - Employability Support Officer Room 324, Redmonds Building, Brownlow Hill Telephone: 0151 231 3448 Email: esu@ljmu.ac.uk

❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚

Local placements start to be advertised Book mock interviews with ESU Review your personal placement plan Attend health & safety presentations

May/June/July ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚

Website: www2.ljmu.ac.uk/esu

Key period to secure a placement Have all applications checked by ESU before submitting Book mock interviews with ESU Book onto assessment centre and interview webinars with the LJMU Careers Team https://careers.ljmu.ac.uk

August/September ❚❚ ❚❚

www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

Many opportunities still being advertised Think about making speculative applications

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CAREER OPTIONS WITH YOUR DEGREE

Placement Case Study GRACE MASSEY GRADUATED IN 2018 FROM THE BUSINESS AND PR PROGRAMME. HERE SHE REFLECTS ON THE EXPERIENCE FROM HER SANDWICH PLACEMENT AS A CUSTOMER MARKETING INTERN AT BOOHOO.COM. What did your placement involve on a day-to-day basis? I looked after email campaigns that got sent out to numerous different countries and managed a schedule to ensure that all campaigns were sent out on time with the correct content in. I also came up with creative ideas for content for our fashion newsletters and any additional activities the team support. What did the application process involve? How did you prepare for each stage? I applied by sending my cover letter and CV to the company, after seeing the placement advertised on their careers website. I then got invited to an assessment centre which consisted of a group task, an individual task and a one-to-one interview. I prepared for each stage by doing as much research as possible and having meetings with the Employability Support Unit to practise possible interview questions.

How do you feel that the placement has benefited you? It gave me a huge amount of experience and skills to talk about and to take to future roles with me, which I would never have learnt if I hadn’t been in a real business environment. What advice would you give other students to improve their employability? Definitely do a placement year! Get involved in extracurricular activities and work experience to put yourself out there and learn as much as you can. What help or support did you access from the Careers Team? They helped me complete my World of Work Silver, which allowed me to see what sort of job I wanted and how I should go about applying.

Placement Case Study MOLLIE ROLFE GRADUATED FROM THE BUSINESS STUDIES PROGRAMME IN 2018 AND HAS SECURED A ROLE AS A MANAGEMENT ASSISTANT WITH ENTERPRISE RENT-A-CAR, WITH RESPONSIBILITY FOR FLEET CONTROL. HERE SHE REFLECTS ON HER EXPERIENCES AS A CAMPUS BRAND MANAGER AND MANAGEMENT ASSISTANT FOR ERAC. Why did you want to do a placement year? I wanted to gain experience in the real world, and then apply it to my final year of study, hopefully improving my grades. A placement year would also strengthen my CV and make me more employable over other applicants. A friend recommended the Enterprise placement to me, and after I successfully completed the year, I was offered the Campus Brand Manager role. This gave me an opportunity to give something back by helping current LJMU students apply for the role and offering support to make the application process easier for them. What did these roles involve? My placement had a big focus on customer service and satisfaction. I was responsible for all aspects of business, including sales, customer service, marketing, business management, fleet management, finance, and dealing with corporate customers. It’s just like running your own business and you also get to drive some very nice cars! As a Campus Brand Manager, I developed relationships within the university across different departments, helped students through the application process, and set up and attended events to provide information about ERAC’s graduate and work experience schemes. What did the application process for the placement involve and how did you prepare for each stage? There were five stages of recruitment: Online application- I talked about myself and why I would be good for this role e.g. customer service experience. Phone interview- I prepared by noting down some key facts about the company which I could mention while on the phone to them to show I had done my research. Face-to-face interview- I was asked questions which related to

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customer service and sales and prepared by continuing to do research on the company. I also thought about potential questions and practised my responses with my dad. Branch visit- I met with the team in Hereford and shadowed them for a few hours which was followed by an interview with the branch manager. Again they asked questions about myself and customer service and sales. Assessment centre- This involved group work, individual tasks, role play and a final interview. I prepared by thinking about what they had previously asked and also looked at the company again, in particular their core values. Nikki and Rosemary from the Employability Support Unit were really helpful throughout the process. They offered me a mock interview and put me in touch with the current Enterprise ambassadors at LJMU. What advice would you give to other students to improve their employability? Research the company! Make sure you understand the type of company you are applying for, their values and so on. Go to extra lectures and events organised by the Careers Team, as these offer chances to meet employers and learn about employability skills. You’re only at university for a few years and once you get a graduate job, it is harder to do everything you want, so make your time at university worth it! Engage in extracurricular activities and gain as much experience in as many different roles as possible, even if it’s just volunteering for a few hours a week. It all adds to your CV and eventually will be the reason why an employer chooses you over another applicant!

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CAREER OPTIONS WITH YOUR DEGREE

Placement Case Study MATHEW LARSEN GRADUATED IN 2017 WITH A DEGREE IN ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE. HE COMPLETED HIS PLACEMENT YEAR WITH DAINS ACCOUNTANTS AS AN AUDIT ASSISTANT AND HAS NOW SECURED A GRADUATE ROLE WITH THE COMPANY What placement role did you secure and what did this involve on a day-to-day basis?

I was an Audit Assistant for 10 months of the placement, which entailed meeting with clients on their site, completing statutory audits (usually one week/two weeks long), performing audit testing on all areas of the business and ensuring evidence was adequately documented for review from my senior and manager. I also completed two months with the forensics department where I worked on a few high-profile cases while completing work such as analysis of bank statements using pivot tables etc.

Have you secured a graduate role?

I have been offered a graduate role at Dains where I will progress through my professional exams.

Placement Case Study BA (HONS) MARKETING STUDENT STEPHANIE DEWHURST COMPLETED A 12-MONTH PLACEMENT AS A MARKETING ASSISTANT AT SENTINEL PERFORMANCE SOLUTIONS LTD. Why did you want to do a placement and how did you find out about this opportunity? I wanted to gain practical marketing knowledge, build relationships within the marketing sector and further my own personal development outside of my degree. I found out about this placement from one of my lecturers. LJMU had previously worked with Sentinel to organise a placement with a student a few years ago, so already had knowledge of the company and a good relationship with the staff there. What were your main duties? My role as Marketing Assistant has allowed me to manage a wide variety of tasks and projects (both independently and as a department) in both traditional and digital marketing. My main duties were liaising with our PR company to create and manage content for our social media channels; analysing product sales and the market over four years and using this analysis to justify a sales promotion for a new product; independently building an entirely new training programme for installers to learn more about water treatment (and gain clear data to show the success of the project); and finally aiding the commercial sales team in rebuilding an efficient and informative series of webpages using my HTML and CSS3 skills I had learnt independently whilst working at Sentinel. What did the application/selection process involve and how did you prepare for each stage? There were four stages to the application process: ❙❙ Submitting my CV - I ensured my CV and cover letter were tailored to the job description and to the company. From reading their website, I determined some key drivers of the business and tailored my skill set accordingly. ❙❙ Phone interview - In preparation for this, I read up on Sentinel, including recent exhibitions and charity work etc., looking at how they were marketing themselves currently and made sure that I read my CV again. I also made notes throughout my interview. ❙❙ Face-to-face interview - To prepare for this, I looked at my notes from my previous interview and refreshed my memory on key facts about Sentinel. I also looked externally at marketing I had liked from other companies, and thought of ways that Sentinel could feasibly incorporate some of these ideas into their work. ❙❙ Assessment centre - I had to prepare a presentation as one of the tasks, and I made sure to brush up on my data analysis skills on Excel (as this was a key skill for the role). I also reflected on my experiences to date and how they related to the role, which stood me in good stead for my final interview.

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What help and support did you access from the Careers Team? I asked them about psychometric testing, and the Careers Team signposted me to a website where I could practise my skills. It was exceptionally useful to be able to practise the different types of test before I had to do them for real! What relevant work experience and skills did you discuss during the selection process? I had gained relevant marketing experience outside of university, which I was able to call upon in my final interview. I also talked about my involvement with the LJMU Rowing Club, which showcased my skills of teamwork, commitment and organisation. What advice would you give to other students to improve their employability? Be honest about what you are looking for, and ask lots of questions. If you are not the right fit for the company, you will be less likely to enjoy/ complete the year! Once you have the placement, make the most of the experience and learn as much as you can from everyone in the business - not just your own department. Be openly enthusiastic about learning more, as the more experience you can gain across all areas the better! Would you do anything differently if you were a first-year student again? No, I made sure I achieved good grades in my first year which opened a lot of doors in terms of applying for placements. Although first year grades don’t count towards your final grade when you graduate, it is something employers look at when they’re considering you for a placement in their company. What aspects of your degree were particularly useful in the selection process? Being knowledgeable about current affairs in business and marketing was a real advantage, and having an awareness of case studies in consumer behaviour made for an interesting talking point. I’d also just completed a group project in my retail marketing module, which required me to analyse the market and make business predictions from these findings - this project provided a good basis for a key task within my placement on analysing the promotional sales over previous years.

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CAREER OPTIONS WITH YOUR DEGREE

Placement Case Study MATTHEW RYAN IS CURRENTLY IN THE FINAL YEAR OF HIS BA (HONS) BUSINESS STUDIES DEGREE AFTER SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETING HIS SANDWICH PLACEMENT AS A SUPPLY CHAIN IMPROVEMENT INTERN AT AIRBUS. Why did you want to do a placement? I wanted to do a placement to develop experience and skills related to work and therefore decided to enrol on a sandwich course. I also hoped it would help me to understand what area of work I wanted to go into once I had finished my degree.

What help and support did you access from the Careers Team? I subscribed to and regularly checked the Prospects website, which gave me alerts to internships that I might be interested in. I also attended guest speaker sessions. The Careers Team also assisted me in preparing my CV.

What were your main duties? My team was responsible for projects aimed to improve the efficiency of the supply chain at Airbus in order to save the company time, money and effort where possible. Tasks ranged from project management to ensure that staff received the correct training in the new project processes to using supply chain software to monitor and track parts.

What relevant work experience and skills did you discuss during the selection process? Primarily I used my experience from my previous job in retail, discussing relevant situations I had faced and how these demonstrated my skills to the interviewers. I also reflected on my experiences from university as well as any knowledge from previous subjects to answer more technical questions.

What did the application process involve? Simply a cover letter and CV, then a short interview on site. This was quite different to other selection processes, which included group exercises, presentations etc.

What advice would you give to other students to improve their employability? I think it is especially important to try and gain work experience (via a part-time job or volunteering) as this is the best way to develop the employability skills that employers are looking for.

Placement Case Study BA (HONS) BUSINESS AND PR GRADUATE SARAH SMITH COMPLETED HER PLACEMENT YEAR IN SPAIN AT 500COSMETICS, AN E-COMMERCE FIRM, AS A SALES AND MARKETING INTERN. What placement role did you secure and what did this involve on a day-to-day basis? I secured a position as a Sales Manager for B2B UK/USA and B2C Germany, also working in the Affiliate Department. During the first couple of months I was mostly researching into potential leads for B2B partnerships and following up leads so we could present our product proposals to them. Then, I negotiated deals and contracts. Also, in B2C I answered calls and emails for the German customer service line. This also involved trying to sell to the customers, using our database of subscribers to pursue leads and try to sell to them. Now, I have focused my learning towards social media and brand awareness using online tools.

What did the application process involve? How did you prepare for each stage?

I registered with many recruitment websites. In the end Spain Internship, a recruitment agency, found me a couple of offers in Madrid. I then did a starter interview with Spain Internship. I ended up choosing 500Cosmetics for my first interview. The next day, I had the interview with the B2B manager from 500Cosmetics. Before the interview I went on the website and familiarised myself with the website and the products. Leading up to the interview I was very nervous and excited as this was potentially where I would be working for the next year. The interview was via Skype, as 500Cosmetics is in Madrid. The interview was mostly based on what I had been doing in my studies and what experience I had with eCommerce. My interview lasted around 30 minutes, and he told me at the end of the interview he was very impressed and I was hired!

How do you feel that the placement has benefited you?

At 500Cosmetics I have been given hundreds of opportunities to learn and put my studies into practice, and I would never have had these experiences without this placement. I feel that studying the

CAREER PLANNING GUIDE

theory is necessary but when you put the theory into practice, you really understand what it means.

What advice would you give other students to improve their employability? Would you do anything differently if you were a first year student again?

During the summer months, I worked in a pub and volunteered for the Students’ Union when I could. Any experience is useful to bulk up your CV. If I could go back to first year I would start researching potential placements at the beginning of second year. This way I could have focused my work experience more towards my placement subject.

What support should students access and why is this important?

When I was applying for my placement, it was a very last minute decision, so I was regularly visiting the placement office to ensure that I was doing everything correctly along the way. Even before I secured a placement, I was visiting university to make sure the places that I was applying for were suitable for my needs. For example, I almost started applying for an internship program that wanted me to pay €1000 just to sign up, not including flights or anything else. Luckily I went to see Rosemary Capper, who then showed me the light and showed me all the other options I had (that didn’t involve me paying anyone!).

Have you secured a graduate role?

During my internship at 500Cosmetics one of my managers left for another position, the HR department then offered me the job of my manager. I obviously had to decline as I still have another year of study to complete. Therefore I think if I wanted one, I would have a position here after university.

www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

CAREER OPTIONS WITH YOUR DEGREE

JOIN LJMU e-RACING TEAM LJMU e-Racing Team are on the look out for business, marketing, PR, graphic design, film/media, english and journalism students to support our team this academic year. Visit www.ljmueracingteam.com to stand out from the crowd by gaining relevant work experience

Looking for out of hours careers support?

Access our online careers tools at any time, from anywhere

Careers Zone 24 7 CAREERS ZONE 24/7 INCLUDES: CV BUILDER, COVERING LETTER BUILDER, INTERVIEW SIMULATOR, CAREERS NEWSROOM, CAREER ASSESSMENTS, ASSESSMENT CENTRE TOOL, JOB SEARCH ENGINES, GOINGLOBAL DATABASE, APTITUDE TESTS, EMPLOYER ADVICE VIDEOS, CAREER COACHING VIDEOS AND MUCH MORE ...

Access Careers Zone 24/7 from the Careers website:

www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

CAREER PLANNING GUIDE

CAREER OPTIONS WITH YOUR DEGREE

Internship and Erasmus Case Study DANIEL ROBSON GRADUATED FROM THE BUSINESS STUDIES PROGRAMME IN 2018. HERE HE REFLECTS ON HIS INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCES AS AN ERASMUS STUDENT AT THE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF VALENCIA AND HIS ROLE AS A MARKETING INTERN AT THE ESSENTIAL LEARNING GROUP IN SHANGHAI. Did you always know that you wanted to work and study abroad? I knew that I wanted to make use of the sandwich option in my degree and extend my undergraduate time to develop my skills, but after my first interview for an industrial placement, I knew that it wasn’t right for me. That’s when I saw an email about an opportunity to study abroad, which sounded perfect for me, as I actually preferred to carry on studying. I have no regrets that I spent the year studying instead of completing a year-long industrial placement because I had the time of my life and still secured work experience in China during the summer months before my final year of university began. The connections I made abroad on top of industrial experience gave me something that most students wouldn’t have at the end of their degree. LJMU is great in this respect, opening the doors for me I didn’t yet have the keys to open myself. What did you particularly enjoy during your year abroad? Although it was a serious experience and I had to study in Valencia and work as an intern in Shanghai, the travelling made the year an unforgettable experience. The weekends were always my own time and I made the most of this, especially in China. The amount of people I met was also incredible. I have networked and have many friends across Europe and the rest of the world now. This is invaluable if I ever want to go to one of their countries to visit/work/live. Experiencing a little bit of everyone’s culture made me very happy and more understanding of the world. I lived in a flat with eight other people during my time in Spain and met people from so many different countries - the Erasmus experience is really enriching in that way. They seemed to like the scouse I made as well! How has your year abroad helped on your return to university? It has developed my confidence and maturity massively and I am more able to deal with any challenges or problems. The year abroad

also acted as a way of focusing myself. While I have still not realised exactly what I want to do in life as a career, I do have a focus that I want to do more travelling and live abroad again one day. The industrial experience as a marketing intern allowed me to put into practice the theory I had been learning, and when I returned to university, I was able to relate my experiences to the new things I was learning during my final year. What tips and advice would you give students that are unsure about going abroad? I remember at one point I had actually written an email that said I wanted to withdraw from it, but then made the right decision to delete it. It’s easy to doubt that you would be able to cope with going abroad, but you learn to deal with it and love where you are and the people you meet. You overcome the nerves when you get to know people and the place you now live. I moved into the biggest flat possible because living with eight other people, there would have to be at least one that I got on well with and could share my experience with! I can now call the 15 people I lived with friends, and we even all met up in Berlin in February for a reunion, with the next one already planned! We have also been visiting each other, and I am currently volunteering in Nepal with one of them, again through the support and sponsorship of LJMU. I think having the best time of your life is worth taking the plunge on, despite your doubts and nerves. That’s what I did and out of the people I got to meet, I don’t know any that regrets their experience. Do you recommend a year abroad? Cien por ciento! You will have the best experience and year of your life doing this. Even the people I knew who disliked their year abroad at first speak of it now as the best experience of their lives.

