The University of Kent
Careers and Employability Service
Bioscience Careers
• Bruce Woodcock
What can I
do with a
Kent
Bioscience
Degree?
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/bioscience.htm
Biomedical Scientists
• Work in hospital and related laboratories - Blood Transfusion
Service and veterinary laboratories.
• Provide analytical and advisory services to clinicians and other
professionals,
• Few jobs are now advertised!
• Must inquire at local hospitals: get unpaid experience/project
work
• Sign up for email alerts to be notified of trainee BMS
vacancies on the NHS Jobs website www.jobs.nhs.uk
• Can also get a laboratory assistant post via NHS Jobs
www.nhsjobs.com and work your way up
• Vacancy website www.careerscene.com
• Talk to course lecturers from William Harvey & other local
hospitals about jobs with them.
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/workin/hospitalsci.htm
STP – Scientists Training Programme - NHS
• Work in a hospital while completing a (fully
paid for) Masters degree part-time.
Tasks include:
• Planning and organising work in clinical labs.
• Organising tests on patient samples
• Advising clinicians and GPs on use of tests
and interpretation of results.
• Carrying out R&D as well as evaluation and
quality assessment of diagnostic tests.
• Developing new and existing tests.
STP – Scientists Training Programme - NHS
• Work in a hospital while completing a (fully
paid for) Masters degree part-time.
Tasks include:
• Planning and organising work in clinical labs.
• Organising tests on patient samples
• Advising clinicians and GPs on use of tests
and interpretation of results.
• Carrying out R&D as well as evaluation and
quality assessment of diagnostic tests.
• Developing new and existing tests.
STP – Scientists Training Programme - NHS
• Clinical Biochemistry
• Clinical Microbiology
• Clinical Cytogenetics
• Immunological Scientists
• Histocompatibility and
Immunogenetics
• Entry via the Scientist Training
Programme (STP)
• Closing date normally February .
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/workin/hospitalsci.htm
SCIENCE JOBS
- more about these tomorrow!
• Research & Development
• Clinical Scientists
&
• Pharmacologist
Toxicologist
& Quality
• Production
Assurance
• Regulatory Affairs
Research
• Clinical
Associate/Monitor
• Information Scientist
• Medical Sales Representative
• Patent Examiner
• Patent Agent
• Scientific Administrator
Communications
• Medical
and Science Writing
• Bioinformatics
Degree Class Percentages
PhD
5%
First class 70% +
11%
Upper Second (2:1)
60 - 69 %
40%
44%
Lower Second (2:2)
50 - 59 %
Medical
Sales
Third 40 - 49 %
Science
Technician
Teaching
Research
One third of graduate jobs accept any
degree subject.
BECAUSE:
• Learn new skills quickly
• Analyse & solve
problems
• Communicate well
• Open to new ideas,
adaptable and flexible
• “Managers of change”
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Accountancy
Computing
Teaching
Marketing and Sales
Retailing
Social Work
Personnel
NHS Management
26% of Kent Bioscientists get jobs outside science
Chartered Accountancy
• Take any degree subject provided you have done careful
research
• Need good A Level grades – about BBB minimum
• Need good maths – about GCSE grade A minimum
• Lots of jobs – PWC alone take 1,000 graduates a year
• 3 years demanding study for professional exams: 12
hours per week in evenings and at weekends BUT paid
£25,000 salary
• On qualification £40,000 ++
• www.kent.ac.uk/careers/workin/accountancy.htm
Computing
• Firms such FDM will take graduates from any subject
with good analytical skills and a strong interest in IT
and train you in software development
• Or can do an MSc Computer Science at Kent
• Or MSc in Bioinformatics
• Big shortage of good programmers in UK so excellent
salaries and opportunities
• www.kent.ac.uk/careers/workin/computing.htm
Digital Marketing
• Huge growth in jobs but few graduates know about it!
• (SEO) Search Engine Optimisation
• Google Analytics
• Social media - Facebook/Twitter
• Viral marketing
• Any degree subject with an interest in IT
• www.kent.ac.uk/careers/workin/digital-marketing.htm
IBM Mentoring Scheme
IBM are mentoring first-year students looking to do a placement as part of
their degree or second year students considering life after University.
