CHOOSING A CAREER
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/
Tim Reed
Head of Careers
Introduction
• What is a career?
• What are the options?
• How can the CAS help?
• Where to look for jobs
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/slides.htm
What is a career?
• not necessarily a linear, planned sequence of
events
• Career choice is not an event or occasion
• Career choice is a process
• It is a combination of stages in your life
• It could contain great variety
Why is choosing a career so difficult?
ALL JOBS
which match your goals, needs & values
& require your skills, qualities & qualifications
in the desired location
where there are prospects for the future
What is the best career?
What are the options?
• Employment/training
• Employment & study
• Academic study
• Vocational study
• Time out/Travel
Employment option examples
Advertising
Armed Forces
Arts admin
Broadcasting
Central & Local Government
Computing/IT
Finance
Fire Service
Guidance/Counselling
Info Management/Museums
Journalism
Law
Marketing/Sales
Management Consultancy
NHS Management
Personnel
Police
Production Management
Public Relations
Publishing
Purchasing
Retail
Self-employment
Social Work
TEFL
Teaching
Tourism
Transport
Jobs directly related to degree
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/degreein.htm
• Teacher/Lecturer in Further and/or Higher Education in the UK
What subject did they study at university?
Jobs where degree useful
www.prospects.ac.uk/links/PhilosophyDeg
•
Advertising Account Planner
•
Barrister
•
Civil Service fast streamer
•
Health Service Manager
•
Investment Analyst
•
Newspaper Journalist
•
Recruitment Consultant
•
Software Engineer
•
Solicitor
•
Stockbroker
Skills - from Film Studies
• Ability to work under pressure
• Analytical & Problem Solving
• Communication
• Visual & Critical Awareness
• Literacy
• Research
• Technical Skills (?)
Many basic factors affect choice
• Hours
• Perks
• Location
• Image
• Pay
GRADUATE SALARIES 2012

Arcadia – retail management £18,500 - £23,000

Boots - brand/buying/marketing grad scheme £24,000 + £1k welcome!

Barclays Bank - future leaders development programme £36k (+£8k bonus!)

Civil Service - up to £27,000

Explore Learning - education management £21,000

Exxon Mobil - graduate schemes £34,000

FiveTen Group - recruitment £20-£25k

GCHQ - defence research £25,000 (+ benefits)

IBM - range of schemes £27,000 - £32,000

Jaguar Land Rover – purchasing grad scheme £27k

John Lewis - buying/retail management/merchandising graduate schemes £25,000

L’Oreal - management training scheme £28,000

McDonald’s - trainee business manager £18,500-21,500

MI5 - £24,750 + benefits - varies by function!

Motability - £28,500 (+ joining bonus!)

Slaughter & May - training contract £38,000

Waitrose - retail management £25,000
2 alternative starting points
• start from yourself and work out
• start from your opportunities and work back
• Or, combine the two!
How can the CAS help?
• Options Leaflets
• Free careers literature
• Reference files & books
• IT facilities
• Talks & presentations
• Quick Query
• Careers Guidance Interview
Where to look
• Vacancy publications www.kent.ac.uk/careers/jobs/index.htm
• Directories www.prospects.ac.uk
• Employer brochures – eg. Mars @
www.mars.com/global/careers-at-mars/students.aspx
• Specialist publications www.psychapp.co.uk/
• Careers Fairs
CAREERS FAIRS - 2012
www.prospects.ac.uk/links/careerfairs
Careers Fair Lincoln 22/2/2012
Language Futures Careers & Employability University of Salford 22/2/2012
Marketing, Media & Communications Fair London School of Economics and Political
Science 23/2/2012
Graduate & Work Experience Fair Oxford 2/3/2012
Careers.....Making a Difference University of Leeds 6/3/2012
Spring Careers Fair Loughborough 6/3/2012
Sheffield Spring into Jobs Fair University of Sheffield & Sheffield Hallam 7/3/2012
Careers in Health & Wellbeing Fair Ipswich 14/3/2012
European Internships Fair Brussels, Belgium 16/3/2012
The Spring Graduate Fair at the University of London sponsored by WikiJobs London
21/3/2012
Graduate Recruitment Fair Doug Ellis Sport Centre, Birmingham 22/3/2012
Where to look
• Vacancy publications
• Directories
• Employer brochures
• Specialist publications
• Careers Fairs
• Job Centres
• Online sources
Online sources
• 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/
• Guardian vacancies www.jobs.guardian.co.uk/
Excellent Websites
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sitesmen.htm
• www.prospects.ac.uk
• www.get.hobsons.co.uk/
• www.kent.ac.uk/careers/
• www.kentgrads.org.uk/
Where to look
• Vacancy publications
• Directories
• Employer brochures
• Specialist publications
• Careers Fairs
• Internet
• Newspapers
Job ads in the press
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sitespub.htm
• Actuaries - Money Management, Observer, Times
• Acupuncture - Journal of Alternative & Complementary
Medicine (m)
• Arts Administration - The Stage, Arts Management Weekly,
Guardian (Mon & Sat)
Where to look
• Vacancy publications
• Directories
• Employer brochures
• Specialist publications
• Careers Fairs
• Internet
• Newspapers
• Recruitment Agencies
Recruitment Agencies
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/recruit.htm
• FASHION - George Ellis Recruitment
• MUSIC - Handle Recruitment
• ACCOUNTANCY - Hays Accountancy Personnel
• SECRETARIAL - Nice People Employment Bureau
• STOCKBROKING - Citifocus Ltd
Some tips on choosing a career
• take time over your choice
• be realistic
• do the research
• make your own decision
• use the Careers Advisory Service
• start NOW!
Once career choice made
• Research employers/courses
• Apply
• Discuss your ideas if you are uncertain
• Change your job-hunting/application
methods if they are not working
Careers Presentations
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/casevents.htm
• Army: Informal Interviews – 21 Feb 10.30-13.30 @CAS
• Postgraduate study in Humanities & Social Science – 22 Feb
1-2pm KLT5
• Careers session for Film Studies – 22 Feb 2-3pm KLT5
• Presentation by BUNAC – 28 Feb 1pm KLT5
• CV Workshop – 29 Feb 1-3pm KLT5
• Careers session for Anthropology – 29 Feb 3-4pm KLT5
CHOOSING A CAREER
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/
Tim Reed
Head of Careers