KENT EMPLOYABILITY NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 2012
MAKE YOURSELF EMPLOYABLE
EMPLOYABILITY AT KENT
Welcome to the first Employability Newsletter of the new academic year. While your academic results are important, they are only the first hurdle – it takes more than a degree, however good, to make you ‘employable’. The CBI defines employability as ‘a broad range of non-academic or softer skills and abilities which are of value in the workplace’. These include the ability to work in a team; initiative and original thought; selfdiscipline in completing tasks to deadlines; communication and problem-solving. Graduate recruiters look for evidence of these skills through your vacation and part-time work and extracurricular activities as well as through your studies.
This applies just as much to internships and placements as to graduate programmes – employers use these short-term opportunities to select their graduate talent of the future. The University offers many opportunities for students to get involved in activities outside their studies. These activities may relate to your future career plans (such as involvement in student media, or volunteering in a local school), but any sport, society, employment or volunteering activities will help you to improve your employability skills. Your paid work is also valuable – even casual parttime work in retail or hospitality says something about you to employers. A recruiter in a major London law firm says: “If you have been employed scrubbing pots in a hot sticky kitchen we can see that you have resilience,” while HSBC Bank looks for a minimum of two months customer-related work experience in its graduate recruits. Employers know that the best, most organised and most motivated applicants for graduate training schemes, year-in-industry placements and internships tend to apply early. Major companies may have very early closing dates for these programmes (sometimes even in October or November) so don’t miss out! Use our vacancy database http://kent.prospects.ac.uk/ to search for these opportunities.
DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS WITH THE CAREERS EMPLOYABILITY AWARD
The University of Kent Careers Employability Award is an online careers programme developed by the Careers and Employability Service on Moodle.
It comprises a number of quizzes and assignments on: • Identifying your employability skills, learning how to develop these and to ‘sell’ them to employers • Learning to identify your interests, values and personal styles and finding out which careers these relate to • Finding out about a particular career • Preparing a quality CV and learning how to perform well at interview
important to future employers. Also, developing a greater understanding of what the employers want to see and hear on a CV and during an interview has given me confidence. The relaxed nature of this course to do assignments and quizzes at your own leisure makes this module very appealing as both a learning process and personal development.”
On completion, students get a certificate and 40 University of Kent employability points.
“The researching and choosing career assignments were nothing short of fantastic. For ages I have been worrying about the options I have with this degree and fell into the trap of thinking I was limited to teaching. However those two modules helped me establish what skill sets I have and how these can be utilised for different jobs. My goal now is to become an Advertising Copywriter and I know exactly how to approach getting a job like this. I would recommend anyone do this module.”
“I have enjoyed learning how to sell myself, tapping into my skills I previously was unaware were so
For more information see www.kent.ac.uk/careers/moodle.htm
Open to all Kent students it gives a head start with your career planning. It can be taken at any stage of the academic year and takes about 12 hours to complete.
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With so much going on, follow us on Twitter and ‘like’ our Facebook page to keep up-to-date with the latest advice, industry developments and events on- and off- campus.
Stay tuned for dates of talks hosted by advisers on interviews, CVs and options with your subject; employer presentations and top tips and opportunities to help you land that dream job.
Canterbury Campus www.facebook.com/ukces www.twitter.com/unikentemploy
Medway Campus www.facebook.com/ukmemployability www.twitter.com/ukmemploy Remember also to check out the employability website www.kent.ac.uk/employability
How to become a Student Ambassador The University of Kent Student Ambassador Scheme offers paid opportunities to work with school students from local primary and secondary schools in Kent and Medway. Aside from the financial benefits, the scheme provides a range of skills necessary to succeed in the world of employment. Additionally, those involved in the scheme in recent years have praised the rewarding nature of the role and expressed satisfaction in their employment. Applications for the Student Ambassador Scheme are processed in September and January and include completing an application form and interview. Forms and a detailed job description are available upon request. Interviews and training occur in two phases with applicants being invited to the nearest applicable session. Applications are welcomed from students on both the Canterbury and Medway campuses. For further information, or to request an application form for either campus, please contact the Partnership Development Office on outreach@kent.ac.uk, or call 01227 824149 to speak to one of the team.
www.kent.ac.uk/employability
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KENT EMPLOYABILITY NEWSLETTER HAVE YOU CONSIDERED SPENDING A YEAR ABROAD? The University of Kent has many prestigious partners around the world. As a Kent student, why not tap into this global network? Going abroad as part of a Kent degree is an amazing opportunity. The fact that you’ve spent time abroad gives you a distinct advantage when you leave Kent and look for a job. You will develop many skills and attributes to enhance your CV and make you stand out in the job market.