Internship Case Study HOLLY BRADSHAW GRADUATED IN 2018 FROM THE HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME. SHE COMPLETED HER SANDWICH PLACEMENT AT GE OIL & GAS AS A HR INTERN, UK-SOUTH What placement role did you secure and what did this involve on a day-to-day basis? I secured a HR intern role supporting the sites across the south of the UK for GE Oil and Gas. This involved interacting with a variety of stakeholders from the employee client group, management and business partners. The role was demanding and time management was key. I was the first point of contact for the HR department for both the Farnborough site and HQ for GE Oil and Gas in London. What did the application process involve? How did you prepare for each stage? The process involved submitting a CV and cover letter, psychometric tests that were based around situational judgement, and a face-toface interview. I have been told that the three key reasons why my application was successful were: ❚❚ One of the few CVs that stated the word ‘HR’. This was in the introduction saying that I was interested in HR as a career and that I had work experience in HR.

❚❚

The online tests were based around the GE beliefs so, if you have been on their website and understand their company beliefs it makes answering the questions a lot easier. It helped in my interview that I had previous voluntary experience in HR as I could answer their questions using relevant examples.

CAREER PLANNING GUIDE

How do you feel that the placement has benefited you? Personally and professionally. I had not moved away from home before so it was a big change for me but doing something that I love helped me settle, alongside having an incredibly supportive team. My self-confidence, communication, and time management skills have improved so much- my family say that they don’t recognise the adult that I have grown into! From employment law to taking minutes, I have learnt so much and feel better equipped to return to university. What advice would you give other students to improve their employability? Work experience! Even if it is just for two weeks, get out there and volunteer yourself as a spare pair of hands. It won’t be glamourous; it will probably be HR admin responsibilities but ask questions and shadow people as much as possible. Also, we have interviewed so many people who don’t really know the answer to the first interview question of ‘Why HR?’ Some don’t even know what HR is about. Do your homework and make sure it is the right role and company for you. What support did you receive from LJMU? I got a lot of support from my personal tutor. She pushed us from year one to get work experience and she even helped me to find local contacts to reach out to.

www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

POSTGRADUATE PROGRAMMES AT

CAREER OPTIONS WITH YOUR DEGREE

LIVERPOOL BUSINESS SCHOOL

THERE ARE AN INCREASING NUMBER OF POSTGRADUATE MASTERS PROGRAMMES OFFERED BY LIVERPOOL BUSINESS SCHOOL. THESE QUALIFICATIONS ARE DESIGNED WITH A PRACTICAL EDGE TO ENSURE THEY MEET THE CURRENT DEMANDS OF EMPLOYERS.

MSC FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT The programme you will be studying is recognised by the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI) and could assist you in achieving the Chartered Wealth Management qualification and then in becoming a member of the CISI. The course is designed to develop students’ understanding of the interpretation, uses, and analysis of financial and investment information in a practical domestic and international context. It will develop students’ reflective, critical and evaluative thinking through the exposure of contemporary and current issues in finance, through teaching and learning that is strongly supported by research and professional practice. This real-world focus will provide immediate value to potential employers. The lecturers on the programme take a proactive role by reviewing the content on a regular basis looking to add value and currency to the modules they deliver through the academic research they produce. They continue to work with a range of financial organisations and bodies to ensure that teaching reflects current practice within the industry. This approach means that students gain in-depth knowledge and skills that will optimise their potential and enhance their employability prospects within the sector. For more information regarding the MSc Financial Management programme, please contact Karl Roberts at K.V.Roberts@ljmu.ac.uk

MSC ENTREPRENEURSHIP Governments across the globe are seeking to develop entrepreneurial economies that can improve the social and economic wellbeing of their nations. This practical masters programme is designed to equip you with essential entrepreneurial skills so that you can contribute to the success of any economy – whether in the UK or internationally. Liverpool Business School’s MSc Entrepreneurship has been developed in consultation with leading business organisations, including the Federation of Small Businesses. The programme is also endorsed by the UK’s longest running organisation for professional leaders, the Institute of Directors (IoD). Ultimately, it delivers high quality entrepreneurial education, developing graduates with a strong mind-set, behaviour, skills and capabilities that can be applied to create value to a range of organisations and new venture start-ups. If you have a passion for commerce and a genuine wish to succeed in your own business, this programme will enable you to achieve your professional ambitions. For more information regarding the MSc Entrepreneurship programme, please contact Seamus O’Brien at S.O’Brien1@ljmu.ac.uk

MA HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT The MA Human Resource Management is a leading postgraduate qualification for those wishing to support organisations in creating competitive advantage using different approaches to the management of human resources. It is recognised by the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development (CIPD) as meeting their level 7 knowledge requirements which with appropriate experience means you can apply for Chartered Membership of CIPD. You can study full-time over one year or part-time whilst also working over two years. Our graduates work in HRrelated careers such as managing performance, employment law advice, learning and development, mediation, recruitment, diversity, resource planning and coaching. For more information regarding the MA Human Resource Management programme, please contact Maureen Royce at M.A.Royce@ljmu.ac.uk

MSC DIGITAL MARKETING This programme is designed to meet industry demand and the skills gap by equipping the next generation of marketing professionals with the knowledge and practical skills to develop, manage and lead a digital marketing campaign. The programme explores digital marketing principles and practices, emerging technologies and consumer behaviour in the digital age. It also provides a solid basis for understanding both traditional marketing and new ways of working in a digital environment, making the programme relevant to those who have studied marketing and those who are from technology backgrounds. The programme will demand both innovative and creative thinking, and a good understanding of current and emerging technologies as well as practical project management techniques using an industry standard methodology. Participants on the course work to a live client brief either arranged by themselves or provided by industry partners. Opportunities are offered to gain professional certification awards, and the course will prepare you for roles in digital agencies, large companies and SMEs or for self-employment. For more information regarding the MSc Digital Marketing programme, please contact Natalie Counsell at N.K.Counsell@ljmu.ac.uk

Details regarding funding of all postgraduate programmes are available on the university website.

For more information about postgraduate programmes available, visit: www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

ljmu.ac.uk/study/courses

CAREER PLANNING GUIDE

SUPPORT AND OPPORTUNITIES AT LJMU

Get support on your doorstep in our campus

Careers Zones

WHETHER YOU WANT TO EXPLORE YOUR CAREER OPTIONS, GET YOUR CV AND APPLICATION FORM CHECKED, FIND A WORK PLACEMENT,

IMPRESS AT INTERVIEW OR MEET AND NETWORK WITH EMPLOYERS, WE CAN HELP IN A VARIETY OF WAYS VIA OUR CAMPUS CAREERS ZONES.

LJMU’s Careers Team provides tailored careers support to all LJMU students during their studies through delivery of careers education, information, advice and guidance from our three campus-based Careers Zones. The Careers Zones are located in Aldham Robarts Library, Byrom Street and IM Marsh Library. Call in to find out how we can help you. Alternatively call 0151 231 2048/3719 if you can’t make it into a Careers Zone.

What support can I get in the Careers Zones?

Support from your Careers Adviser

Support from Employability Advisers

❚❚

Bookable appointments with Careers and Employability Advisers to provide you with individual, tailored support

❚❚

Drop ins (no appointment required) to speak to an adviser and access help with quick careers and employabilityrelated questions

In the Liverpool Business School you have your own dedicated Careers Adviser, Gary Douglas. You are likely to meet Gary at some point during your programme of study. He is available for:

Our Employability Advisers Anja Heid, Jenny Hammond, Nicola Davenport, Gwyneth Tyrer, Sally Beyer and Karen Forman work across the university Careers Zones providing professional, personalised advice on:

Signposting to useful resources and information

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Signposting to careers events, workshops and fairs

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Access to a range of employers who regularly visit the Zones

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Help to access our online careers tools via ‘Careers Zone 24/7’

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Help to access our job search websites including GoinGlobal

Expert job sector advice and information tailored to your needs

❚❚

Careers guidance interviews to discuss career options with your degree, including finding jobs/ postgraduate options and gaining relevant work experience

❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚

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Looking for jobs and the application process Tailoring your CV & covering letters Writing applications and personal statements for work experience, jobs, postgraduate study and PhDs Preparing for interviews

INTERVIEW PRACTICE SESSIONS We offer individual interview practice sessions to help build your confidence by experiencing a one-to-one ‘mock’ interview with a trained assessor who will give you detailed feedback and advice. Whether you want to practise your interview technique or are preparing for a real life interview, you can book in to use this service.

A student says ...

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“

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I booked an appointment at the Careers Zone to speak to an Employability Adviser. She recommended several improvements to my CV and new opportunities I should consider including going to local networking events. I met my future manager at the very first event I went to. The Employability Adviser has kept in touch for a long time after the appointment to help me with my LinkedIn account and my formal interview with the manager later. Overall, the recommendations from staff from the Careers Zones were close to real businesses’ expectations, which was extremely helpful.

CAREER PLANNING GUIDE

www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

SUPPORT AND OPPORTUNITIES AT LJMU

Connect with

employers

THERE ARE NUMEROUS WAYS YOU CAN CONNECT WITH

EMPLOYERS WHILE YOU STUDY, ALLOWING YOU TO NETWORK, DISCUSS OPPORTUNITIES, GET THEIR ADVICE AND FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THEIR CAREER JOURNEY.

01.

EMPLOYER VISITS TO CAREERS ZONES

02.

RECRUITMENT FAIRS & FESTIVALS

03.

SPECIALIST WORKSHOPS

Employers regularly visit the three Careers Zones at LJMU to discuss their opportunities and to meet and network with students. See below for more information about who has visted the Zones.

LJMU run a range of large-scale careers fairs, where you can meet and talk with employers about career options, and recruitment fairs, which feature graduate employers and recruitment agencies with jobs to recruit. Go to careers.ljmu.ac.uk to see what is coming up. Other large-scale fairs run around the country so check local listings at https://www.prospects.ac.uk/events

Each year we run a series of specialist workshops for students that fall outside of the regular yearround careers and employability workshops. In the last academic year for instance we ran workshops about graduate schemes, gaining work experience, and applying to graduate courses in dentistry and medicine.

04.

GUEST SPEAKERS

05.

EMPLOYER PRESENTATIONS

Guest speakers are usually featured as part of the curriculum but we also arrange for speakers to come into LJMU to talk about their job role and industry. Sometimes this will be part of an industry event, such as the ‘A Career in Clinical Psychology ’ event we arranged last year.

Employers visit the university to highlight job and placement opportunities for students and graduates. Often these will be bigger employers who are advertising graduate schemes or industrial placements. Last year Aldi, the British Council and Teach First all spoke at LJMU.

Employers in the Careers Zones ... Employers visit the Careers Zones each week offering real jobs, internships and other career opportunities. Check with staff in the Careers Zone to find out who’s coming in and don’t miss these great opportunities to meet and network with employers from a range of sectors. Organisations who have visited the Zones include:

❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚

Liverpool Universities Officer Training Corps Civil Service Fast Stream Careers in Teaching Hire STEM Women CRISIS Smaller Earth Brook Barclays Digital Eagles Enterprise Rent-a-Car NCS Challenge

www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚

All Wales Public Service Graduate Programme Camp Counsellors USA Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service Liverpool FC Foundation The Right Legal Group VMM International Catch 22 Chatteris Education Foundation Shropshire Wildlife Trust Hays Construction

❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚

Everton in the Community Decathlon Reed Digital Service Cover Hays Recruitment Anthony Nolan/Marrow QVC Reed Scientific Camp America HMRC

CAREER PLANNING GUIDE

SUPPORT AND OPPORTUNITIES AT LJMU

Careers website THE CAREERS WEBSITE IS THE FIRST PORT OF CALL TO FIND OUT ABOUT CAREERS SERVICES, TO ACCESS ONLINE CAREERS TOOLS AND TO DOWNLOAD ANY OF OUR GUIDES AND RESOURCES

01.

CAREER PLANNING GUIDES

02.

CAREER INSIGHTS

Each year, working alongside academic colleagues, the Careers Team produces school-specific Career Planning Guides, which give information about career options related to your degree as well as a range of articles about careers topics including CVs, applications forms, interviews, finding graduate level jobs and more.

These handy guides provide a more in-depth overview of career options with your degree and signpost you to useful links to get your research into future careers and employers under way.

03.

MINI GUIDES

04.

CAREERS ZONE 24/7

05.

BOOK A WEBINAR

06.

SEARCH FOR JOB OPPORTUNITIES

The Careers Team have distilled their wisdom on career planning, CVs, applications and interviews into a series of short guides. Also use our mini guides for further information on postgraduate study, including teacher training, and subject-specific advice, e.g. for Science, Arts and Nursing students.

We have a range of digital careers tools available to enable you to work on vitally important employability skills at your own pace, in your own time, either on or off campus. The 24/7 tools suite includes CV Builder, Interview Simulator, Careers Newsroom, CV and Interview Learning Zone, Job Search websites, GoinGlobal and more.

A webinar is an online class which you can attend from anywhere on any device with an internet or WiFi connection. Sessions include Finding Hidden Jobs, Effective Applications, Introduction to LinkedIn - the ‘Facebook’ for Professionals, Winning CVs, Interview Success and more. To book go to: https://careers.ljmu.ac.uk

Search for part-time jobs, volunteering opportunities, work placements, internships or graduate roles. Our job search websites are free to all students and graduates and list opportunities with both regional, national and international employers. Go to Careers Zone 24/7 on the Careers website to access the sites.

To visit the Careers website go to:

www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers CAREER PLANNING GUIDE

www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

SUPPORT AND OPPORTUNITIES AT LJMU

Careers Zone 24/7

online careers tools

WE HAVE A RANGE OF DIGITAL CAREERS TOOLS AVAILABLE VIA THE CAREERS TEAM WEBSITE TO ENABLE YOU TO WORK ON VITALLY IMPORTANT EMPLOYABILITY AND TRANSITION SKILLS AT YOUR OWN PACE, IN YOUR OWN TIME, BOTH ON OR OFF CAMPUS

01.

CV AND COVER LETTER BUILDER

02.

INTERVIEW SIMULATOR

CV builder and cover letter builder allow you to create an expert CV and covering letter within minutes and download into multiple templates. Watch videos of employers discussing what they need to see in each section of your CV and covering letter. This tool is ideal for students looking to write their first CV or cover letter. The interview simulator allows you to take a mock interview and test yourself with interactive questions and best practice answers from experienced professionals to build up your confidence and competence.

03.

CAREERS NEWSROOM

04.

CAREER ASSESSMENTS

05.

PRACTICE PSYCHOMETRIC TESTS

Features thousands of articles on careers and employability from leading global publications, updated every week with a newsletter function built in.

Each assessment provides a report for each student with tailored recommendations. Assessments include: personality insights, temperament, strengths, learning styles, sound decision-making, assertiveness, customer focus, emotional control, management skills, stress management and more.

Practice aptitude tests including numerical, verbal, inductive, diagrammatic, logical, situational judgement, critical thinking, error checking and e-tray exercises and a wealth of other assessment tools used by graduate employers via Careers Zone 24/7. See p.46 for further details.

www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

06.

