CAREER MANAGEMENT SKILLS
PROGRAMME
Session 1:
The Essentials
Julie Blant
Deputy Director, Postgraduate Careers Service

In this session:
• managing your career
• graduate recruitment
• the MA/MSc Careers Programme
• Postgraduate Careers Service
• the value of postgraduate study
• destinations of MA/MSc graduates
• work permits
• careers resources

Managing your career
Career Management has become an essential skill for the 21 st Century.
Many employers will expect you to do it
- they are looking for people to be pro-active about their careers!

A short history lesson!
1950s
Job for life
Job security
Full-time jobs
Relatively stable technology
Steady promotion
Few changes
PREDICTABLE
CAREER PATH
1970s
Less job security
Periods of unemployment
NOW
Regular job changes
Fixed term posts
Full-time & part-time jobs
Changing technology
Career ladder
Training & retraining
UNPREDICTABLE
CAREER PATH
Flexible working methods
Rapidly changing technology
Career changes
Lifelong learning
CAREER PATH OF
PLANNED CHANGES

The world of work……..
has changed and continues to change.
• career paths were narrowly defined – often for life
• today we all face constant change
• to stay employable in the future, you need to adapt to new roles, gain new skills and develop new ways of building a career

Successful career management involves:
• knowing what you have to offer
• being able to spot and research relevant opportunities
• being able to market yourself
Lots of support is available!

What’s on offer to help you?
• Career Management Skills Programme
• Individual Careers Consultations
• Access to vacancies/opportunities
• Employer Presentations
• Careers Workshops
• Careers Resources
• Psychometric Tests

MA/MSc Career Management
Skills Programme
All handouts located on NEXUS. Hard copy in Resource Room for reference
Sessions are timetabled – shouldn’t clash with anything!

MA/MSc Career Management
Skills Programme
1. Today – The Essentials
2. Planning Your Career
3. Hidden Job Market
4. Application Forms
5. CVs & Cover Letters
6. How to Win at Interviews
7. Assessment Centres
8. Handling Psychometric Tests
Plus AIESEC Careers Fair & Guest Lectures on
Investment Banking, Consultancy and UK Work
Permits

Career Consultations
Individual appointments are available to:
• Discuss future plans –career ideas, further study etc
• Prepare for applications and interviews
• Other career development queries
• Completely confidential
• Usually last up to 45mins
• Book via email: julie.blant@nottingham.ac.uk

Vacancies
Online:
• Emails from Careers Administrator
- read your University email regularly/provide personal email
• Graduate websites e.g.
www.prospects.ac.uk
www.doctorjob.com
www.insidecareers.co.uk
• Access to Centre for Career Development website www.nottingham.ac.uk/careers

Vacancies
In the Resource Room:
• Vacancy bulletins:
Prospects Today, CCD Bulletin, Prospects Finalist
• Employer Directories:
Prospects Directory, Hobsons
• MA/MSc Careers Notice board

Vacancies: Newspapers
• Monday: The Guardian: media, marketing
• Tuesday: The Guardian: Education
• Wednesday: The Guardian: Public Sector
NGOs
– Nottingham Evening Post, Derby Telegraph
• Thursday: The Times, The Daily Telegraph
• Saturday: The Guardian - graduate

Part-time vacancies
• Local Newspaper = Nottingham Evening Post
– jobs mainly advertised on Wednesdays
• Student Employment & Work Experience webpages: www.nottingham.ac.uk/careers/options/ptwork.htm
also important information for international students on working hours, finance etc.
• Job Centre www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk

Employer Presentations:
Almost 100 employer recruitment presentations and drop-in sessions on or near campus in Autumn term e.g. Ernst & Young, Merrill Lynch, Deloitte,
Unilever, Shell, PWC, KPMG
For more details go to – www.nottingham.ac.uk/careers

Careers Workshops
• Inside View Talks: representatives from diverse areas of employment give informal, insightful views on their work e.g.
Public Relations, Advertising
• Skillability:
Employer-led skill development sessions e.g. teamwork, project management, leadership, problem-solving etc
Visit www.nottingham.ac.uk/careers for details
• Sessions within the Business School
Guest lectures, mock assessment centre activities

As well as all this:
A range of Career Planning Resources:
• Career guides in Resource Room (take away & reference)
Must-haves include Prospects Directory, Times Top 100
• Access to career planning materials on the web e.g. www.prospects.ac.uk, www.doctorjob.com - see list in
Guide to Postgraduate Careers Service
• Various online/IT packages…………..