GLOBAL SKILLS AWARD FOR POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS In 2011/12, 176 postgraduate students successfully completed the Global Skills Award (GSA) which culminated in a reward ceremony in Woolf College on 18 June 2012.
To achieve the award, students had to complete an online skills assessment and attend a series of lectures delivered by leading academics, business experts and current affairs specialists. Lectures covered a wide variety of topics ranging from economics to the Middle East, international adoption and humanitarian issues. Students also attended a series of workshops covering key employability skills including: presentation and communication skills; understanding leadership, careers management, team-working and networking and specific guidance on CV writing and interview techniques.
Employers seek graduates with global employability skills to help them succeed in an increasingly competitive international marketplace. There is also evidence that students who have studied or worked abroad achieve better degrees and earn higher salaries.
Students also felt that the GSA had helped inform their future career decisions. Linda Oloo from Kent Law School explains how: “The Global Skills Award has helped me see the different doors my course has opened for me. I am now clearly informed in terms of where to look for jobs and when.”
In a recent survey by ThirdYearAbroad.com, 66% of respondents believed their year abroad had been “a significant factor in getting their first and subsequent jobs.” Kent students and graduates agree:
“I would wholeheartedly recommend studying or working abroad. It’s something different to put on your CV, it broadens your practical skill set and it’s a great talking point.” Emily Perkins Exchange year at the University of Vienna
“I truly believe exchange years give students international exposure which so many firms are looking for.” Rheanne Laybourn Exchange year at the University of Hong Kong
“In my current role I work in a truly international team. My appreciation of different cultures and countries allowed me to understand how to work with different clients in different ways.”
Christopher Fradin Kent graduate now Regional Director for a luxury hotel group.
Many Kent degrees offer an option to go abroad, either on a work placement or by studying at another university. Even if you haven’t registered on one of those degrees, a placement abroad may still be possible. Help and support is available to help you find the right place. For more information please see our website: www.kent.ac.uk/goabroad or email us: goabroad@kent.ac.uk
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OCTOBER 2012
Feedback from students who completed the Global Skills Award has been very positive. Aderonke Adeyanju from the School of Psychology explains how “the workshops have been allencompassing and have touched on most (if not all) areas that I need to improve on.”
The GSA programme runs from November to April and is open to all postgraduate students registered on taught programmes of study. All new Master’s students will be contacted when the GSA is open for registration.
SCHOOL FOCUS – SCHOOL OF EUROPEAN CULTURE AND LANGUAGES Last year, the School of European Culture and Languages successfully ran a series of Careers and Employability events. Up to 80 students attended each of these events which covered topics such as CV writing, application forms, careers in the EU and the benefits of learning a language. This year we are organising even more including: sessions on the Student Ambassador and Student Guide schemes, Employability Points, and our new Peer Mentoring scheme. We are also planning events with our Alumni so they can offer advice and guidance to current students on employability related issues. For more information about the events planned for this term, see www.kent.ac.uk/secl
MyFolio – PLAN FOR YOUR FUTURE MyFolio is Kent’s online ePortfolio and Personal Development Planning tool. You can use MyFolio to create journals for reflection and pages for presentation and assessment. Your tutors will let you know how they plan to use MyFolio, but you can use it yourself however you like. For example, you can use the Personal Development Planner to help you to define and explore your career goals and map out ways to turn them into reality. It will also enable you to articulate the skills you are developing now in order to open up opportunities in the future. Find out more at myfolio.kent.ac.uk
www.kent.ac.uk/employability
KENT EMPLOYABILITY NEWSLETTER GET INVOLVED – GET REWARDED!
