How to find graduate jobs and
successfully apply for them.
SSPSSR Employability Month
• Nicola Urquhart
• Careers Adviser
• Careers and Employability Service
• www.kent.ac.uk/careers/slides.htm
What is Employability?
‘A set of attributes, skills and
knowledge that all labour market
participants should possess to
ensure they have the capability of
being effective in the workplace –
to the benefit of themselves, their
employer and the wider
economy.’ (CBI, March 2009)
Changing world of work:
• Global economy
• More career changes
• Roles change
• New technology/social media
• Need to focus on
employability as opposed to
just employment
• Changes to graduate
recruitment
Changes to graduate recruitment
Previously…
Degree + good application +
good interview = graduate role
What do employers want?
Commercial Awareness
Work Experience
Professional attributes
Extra-Curricular Activities
Employability skills
Degree awarded at 2.1 or above
What skills and attributes do employers
want?
Communication
Adaptability
Self awareness
Leadership
Energy
Contextual/cultural awareness
Report writing
Problem Solving
Adaptability
Numeracy
Positive attitude
Reflection
Confidence
Team working
Integrity
Capacity to develop
Reliability
Drive and resilience
Project management
IT skills
Business and
customer awareness
Enterprise
Enthusiasm/passion
Planning and organisation
Maturity
What skills and attributes do employers
want?
Transferrable skills
• Communication (oral,
•
•
•
•
•
•
written)
Negotiation
Team working
Planning and organisation
Time management
Leadership
Problem solving
Attributes
• Integrity
• Adaptability
• Energy
• Drive and resilience
• Reliability
• Enthusiasm and passion
• Self awareness and
confidence
Page 8
Why are employability skills so important?
Increased competition – over 400,000 graduates leaving
university each year.
• ‘Our latest UK recruitment campaign closed having
attracted c.24500. The bank will offer c.475 places in
2012.’ HSBC newsletter April 2012
• Saatchi & Saatchi – 3000 applicants for 12 summer
internships 2012.
• Kent Probation – 300 applicants for 6 jobs in October
2012.
Page 9
How can you develop employability skills
and provide evidence for them?
Through your course:
• Written work
• Research
• Problem solving
• Presentations
• Working in groups
• Using ICT skills
• Understanding complex information
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How can you develop employability skills
and provide evidence for them?
Through extra-curricular activities:
• Clubs/societies
• Volunteering
• Student Ambassador Scheme
• Careers Employability Award on Moodle
• Employability Points
• Learning a language
• Travelling
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How can you develop employability skills
and provide evidence for them?
Through gaining work experience:
• Part-time work
• Internships/placements
• Company events
Where to look for jobs
Research how the sectors you are interested in
recruit
Where to look for vacancies
• Check job vacancies to find out
about the types of roles being
advertised
www.prospects.ac.uk
www.milkround.com
www.targetjobs.co.uk
www.kent.ac.uk/ces
• Graduate directories
• Careers and Employability Fairs
• Social Media
• Recruitment Agencies
Vacancy Sites - graduate
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/graddirectories.htm
• www.prospects.ac.uk
• www.get.hobsons.co.uk
• www.targetjobs.co.uk
• www guardianuk300.com
• www.top100graduateemployers.com/
• www.kent.ac.uk/ces/vacancies.html
Graduate Schemes still open ...
• Accenture
• Ernest & Young
• Aldi
• EU Careers
• Arcadia
• IBM
• BAE Systems
• L’Oreal
• BBC
• Mars
• Bloomberg
• McDonalds
• British Sugar
• MI5
• Cancer Research UK
• National Grid
• Deliotte
• Penguin
• DFID
• TeachFirst
• Diageo
• BBC
Example Graduate scheme (Bloomberg )
• Finance
• IT
• Media
• Sales
Example graduate scheme: DFID
• Engineering
• Finance
• General Management
• IT
• Purchasing
• Research and
Development
Other resources
• Professional bodies
• Institute of Practitioners in Advertising www.ipa.co.uk/
• Chartered Institute of Marketing www.cim.co.uk
• Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development
www.cipd.co.uk/
• Recruitment agencies
• FASHION - George Ellis Recruitment
• MUSIC - Handle Recruitment
• ACCOUNTANCY - Hays Accountancy Personnel
• SECRETARIAL - Nice People Employment Bureau
Careers Fairs
Graduate Events
The Summer Graduate Fair
ExCel, London, 5th June 2013
www.summergradfair.co.uk
TARGETjobs/The Careers Group
The London Graduate Fair
Business Design Centre, Islington 20th March
www.londongradfair.co.uk/summer
For fairs elsewhere in the UK, see
www.prospects.ac.uk/links/careerfairs
What else can you do?