Mentors are Kent graduates and interns. You can be studying for any degree and
don't need advanced computing skills.
Why? IBM is keen to encourage students to consider their careers sooner. We want
to make students aware of how competitive today’s job market is and give them
guidance on how best to promote themselves. This will give them the best chance of
applying not just to our schemes but other employers’ too. The scheme also provides
a fantastic chance for students to improve and enhance their skillsets before they
begin applying. It is a virtual mentoring scheme where the majority of contact with
students is either via email, telephone or by Skype.
The scheme will run between January and April.
If you would like an IBM mentor please email bw@kent.ac.uk with a copy
of your CV and an answer in not more than 200 words to the following
question in the next week. "How would you benefit from having an IBM mentor
and why should you be selected for this scheme rather than other students who
apply". The students with the best answers will be selected to take part in the
scheme. The earlier you apply, the better your chances of acceptance.
More details are at www.kent.ac.uk/careers/IBM.htm
CHOOSING A CAREER
Prospects Planner: powerful career choice program
www.prospects.ac.uk/links/PPlanner
Choosing a career web pages
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/Choosing/ChoosingCareer.htm
Information on many different careers
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/workin.htm
WHAT SKILLS DO BIOSCIENTISTS
NEED? - GSK
•
•
•
•
•
•
Presentation skills
Teamworking
Computing Skills
Time Management/organising skills
People skills
Report writing/documentation of
experiments
• Laboratory experience
• Problem solving skills
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sk/skills-Kent.htm
VACATION WORK
• www.kent.ac.uk/careers/vacwork.htm
• Science internships
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/ScienceJobs.htm
• Science Recruitment Agencies
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sitephar.htm#ScientificRecAgencies
• Speculative CVs to firms in your area
• Vacancy database:
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/jobs
If you can’t get a science placement ………
• Do something outside science that develops your
teamworking/organising/ problem-solving skills
• BUNAC www.bunac.org.uk Summer work in the
USA, Canada, Australia, Jamaica and Ghana
• Camp America www.campamerica.co.uk
• Camp Counsellors USA and Work Experience USA
www.ccusa.com
• CIEE www.ciee.org work experience in the USA,
Canada, Australia and NZ
Moodle Careers Employability Award
• Much lower unemployment rate for graduates who completed the
award last year www.kent.ac.uk/careers/moodle.htm
Moodle Careers Employability Award
•
14 Quizzes: need 75% to pass but allowed
unlimited attempts
•Employability skills quiz
•Employability skills quiz: drag
& drop
•How to develop the skills
employers want?
•Test your spelling and
grammar!
•What makes you happy at
work?
•How commercially aware are
you?
Complete 3 of the
following seven
assignments
•Special interests topic •Analyse your skills and learn
lesson
how to make top quality
•Interview preparation applications
•Practice interview
•What are the most
•Do you want to live to work
common interview
or work to live?
questions?
•Aptitude tests and
•Researching careers
assessment centres
•CV quiz
•Choosing a career
•CVs and covering
letters: drag & drop
•Submit a CV
quiz
•Career planning drag •Social media
and drop quiz
•Action planning
DX_CEA Careers Employability Award (2014/15)
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/moodle.htm
Other points
will send you careers emails every Monday
• Iafternoon
in term time on vacation work,
•
•
internships, careers talks, etc.
Get actively involved in university life so you
have evidence of teamwork, organising,
leadership etc. skills for your CV.
Apply early in your final year – closing dates
are often in the first term GSK/AstraZeneca
typically October/November.
Bruce Woodcock
• Deal with all Bioscience students
• An adviser is on duty for short (15 minute) consultations in the
Careers and Employability Service any weekday morning 10.3012.30 or afternoon from 2 pm to 4 pm. You don't need an
appointment to see the duty adviser at these times. Just ask at
Careers Reception to see them.
• Email: bw@kent.ac.uk
• Can book an interview with me at Careers reception (01227
823299) – after these talks have finished!
• These are the final careers talks I shall be giving you during your
degree!
• Tomorrow: Careers in Science 10 am GLT1
Location of the Careers Service
• Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays including
vacations.
• The Careers Web Site www.kent.ac.uk/careers is
available 24/7
•
Next lecture: information on all the
main careers in science open to you