Sign up now for Kent’s Employability Points Scheme (EPS) if you are actively involved in a student society, workshop, learning a foreign language, fundraising or volunteering. You can earn points for activities like these and, at the end of the year, students with the highest points can apply for rewards, such as internships, work experience, training or vouchers. All prizes are sponsored by employers ranging from global corporate companies to small local businesses. During 2011/12, the scheme was taken up by almost 2000 under- and post-graduates and 86 sponsor companies including: Tesco, Enterprise, Penguin Books, National Trust, Kent County Council, Canterbury Cathedral Trust, and Coca-Cola Enterprises. At the end-of-year rewards ceremony on 7 June, attended by over 300 students, staff and employers, students were presented with their prestigious rewards, and spoke about their experience on the scheme and how it has helped them develop vital employability skills. Subashini Simparanathan, a 2nd year law student, describes how taking part in the Employability Points Scheme has benefited her: “It (the scheme) gives you confidence, it boosts your CV, and it enables you to talk more about what you have done and what you have achieved during your time at university.” Employers, including Jon Sale from EPS sponsor, Tesco, describe how “EPS provide(s) students with a much more rounded experience and…transferrable skills that we really value.” If you would like to take part in the EPS, visit www.kent.ac.uk/employabilitypoints or contact the Employability Points Co-ordinator, Kasia Senyszyn on k.e.senyszyn@kent.ac.uk
PROMOTING EMPLOYABILITY IN KENT BUSINESS SCHOOL
BENEFITS OF A YEAR IN INDUSTRY
Many courses at Kent have the option of doing a year in industry, also known as a sandwich or placement year. You’ll spend up to 12 months employed in a subjectrelated role and it counts as part of your degree. Besides earning a salary, the benefits of a year-long placement are huge. You get the chance to practise your application skills, gain commercial experience, improve your transferrable skills, build industry contacts and return with greater motivation towards your degree. All of this makes you more employable! Some companies use your time with them as an extended interview and if you perform well, may offer you a permanent job after you graduate. There is even evidence to suggest that if you do a year in industry you often get a better-paid job after you graduate. Take Computer Science students for example. In 2010, graduates from the four-year placement degree course had a starting salary of £26,461 compared to nonplacement graduates who began on £20,754 – that’s a difference of 27%. It can be hard to know where to start when looking for a placement. So let us share with you how one School helps their students. The School of Computing has an established year in industry programme and a dedicated Placement Office that works with students at both Canterbury and Medway.
Employability and the career development of our students are at the heart of what we do at the Kent Business School (KBS). Our professionally accredited undergraduate and postgraduate courses are connected to the real world of business via guest speakers from industry, case study activities and project work often based on live business problems. You may be one of many students who have enrolled on an undergraduate degree with a ‘year in industry’ option. This includes a 12 month placement and like previous students you may secure a position in wellknown companies such as: BAE Systems, Barclays, Cummins, Experian, Fujitsu, General Motors, Glaxo Smith Kline, Goldman Sachs, Hewlett Packard, IBM and Morgan Stanley. We also support students who are interested in setting up their own business through entrepreneurship modules and the very successful Network 612 which is a business network run in conjunction with Kent Enterprise Hub. If you are a student on the MSc in Value Chain Management, you can take part in the Student Implant Scheme and work for real organisations while studying. This includes the completion of an organisationbased project which can also form the basis of your dissertation. If you are on the MBA programme internship, the Kent Connects MBA Cohort Programme enables you to gain experience of the public sector operational and management environment. In addition, a Consultancy Week has been running since 2010, giving you the chance to complete consultancy projects for small and medium-sized enterprises. In November 2012, the Business School will launch the KBS Employability Week for undergraduate students which will focus on developing employability skills. This year, Candice Howe who graduated from KBS in 2008 with a first-class honours degree in Employment Relations and Human Resource Management will return to KBS to work with Stage 1 and Stage 3 undergraduate students. Candice now runs her own gym – Reebok Crossfit LifeSpark Dubai – working with companies and individuals to promote total life fitness with a focus on career development. For more information on the Employability Week please contact Dr Patricia Lewis p.m.j.lewis@kent.ac.uk. Further details are available on the School website www.kent.ac.uk/kbs
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The search for a great role starts in earnest at the very beginning of Stage 2. Support with CVs, applications and interview/assessment centre preparation is available from the Placement Office. Employers are also invited in to give presentations about placement opportunities. Some students are fortunate enough to get the first job they apply for, but often you need to be persistent and show the next employer that you have what they are looking for. It’s competitive, but if you work hard during the application process it really can pay off; computing students have recently been on placement with the police, Disney, HSBC in Hong Kong and Cisco in California! If you are on a course with a year in industry and want help with searching for your placement, contact your School Placement Office. The Careers and Employability Service can also help with job searching and application advice www.kent.ac.uk/ces
www.kent.ac.uk/employability
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KENT EMPLOYABILITY NEWSLETTER AWARDS FOR KENT VOLUNTEERS
Award ceremonies were held at Canterbury and Medway to recognise the achievements of Kent volunteers. 82,000 hours were logged this year, a massive increase of 35%.
