Amy Wiggins and Natalie Smith
Careers and Employability Service
University of Kent
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What support can you get from the Careers
and Employability Service?
Options after graduation
Careers with Animal Science
Job searching
CVs
Covering letters
Application forms
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Website: www.kent.ac.uk/ces
Social media:
 www.facebook.com/ukmemployability
 www.twitter.com/ukmemploy
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Appointments
Email: medwaycareers@kent.ac.uk
Telephone: 01634 202983
Careers Employability Award
Employment
related to animal
science
Further
study
Volunteering
Travelling
Employment in a different sector
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In pairs/threes write down as many jobs as
you can think of that are related to animal
science.
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Keeper – Wingham Wildlife Park
Keeper - Cheetah Rehabilitation Centre
Pet Advisor
Animal Helper - Dog’s Trust
Veterinary Assistant
Animal Technician – MidKent College
Zoo Keeper – Howletts Wild Animal Park
Nature conservation officer
Science writer
Animal nutritionist
Farm manager
Animal technologist
Animal nutritionist
Animal care worker
Animal technician
Assistance dog trainer
Countryside officer
Countryside ranger
Dog handler
Farrier
Horse groom
Horse riding instructor
Ornithologist
Pet behaviour counsellor
Riding holiday centre manager
Riding holiday leader
RSPCA or SSPCA inspector
Veterinary nurse
Zookeeper
Zoologist
Dog groomer
Fish farmer
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www.prospects.ac.uk
https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk
http://www.animal-job.co.uk/#Latest_Vacancies
http://www.biaza.org.uk/careers/Vacancies/
http://www.prospects.ac.uk/gap_year_opportunities.htm
Organisation websites e.g. http://www.rspca.org.uk/inaction/careers/-/article/EM_Careers
Speculative approach
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Curriculum Vitae (Latin: the course of one’s life)
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An outline of a person’s educational and professional
history
What is the purpose of a CV?
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To inform the employer about
your education, work
experience, skills and interests
To ‘sell’ these qualities and to
persuade the employer to invite
you to interview
When an employer asks for a CV
When an employer states ‘apply to…’
without specifying the format
 When making speculative applications
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On average how long does a recruiter
spend looking at a CV?
a.
b.
c.
0-30 seconds
30 seconds – 1 minute
1-2 minutes
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Look at the job advert for ‘Biological Field
Technician’.
You will be given two CVs and you will have
20 seconds to look at each one and decide
which one you would invite to an interview.
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Which one did you choose and why?
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It is not ‘one size fits all’, you
need to tailor your CV to each
position you apply for.
Research the company. Do they have a mission
statement or core values? What will they be looking
for in you? Check the job description/person
specification.
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Name (as a heading rather than ‘CV’)
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Address
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Telephone number
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Email address
 Make sure this is a professional email address, not
‘sexybeccy@hotmail.com’
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Start with the most recent
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Don’t forget your current study
 Mention relevant modules
 You might like to mention top marks
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You don’t have to put your grades on if you
weren’t happy with them
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Include the years of study
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Primary school not needed
Education and Qualifications
2011 – Present
University of Kent
BSc (Hons) Animal Science (Predicted 2:1)
Modules include: Animal Adaptations, Clinical Animal
Behaviour, Conservation and Wildlife Heritage.
Highlights include:
• African safari field trip.
• Project at Howletts Wild Animal Park.
2009 – 2011
Maidstone Grammar School
A-levels: Biology (B), Geography (C),
Spanish (C)
2005 – 2009
Wrotham School
GCSEs: 8 GCSEs grade A-C including English and
Mathematics
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Dates, name of company, position, location.
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Don’t just list your duties – sell your skills and
provide evidence. Which skills are relevant to
the position/company you are applying to?
April 2010 – June 2011
Sales Assistant
Museum of Kent Life, Maidstone
• Delivered excellent customer service as demonstrated by my mystery shop result of
91% and by receiving ‘Sales Assistant of the Month’ award three times.
• Achieved a sales result of 5% above my target illustrating my advanced selling skills,
as well as my determination to succeed.
What examples can you give from your work experience?
If you have no paid work experience, give examples from voluntary work or
from your course
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
Choose interests and activities which can demonstrate
skills relevant to the job such as:
• Team work
• Organising
• Commitment
• Your intellectual abilities
• Your personality
• Your artistic ability
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Ideally, one academic and previous/current
employer.
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Ask permission from your referee and let them
know what position(s) you’ve applied for.
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Use relevant references if possible.
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You can say ‘references available on request’
rather than including contact details if you
wish.
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The first visual impression of your CV is
important
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For standard CVs, use plain white A4 paper
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Do not double side
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Keep your CV to one or two sides of paper
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Check your spelling
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Use bullet points and bold font but in
moderation
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Formatting – make sure it’s consistent
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Size 10-12 font (depending on font style)
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Clear font e.g. Arial, Calibri
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2:1, not Two One or 2,1
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Use short, concise sentences
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My hobbits include - instead of 'hobbies.'
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I have good writen skills.
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i am a prefectionist and rarely if if ever
forget details.
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I hope to hear from you shorty.
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In my spare time I enjoy hiding my horse.
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Restaurant skills: Severing customers
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Never send a ‘naked’ CV!
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1 side of A4 – similar to a UCAS personal statement
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Opening paragraph – motivation for the job
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Followed by skills and experience developed
through study, work experience and paid work
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‘Matching up’ with job description
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http://www.prospects.ac.uk/covering_letters.htm
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STAR
Explain a time where you have worked successfully in a team…
Situation
During the summer vacation of 2012, I volunteered for Kent Wildlife
Trust in their marketing department, working in a team of four
people.
Task
We were asked to develop a social media page to promote events
and volunteering opportunities.
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Action
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Result
I had the responsibility of researching which platform would be best
for this type of marketing, and presented my findings to the group.
We chose to create a Facebook page. Having found that pages with
regular picture uploads receive more views and have more
followers, I took on the role of Picture Researcher. I ensured each
team member had the photographs they needed for their posts.
By the end of the summer, our Facebook page had 240 followers,
event attendance rose by 10% and we recruited five new volunteers
through the Facebook page.
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www.kent.ac.uk/ces
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medwaycareers@kent.ac.uk