GOINGLOBAL DATABASE

07.

INDEED JOB SEARCH

The database allows you to search for jobs and internships around the world. It contains country career guides, information on visas and local culture, employer directories and much more. Access GoinGlobal via Careers Zone 24/7 or visit: http://online.goinglobal.com/default.aspx

Allows you to search millions of jobs, in over 50 countries, from thousands of job sites, newspapers, recruiters and company career sites.

CAREER PLANNING GUIDE

SUPPORT AND OPPORTUNITIES AT LJMU

CareerSmart:

Explore, Experience and Engage FIND OUT MORE ABOUT LJMU’S CAREER DEVELOPMENT AND EMPLOYABILITY PROGRAMME AND HOW IT CAN HELP YOU WHILST STUDYING AT LJMU

All students in their first year of study will have an opportunity to engage with the first stage of the ‘CareerSmart’ programme as an integral part of a core module of study. The ‘CareerSmart: Explore’ e-learning tool will introduce you to the steps involved in making informed choices about your career. It enables you to consider your strengths and development areas, career motivators, the options available to you and the necessary steps to take to achieve your career goals. You will then have the opportunity to complete the next stage of the programme, ‘CareerSmart: Experience’. Here, you will learn about the value of work-related learning by finding out about the range of opportunities available, eg Work-Based Learning, part-time work, internships, volunteering, work shadowing and international opportunities. You will also learn about the benefits of these experiences including skill development, networking and sector insight. This stage also includes resources on how to find work experience and making the most of the opportunity. The third stage of the programme, ‘CareerSmart: Engage’ is employer-informed and you will find out what graduate recruiters are looking for in successful candidates. The resource will support you through each stage of the graduate recruitment process, including the job search, application process, and selection methods – interviews, psychometric tests, assessment centres. The CareerSmart programme complements the wide range of career-related provision and services available to LJMU students to support your development throughout your studies, including the one-to-one careers information, advice and guidance delivered in the campus Careers Zones.

CareerSmart: Explore e-learning assessment For students starting a programme of study in 2018, the CareerSmart: Explore e-learning resource will be completed as an assessment of one of your first-year modules. The resource will take you through steps to help you to set some goals for your first year, which can help you on your career development journey. The steps include an exploration of the following areas:

❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚

Where am I now? Reflecting on your current skills, interests and experience Where do I want to be? Discovering your career options with your degree How do I get there? Understanding the steps to take to achieve your career plans

A Careers Adviser says ...

“

Competition for professional jobs is tough but LJMU are confident that our enhanced career development and employability programme will enable you to compete against the best candidates and win.

There are many options open to you after you finish university. However, whilst it is great to know that there are so many options open to you, at the same time it can feel confusing and overwhelming to have so many choices. The first thing to remember is that uncertainty about your future career plan is normal and that many students feel this way! Although it may appear as if everyone around you has ‘a plan’ and that your fellow students all know what job they want to do in the future, this may not necessarily be the case. It is important not to panic if you are undecided about which career path you want to take. Nevertheless, it is vital to address this uncertainty and to develop a plan of the steps which you need to take to move yourself forward. Remember that the process of career planning can take time as you need to do some reflection about your own suitability in relation to career choice, and you also need time to thoroughly research your options. Therefore try and start the process of thinking about future careers as early as you can, ideally from your first year of university.

Student feedback about CareerSmart: ❙❙ ❙❙ ❙❙

❙❙ ❙❙ ❙❙

CAREER PLANNING GUIDE

“Gave me a great starting block for planning my future career.” “It helped me feel more confident about my future and what I need to do to get there.” “It got me actively thinking about my future in advance. I think it is very important to think ahead before you graduate to give yourself time to be certain of what career you want to pursue, so you can start applying for placements and internships to enhance your chances of being successful. And I think that the assignment really helped me with that.” “It helped me realise how many roles are available and how much our university can help.” “I found it really helpful and it gave me some ideas of how to make the most of my university experience.” “I feel I am now able to start doing the right things, like getting involved more, to help me become more prepared for a job at the end of my course.”

www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

SUPPORT AND OPPORTUNITIES AT LJMU

work experience with your Students’ Union

Get great

DID YOU KNOW THAT BY GETTING INVOLVED WITH JMSU YOU COULD HUGELY INCREASE YOUR SKILLS AND EMPLOYABILITY, ENHANCE YOUR CV AND IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES OF FINDING A JOB ONCE YOU LEAVE UNIVERSITY? Iya! We’re JMSU. Like the name says - we are here for LJMU students. Every single one of you. We represent you, we support you, and we make sure you have an absolutely boss time at Uni. We offer loads of opportunities for you to gain valuable (and fun) work experience whilst you’re studying at LJMU.

❙❙ We offer full-time, year round, paid jobs … in our four Student Officer positions. ❙❙ You can volunteer with us ... As the Captain, President or Committee Member of a sports club or society, or as a Course or Faculty Rep.

❙❙ Or join our student staff team in flexible, paid positions ... We have a variety of roles, from promoting our events and campaigns across campus, to working in our Creative Content team, to working with our Reception Team.

Hear from students who have worked and volunteered with us: Karl Kinson, UG Computer Science ... volunteers as a Course Rep.

I have been a key person that connects students in class to the staff that run the course. I do this by collecting feedback from students and then presenting this to the appropriate people in either the Faculty or the SU. It’s the best feeling ever knowing that you aren’t just attending university but you are helping improve the experience here, no matter how small that change is. This role gives you so much confidence and I cannot wait to continue next year.

Daisy Clack, MA Human Resource Management ... has worked as student staff, currently works as a Student Staff Supervisor and has completed work experience with the HR department. I have worked as a member of student staff for over 3 years, which has majorly developed my confidence and communication skills. Becoming a Supervisor of the student staff team has given me an amazing skillset which I can reference in job applications when planning for my future career. I have been able to do this role while studying full time. I have also completed work experience with the HR manager, which has given me so much valuable knowledge in my specific area of interest, meaning I can now transfer theory from my Master’s Degree in to the workplace.

WE’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU You can find us across campus, so it doesn’t matter where you study, we’re always close by. Our main base is at the John Foster Building on Mount Pleasant, where our reception, Advice Centre and offices are, but we’re also in the social spaces at Byrom Street, Tithebarn Street, Redmonds Building and IM Marsh.

www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

Jess Beresford, Sport Coaching student ... Worked as a Welcome Rep, Outreach staff, volunteered as a Course Rep, President of Women’s Rugby Union and founder and President of Sport Coaching Society. After being a member of Women’s Rugby Union for two years I was voted President in my final year, which has given me experience in management, organisation and funding; all of which are important in the sporting industry. I decided to challenge myself more and set up my own society (Sports Coaching society). This valuable experience allowed me to network with a range of people and be recognised for my achievements. It put me in a perfect position for post-graduation. The community-based roles at the Students’ Union increased my confidence by engaging with people from a range of backgrounds. This helped to enhance my employability and interpersonal skills whilst working in an enjoyable environment.

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CONNECT WITH US You can email us at: studentsunion@ljmu.ac.uk Phone: 0151 231 4900

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CAREER PLANNING GUIDE

SUPPORT AND OPPORTUNITIES AT LJMU

How to make the most of your

university time

THE MAJORITY OF STUDENTS GO TO UNIVERSITY TO ULTIMATELY SECURE A JOB WITH GREAT PROSPECTS. EMPLOYABILITY ADVISER NICOLA DAVENPORT LOOKS AT SOME IDEAS TO IMPROVE YOUR EMPLOYABILITY IN EACH YEAR OF STUDY.

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So you’ve got your place at university, you’re fulfilling all of your course commitments and enjoying yourself, but are you really making the most of your time? In addition to your academic qualifications, employers look for people who can show motivation, enthusiasm, proactivity and commitment. You can demonstrate all of these things through your extracurricular activities and employment. Work experience is key and you can find this in many forms: placements, part time work, work shadowing, volunteering and internships. Before you look for experience, evaluate your existing skill set and analyse the labour market to find out what you may need in the future - can you find a role that will help you develop these skills now? There are a number of ways the Careers Team can help you improve your employability, so come along and see us.

DID YOU KNOW? Nearly a fifth of LJMU graduates of the class of 2017 did some voluntary work whilst at university, and over 70% of graduates had a paid, parttime job alongside their studies. In addition to looking great on your CV, research suggests that getting involved in voluntary work can also boost your self-esteem and improve your mental health.

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What can i do? In addition to gaining relevant work experience, there are many other ways that you can show motivation and enthusiasm whilst also developing skills. You could: ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚

Chair or set up a society, or become a course representative Writing, presenting or other work with a student newspaper or radio station Put on an event – music, charity… Volunteer or fundraise with a charity Complete a sponsored activity/ challenge, such as a run, climbing a mountain Learn a language Do you have a business idea? Get in touch with the Centre for Entrepreneurship! Learn a new skill – cooking, music, sport Enter competitions – writing, business, finance, student, enterprise…. Take up mentoring opportunities

As well as being a great way to get to know people and enjoy yourself, all of these things can help your employability and look great on your CV.

Looking for greater insight about career options related to your degree?

Download our course-specific Career Insights from:

www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

CAREER PLANNING GUIDE

www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

YOUR CAREER JOURNEY SUPPORT AND OPPORTUNITIES AT LJMU

FIRST YEAR: EXPLORE Meet

Join

your Careers Team at a Careers Zone or visit the Careers website www2.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

clubs or societies or become a course representative via the Students’ Union

Explore

LJMU and all its opportunities and support and research voluntary opportunities

Plan

start to think about your career ideas and begin planning

START UNIVERSITY

Go global

take a look at the opportunities abroad via LJMU or an external provider

SECOND YEAR: EXPERIENCE Research

your chosen career path/ options

Experience

Get involved

get relevant paid work, volunteer or work shadow

Get advice

seek out opportunities to enhance your university experience

from your Careers Team (advice and guidance, CVs, interview help)

Find

get relevant experience via a placement or internship

FINAL YEAR: ENGAGE Utilise

your Careers Team and their expert knowledge to look for and get your dream job

Reflect

on your experiences and how you can evidence these to employers

Engage

with your career sector and/ or organisation

Apply

for graduate schemes and graduate level jobs or consider further study

Graduate Outcomes is a national survey which gathers information about the activities and viewpoints of graduates 15 months after they’ve finished their studies. For graduating students GRADUATION your response to this survey is very important as it will provide future students with insight into their potential career destinations, enable LJMU’s Careers Team to offer tailored careers advice which you can continue to access for life as a LJMU graduate, provide higher education institutions, policy makers, researchers and others with data to understand current trends within the graduate jobs market and contribute to the University’s positioning in league tables. Anyone who graduates after 1 August 2017 will be asked to complete the Graduate Outcomes survey. The Graduate Outcomes survey is a statutory process for all higher education providers and is coordinated by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). The operations and data collection element of the Graduate Outcomes survey will be undertaken by a third-party survey contractor who will work in collaboration with HESA, Funding Bodies and UK Higher Education Providers. To help LJMU, all you need to do before you leave University is ensure you keep your contact details up to date via LJMU Connect (https://ljmuconnect.com) and complete the survey when you are contacted approximately 15 months after completing your course. www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers CAREER PLANNING GUIDE

SUPPORT AND OPPORTUNITIES AT LJMU

Move up to Masters

The benefits of postgraduate study As you plan your next step after graduation, don’t forget that a Masters could give you the opportunity to assess your aspirations, enhance your career prospects, enjoy further study in your chosen subject or allow you to change direction. Postgraduate study at LJMU is an increasingly popular choice and one that can make you stand out from the crowd in the jobs market.

Fit your studies around your life

Many of our taught masters programmes are only a year long and, if you want to work whilst you study, some are available on a parttime basis. We even offer distance learning and evening taught programmes. In essence, there’s something for everyone in our choice of over 140 courses.

deliver the knowledge, skills and experience you need to achieve your professional ambitions.

What a Masters says about you

Can I afford it?

Our programmes are delivered by academics actively involved in innovative research or consultancy. It is this combination of academic expertise and ‘real world’ experience that ensures our offerings are up-to-date, accredited by key professional bodies and

On top of the recently introduced postgraduate loans, there are Professional Career Development loans, employer sponsorships and bursaries available for higher-level study. And what’s best of all, as a continuing LJMU student, you may be eligible for a massive 20% off your postgraduate tuition fees or a scholarship for international students (see terms and conditions at ljmu.ac.uk).

What next?

“

Postgraduate study itself demonstrates your ability to learn independently, to apply yourself to real research and to venture into unchartered waters. It also opens new doors, giving you the opportunity to study in areas you may not have considered and explore different career paths.

To find out more about postgraduate options at LJMU, take a look at our web pages: ljmu.ac.uk/postgraduate

My postgraduate experience ... WITH A BUSINESS MANAGEMENT DEGREE UNDER HIS BELT, ANDREW DECIDED TO INDULGE HIS LOVE OF RESEARCH AND STEP UP TO A MASTERS IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP.

“My undergraduate degree was very much tailored to my style of learning and I picked up a lot of academic knowledge. On graduation I realised I wanted to take my business plan further and research more. The Entrepreneurship Masters enabled me to combine my interests in research and business. “Masters-level study is a lot more independent than undergraduate study. It is certainly more demanding but, as there are less students on the programme, the content is more tailored to your specific interests. You really are nurtured on the course and that makes it manageable. “My course not only increased my business knowledge, it also developed me psychologically as an entrepreneur. In my experience Masters study has been innovative, exciting and mind growing.”

CAREER PLANNING GUIDE

www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

SUPPORT AND OPPORTUNITIES AT LJMU

Professional and personal development

opportunities abroad

EMPLOYERS ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR SOMETHING EXTRA ON YOUR CV. CONSIDER ADDING SOME INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE TO YOURS BY COMPLETING A TRIP ABROAD Pursuing a degree at university can be a daunting experience, especially if you choose to live away from home. However, once you have taken that initial leap, you may find that the path to further experiences becomes a lot clearer as your confidence grows. Whether you wish to study, intern or volunteer abroad, you may be surprised at the range of opportunities available to you via multiple funding routes. The best news is, you don’t have to limit yourself to just one either.

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01.

GET IN TOUCH

Study Abroad

LJMU have a number of Erasmus+ partners in Europe and partner universities in the USA where you can study abroad for one semester during your second year of study or for a whole year, in between your second and third year at LJMU. LJMU students are entitled to Erasmus+ grants or the LJMU travel bursary if studying in the US, helping you to afford your placement. Talk to the International Mobility Coordinator in your School about potential placements to suit your course needs and follow @LJMUGlobalOpps on Twitter and Instagram for more information when applications are open.

03.

Go Global

LJMU offer students the chance to bid for up to £1,500 (£750 for postgraduate students)* to help fund the adventure of a lifetime. You can find an experience anywhere in the world that will help you develop both personally and professionally, and LJMU will help you to achieve it. This could involve working with animal conservation teams in Africa, building houses in developing communities, being a camp counsellor, taking part in sports development programmes or anything else you set your mind to. For further information, visit www.ljmu.ac.uk/ students/go-abroad/ where you can find out more details on the many opportunities available, including the organisations LJMU work with to offer these opportunities to students, such as Smaller Earth ljmu.smallerearth.com. *Funding limit is subject to change

05.

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For more information about international opportunities: Email: goabroadteam@ljmu.ac.uk Follow: @LJMUGlobalOpps Visit: ljmu.ac.uk/students/go-abroad

Erasmus+ Traineeship (work placement)

02.

Putting your knowledge to good use in a work environment is great for your CV, but working abroad will certainly make your CV stand out from the crowd. With Erasmus+ traineeships, you can work in Europe for two to 12 months and get funding with the Erasmus+ grant to help you with your expenses. You can complete your traineeship at almost any organisation in Europe, whether that be one of the organisations LJMU has an existing relationship with, or whether it be a traineeship you have sourced yourself. Talk to your tutor to find out what options they can recommend to you.

CRCC Asia Internship

04.