Here are the experiences of a student volunteer: Name? Alison Burns
Where did you volunteer? Medway Mediation, Joining Hands, University of Kent Volunteer Committee and UMSA RAG.
What tasks did you do? Anger Management Coach for Medway Mediation Working with young people who were referred to the organisation by their school, or Social Services as a last chance option of staying in their school or home environment. Joining Hands Worked primarily at the Communigrow part of the organisation. This involved schools and local youth groups working together to make an area of land profitable by growing and selling vegetables. This was aimed at schools with a low academic attainment.
Talks and seminars are scheduled throughout the summer term. Sessions being organised by the Careers and Employability Service include: • Commercial awareness • Getting the most from Graduate Fairs
Medway • Gaining experience through volunteering, placements and internships • Working and studying abroad Volunteer Committee The Volunteer Committee was established to highlight the merits of volunteering to students at the University of Kent, promote the University’s volunteering certificate (KSCV) and to allocate money to funding applications for student-led volunteering activities. Raise and Give RAG is a student-run charitable fundraising organisation. The aim is to raise money for charities or non-profit organisations in an entertaining manner, enabling the rest of the student body to become involved.
What employability skills did you develop through volunteering? I developed a wide range of employability skills including: communication, team working, organisation, time management, adaptability and the ability to work under pressure.
What did you enjoy the most about volunteering? Working with new people, seeing the difference the work could make and seeing the result of the volunteer teams’ efforts.
CAREERS AND EMPLOYABILITY FAIR
An employer graduate fair is a great way to meet with representatives from companies that actively employ graduates. The Careers and Employability Service is organising a Fair on Thursday 1 November from 2pm-5pm in Eliot Great Hall. (Transport will be provided from the Medway Campus.) Among the many graduate employers attending the fair are: IBM, Majestic Wine, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, the Royal Air Force and Teach First.
It’s possible to look down the list of employers attending and think “there isn’t anything here for me” but keep an open mind. Many of the organisations
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FUTURE EVENTS
Canterbury
Volunteering ranged from Course Rep roles to working with local charities. Not only did this benefit the community, but students also gained valuable employability skills. This year sees the launch of Kent Union’s new Employability & Volunteering Toolkit which will help you find opportunities, log hours and reflect on your skills. Details can be found at www.kentunion.co.uk/eandv.
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represented have an HR department, IT, finance, marketing and PR, customer support and management structures.
www.kent.ac.uk/employability
Many employer talks are also scheduled for the autumn term including: Accenture Bloomberg MBDA You can find out more about these opportunities at www.kent.ac.uk/ces/events Kent Union will also be running ‘Stand Out’ training sessions. To find out more about these opportunities, visit www.kentunion.co.uk and follow the links to ‘Stand Out’ Training.
VIRTUAL JOBS FAIR JobShop will be holding their annual Virtual Jobs Fair from 1 – 15 October 2012 on their website www.kentunion.co.uk/jobs. Employers from different employment sectors all over the country and even worldwide will be invited to take part. All you have to do is click on the sector you are interested in working in and all the companies advertising as part of the fair will be displayed. Click on the company name and their page will appear with more information about the company and the vacancies they have available. Make sure you are registered with JobShop in order to get updates about the Fair and any other employment opportunities www.kentunion.co.uk/jobs
There are some things you can do in advance, to help you get the most out of the fair. Here are some top tips: • Be prepared – do some research about the employers that are attending • Smile – make a good first impression when you speak to the representatives • Bring copies of your CV – useful to hand to employers should they show interest • Take notes – chances are you’ll speak to quite a few people during your visit • Get contacts – it is perfectly acceptable to ask for business cards or appropriate email addresses should you be interested in a particular company