GAINING EXPERIENCE AND DEVELOPING SKILLS
Developing core skills 1
Initiative
Recruiters want you to be able to demonstrate making things happen and getting things done. Ideas to help you develop this include: Organising a unique fundraising event for a charity. Helping to increase participation or membership for an event or society. Setting up an Oxford student arm of a professional organisation or a charity. Joining The Oxford Strategy Challenge (TOSCA). Developing your own website, or building one for a student society. Starting your own society, social enterprise or small business. Volunteering as a student representative for your course.
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Communication
Employers want to see that you have good interpersonal skills, and can communicate verbally and in writing – to empathise and persuade. You can display these skills by: Persuading guest speakers to attend a society event you are helping to organise. Securing corporate sponsorship for a club or encouraging alumni to donate as part of a college fundraising campaign. Representing an external organisation as their Oxford brand ambassador. Work experience in a customer service role. Write a regular blog on something that interests you, and record ‘likes’ and ‘click-throughs’ quantitatively. Contributing articles or reviews to student publications or contributing to Oxide Radio. Creating publicity materials for a charity. Acting as secretary of a student society or your Common Room. Debating at the Oxford Union or the Oxford International Debating Society. Creating YouTube presentations or doing your own podcasts on something of interest to you. Volunteering to help with outreach and access events: assisting at Oxford open days, or visiting schools to encourage students to apply to Oxford. Volunteering to give a presentation in your college/ department on an academic project.
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www.careers.ox.ac.uk
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Teamwork
Organisations want to know that you can work in a group to achieve something tangible. There are many ways to develop teamwork skills, including: Joining a sports team. There are dozens of student-run sports clubs, and many more for individual colleges. See www.sport.ox.ac.uk for inspiration. Getting involved in a choir, orchestra or band – or helping to produce a play. Contributing to the decision-making of your Common Room committee, or a student society. Choosing to do group project work, if the option is offered on your course. Joining The Oxford Strategy Challenge (TOSCA), or student-led initiatives for consultancy work in a group, like OxAid or the Microfinance Initiative. Completing a Duke of Edinburgh award. Campaigning with Oxford SU. Campaigns promote many good causes, from mental health to racial equality. Becoming part of the student team that runs Oxford Hub.
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Creativity
Creativity is about being curious and innovative, finding new ways of doing things and understanding and taking risks. Consider: Driving change, improving systems and services. Brainstorming ideas for events or realising a themed ball. Lighting, set and costume design as well as performing and directing. Creating ideas or work for The Agency, run by the Careers Service. Joining Oxford Entrepreneurs’ pitching event: Idea Idol.
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Planning
Employers will want to see evidence that you can organise people and resources to achieve objectives and work to a deadline. Outside managing your studies, ideas of how you can develop this include: Organising a ball, bop, conference or campaign. Co-ordinating your Common Room’s annual elections. Organising a group or event to raise money for charity. Organising an away-day for a society, or an interuniversity match for a sports club. Editing a student publication, such as a newspaper, website or yearbook.
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