LJMU have partnered up with CRCC Asia to offer Liverpool John Moores students the opportunity to complete a two-month summer internship in Asia in sectors including business, IT, law, media, tourism, marketing, not-for-profit and green technology. Students have previously worked in Shanghai, Tokyo and Ho Chi Minh City, with more international opportunities available each year. The programme is funded, including flights, accommodation, visas and insurance, and students have the chance to immerse themselves in a new culture, learn a new language and expand their global network. Look out for more information by following @LJMUGlobalOpps on Twitter and Instagram.

International Summer Schools

Each summer, LJMU students have the opportunity to attend one of several LJMU International Summer Schools. In 2018, students visited Shanghai, Changshu and Jiaxing in China, Lima, Sharjah and Zaragoza, where they completed one-to-two week programmes at our partner universities, as well as exploring new cultures, learning new languages and making new friends. These opportunities are funded by LJMU, including flights, accommodation, visas and insurance, and the university plans to expand the opportunities even further across the globe.

www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

CAREER PLANNING GUIDE

TACTICS AND CHOICES

Planning your career

NOT SURE WHERE TO START WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR NEXT MOVE? DON’T WORRY, MOST PEOPLE FEEL THAT WAY, BUT WE ARE HERE TO HELP YOU TO NAVIGATE YOUR WAY THROUGH YOUR OPTIONS.

Questions to ask yourself when exploring your career options

1. Do you have any ideas at all about careers which interest you, however vague these are? If so, make a note of these ideas and explore them further. 2. Do you wish to use the knowledge you have gained or will gain from your degree in your future career? If so, are there certain modules of your degree which you have enjoyed more than others? Try to explore job areas which could relate to these subjects. 3. Have you completed any work experience at all (even if this is unrelated to your degree subject)? Think about what you liked about this work experience and about skills which you enjoyed using. 4. Are there any jobs you have done which you didn’t enjoy? If so, why was this?

6. Think about the feedback you have received from others (for example from tutors or from friends or family) about skills you excel in. Are there particular skills which you are naturally strong in? 7. Do you have any interests outside of university which are unrelated to your studies? For example, do you have any creative interests or do you do any voluntary work? It may be worth exploring career options which relate to these interests. 8. Are you willing to undertake further study if this is required by the type of career you want to go into? 9. What kind of environment would you like to work in? For example, do you see yourself working in an office, in a laboratory or outdoors? 10. Are there any other special circumstances which may affect the type of job you can go into? For example, are you only able to work certain hours or in a certain location?

Help and support available to you..

01. 02. 03.

BOOK AN APPOINTMENT WITH A CAREERS ADVISER If you are unsure about your career options, you are advised to book an appointment with a Careers Adviser to give your search a focus. An employer can easily spot applications from students just looking for any job, as your heart won’t be in it. To book an appointment, call into a Careers Zone or alternatively phone us on 0151 231 3719/2048.

CAREERS INSIGHTS AND MINI GUIDES Check out our Careers Mini Guides available via the Careers website. Titles include Career Planning for Mature Students, Planning your Career, Graduate Schemes to help you decide which direction to take. The Career Insight for your programme highlights options available to you with your degree.

MEET EMPLOYERS & ATTEND A CAREERS EVENT/FAIR We arrange careers fairs, employer presentations, guest speakers, specialist workshops and regular employer visits to the Careers Zones where you can also meet and network with employers and find out about career opportunities and discuss career routes.

CAREER PLANNING GUIDE

“

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Data from our Career Readiness Survey for 2017/18 showed that only 30% of final-year students had a specific career in mind at the beginning of the academic year. Starting to plan your career right from the start of your degree ensures that you can make applications for graduate jobs or postgraduate courses in your final year and get your career under way.

5. Were there any career ideas you had when you were at school or college? If so, is it worth revisiting or reviewing these ideas?

A Careers Adviser says ...

There are many options open to you after you finish your degree but at the same time it can feel confusing and overwhelming to have so many choices. Any uncertainty about your future career plan is normal and many students feel this way! However, it is important to address this uncertainty and to at least develop a plan of the steps you need to take to move yourself forward.

www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

TACTICS AND CHOICES

Thinking about

postgraduate study? ARE YOU CONSIDERING

POSTGRADUATE STUDY AS A NEXT STEP? CAREERS ADVISER STEVE BURBAGE LOOKS AT THE REASONS FOR AND AGAINST FURTHER STUDY.

A postgraduate qualification may ‘help you to stand out from the crowd’ but make sure you do your research first as, although it may enhance your career prospects in some cases, in other cases relevant work experience will be more valuable. Many students also opt to undertake postgraduate study to further develop subject knowledge or to convert to a new career area such as law, medicine, education or IT. If you are unsure about what to do next and feel that studying a postgraduate course will give you more time to help you decide, think about whether this is the best strategy. Postgraduate study is time-consuming and can be very costly so you should be reasonably clear about your career goals/aims before starting a course. You can always meet with a Careers Adviser to discuss postgraduate options in more detail by calling into your nearest Careers Zone to make an appointment.

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DISCUSS POSTGRADUATE OPTIONS WITH A CAREERS ADVISER

New postgraduate loans are available for students on Masters courses at universities across the UK. Students under 60 who ordinarily live in England can apply for a loan of up to £10,609; visit https://www.gov.uk/fundingfor-postgraduate-study for more details. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are running their own schemes. For further information on eligibility and available funding, check https:// www.findamasters.com/funding/ guides/masters-loans.aspx. A separate loan system for PhD study will also be available from 2018/19. Additional postgraduate funding options include Professional Career Development Loans, employer sponsorship, bursaries/ scholarships or charitable trusts and foundations. Check https://www. prospects.ac.uk/postgraduate-study/ funding-postgraduate-study for further details.

It’s easy to get bewildered by the wide range of postgraduate courses on offer. Discussing your career objectives and postgraduate study ideas with a Careers Adviser can help to focus your search for the course that’s right for you. Call into a Careers Zone or phone us on 0151 231 2048/3719 to book an appointment.

How and when to apply

DID YOU KNOW? The UK has one of the largest and most diversified postgraduate sectors in the world with almost 21,000 postgraduate course/research options on offer, which can make choosing the right course quite challenging. Therefore it is important that you research each course you are interested in and consider if it would help you achieve your career ambitions.

Help and support available to you..

01. 02. 03.

Funding

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GET HELP WITH YOUR POSTGRADUATE APPLICATION FORM Our Employability Advisers provide tailored feedback and advice on personal statements for postgraduate applications to help you effectively demonstrate your motivation and suitability for your chosen course to admissions tutors. To book an appointment, drop into a Careers Zone or call 0151 231 2048/3719.

DOWNLOAD OUR CAREER MINI GUIDE For further information about different course and funding options, head to our Careers website www. ljmu.ac.uk/careers/ and download our handy guides on postgraduate study, applications and PhDs.

20% DISCOUNT OFF POSTGRADUATE STUDY

www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

LJMU graduates undertaking postgraduate study at LJMU are entitled to a 20% discount - see terms and conditions at ljmu.ac.uk

The majority of applications are made directly to the institutions concerned; however, some vocational courses such as teaching, law and social work require applications to be made via a central admissions service, which will restrict the amount of courses you can apply to and will usually stipulate a particular closing date. Not all courses have a closing date; however, it is still highly recommended that you do your research well in advance as some courses fill up very quickly and may have particular entry requirements i.e. relevant work experience. Applications (or enquiries) regarding PhDs/ Masters by research should ideally be made around Christmas time; the earlier your application, the more likely it is to attract funding.

CAREER PLANNING GUIDE

TACTICS AND CHOICES

Finding

graduate level jobs YOUR DEGREE WILL OPEN UP A HUGE RANGE OF JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOU. KNOWING YOUR OPTIONS IN THE GRADUATE LABOUR MARKET IS THE FIRST STEP TO YOUR DREAM JOB.

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Graduate opportunities exist across all sectors and with employers of all sizes, but there are significant differences in the recruitment process and focus of the roles. Much depends on the size of the company. For example, most large private sector companies and multinationals recruit and train a number of graduates via a graduate scheme every year, whereas many public sector employers and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) advertise graduate roles on a more ad-hoc basis. Most graduate schemes involve training in different business areas or working on a range of projects, and around half of all the schemes with large companies are open to graduates from any degree subject. The application process for these programmes can be lengthy, with closing dates as early as Christmas in your final year, followed by online tests, telephone/video interviews and assessment centres. Many companies of all sizes also use recruitment agencies to fill temporary vacancies. These can be great to enhance your CV and may lead to additional opportunities within the same company.

DID YOU KNOW? We advertise thousands of vacancies each year via the job search facility on our Careers Zone 24/7 platform; this includes graduate jobs, placements/internships, voluntary roles as well as part-time work. You can also search for overseas jobs and internships on our GoinGlobal database, which is also available via the platform. Go to the Careers website and follow the links for Careers Zone 24/7 - www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

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Help and support available to you..

01. 02. 03.

ONE TO ONE SUPPORT IN THE CAREERS ZONE If you are unsure of your options after you graduate, you can speak to a Careers Adviser to discuss which sectors and opportunities may best suit you, and our Employability Advisers can help you ace your applications for a range of graduate positions. To book an appointment, call into a Careers Zone or phone us on 0151 231 2048/3719.

WORKSHOPS/WEBINARS

Throughout the academic year, we run a number of events to help you understand your job options in the graduate labour market, from our workshops and webinars on graduate schemes and the hidden job market to a range of employer talks and fairs. Keep an eye on our events website https://careers.ljmu.ac.uk and get networking!

CAREER MINI GUIDE Head to our Careers website www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers/ and download our guides on graduate schemes and the hidden job market for further information.

CAREER PLANNING GUIDE

The hidden job market Organisations are under no legal obligation to advertise their jobs externally, so you will only be able to search a fraction of the job market online. What you don’t see are hundreds of roles offered and accepted through other means and never advertised to the general public. This is often referred to as the ‘hidden job market’. Networking is the key to opening the door to the hidden job market, and it is easier than you think:

Get out there!

Each year the Careers Team invites employers of all sizes and sectors onto campus for a range of events, talks, fairs and careers presentations. This gives you the chance to network with employers to talk about potential opportunities and learn more about the sectors that interest you.

Get online

Use social media to follow organisations and interact with individuals who may be able to offer you advice, support and even job opportunities in the future. You may also learn about sector-specific networking events you could attend to meet future employers.

Get LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the leading professional network and your profile acts as a CV. You can connect with individuals and organisations to increase your network, gain insight into your industry and also search for jobs - https://university. linkedin.com/linkedin-for-students

You have to speculate to accumulate

You can also contact prospective employers through a speculative application, i.e. sending a CV and covering letter to organisations of interest to you when they do not currently advertise suitable vacancies. If your application impresses them, they may contact you to discuss possible upcoming positions.

www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

TACTICS AND CHOICES

Thinking of starting

your own business?

LJMU’S CENTRE FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP CAN HELP STUDENTS WHO WANT TO DEVELOP A NEW BUSINESS IDEA, WORK AS A FREELANCER, LAUNCH A PRODUCT OR SERVICE OR GROW AN EXISTING BUSINESS. The Centre for Entrepreneurship will help you to build your business concept alongside your studies, connect with the local business community and develop your enterprise skills. We offer:

❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚

Try It Out Awards – a £250 quick response fund to test your idea

❚❚

Idealab – a summer school to develop technology-driven business ideas

Start-up fund – up to £2000 to start your new venture

Year Out - £3000 to support a venture started as part of a sandwich year placement

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Case Study FINAL YEAR MARKETING STUDENT AMY COLLINS TELLS US HOW SHE TURNED AN INSTAGRAM TREND INTO A VIABLE BUSINESS WITH SUPPORT FROM THE CENTRE OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP How did you go about starting your own business? I noticed that lots of artists I admired on Instagram were releasing enamel pins. I felt like I hadn’t put my own creative skills to the test for years so decided to use pins as a way to challenge myself and have a creative outlet. I just started with one pin design to keep the financial risk down and used the money from that to finance the second one. I haven’t put any money into the business apart from that initial couple of hundred pounds. Now, I not only sell my own designs on Etsy but also design and supply pins for other businesses and individuals. What does your job involve? It’s just me doing virtually everything so I wear many hats. I design, market, bookkeep, order stock from various suppliers, liaise with potential clients, send all the parcels out etc. Three things you like about your job: ❙❙ In the last few months I’ve started selling at local makers markets which I love doing. It’s brilliant to see the reaction on people’s faces when they appreciate your designs.

❙❙ I love being part of the Independent Liverpool scene, I kind of straddle the hospitality community and also the local indie artists and artisans. Liverpool is thriving in these areas, I feel very proud to be part of it.

❙❙ The sense of accomplishment when working

for yourself is very fulfilling. I have always had an excellent work ethic but when something works out and you’ve seen it through from concept to end result there’s no better feeling.

www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

What were the key challenges that you faced and how did you overcome them? Working for myself is tough as I’m not naturally organised and certainly lack discipline so I have to constantly review working practices and also just be very realistic about what one person can achieve. Another challenge was feeling like a bit of a fraud and not worthy or professional enough sometimes. Because I’ve just learned as I have gone along including graphic design skills, marketing skills and business management skills, it’s easy to convince yourself that you’re out of your depth sometimes. The more I spoke with other entrepreneurs the better I started to feel. I realised that everyone is winging it, everyone is taking risks, learning by doing, failing, then trying something a little different until it sticks. So now instead of comparing myself with everyone else, I just feel incredibly proud to have the confidence to keep trying and keep seeking new opportunities. What help or support did you access from LJMU and how was this useful? I have had some great tips and pointers from the Centre for Entrepreneurship, the most important one being; try to keep it simple, as it’s easy to get carried away with lots of ideas but being great at one thing is so much better. I also have been incorporating some digital marketing skills into my business that I’ve learned on my course too. Now that things are really taking off I have one of my classmates working with me. I can focus more on leads and design and she is organising newsletters and improving my SEO etc. What relevant work experience/skills have proved most useful in running a business? I am a mature student so I have worked many jobs

including 9 years in HMV where I was a manager. I think that every single job I’ve had has contributed in some way to my capabilities as a sole trader and entrepreneur. Because I have worked a lot and know how employable I am it means that I don’t have a fear of failure. If I have to give up Pin Head tomorrow it would be sad but I would be able to move onto another project or job. This doesn’t mean I don’t care, it means I can take risks and live with the outcome no matter what. What advice would you give other students to improve their employability or looking to start their own business? Viktor Frankl sums up precisely my thoughts on running your own business - “Don't aim at success. The more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one's personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of one's surrender to a person other than oneself.” In other words be brilliant at what you do, help others, be true to yourself and success will come but don’t chase numbers or notoriety as you will only be disappointed. What’s next for your business? I have some ideas up my sleeve to do with working more with charities and some local projects too, but as I’m entering the final year of my Marketing degree I need to be patient and not overload myself with work. I’m determined to do well with my degree so scaling up Pin Head (www.pinheaduk.com) can wait a little longer.

CAREER PLANNING GUIDE

TACTICS AND CHOICES

The importance of relevant

work experience

WORK EXPERIENCE CAN OFTEN BE THE DECISIVE FACTOR IN SECURING THE JOB YOU WANT; HERE WE LOOK AT WHY IT IS SO IMPORTANT AND

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THE DIFFERENT WAYS YOU CAN GET EXPERIENCE UNDER YOUR BELT.

DID YOU KNOW? According to a 2018 survey of large employers (carried out by High Fliers Research), more than a third of the employers taking part in the research warned that graduates who have had no previous work experience are unlikely to be successful during the selection process for the top employers’ graduate programmes. This means that by having no experience you are immediately restricting the opportunities available to you.

Types of work experience

Work experience has become a general term which incorporates a wide range of opportunities and experience. The best way for employers to recruit a future graduate can be to see them in the workplace and how they perform on a daily basis. The following types of work experience can therefore be a way of securing a future graduate position at an organisation.

2. 3. 4. 5.