Network!
• ask your friends
• ask your relatives
• ask your “network”
• ask a past Kent graduate
• ask a careers adviser
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sk/CJ.htm
Not all jobs are advertised : the hidden job
market
APPLICATIONS AND
INTERVIEWS
How to succeed
Successful applications
What employers say…
"Few students are able to
articulate what they have
gained from their
experience in higher
education." (Association of
Graduate Recruiters, 1995)
What is the purpose of a CV?
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•
•
To inform the employer about your
education, work experience, skills and
interests
To show how you meet the criteria so
the employer can not deselect you
To ‘sell’ your qualities and to persuade
the employer to invite you to interview
Producing a CV
Matching up your CV with the position/company
•
•
It is not ‘one size fits all’, you
need to tailor your CV to each
position you apply for.
Research the organisation. Do they
have a mission statement or core
values? What will they be looking for
in you? Who works there at the
moment? What are they passionate
about?
What makes an effective CV and covering
letter
• Right format
• Well presented
• Proof read/consistent tenses
• You have included all the necessary
information
• Your skills and abilities are clearly
evidenced
• Conveyed your understanding and
enthusiasm for the job
• Targeted it to the job
What does it need to contain?
• Personal details
• Education and qualifications
• Work experience
• Skills
• Interests and additional information
• References
Don’t be constrained by headings.
• Languages
• Scholarships/Awards
• Voluntary work
• Relevant experience
• Positions of responsibility
• Publication/Presentations
• Conferences attended
• Research skills
• Additional skills
Hints on wording
• Avoid personal pronouns •
•
•
•
•
•
No “I’s”
Avoid producing a passive
CV
Start with verbs wherever
possible
Use short sentences &
concise phrases
Focus on accomplishments
Refer to specific projects
with quantifiable results
Try to incorporate wording
used in that sector
Make use of Action Verbs
created instructed analysed produced
negotiated designed calculated maintained
administered controlled reviewed observed
consolidated delivered founded increased
studied invented supplied detected
programmed recommended distributed
developed solved prepared installed selected
arranged formulated solved started
Application forms (online)
• Read the question!
• Re-read and highlight the main points
• Write your answer
• Check you have covered each point
• Include key words
STAR approach (online)
For questions where you are asked to ‘explain a time when…’, it is
useful to use the STAR approach:
• Situation – set the scene
• Task - what needed to be done/achieved?
• Action - this should take up about 80% of the answer, what action
did YOU take?
• Result - this is the ‘proof’ that you succeeded, try and give evidence
such as statistics if possible
Applicant Tracking Systems
Some major recruiters rely on Applicant Tracking Systems to initially scan through
CVs, covering letters and application forms. If you do not pass this stage, your
application may never be seen.
Case Study: Olu – Business and IT
I applied for 120 placement schemes,
the most disheartening thing about
it was receiving rejections at 1am
in the morning. My applications
weren’t even getting to a human
being! Allianz was my last shot,
and for the first time I made my
application relevant, I used key
words and I practiced psychometric
tests. Not only did I get the
placement, but they asked me back
after graduation, so I have now
started on their graduate scheme.
Beating the system
• Use their KEY WORDS from:
• Job description
• Person specification
• Values and mission statement section
• ‘What we look for’ section
Example: Candidate must have strong communication skills and
must be fluent in German
(ensure highlighted words feature in your application)
Here comes the (computer)
science bit… Concentrate!
1.
Never send your CV as a PDF: Applicant tracking systems (ATS)
lack a standard way to structure PDF documents, info can be misread
2.
Don't include tables or graphics: ATS can't read graphics, and
they misread tables
3.
Call your work experience, "Work Experience": The computer
might completely skip over your work experience if you haven’t
labelled it as such
4.
Don't start your work experience with dates: To ensure
applicant tracking systems read and import your work experience
properly, always start it with your employer's name, followed by
your title, followed by the dates you held that title.