Guidance Package:
Prospects Planner

Working Abroad:
Exodus

City Contacts Directory

A source of all sorts of useful information!
Graduate Prospects www.prospects.ac.uk
• Ideas for options with your subject
• Job Sector information
• Hints and tips for Career Planning and Job Search
• Salary surveys
• Vacancies

The Graduate Labour Market
- The Value of a Masters
• Personal benefits
• skills, personal development, specialist/new knowledge
• increased confidence enjoyment?!
• Benefits to career
• some employers pay a premium on the starting salary for graduate positions. However many don’t.
• you may start off on a graduate entry scheme but in some cases progression and promotion can come sooner.
• Postgraduate study is not usually a requirement for employment but employers do recognise that it can be valuable:
“Deloitte is recognising the skills that postgraduates bring to the organisation……..within the 2005 intake of graduates to Corporate
Tax in Nottingham all three have Masters degrees”

The Graduate
Recruitment Cycle
• Many employer presentations on campus to promote graduate opportunities
Graduate recruitment generally consists of:
• Application – online application or CV & cover letter
• Online psychometric tests
• Screening interview (telephone or face-to face)
• Assessment Centre
• Competency/Technical/Partner interview
• Sometimes more interviews and activities!

Want to look at other options?
• More and more graduates are finding that they can utilise their skills in SMEs
• Still a lot of research and networking that needs to be done
– make sure you attend session 3 (The Hidden Jobs Market)
• Self employment - you will need to spend time researching and making contacts
• PhD/Professional qualifications - needs to be considered during your Masters – look out for details of an open evening on 15 th March 2006

Previous Destinations :
Examples of Sectors:
Financial
Consultancy/Services
IT/Telecoms
Media
Tourism
Construction
Manufacturing
Logistics
Transport
Public Sector
Examples of Employers:
Financial Service Authority, American Express, ABB, Siemens,
Deloitte, Goldman Sachs, Kerry Group, Accenture, Bomabardier,
Fujitsu, KPMG, Deutsche Bank, PWC, Standard Chartered, UBS,
Louis Vuitton Group, Corus, EDS, BDO Stoy Hayward, Philips

Salaries:
December 2004 cohort
Mean Average of UK based graduates:
£24,200
Range =
£15k (marketing temporary placement)
£39k (Investment Banking)

Destinations:
International Students
December 2004 cohort:
International students employed in UK: approx 3%
Most international students return home to work after studies.

The Work Permit
Situation
To discuss your individual situation you should contact the International Office on main campus. It is illegal for me to discuss this with you.
Eligibility for a UK work permit is explained on the following websites: www.workingintheuk.gov.uk
www.ukcosa.org.uk/images/workafter.pdf
www.workpermit.com

The Work Permit
Situation: Employers
Some employers are able to apply for a work permit on behalf of overseas nationals
BUT ONLY IF the employer can prove that no-one else in
‘resident population’ is suitable.
‘Resident population’ means all EEA countries.

For all students - your task…….
To market yourself as a uniquely qualified individual…
• e.g. specialist knowledge, languages, knowledge of home business culture, technical skills
If you are an international student:
• Don’t rely on applying to firms in UK only
• Apply to global organisations in country of your choice AND your home region

Remember the
6 Key Resources
1.
Career Management Skills Programme
2.
Me! Room A73, Business School Building julie.blant@nottingham.ac.uk, 0115 846 6478
3.
MA/MSc Resource Room & Notice board:
• Various directories, career guides, job profiles, notification of events

Remember the
6 Key Resources
4.
University Network
Prospects Planner, City & Financial Services
Contacts Directory, EXODUS (Careers Europe – live & work abroad)
5.
Websites (provided earlier and also in your Guide to The Postgraduate Careers Service)
6.
Email/NEXUS check university email and NEXUS regularly.
This is how we will communicate with you regarding vacancies and careers events.

Any Questions?
Next Week: Planning Your Career
Julie Blant
Postgraduate Careers Adviser julie.blant@nottingham.ac.uk