Year-long placements – This type of placement is also known as an industrial or sandwich placement. They can be a compulsory part of a university course but students on other courses may also have the option to take a year out from their studies and undertake a placement. This usually takes place between the second and third year of your course. Summer placements – Increasingly the term internship is being used to describe placements that take place over the summer holidays usually for between eight and 12 weeks. They can be well-paid and, depending on the organisation, may only be available to students who have completed at least two years of their degree course. Work shadowing – These opportunities are usually short term and unpaid as you will not be undertaking a specific role in an organisation. The main activities include observing staff and getting an insight into a particular job role and organisation. They can be extremely useful in building up contacts. Part-time work – These types of positions tend to be ongoing and you may be working for one or two days per week even during term time. They may not necessarily be linked to your future career but they are still a great way to gain skills, develop your organisational awareness and build up your CV. Internships - This term is increasingly used but is just another name for a placement and can range from two weeks to a year in duration. Find out more about paid undergraduate LJMU internships on the opposite page.

A Careers Adviser says ...

“

Put yourself in an employer’s position. Even if you do well at interview, if you have no work experience, and no employment references and another candidate does, they are more likely to appoint the person who has ‘proof’ of their abilities in the workplace. It is important to get hands-on experience in possible future job roles. This helps to build up your CV and provides examples to use in applications and interviews. It is also a great way to make contacts, build confidence and develop a range of skills that, even if not entirely related to your future graduate role, show that you are a motivated person who wants to develop.

CAREER PLANNING GUIDE

The voluntary sector Many people may not consider volunteering as it is unpaid, but it isn’t important to future employers whether your work experience is paid or unpaid. In fact, volunteering looks fantastic on your CV, as it says something about you as a person that you are prepared to work on an unpaid basis to support a community, for example, and develop personally. As with other work experience opportunities, it is a great way to improve your organisational and cultural awareness and build up contacts. There are many ways to find volunteering opportunities. You can search websites such as https://do-it.org/ for a wide variety of roles or go directly to the charity or organisation you want to support to ask about volunteering opportunities. LJMU also runs volunteering projects in schools and colleges for students to get involved with. For other opportunities outside of a school/college environment, there is a service for students called Volunteering Liverpool. LJMU is a part of the partnership running this service along with John Moores Students’ Union, Liverpool Guild of Students, Liverpool Hope University, The City of Liverpool College, and Volunteer Centre Liverpool. The Volunteering Liverpool website offers volunteering opportunities for all students in Liverpool across a variety of areas. www.liverpoolguild.org/main-menu/ volunteer to search for opportunities in areas such as arts, health, environment, sport and many more.

www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

TACTICS AND CHOICES

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MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR VACATIONS A number of working holiday providers such as Camp America, Camp Leaders, Ski Canada, CCUSA and JET visit LJMU each year to promote their summer and year-long placement programmes. These programmes are a great way to travel, meet new people, experience different cultures and gain skills and experiences that will look great on your CV. Keep an eye on our events website (https:// careers.ljmu.ac.uk/) for details of talks, which usually take place during the autumn term each year.

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Help and support available to you..

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LJMU VOLUNTEERING If you would like to arrange some volunteering or get more information you can email volunteer@ljmu.ac.uk, follow @volunteer_LJMU on Twitter or call the volunteering manager Chris Prescott on 0151 904 6356.

WORKSHOPS/WEBINARS AND EMPLOYER EVENTS

The Careers Team runs a number of workshops/webinars and events throughout the academic year, including employer presentations and visits to the Careers Zones, where you can find out about work experience and volunteering opportunities. Check our events website https://careers.ljmu.ac.uk regularly, and also look out for placement fairs organised by your faculty.

DOWNLOAD OUR CAREER MINI GUIDES For further advice, download our mini guides on part-time jobs and work experience from the Careers website at www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

LJMU CareerSmart Internship Programme

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A fixed number of 20 day funded internships are available every summer to level 5 and 6 students. In a range of disciplines, the internships will be with a local employer, usually starting in early June. For more information, visit:

www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers/ plan-your-future/ljmu-internships

www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

CAREER PLANNING GUIDE

GETTING THE JOB

How to write a winning

CV and covering letter

DID YOU KNOW THAT EMPLOYERS TYPICALLY SPEND UNDER TEN SECONDS INITIALLY REVIEWING A CV? EMPLOYABILITY ADVISER JENNY HAMMOND OFFERS SOME ADVICE TO MAKE SURE YOURS MAKES THE CUT.

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Top CV tips

Different styles of CV CHRONOLOGICAL CV

Always tailor the CV for each job and organisation you apply to! If you have a person specification, make sure you address the points in this using examples and evidence Use key words from the job advert and the employer’s website to customise your CV to show the employer that you speak ‘their language’ and would fit in well at the company. Structure the CV to make the most of your relevant skills and experience. If you have previously carried out a similar role or worked on a project using applicable skills, list these on the front page. Highlight and quantify both professional and personal achievements where you can. Make sure the CV is no longer than two sides of A4 and use a clear, concise writing style. Put your name at the top of the document (never use the title ‘CV’ as this is selfevident!). Add a link to your LinkedIn page, blog, online portfolio and perhaps your Twitter handle if you tweet about your industry. Consider using bold font, sub-headings and bullet points to break up information. Always check through your CV for spelling and grammatical mistakes or get someone to check through it for you – employers often discard applications containing spelling and grammatical errors.

Help and support available to you..

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ONE TO ONE SUPPORT IN THE CAREERS ZONE

If you are unsure about the content and structure of your CV or would like some advice on tailoring your CV to a particular role or sector, our Employability Advisers can give you professional feedback. Call into a Careers Zone or phone us on 0151 231 2048/3719 to book an appointment.

WORKSHOPS/WEBINARS

Find out how to write a winning CV by attending one of our workshops or webinars. For dates of upcoming sessions, check our event website https://careers.ljmu.ac.uk

CV BUILDER & COVERING LETTER BUILDER

These tools allow you to create a CV and covering from scratch and includes tips and advice from employers on each section of your CV and covering letter. This tool is ideal for students looking to write their first CV/ covering letter.

DOWNLOAD OUR CAREER MINI GUIDE

Our handy mini guide on CVs and covering letters provides lots more advice on what to include in each section of your CV and how to write effective covering letters. Visit the Careers website to download your copy www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers/

CAREER PLANNING GUIDE

If you have plenty of relevant work experience you should use the chronological or traditional CV format, as this style draws attention to your relevant experience, which you list on the first page. Within this section you should provide an overview of key responsibilities but more importantly you should highlight any achievements. For example, did you take on extra responsibilities or gain a promotion? Did you meet or exceed targets? Did you find an effective solution to a problem? Can you demonstrate how you offered excellent customer service and gained good feedback? Highlight the skills developed in these roles as well, especially those required for the post you’re applying for.

SKILLS CV

If your experience is lacking or you are changing career path, you may want to use a skills-based CV. Within the ‘skills profile’ on the first page, you should outline relevant skills required for the role. By drawing on examples from work, university and extra-curricular activities you can demonstrate that you have what the employer is looking for. You still include employment information, but can list this more briefly, perhaps on the second page.

HYBRID CV

If you have some experience but this is fairly limited, a combination of the two styles may work best to enable you to highlight experience and skills in separate sections.

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If you are a mature applicant, a career changer, or if you have fragmented work experience, employers will be interested in reading a brief overview of your background but make the most of your experience by using positive language, highlighting what you have gained from previous experience such as commercial awareness and responsibility and skills such as teamwork and communication.

www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

GETTING THE JOB

Skills-based CV DĂƌƚŝŶ ƌĂŶŵŽƌĞ

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ϭϮϯ ^ĂŵƉůĞ ^ƚƌĞĞƚ͕ >ŝǀĞƌƉŽŽů͕ >Ϯϯ ϴDE ŵĂŝů͗ ŵĂƌƚŝŶ͘ĐƌĂŶŵŽƌĞΛŐŽƚŵĂŝů͘ĐŽŵ DŽďŝůĞ͗ Ϭϳϳϴϴ ϵϵϴϴϳϳ ůŽŐ͗ ŵĂƌƚŝŶĐ͘ǁŽƌĚƉƌĞƐƐ͘ĐŽŵ͕ >ŝŶŬĞĚ/Ŷ WƌŽĨŝůĞ͕ dǁŝƚƚĞƌ͗ ΛDĂƌƚ ƌĂŶŵŽƌĞ WĞƌƐŽŶĂů WƌŽĨŝůĞ ƌĞĂƚŝǀĞ ĂŶĚ ǁĞůůͲŽƌŐĂŶŝƐĞĚ ƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ ^ƚƵĚŝĞƐ ŐƌĂĚƵĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ƚŚŽƌŽƵŐŚ ƵŶĚĞƌƐƚĂŶĚŝŶŐ ŽĨ ŬĞǇ ŵĂƌŬĞƚŝŶŐ ƚŚĞŽƌŝĞƐ ĂƐ ǁĞůů ĂƐ ĞǆĐĞůůĞŶƚ ǁƌŝƚŝŶŐ͕ ŽƌŐĂŶŝƐĂƚŝŽŶ ĂŶĚ ƐŽĐŝĂů ŵĞĚŝĂ ƐŬŝůůƐ ŐĂŝŶĞĚ ƚŚƌŽƵŐŚ ǁƌŝƚŝŶŐ ŵǇ ďůŽŐ ĂŶĚ ĂƌƚŝĐůĞƐ ĨŽƌ Ă ůŽĐĂů ĞǀĞŶƚƐ ǁĞďƐŝƚĞ͘ ^ĞĞŬŝŶŐ Ă ĐŚĂůůĞŶŐŝŶŐ ŵĂƌŬĞƚŝŶŐ ĂƐƐŝƐƚĂŶƚ ƌŽůĞ ǁŝƚŚ dĂƌŐĞƚ DĂƌŬĞƚŝŶŐ >ƚĚ͘ ĚƵĐĂƚŝŽŶ ĂŶĚ YƵĂůŝĨŝĐĂƚŝŽŶƐ ϮϬϭϱ –ϮϬϭϴ >ŝǀĞƌƉŽŽů :ŽŚŶ DŽŽƌĞƐ hŶŝǀĞƌƐŝƚǇ ;>:DhͿ ;,ŽŶƐͿ ƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ ^ƚƵĚŝĞƐ ;Ϯ͗ϭͿ  DŽĚƵůĞƐ ŽŶ DĂƌŬĞƚŝŶŐ ĨŽƌ ƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ ;ϳϴйͿ͕ ^ƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĐ ƌĂŶĚŝŶŐ ;ϲϱйͿ͕ DĂƌŬĞƚŝŶŐ ĨŽƌ ŵĞƌŐŝŶŐ DĂƌŬĞƚƐ ;ϲϳйͿ͕ ĂŶĚ ŽŶƐƵŵĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƵǇĞƌ ĞŚĂǀŝŽƵƌ ŝŶ ĐƚŝŽŶ ;ϲϵйͿ ĚĞǀĞůŽƉĞĚ ŵǇ ƵŶĚĞƌƐƚĂŶĚŝŶŐ ŽĨ ŬĞǇ ŵĂƌŬĞƚŝŶŐ ƚŚĞŽƌŝĞƐ͕ ŝŶĐůƵĚŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ŵĂƌŬĞƚŝŶŐ ŵŝǆ͕ ĐŽŶƐƵŵĞƌ ďĞŚĂǀŝŽƵƌ ĂŶĚ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ƐĞŐŵĞŶƚĂƚŝŽŶ͕ ĂŶĚ ŐŝǀĞŶ ŵĞ ƉƌĂĐƚŝĐĂů ĞǆƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ŽĨ ĐƌĞĂƚŝŶŐ ŵĂƌŬĞƚŝŶŐ ƉůĂŶƐ ĂŶĚ ƐŽĐŝĂů ŵĞĚŝĂ ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐ͘  DǇ ĚŝƐƐĞƌƚĂƚŝŽŶ ŝŶǀĞƐƚŝŐĂƚĞĚ ƚŚĞ ŝŵƉŽƌƚĂŶĐĞ ŽĨ ďƌĂŶĚŝŶŐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƌĞƚĂŝů ŝŶĚƵƐƚƌǇ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ƐƉĞĐŝĨŝĐ ĨŽĐƵƐ ŽŶ :ŽŚŶ >ĞǁŝƐ ĂŶĚ tĂŝƚƌŽƐĞ͘ ;ϲϳйͿ ϮϬϬϴ – ϮϬϭϱ >ŝǀĞƌƉŽŽů /ŶƚĞƌŶĂƚŝŽŶĂů ĐĂĚĞŵǇ  Ͳ>ĞǀĞůƐ͗ WŽůŝƚŝĐƐ ; Ϳ͕ ƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ ^ƚƵĚŝĞƐ ; Ϳ͕ 'ĞƌŵĂŶ ; Ϳ  ϭϬ ' ^ Ɛ ŝŶĐůƵĚŝŶŐ DĂƚŚƐ ; Ϳ͕ ŶŐůŝƐŚ ; ΎͿ͕ ^ƉĂŶŝƐŚ ; Ϳ ĂŶĚ 'ĞƌŵĂŶ ; ΎͿ ZĞůĂƚĞĚ ǆƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ &Ğď ϮϬϭϳͲƉƌĞƐĞŶƚ tƌŝƚĞƌ ĨŽƌ ƉĞƌƐŽŶĂů ďůŽŐ ĂŶĚ >ŝĨĞ ŝŶ >ŝǀĞƌƉŽŽů ǁĞďƐŝƚĞ  / Ăŵ ƉĂƐƐŝŽŶĂƚĞ ĂďŽƵƚ ǁƌŝƚŝŶŐ ĂŶĚ ůŽĐĂů ĂƌƚƐ͕ ŵƵƐŝĐ ĂŶĚ ĨŽŽĚ ƐŽ ƐĞƚ ƵƉ Ă ďůŽŐ ƵƐŝŶŐ tŽƌĚWƌĞƐƐ͘ / ŚĂǀĞ ďƵŝůƚ ƵƉ Ă ůŽǇĂů ƌĞĂĚĞƌƐŚŝƉ ĂŶĚ ŬĞĞƉ ƚƌĂĐŬ ŽĨ ƵƐĂŐĞ ĂŶĚ ŝŶƚĞƌƌŽŐĂƚĞ ĚĂƚĂ ƵƐŝŶŐ 'ŽŽŐůĞ ŶĂůǇƚŝĐƐ͘ / ĞŶĐŽƵƌĂŐĞ ǀŝĞǁƐ ƚŚƌŽƵŐŚ ƐŽĐŝĂů ŵĞĚŝĂ ĂŶĚ ďǇ ƐĞŶĚŝŶŐ ŽƵƚ Ă ŶĞǁƐůĞƚƚĞƌ ƚŽ ƐŝŐŶĞĚͲƵƉ ƌĞĂĚĞƌƐ͘ DǇ ŵŽƐƚ ƉŽƉƵůĂƌ ďůŽŐ ƉŽƐƚ ƌĞĐĞŝǀĞĚ ŽǀĞƌ ϭϬϬϬ ŚŝƚƐ ĂŶĚ ϳϱ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƚƐ͘  ,ĂǀĞ ǁƌŝƚƚĞŶ Ă ŶƵŵďĞƌ ŽĨ ĂƌƚŝĐůĞƐ ĨŽƌ ĞǀĞŶƚƐ ǁĞďƐŝƚĞ͕ ŵĂŝŶůǇ ĐŽǀĞƌŝŶŐ ůŽĐĂů ĂƌƚƐ ĂŶĚ ŵƵƐŝĐ ĞǀĞŶƚ ƌĞǀŝĞǁƐ͘ dŚĞƐĞ ĂƌƚŝĐůĞƐ ŚĂǀĞ ďĞĞŶ ǁĞůů ƌĞĐĞŝǀĞĚ ĂŶĚ / ŚĂǀĞ ďĞĞŶ ĂƐŬĞĚ ƚŽ ĐŽŶƚŝŶƵĞ ǁƌŝƚŝŶŐ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ƐŝƚĞ͘ ^ŬŝůůƐ WƌŽĨŝůĞ ŽŵŵƵŶŝĐĂƚŝŽŶ ĂŶĚ ŝŶƚĞƌƉĞƌƐŽŶĂů ƐŬŝůůƐ  ^ƚƌŽŶŐ ǁƌŝƚƚĞŶ ĐŽŵŵƵŶŝĐĂƚŝŽŶ ƐŬŝůůƐ ĚĞŵŽŶƐƚƌĂƚĞĚ ďǇ ǁƌŝƚŝŶŐ ďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ ƌĞƉŽƌƚƐ Ăƚ ƵŶŝǀĞƌƐŝƚǇ ĂŶĚ ďǇ ǁƌŝƚŝŶŐ ŵǇ ďůŽŐ ǁŚŝĐŚ ĐŽǀĞƌƐ Ă ƌĂŶŐĞ ŽĨ ƚŽƉŝĐƐ͕ ŝŶĐůƵĚŝŶŐ ůŽĐĂů ĂƌƚƐ ĂŶĚ ŵƵƐŝĐ ĞǀĞŶƚ ƌĞǀŝĞǁƐ͕ ǁŚŝĐŚ / ůŝŶŬ ƚŚƌŽƵŐŚ ƚŽ ŽƚŚĞƌ ƐŽĐŝĂů ŵĞĚŝĂ ƐƵĐŚ ĂƐ dǁŝƚƚĞƌ͘ / ĨŽĐƵƐ ŽŶ ƵƐŝŶŐ Ă ǁƌŝƚŝŶŐ ƐƚǇůĞ ǁŚŝĐŚ ŝƐ ĐŽŶĐŝƐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶŐĂŐŝŶŐ ƚŽ ĞŶĐŽƵƌĂŐĞ ƌĞĂĚĞƌƐ ƚŽ ƌĞŐƵůĂƌůǇ ƌĞĂĚ ƚŚĞ ďůŽŐ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƚ ŽŶ ŵǇ ĞŶƚƌŝĞƐ͘  DǇ ƌŽůĞ ĂƐ Ă ƐƚƵĚĞŶƚ ƌĞƉƌĞƐĞŶƚĂƚŝǀĞ ŚĂƐ ƐƚƌĞŶŐƚŚĞŶĞĚ ŵǇ ĐŽŵŵƵŶŝĐĂƚŝŽŶ ĂŶĚ ŝŶƚĞƌƉĞƌƐŽŶĂů ƐŬŝůůƐ ĂƐ ǁĞůů ĂƐ ŵǇ ĐŽŶĨŝĚĞŶĐĞ ŝŶ ůŝĂŝƐŝŶŐ ǁŝƚŚ ƐĞŶŝŽƌ ŵĞŵďĞƌƐ ŽĨ ĂĐĂĚĞŵŝĐ ƐƚĂĨĨ͘ / ĚĞĂů ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶǇ ĐŽŵƉůĂŝŶƚƐ ĂŶĚ ŝƐƐƵĞƐ ƌĂŝƐĞĚ ďǇ ŵǇ ĨĞůůŽǁ ƐƚƵĚĞŶƚƐ ǁŝƚŚ ĞŵƉĂƚŚǇ ĂŶĚ ƵŶĚĞƌƐƚĂŶĚŝŶŐ ĂŶĚ ĞŶƐƵƌĞ / ƵƐĞ Ă ĚŝƉůŽŵĂƚŝĐ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽĨĞƐƐŝŽŶĂů ĂƉƉƌŽĂĐŚ Ăƚ Ăůů ƚŝŵĞƐ ŝŶ ŽƌĚĞƌ ƚŽ ďƵŝůĚ ƌĂƉƉŽƌƚ ǁŝƚŚ ƐƚĂĨĨ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ĨĂĐƵůƚǇ ƚŽ ƌĞƐŽůǀĞ ĂŶǇ ŝƐƐƵĞƐ͘ ŽŵŵĞƌĐŝĂů ǁĂƌĞŶĞƐƐ  ŽŵƉůĞƚĞĚ ĂŶ ŶƚĞƌƉƌŝƐĞ ŵŽĚƵůĞ Ăƚ ƵŶŝǀĞƌƐŝƚǇ ǁŚŝĐŚ ŚŝŐŚůŝŐŚƚĞĚ ƚŚĞ ŝŵƉŽƌƚĂŶĐĞ ŽĨ ƵŶĚĞƌƐƚĂŶĚŝŶŐ ǇŽƵƌ ŝŶĚƵƐƚƌǇ͕ ĨŽĐƵƐŝŶŐ ŽŶ ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐǇ͕ ƉůĂŶŶŝŶŐ ĂŶĚ ďƵŝůĚŝŶŐ ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƌĞůĂƚŝŽŶƐŚŝƉƐ͘ ĞŵŽŶƐƚƌĂƚĞĚ ĂŶ ƵŶĚĞƌƐƚĂŶĚŝŶŐ ŽĨ ŐŽŽĚ ĨŝŶĂŶĐŝĂů ƉůĂŶŶŝŶŐ ĂŶĚ ƐĞƚƚŝŶŐ ƌĞĂůŝƐƚŝĐ ƚŝŵĞƐĐĂůĞƐ ǁŚĞŶ ǁŽƌŬŝŶŐ ŽŶ Ă ƉƌŽũĞĐƚ͘  <ĞĞƉ ƵƉ ƚŽ ĚĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ŵĂƌŬĞƚŝŶŐ ŶĞǁƐ ďǇ ƐƵďƐĐƌŝďŝŶŐ ƚŽ DĂƌŬĞƚŝŶŐ tĞĞŬ ĂŶĚ ƌĂŶĚ ZĞƉƵďůŝĐ͕ ĨŽůůŽǁŝŶŐ ǀĂƌŝŽƵƐ ŵĂƌŬĞƚŝŶŐ ĂŐĞŶĐŝĞƐ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽĨĞƐƐŝŽŶĂůƐ ŽŶ dǁŝƚƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƌĞĂĚŝŶŐ /D ŶĞǁƐůĞƚƚĞƌƐ͘