INTERVIEWS
Does what I wear really matter?
37% of employers decided against hiring someone because of what they were wearing
80% of interviewers think it is inappropriate to wear red to an interview
99% of bosses interviewing female applicants say they would be inclined to mark
them down if they wore dangly jewellery
95% find low-necked tops and no tights unsuitable interview attire
(The Ladders)
Interviews – do your research
• Be familiar with the employer website
• Re-read employer information/ your application form
• Remind yourself why you find this employer attractive
• Keep up to date with current affairs
Body Language
• Shake hands warmly, but wait to be invited to sit down.
• Smile
• Try to relax - don’t sit on the edge of your chair, but don’t
slouch.
• Speak clearly and not too fast
• Don’t fidget
• Keep up good eye contact with the interviewer
Interview Questions
Interview questions may be:
• Hypothetical (what would you do if…)
• Competency based (describe a situation where you…)
• ‘Traditional’ interview questions (tell me about yourself)
In your answers, keep in mind the skills and attributes the
employer will be looking for.
Be honest.
Prepare answers to obvious questions
• Why are you applying to us?
• Who else have you applied to?
• What do you know about our competitors ?
• What makes you suitable for this placement/job?
• Why should we employ you?
• What do you know about the company/industry/scheme?
• Tell us about yourself
• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• What do you do in your spare time?
• What is your greatest achievement?
Prepare for Competency Questions
Describe a situation where you had to .....
• show leadership
• make a difficult decision
• overcome a difficult obstacle
• work with others to solve a problem
What would you do differently?
Hypothetical Questions –
What would you do if ………?
• What would you do if an irate customer complained
about the length of time they had been waiting?
• What would you do if you disagreed with something
your manager was doing?
• What would you do if a person became aggressive
when talking to you?
Thinking on your feet
• Used precisely because it's impossible to work out your
answer beforehand
• Tests your ability to think quickly, logically, produce
practical solutions
• Don't panic! Take a few seconds to
think - this shows confidence
• There may be many possible solutions.
Difficult Questions
• Ask for some thinking time
• Tell them you would need to research the answer
• Ask if you can come back to that question later
• “I’m afraid I don’t know” is better than waffle
• Keep the answer short if you are operating at the
edge of your comfort zone
Prepare Some Questions to Ask
• Will I have a mentor in the workplace?
• How many people work in the
team?
• How did you progress to your role?
• Would I have a role in the project you described?
Useful resources
• I want to work in ….
•
•
•
•
http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/siteach.htm
What can I do with my degree in …
http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/Sociology.htm
Interviews (includes assessment centres and
psychometric tests etc.)
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/applicn.htm
Example CVs & Covering Letters
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/cv/cvexamples.htm
Employability Skills
http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sk/skillsmenu.htm
• www.prospects.ac.uk
Undecided about what jobs would suit you
Spend time thinking about
your values, skills and
attributes and which jobs
would give you the
opportunity to use these.
• www.prospects.ac.uk
(Prospects Planner)
• www.kent.ac.uk
(Choosing a Career )
• Make use of the Careers
and Employability Service
Where to find the Careers and
Employability Service
Opening Hours:
9-5, Mon - Fri
Speak to an adviser:
• Quick query, drop in and speak
to an adviser 10.30am 12.30pm and 2pm-4pm
Monday to Friday.
• E mail @careerhelp and an
adviser will respond to your
query.
• You can also book a longer
career guidance appointment
over the phone or pop in.
Action Points
• Research how the sectors you are interested in recruit
• Plan a strategy for your job-hunting (& review it regularly)
• Update your CV and revise it every time you use it to apply for a job
• Continue to build up your skills and experience (stop-gap jobs,
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internships, work shadowing, etc)
Network - discuss your career ideas with as many people as possible
Use a variety of vacancy and information sources
Employ creative job-hunting techniques as well as conventional
methods
Keep motivated and don’t give up! No,no,no,no,no.no,no,noYES!
Use the Careers and Employability Service
Stay up-to-date with what is happening
• www.kent.ac.uk/ces
• www.kent.ac.uk/employability
• Follow us on Facebook at University
of Kent Student Employability
www.facebook.com/UKCES
• Follow us on Twitter at
@unikentemploy
Slides can be downloaded at
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/slides.htm