Additional information to include In addition to your personal details, education details, employment details, and skills you may want to include other information to make your CV stand out. ❚❚ Achievements: Employers like to see achievements and whether you have held positions of responsibility so include this kind of information too. Did you lead the university football team to victory this year? Have you been awarded a scholarship? Have you successfully raised money for a charity and participated in a sponsored event? Have you started a new society? ❚❚ Positions of responsibility: Have you chaired a committee? Acted as treasurer of a society? Been a course rep? Taken on the captain position of a sports team? Positions like these help you to demonstrate that you can make decisions and take on responsibility. ❚❚ Interests: To demonstrate further skills, to get your personality across a bit, or to just add something else to make your CV stand out, include some information about your interests. If you have interests relating to the job, definitely mention these but avoid clichés about activities such as socialising and reading

www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

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If you include a personal profile ensure it is targeted at the role and organisation. Keep it concise and focused.

List entries in this section in reverse chronological order.

If you have completed relevant modules you can list some of these here.

4 5

You don’t need to list all of your GCSE subjects.

Look at the job advert and include all the skills and attributes required for the role.

Use positive language and examples from university, previous work, volunteering, extracurricular activities etc. to demonstrate how you have used these skills.

List entries in reverse chronological order and provide a brief overview of the role.

Highlighting your achievements and positions of responsibility on your CV illustrates your leadership potential.

Discussing relevant interests on your CV provides clear evidence to prospective employers that you are enthusiastic about your chosen career.

Preferably use one academic and one employer reference. If you run out of space you can state ‘References available on request’.

Highlight any relevant experience prominently on the first page of your CV.

dĞĂŵǁŽƌŬ  ǆĐĞůůĞŶƚ ƚĞĂŵǁŽƌŬ ƐŬŝůůƐ ĚĞŵŽŶƐƚƌĂƚĞĚ ǁŚŝůƐƚ ǁŽƌŬŝŶŐ ĂƐ Ă ĂŵƉ ŽƵŶƐĞůůŽƌ ƚŚƌŽƵŐŚ ĂŵƉ >ĞĂĚĞƌƐ͘ KƌŐĂŶŝƐĞĚ ĂŶĚ ƉůĂŶŶĞĚ ĂĐƚŝǀŝƚŝĞƐ ĨŽƌ ĐŚŝůĚƌĞŶ͕ ǁŽƌŬŝŶŐ ĐůŽƐĞůǇ ǁŝƚŚ ŽƚŚĞƌ ƚĞĂŵ ŵĞŵďĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ ƐŚĂƌŝŶŐ ƚĂƐŬƐ ŽƵƚ ďĂƐĞĚ ŽŶ ƐƚƌĞŶŐƚŚƐ͘ Ǉ ůŝƐƚĞŶŝŶŐ to others’ ideas and buildŝŶŐ Ă ƌĂƉƉŽƌƚ ǁŝƚŚ ĞǀĞƌǇŽŶĞ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƚĞĂŵ͕ Ăůů ƚĂƐŬƐ ƌĂŶ ƚŽ ƐĐŚĞĚƵůĞ ĂŶĚ ǁĞ ĐƌĞĂƚĞĚ Ă ĨƵŶ͕ ĞĚƵĐĂƚŝŽŶĂů ĞŶǀŝƌŽŶŵĞŶƚ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ĐŚŝůĚƌĞŶ͘ KƌŐĂŶŝƐĂƚŝŽŶ ĂŶĚ ĚŵŝŶŝƐƚƌĂƚŝŽŶ ƐŬŝůůƐ  ĞŵŽŶƐƚƌĂƚĞĚ ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ŽƌŐĂŶŝƐĂƚŝŽŶ ĂŶĚ ĂĚŵŝŶŝƐƚƌĂƚŝǀĞ ƐŬŝůůƐ ŝŶ ŵǇ ƌŽůĞ ĂƐ ĂŶ ĚŵŝŶŝƐƚƌĂƚŝǀĞ ƐƐŝƐƚĂŶƚ ďǇ ƉƌŽǀŝĚŝŶŐ ĚŝĂƌǇ ŵĂŶĂŐĞŵĞŶƚ͕ ďŽŽŬŝŶŐ ƚƌĂǀĞů ĂƌƌĂŶŐĞŵĞŶƚƐ ĂŶĚ ƉůĂŶŶŝŶŐ ĞǀĞŶƚƐ ŚĞůĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ĚĞƉĂƌƚŵĞŶƚ͘ dŚĂŶŬƐ ƚŽ ŵǇ ĂďŝůŝƚǇ ƚŽ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĞĨĨĞĐƚŝǀĞůǇ͕ ĨŽƌǁĂƌĚͲƉůĂŶŶŝŶŐ ĂŶĚ ƵƚŝůŝƐŝŶŐ ƚŽͲĚŽ ůŝƐƚƐ ƚŽ ŵŽŶŝƚŽƌ ŵǇ ƉƌŽŐƌĞƐƐ ǁŝƚŚ ƚĂƐŬƐ͕ / ŽƌŐĂŶŝƐĞĚ ŵǇ ǁŽƌŬůŽĂĚ ĞĨĨĞĐƚŝǀĞůǇ͘ ƌĞĂƚŝǀŝƚǇ  ĞǀŝƐĞĚ Ă ĐŽŵƉƌĞŚĞŶƐŝǀĞ ŵĂƌŬĞƚŝŶŐ ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐǇ ƚŽ ƉƌŽŵŽƚĞ Ă ƉƌŽŐƌĂŵŵĞ ŽĨ ŵƵƐŝĐ ĞǀĞŶƚƐ ŝŶ >ŝǀĞƌƉŽŽů ĐŝƚǇ ĐĞŶƚƌĞ ĨŽƌ Ă ĨƌŝĞŶĚ͘ ĞƐŝŐŶĞĚ ĂŶĚ ĚĞǀĞůŽƉĞĚ ĨůǇĞƌƐ͕ ǁŚŝĐŚ / ĚŝƐƚƌŝďƵƚĞĚ ĂƌŽƵŶĚ ƚŚĞ ƵŶŝǀĞƌƐŝƚǇ ĂŶĚ ŽƵƚƐŝĚĞ ŽƚŚĞƌ ŵƵƐŝĐ ǀĞŶƵĞƐ͘ ƌĞĂƚĞĚ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƐŽĐŝĂů ŵĞĚŝĂ ƉƌĞƐĞŶĐĞ͕ ŐĞŶĞƌĂƚŝŶŐ ůŝŶŬƐ ǁŝƚŚ ƉƌŽŵŽƚĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ ŽƚŚĞƌ music events and generated over 400 ‘likes’ on Facebook within the first two weeks. /d ĂŶĚ ^ŽĐŝĂů DĞĚŝĂ ƐŬŝůůƐ  ŽŵƉĞƚĞŶƚ ƵƐŝŶŐ Ăůů DŝĐƌŽƐŽĨƚ KĨĨŝĐĞ ƉƌŽŐƌĂŵŵĞƐ͕ ŝŶĐůƵĚŝŶŐ tŽƌĚ͕ ǆĐĞů͕ WŽǁĞƌWŽŝŶƚ ĂŶĚ ĐĐĞƐƐ͕ ǁŚŝĐŚ / ŚĂǀĞ ƵƐĞĚ ĨŽƌ ƵŶŝǀĞƌƐŝƚǇ ĂƐƐŝŐŶŵĞŶƚƐ ĂŶĚ ŝŶ ŵǇ ĂĚŵŝŶŝƐƚƌĂƚŝǀĞ ƌŽůĞ͘  hƐĞ ĂŶ ŽŶůŝŶĞ ǁĞďƐŝƚĞ ďƵŝůĚĞƌ ƚŽ ŚŽƐƚ ŵǇ ďůŽŐ – ƵƐĞ ŵǇ ĚĞƐŝŐŶ ƐŬŝůůƐ ĂŶĚ ŝŶĐůƵĚĞ ŵǇ ŽǁŶ ƉŚŽƚŽŐƌĂƉŚƐ ƚŽ ŵĂŬĞ ŝƚ ůŽŽŬ ĐŽŶƚĞŵƉŽƌĂƌǇ ĂŶĚ ŝŶƚĞƌĞƐƚŝŶŐ ĂŶĚ ƵƉĚĂƚĞ ŝƚ ŽŶ Ă ƌĞŐƵůĂƌ ďĂƐŝƐ͘  &ĂŵŝůŝĂƌ ǁŝƚŚ ^W^^ ǁŚŝĐŚ / ƵƐĞĚ ƚŽ ĂŶĂůǇƐĞ Ă ƌĂŶŐĞ ŽĨ ĚĂƚĂ ĨŽƌ ŵǇ ĚŝƐƐĞƌƚĂƚŝŽŶ͘  ǆĐĞůůĞŶƚ ƐŽĐŝĂů ŵĞĚŝĂ ƐŬŝůůƐ ;ƉĂƌƚŝĐƵůĂƌůǇ dǁŝƚƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ &ĂĐĞďŽŽŬͿ͕ ǁŚŝĐŚ / ƵƐĞ ƌĞŐƵůĂƌůǇ ƚŽ ƐŚĂƌĞ ŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƚŝŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ĨƌŝĞŶĚƐ ĂŶĚ ĨŽůůŽǁĞƌƐ ĂďŽƵƚ ŝŶƚĞƌĞƐƚŝŶŐ ĂƌƚŝĐůĞƐ ĂŶĚ ĞǀĞŶƚƐ͘ ŶŐĂŐĞ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ƌĂŶŐĞ ŽĨ ƉĞŽƉůĞ ĨƌŽŵ ƚŚĞ ŵƵƐŝĐ ĂŶĚ ŵĂƌŬĞƚŝŶŐ ŝŶĚƵƐƚƌŝĞƐ ƚŽ ŬĞĞƉ ƵƉ ƚŽ ĚĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ůŽĐĂů ĞǀĞŶƚƐ͘ tŽƌŬ ,ŝƐƚŽƌǇ ϮϬϭϲͲƉƌĞƐĞŶƚ ,ĂƌŬĞƌƐ >ŝŵŝƚĞĚ͕ >ŝǀĞƌƉŽŽů – ĚŵŝŶŝƐƚƌĂƚŝǀĞ ƐƐŝƐƚĂŶƚ  'ĞŶĞƌĂů ĂĚŵŝŶŝƐƚƌĂƚŝǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĐƵƐƚŽŵĞƌ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞ ƌŽůĞ͘ ZĞƐƉŽŶƐŝďůĞ ĨŽƌ ĚŝĂƌǇ ŵĂŶĂŐĞŵĞŶƚ ĨŽƌ ĚŝƌĞĐƚŽƌ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽĐĞƐƐŝŶŐ ŝŶĐŽŵŝŶŐ ĞŶƋƵŝƌŝĞƐ ŝŶ Ă ďƵƐǇ ŽĨĨŝĐĞ ĞŶǀŝƌŽŶŵĞŶƚ͘ ^ƵŵŵĞƌ ϮϬϭϲ ^ƵŵŵĞƌ ĂŵƉ͕ ,ƵŶƚŝŶŐƚŽŶ ĞĂĐŚ͕ ĂůŝĨŽƌŶŝĂ͕ h^ – ĂŵƉ ŽƵŶƐĞůůŽƌ  ƐƐŝƐƚĞĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ĚĞƐŝŐŶ ĂŶĚ ĚĞůŝǀĞƌǇ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ƐƵŵŵĞƌ ĐĂŵƉ ĨŽƌ ϭϭͲϭϲ ǇĞĂƌ ŽůĚƐ͘ ŽĂĐŚĞĚ ƐǁŝŵŵŝŶŐ ĂŶĚ ƚĞŶŶŝƐ͕ ƉƵƚ ƚŽŐĞƚŚĞƌ ĂŶ ĂĐƚŝǀŝƚǇͲďĂƐĞĚ ĞǀĞŶŝŶŐ ƉƌŽŐƌĂŵŵĞ ĂŶĚ ĂůƐŽ ĚĞĂůƚ ǁŝƚŚ ƉĂƐƚŽƌĂů ĐĂƌĞ͘ ĐŚŝĞǀĞŵĞŶƚƐ ĂŶĚ WŽƐŝƚŝŽŶƐ ŽĨ ZĞƐƉŽŶƐŝďŝůŝƚǇ  ŽƵƌƐĞ ƌĞƉƌĞƐĞŶƚĂƚŝǀĞ ĨŽƌ ƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ ^ƚƵĚŝĞƐ ĚƵƌŝŶŐ ĂĐĂĚĞŵŝĐ ǇĞĂƌ ϮϬϭϲͬϭϳ͖ ƌĞͲĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ĨŽƌ ϮϬϭϳͬϭϴ͘  ^ƵĐĐĞƐƐĨƵůůǇ ĐŽŵƉůĞƚĞĚ >ŝǀĞƌƉŽŽů DĂƌĂƚŚŽŶ ŝŶ ϮϬϭϴ͕ ƌĂŝƐŝŶŐ ŽǀĞƌ άϯϬϬϬ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ŐƌŽƵƉ ŽĨ ĨƌŝĞŶĚƐ ĨŽƌ ĂŶĐĞƌ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ h<͘ /ŶƚĞƌĞƐƚƐ  / Ăŵ ĐŽŵŵŝƚƚĞĚ ƚŽ ŵǇ ƉƌŽĨĞƐƐŝŽŶĂů ĚĞǀĞůŽƉŵĞŶƚ ĂŶĚ ĞŶũŽǇ ŬĞĞƉŝŶŐ ƵƉͲƚŽͲĚĂƚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĚĞǀĞůŽƉŵĞŶƚƐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ŵĂƌŬĞƚŝŶŐ ƐĞĐƚŽƌ ďǇ ƌĞĂĚŝŶŐ ŶĞǁƐ ƵƉĚĂƚĞƐ ĂŶĚ ƌĞƉŽƌƚƐ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ /D ĂŶĚ ĂŵƉĂŝŐŶ ǁĞďƐŝƚĞƐ͘ ^ŝŶĐĞ ŐƌĂĚƵĂƚŝŶŐ͕ / ŚĂǀĞ ĐŽŵƉůĞƚĞĚ Ă ŶƵŵďĞƌ ŽĨ ŽŶůŝŶĞ ĐŽƵƌƐĞƐ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ &ƵƚƵƌĞůĞĂƌŶ ǁĞďƐŝƚĞ͕ ŝŶĐůƵĚŝŶŐ ŝŐŝƚĂů DĂƌŬĞƚŝŶŐ ĂŶĚ dŚĞ ^ĞĐƌĞƚ WŽǁĞƌ ŽĨ ƌĂŶĚƐ͕ ƚŽ ĐŽŶƚŝŶƵĞ ůĞĂƌŶŝŶŐ ĂďŽƵƚ ŵĂƌŬĞƚŝŶŐ͘ ZĞĨĞƌĞŶĐĞƐ  ƌ WĞƚĞƌ ZĂǀĞŶ͕ ^ĞŶŝŽƌ >ĞĐƚƵƌĞƌ Ăƚ >:Dh͕ Ϭϭϱϭ Ϯϯϭ ϱϲϮϯ͕ Ɖ͘ƌĂǀĞŶΛůũŵƵ͘ĂĐ͘ƵŬ  DƐ ^ĂďƌŝŶĂ ,ŽůŵĞƐ͕ DĂŶĂŐŝŶŐ ŝƌĞĐƚŽƌ͕ ,ĂƌŬĞƌƐ >ŝŵŝƚĞĚ͕ Ϭϭϱϭ ϭϮϯ ϭϭϮϮ͕ ƐŚŽůŵĞƐΛŚĂƌŬĞƌƐůƚĚ͘ĐŽ͘ƵŬ

CAREER PLANNING GUIDE

GETTING THE JOB

Chronological CV

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Marina Robertson

45 Chester Drive, Ellesmere Port, CH65 0BH Email: m.robertson@gmail.com, Mobile: 07711 123456, LinkedIn Profile

If you have a LinkedIn profile, you can include a direct link to this in your personal details.

If you include a personal profile, ensure it is targeted at the role and organisation. Keep it concise and focused, using key words from the job advert.

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List entries in this section in reverse chronological order.

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Briefly summarise your qualifications from secondary school.

Provide an overview of your key responsibilities, achievements and skills developed.

Keep this section fairly short by providing a brief summary of the role.

If you have any interests that relate to the role, e.g. membership of professional bodies, include these in an Interests or Additional Information section at the end of your CV.

If you have space, include details of two referees (preferably one academic and one employer reference). If you run out of space, you can state “References available on request”.

Personal Profile An ambitious and driven Human Resource Management graduate and Associate CIPD member with previous experience of HR and delivering workshops to staff, which has given me a thorough understanding of recruitment as well as HR systems and processes. Eager to put my excellent interpersonal, communication and teamwork skills into practice as a Graduate HR Adviser for Portlands Ltd. Education and Qualifications 2014-2018 Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) BA (Hons) Human Resource Management (2:1)  Modules included: Organisational Behaviour and Psychology, Advanced Selection Practice, Employment Relations and Legal Framework, Leadership and Management .  Developed excellent teamwork and leadership skills through completing a range of group assignments as well as confident written communication skills through research and report writing. Gained a strong understanding of key HR issues and legislation. 2006 – 2013 St Mary’s High School and Sixth Form College, Ellesmere Port A-Levels: Maths (B), Spanish (C), Geography (C) 11 GCSEs including Maths (A) and English (C). HR-Related Employment History July 2016-present Hayes Accountants, Liverpool – HR Assistant  Thanks to my strong performance and willingness to learn during my full-time 12month placement, I have been kept on during my final year on a part-time basis.  Delivered well-received equality and diversity workshops to staff, honing my training and presentation skills. Prepared carefully for each workshop by drawing up session plans and adapting sessions accordingly for different groups.  Advised staff on various issues, such as pay, performance, and health and safety.  Supported the recruitment process by helping to draft job descriptions, shortlisting candidates, as well as organising and conducting job interviews.  Excellent interpersonal skills developed by building a rapport with staff throughout the organisation, dealing with confidential information in a sensitive manner.  Demonstrated resilience when participating in meetings regarding staff grievances and disciplinaries; successfully dealt with issues using tact and diplomacy.  Developed strong commercial awareness by understanding the financial issues regarding the business and contributing to the organisation’s goals by developing staff.

An Employability Adviser says ...

One thing to remember is that using a ‘one size fits all’ approach isn’t the best option. You should always find out what the employer is looking for and modify your CV to meet these requirements. Look at the person specification or entry requirements and ensure all the points from these are evidenced in the CV. Each time you apply for a different job, adapt and tailor the CV for that specific role and organisation. To grab the employer’s attention, make sure the most important and relevant information is on the first page, as this is the first thing the employer will see!

CAREER PLANNING GUIDE

Include relevant content from your degree, e.g. individual modules you have studied. You can also draw the reader’s attention to any relevant skills or knowledge gained from your studies.

Separate your work experience into relevant experience and additional experience, then list entries in these sections in reverse chronological order.

May-July 2015 Support Solutions, Ellesmere Port – Support Assistant (voluntary)  Assisted in the recruitment and training of volunteers, drafted advertisements to be placed in local publications and devised an induction plan. Organised payment of expenses for volunteers, enhancing my numeracy skills and attention to detail.

Jan-May 2016 Morley & Co Finance, Chester – HR Assistant (part-time)  Worked as part of the Training team, assisting with the development of new graduate recruits. Improved commercial awareness by gaining a thorough understanding of the organisation’s key strategy and how recruitment processes aligned with this.  Developed excellent interpersonal and listening skills liaising with staff from all levels of the organisation on a regular basis to establish training needs. Planning and organisational skills enhanced by putting together training plans and organising training days for new starters.

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Jan 2015 Office Solutions Limited, Chester (work experience)  Completed two weeks’ work experience in the HR department, shadowing HR staff to gain an insight into the recruitment and selection process as well as disciplinary and redundancy procedures. Improved my administrative skills by carrying out tasks such as data entry and filing, as well as typing letters and contracts for new staff.

Additional Experience Summer 2014 Teaching English/School Building in Peru (voluntary)  Spending six weeks teaching and building a school improved my communication skills working with people from all over the world, many with minimal English language skills.  Worked closely with other members of the team sharing tasks, listening to others’ ideas and following a schedule to construct the building in a set period of time.  Devised a plan for the trip, which included a week’s Spanish language course followed by independent travelling around Bolivia and Peru for one month. 2013-2014 Evermore Solicitors, Chester – Administrative Assistant  After completing my A-Levels, I worked full-time for a year. Effectively managed my workload and prioritised tasks providing administrative support to a team of solicitors. 2010-2012 The Little Teapot, Ellesmere Port – Waitress (part-time)  Gained excellent customer service, communication and teamwork skills serving food and drinks in a busy cafe. Achievements

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Captain of LJMU Ladies Hockey Team for 2015/16. Completed a 100-mile cycling challenge in 2018, raising over £500 for charity.

Additional Information  

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IT Skills: Competent with Microsoft Office programmes, including Word and PowerPoint. I have also used Excel and Access to produce spreadsheets and databases in my HR roles. Languages: Good command of Spanish which I have used whilst travelling around South America. CIPD membership: held since 2016; I read newsletters and articles on the website on a regular basis to keep up-to-date with industry developments. Driving licence: Have held a full, clean licence since 2015.

References  

Dr Alison Bryan, Senior Lecturer, Liverpool Business School, LJMU Tel: 0151 231 9876 Email: a.bryan@ljmu.ac.uk Simon Jones, Managing Director, Hayes Accountants, Liverpool Tel: 0151 123 1234 Email: sjones@hayesacc.com

www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

GETTING THE JOB

Covering letter example A covering letter, which should be around a page of A4 in length, should always accompany your CV. As with the CV, the covering letter should be tailored to the role. If you can, find out the name of the person to send the application to. You should demonstrate that you have researched the organisation, explain why you want to work there, and draw the employerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attention to the key skills and experience that are highlighted within your CV.

45 Chester Drive Ellesmere Port CH65 0BH Mr Steve Burbage Head of Graduate Recruitment Portlands Ltd 23 Dale Avenue Liverpool L3 4AE

1 September 2018

Dear Mr Burbage, I am writing to apply for the Graduate HR Adviser role as advertised on your website and enclose my CV for your consideration. My interest in your company initially arose after reading an article in the North West Business Insider last summer about your continued success and the focus the organisation puts on staff training and development. Through further research, and after meeting one of your HR graduate trainees at an employer event at Liverpool John Moores University, I realised that Portlands Ltd is a company that I would really like to work for. The trainee emphasised the importance of commitment, teamwork and staff development within the organisation and I am confident I would be a good fit. You will see from my CV that I have gained a wealth of HR experience over the last few years. In addition to some voluntary HR work, I completed a full-time 12-month sandwich placement, where I used my strong organisational skills to implement a training plan for new recruits. I built strong relationships with staff by offering support and dealing with enquiries efficiently. My understanding of the HR environment has been further strengthened through my current part-time HR assistant role, where I have taken responsibility for managing employee records and advising staff on pay, performance, and health and safety. I also meet with the HR manager on a regular basis to discuss training needs for staff. I am confident that the in-depth knowledge I gained in this position would enable me to provide advice on a comprehensive range of HR issues to your staff and assist with the delivery of training. In addition, I also have good administrative and customer service experience. In these roles I focused on communicating effectively and working closely with other team members to carry out group tasks. I further enhanced my ability to integrate well in a team by volunteering in Peru to build a school and teach English to children. This exciting opportunity also enabled me to improve my Spanish language skills, which I hope will be useful when speaking with staff from your Madrid office, should I be offered the position. I thoroughly enjoyed completing my Human Resource Management degree and am confident that the range of modules I selected provided me with a good understanding of the commercial environment. I regularly read HR publications, such as Personnel Today, which alongside my Associate membership of the CIPD enables me to continue to improve my understanding of key issues and developments in the sector. I am passionate about pursuing a HR career and hope that on consideration of my CV, you will be persuaded of my ability to succeed in your Graduate HR Adviser role. I can be available for interview at any time and look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely,

Marina Robertson

www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

CAREER PLANNING GUIDE

GETTING THE JOB

How to write effective

Application forms

INSTEAD OF A CV, MANY EMPLOYERS USE APPLICATION FORMS AS THE FIRST STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS. EMPLOYABILITY ADVISER ANJA HEID OFFERS SOME TIPS TO IMPRESS EMPLOYERS.

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Top tips for completing application forms Good preparation is essential! Where possible, read through the whole form before you start filling it in, so you can collect any relevant information you need to complete the form and decide on your most suitable evidence for each section. Research the organisation thoroughly and analyse the person specification so you are familiar with the job requirements and can show employers that you have done your homework. Avoid spelling mistakes, grammatical errors and text-speak. Some graduate recruiters reject more than half of all applications because of the poor standard of English on the application forms. For online applications, draft your answers in Word, and spellcheck them before copying and pasting onto the form. Ask a friend or family member to proofread your work. Answer the questions! It can be tempting to use answers from previous application forms, but these might not cover all aspects required for a similar question. Read each question carefully and check that your response provides all the necessary details. Keep within any given word limits. Sell yourself! The application form might only be the first stage of the recruitment process, but if you are too modest or too unspecific in your answers, you are unlikely to make it to the next stage. Ensure your evidence is recent, relevant and tailored to reflect the skills and knowledge required for the role. And finally, keep a copy of the completed application form. As you are likely to apply for a number of positions at the same time, it will be useful to have a record of each application to prepare for a potential interview or assessment centre.

An Employability Adviser says ...

“

Some application forms use a list of specific, usually competency-based, questions to assess your suitability for the role, as well as some questions to explore your motivation and interest in working for the organisation. These could include questions like:

The supporting information/personal statement section is hugely important and should be tailored to the individual role, because this is where you need to convince the employer that you are the right candidate for the job and discuss why you would like to work for their organisation. Address the job requirements outlined on the person specification one by one and in the same order, providing convincing evidence for your suitability and including key words from the job advert.

CAREER PLANNING GUIDE

An employer says ...

❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚

❚❚

Describe a time when you have worked under pressure. Give an example for when you failed to complete a project on time. What do you consider your greatest achievement? Please discuss a time when you have contributed positively to a team project. Describe a situation when you have successfully communicated complex information. At BP we live by the following values: Safety, Respect, Excellence, One Team, and Courage. Please give a specific example of a time when you have demonstrated one of these values in your extra-curricular activities. Please explain why you have chosen to apply to Caterpillar and what has attracted you to your chosen discipline.

The best approach to answer these questions and to provide evidence for how you meet the selection criteria is the STAR technique.

“

Competency based questions

A structured application form which addresses the person specification and the job description makes it easy for the shortlisting panel to identify and score your evidence for each criterion. Due to the volume of applications employers receive for graduate and entrylevel roles, candidates whose personal statements do not clearly and systematically address all the essential criteria from the person specification are very unlikely to make it to the interview stage.

www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

GETTING THE JOB

STAR technique example STAR is a simple strategy that will help you provide concise, focused answers on application forms and at interview. In the example below, a student has been asked to ‘describe a time when you have demonstrated excellent organisation skills’. SITUATION (briefly describe the context for your example. When was this? Where was this?):

When the club needed new equipment for the games room last year, I volunteered to take the leading role in raising £1,000 to buy a new pool table and games console in time for the summer holidays, which gave me six weeks to raise the required funds.

then recorded in my project plan. For example, I tasked one experienced volunteer to raise £200 from a bag packing event at a local supermarket for week five, while I put another in charge of organising the cake sale for our main fundraising event/open day in week six. I chaired a weekly team meeting to monitor progress and identify team members that needed help. For example, when one team member was struggling to secure raffle prizes, I set aside time within my schedule for the remaining weeks to contact local companies. Thanks to my excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills, I was able to persuade several businesses to donate vouchers or cash prizes.

ACTION (describe what you did to achieve the task, how you did it and what skills you used):

RESULT (briefly describe the outcome. What did you learn? Would you do anything differently in hindsight?):

TASK (describe what you had to do. What were you hoping to achieve?):

First of all, I drafted a basic project plan to record my fundraising target and key tasks for each week. For example, my tasks for the first two weeks included recruiting volunteers to help me organise the fundraising and researching local events over the next couple of weeks to identify a suitable date for our open day. Once I had recruited a sufficient number of volunteers, I was able to allocate tasks and fundraising targets to each team member, which I

Our open day was a great success and we raised a total of £1,250 from this and the bag packing events in a local supermarket. I found it really beneficial to have taken on a leadership role for this project and have since volunteered to lead on academic projects as well. The experience of organising the various aspects of this project has also strengthened my planning skills, and I have applied this to organising my academic work more effectively this year.

Help and support available to you..

01. 02. 03.

ONE TO ONE SUPPORT IN THE CAREERS ZONE Our Employability Advisers can give you tailored feedback and advice on draft application forms to help you sell yourself effectively to potential employers. Call into a Careers Zone or phone us on 0151 231 2048/3719 to arrange an appointment.

WORKSHOPS/WEBINARS Our ‘Effective Applications’ workshop and webinar will help you understand what employers are looking for in application forms, so you give yourself the best possible chance of getting to that all-important interview. For dates of upcoming sessions, check our events website https://careers.ljmu.ac.uk

DOWNLOAD OUR CAREER MINI GUIDE Our mini guide on application forms provides lots more advice on how to tackle application forms and also includes a sample personal statement. Visit our Careers website www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers/ to download your copy.

www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

A Student says ...

“

As a regular volunteer for my local youth club, I have been involved in organising a number of fundraising events.

The advice I have had from the Employability Advisers on my application forms has been really useful. They are friendly and professional, and the information I was given was hugely relevant. I got specific and tailored feedback on which areas I needed to work on further, and this really helped me to improve my application.

CAREER PLANNING GUIDE

GETTING THE JOB

How to succeed at

interviews

PREPARATION IS THE KEY TO A SUCCESSFUL INTERVIEW. CAREERS ADVISER HAYLEY FALLON EXPLAINS WHAT YOU CAN DO TO MAKE A GOOD IMPRESSION AND BOOST YOUR CHANCES OF SUCCESS.

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DID YOU KNOW? First impressions are crucial. Studies have shown that someone forms judgements about you within the first four minutes of meeting you. Give a good impression to your interviewer from the very first moment. Be on time, shake hands confidently, smile and introduce yourself. Walk tall, maintain eye contact, sit upright, talk clearly and be enthusiastic and positive.

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Help and support available to you..

01. 02. 03. 04. 05.

ONE TO ONE SUPPORT IN THE CAREERS ZONE The prospect of attending an interview can be scary, but don’t panic! Our Careers and Employability Advisers are on hand to provide tips on common interview questions to ensure you shine in the interview. To arrange an appointment, call into a Careers Zone or phone us on 0151 231 2048/3719.

WORKSHOPS/WEBINARS Learn how to prepare effectively for interviews in our ‘Interview Success’ workshop and webinar. We cover typical questions, effective answers and how to impress prospective employers at interview. For dates of upcoming sessions, check our events website https://careers.ljmu.ac.uk

INTERVIEW SIMULATOR As part of our Careers Zone 24/7 online careers tools, you can test yourself with interactive questions on the interview simulator. Build up your confidence by taking a mock interview or learn about what makes an effective answer from experienced recruiters. You can access Careers Zone 24/7 via our Careers website - www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

CAREER MINI GUIDE Our handy mini guide on ‘Preparing for Interviews’ summarises some key advice for before, during and after the interview, and introduces you to common interview questions. Visit our Careers website to download your copy - www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

INTERVIEW PRACTICE SESSIONS Never had an interview before and don’t know what to expect? Beat your interview nerves by booking a practice interview with one of our advisers by calling into a Careers Zone or phoning us on 0151 231 2048/3719.

CAREER PLANNING GUIDE

Different types of interview ❚❚ Telephone - Initial employer call that eliminates candidates based on essential criteria. Successful applicants are usually invited to the one-to-one stage. ❚❚ Video - Whether through Skype, FaceTime or YouTube, this type of interview is increasingly popular for graduate roles in sales, media and marketing. They’re usually held during the initial screening process. ❚❚ One-to-one - Face-to-face encounter with one interviewer, after the organisation decides that you’ve got what it’s looking for. They’re usually formal, but can also take place over lunch. You could also be interviewed by different people at different times. ❚❚ Panel - Similar to one-to-one interviews, except two or more people - often from different parts of the organisation - will be assessing you at the same time. ❚❚ Group - Multiple candidates are interviewed together. They’re asked questions in turn, or discuss certain topics. ❚❚ Assessment centres - These involve tasks including presentations, written tests, and group, role-play and in-tray exercises. They’re used to assess a candidate’s performance in a range of situations, and last between one and three days. You’ll appear alongside several other candidates. Find out more about assessment centres on p.42.

www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

GETTING THE JOB

Before the interview Thorough preparation is the key to a successful interview. One of the main ways to prepare is to research: Research the organisation: This demonstrates how interested and enthusiastic you are about working for the organisation and will help you prepare some questions to ask them at the end. All employers will expect you to display some understanding of what they do and the sector in which they operate! Research the job: Read the job advert and/or person specification. Look at the organisation’s website or recruitment brochure to see which skills or attributes are mentioned. Use any opportunity to meet the recruiter and employees at careers fairs, on placement and other events, such as open days. Research yourself: Think about your strengths and demonstrate self-awareness. What makes you the best candidate for the post?

Look at the job description and/or person specification and make sure you can give at least one positive example (preferably more) for each of the skills and attributes the employer is seeking. Anticipate the questions: It is often possible to predict the kind of questions you may get by looking at the job description and/or person specification or the organisation’s key competencies and corporate values. These provide the selection criteria for the job and they will ask you questions in order to determine whether or not you have what it takes to do the job effectively and fit into the organisation. Practical issues: Practical preparation can often be overlooked but don’t forget this when preparing for your interview. Plan your day so that you arrive as calm, collected and professional as you can be! Find out what the format of the interview is. Where will it be? Do you need to take anything? What are you going to wear? Do you need overnight accommodation?

During the interview With thorough preparation, you are in a good position to respond effectively to questions and display knowledge of yourself, the job and the organisation. When answering, avoid yes/no answers, seek clarification if needed, listen to the questions, be positive and use examples from different experiences. Competency-based questions are commonly used to help interviewers gain a better understanding of your skills set and suitability for the role. These could include: ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚

Give an example for when you have used your communication skills to deal with a difficult person. Please discuss a time when you have demonstrated your ability to prioritise conflicting tasks effectively. Describe a situation when you have successfully led a team.

To give structure to your answers and provide clear evidence of your skills, the STAR technique is useful to help you focus your answers and demonstrate your competencies to the recruiter.

Please see the previous section on application forms for further details about STAR and an example. Increasingly, graduate recruiters now use strength-based interviews, which allow them to explore what motivates you, whether you would fit into their organisation and whether you would enjoy the job. Questions are usually more open and give candidates more freedom in their answers than competency-based questions: ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚ ❚❚

What do you enjoy about working in a team? What motivates you? Would you be happy to compromise the quality of your work in order to deliver a project more quickly? What would people who know you well say you are good at? What modules did you enjoy the most during your degree studies?

Your responses should still reflect the required skills, personal attributes and organisational values, but ensure that your responses are natural and that your motivation shines through in all of your answers.

After the interview Learn from the experience. Note down some of the questions they asked. Were you satisfied with your answers or could you do better next time? This will help you prepare for the next stage of the process or get ready for interviews with other employers. If they don’t contact you when they said they would, or if it has been more than two weeks, phone the company and ask for an update. If you have been unsuccessful, ask for feedback on your interview. Most recruiters will be happy to provide this, and although it might not all be positive, it is important to reflect on unsuccessful interviews to help you improve your technique.

“

Interviews can be nerve wracking and stressful situations - but don’t panic. A few simple techniques, good preparation and some positive thinking can do wonders to reduce your stress levels and help you shine. If you want to discuss this further, call into your nearest Careers Zone and book an appointment with an adviser.

www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

An employer says ...

“

A Careers Adviser says ...

What I look for in candidates during interviews are their personal attributes. Skills you can teach, but you can’t make an individual be motivated, enthusiastic or proactive. In the last candidate I recruited, those attributes came across strongly in the interview and in everything she was talking about. And that’s what made her stand out as a candidate.

CAREER PLANNING GUIDE

GETTING THE JOB

Psychometric tests and assessment centres USE SCREENING TESTS AS

PART OF THEIR RECRUITMENT PROCESS AS RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT THEY ARE THE BEST SINGLE PREDICTOR OF PERFORMANCE AND GIVE AN EMPLOYER AN

OBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT OF A CANDIDATE’S ABILITIES.

If your initial application is successful, psychometric tests are usually the next part of the screening process. If you successfully navigate them, you are then usually invited to an assessment centre or assessment day. The two main types of psychometric tests used are ability tests (sometimes called aptitude tests) and personality questionnaires. Ability tests are formal tests designed to indicate how well you are able to carry out various aspects of a job i.e. to show employers your potential to do a task well. The tests are typically completed online and are usually a series of multiple choice questions taken under strict time limits. The most common tests used by graduate recruiters are verbal tests, numerical tests, diagrammatic/abstract/logical/spatial reasoning tests, industry-specific tests and situational judgement tests. Personality questionnaires look at behavioural preferences. They are not concerned with your abilities, but how you see yourself in terms of your personality; for example, the way you relate to others, and how you deal with feelings and emotions. There are no rights or wrongs in behavioural style, so the best advice is to be honest in the way you answer the questions. The next stage in the graduate recruitment process is usually an invitation to attend an assessment centre or selection centre event. Assessment centres are costly both in terms of financial outlay and staff resources so tend to be used mainly by larger organisations offering structured graduate training programmes.

“

A student says ...

Prepare yourself for each activity. There is plenty of information online and the practice tests on Careers Zone 24/7 of the Careers website is really helpful. Preparation will give you the confidence you need to perform well in any situation. Always keep in mind the type of candidate the company is looking for and also the company’s strategy and values. This information will help you structure your answers well. You are always being assessed so try to talk with the other candidates, current graduates or the staff about relevant topics. Show interest in the company and the position. Be yourself and let the others be too.

CAREER PLANNING GUIDE

What happens at an assessment centre? The assessment centre is generally a one day event held in a training centre, hotel, conference centre or the employer’s own premises. Other applicants who have been successful in the first round of the selection process will also be present, typically placed in groups of between six and eight candidates. Assessment centres are usually designed to include exercises that measure you against key aspects of the job. By using a range of methods such as group exercises, further interviews, tests, presentations and intray exercises, the selectors will have a chance to examine your potential as an employee in their organisation more closely. For all of the exercises make sure you understand the instructions or the written brief. If you are unclear, ask for clarification. The activities will have been devised to highlight the attributes they require for the particular role you have applied for. It is an intensive day during which you will be under constant scrutiny and formal and informal assessment, even at meal times.

An employer says ...

“

MOST LARGE ORGANISATIONS

The toughest part of our selection process is the online tests, but there are some simple ways you can certainly improve your chances. Make sure you practise the online tests several times – once or twice just isn’t enough and make sure you practise the tests that are used by the employer you are applying to – that is essential - but it certainly won’t hurt to try others. The tests may take longer than you expect/or are told so ensure you allow plenty of time. And finally don’t sit the tests just before the deadline. If you encounter any problems you may not have enough time to contact the employer and get the issue fixed before the closing date.

www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

GETTING THE JOB

Help and support available to you..

01. 02. 03. 04.

ONE TO ONE SUPPORT IN THE CAREERS ZONE For individual advice on preparing for psychometric tests and assessment centres, speak to our advisers. To arrange an appointment, call into a Careers Zone or phone us on 0151 231 2048/3719.

WORKSHOPS We offer psychometric testing practice sessions to help you ace your online tests. For dates of upcoming sessions, check our events website https://careers.ljmu.ac.uk

ASSESSMENT CENTRE TOOL AND PSYCHOMETRIC TESTS Looking to practise aptitude tests and assessment centre exercises? Head to our Careers website www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers, follow the link to Careers Zone 24/7, log in and get practising!

DOWNLOAD OUR CAREER MINI GUIDES For further advice on psychometric tests and assessment centres, visit our Careers website and download a copy of our handy mini guides - www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

Applying for a graduate scheme? PRACTISE A RANGE OF TESTS USED BY GRADUATE EMPLOYERS DURING THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Use our assessment centre tool and our range of aptitude tests to get up to speed with tests used by graduate employers recruiting for graduate schemes APTITUDE TESTS INCLUDE:

❚ numerical ❚ verbal ❚ inductive ❚ diagrammatic ❚ logical ❚ situational judgement ❚ critical thinking ❚ error checking and e-tray exercises TO ACCESS THESE TOOLS GO TO 'CAREERS ZONE 24/7' ON THE LJMU CAREERS WEBSITE:

www.ljmu.ac.uk/careers

CAREER PLANNING GUIDE

LJMU will be running a range of careers and recruitment fairs during the academic year. Students from any degree programme are welcome to attend any of these events Still undecided what career to pursue? Careers fairs are designed to help you meet and network with employers and find out about career options.

Careers and Recruitment Fairs 2018/19

Need a placement or job? Recruitment Fairs are designed to help you meet employers with job and placement vacancies to offer.

For more information about these events, including which employers are attending, and which students they are aimed at, visit:

careers.ljmu.ac.uk

SEMESTER 1

SEMESTER 2

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Staff and Student Volunteering Fair 3 October, 2pm-5pm, Byrom Street

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Staff and Student Volunteering Fair 27 February, 1pm-4pm, John Lennon Art and Design Building

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Faculty of Engineering and Technology Careers Fair 11 October, 9am-12pm, Adelphi Hotel

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Creative, Culture, Media and Arts Recruitment Fair 10 April, 1pm-3pm, John Lennon Art and Design Building

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Exploring Placements and Graduate Schemes 16 October, 10am-2pm, Redmonds Building

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Exploring Working with Children, Young People and with Vulnerable Adults 17 October, 2pm-4pm, Byrom Street

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Recruitment Fair 17 April, 10am-1pm, Byrom Street

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Business, Law, Humanities and Social Science Recruitment Fair 18 April, 10am-1pm, Redmonds Building

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Exploring Science-related Career Pathways 24 October, 2pm-4pm, Byrom Street

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Exploring Working in Creative Industries 14 November, 1pm-4pm, John Lennon Art and Design Building

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Exploring Careers in Sport 22 November, 1pm-4pm, Byrom Street

LJMU CAREERS TEAM

0151 231 2048/3719 || careers@ljmu.ac.uk