After Your Degree – What Next?

Jenny Keaveney

Careers and Employability Service

www.kent.ac.uk/ces

Introduction

Where Next? Where to look for jobs Making Applications How the Careers & Employability Service can

help

Where Next?

Opportunities with your degree

What do graduates in your subject do? What careers will use your subject knowledge?

www.kent.ac.uk/careers/degreein.htm

BUT ….

There is more to you than your degree!

Think about yourself ….

Your interests Your skills Your values Your personal circumstances Any other factors

What are your opportunities?

One-third of advertised graduate jobs are open to graduates in any subject

For example: advertising, accountancy, banking, marketing, personnel, public sector management,

Plus all the unadvertised graduate jobs! And there are even more opportunities

after experience and training

Making career decisions .. Relate your skills, interests and values

to careers and jobs by using computer guidance systems e.g. Prospects Planner

Look at job adverts and job descriptions Talk to people about their work and how they

got their jobs Use careers websites and careers advisers Get first-hand insight into careers of potential

interest to you

Where to look for jobs

What are you looking for? – Graduate training schemes?– Other graduate jobs?– Internships?– Other temporary jobs?– Something different?– I’m not looking for a job!

Vacancy Sites – graduate jobs and training schemes

www.kent.prospects.ac.uk www.prospects.ac.uk www.targetjobs.co.uk www.top100graduateemployers.com

www.kent.ac.uk/careers/graddirectories.htm

Vacancy Sites – graduate internships

As above, plus: The Graduate Talent Pool

http://graduatetalentpool.direct.gov.uk Graduate STEP

www.step.org.uk/step_graduate.aspx Inspiring Interns www.inspiringinterns.com

www.kent.ac.uk/careers/vacwork.htm

Are you looking for something different?

The best way to find jobs may to use specialist resources e.g.:

Professional bodies Magazines Specialist directories Specialist recruitment agencies

http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/workin.htm

The Creative Career Search

Network! ask your friends ask your relatives ask your “network” ask a past Kent graduate ask a careers adviser

Make applications on spec

www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sk/CJ.htm

CAREERS FAIRS

Graduate EventsThe Summer Graduate Fair ExCel, London, 29 – 30 Maywww.summergradfair.co.uk

TARGETjobs/The Careers GroupThe London Graduate FairBusiness Design Centre, Islington 20 & 21 Junewww.londongradfair.co.uk/summer

For fairs elsewhere in the UK, seewww.prospects.ac.uk/links/careerfairs

Recruitment Agencieswww.kent.ac.uk/careers/recruit.htm

The Graduate Recruitment Bureau www.grb.uk.com

Reed Graduates www.reed.co.uk/graduate Brampton Stafford Recruitment www.brampton-

recruitment-4-graduate-jobs.co.uk The Graduate Recruitment Company

www.graduate-recruitment.co.uk Job Centres www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Jobseekers/index.htm

How do I apply for jobs? Different employers have different ways to

apply– CV + covering letter– Online application form– Hard copy application form

See the Careers Advisory Service booklet or www.kent.ac.uk/careers/applicn.htm for guidelines on making good applications

Careers and employability advisers can check your applications and give individual help and advice

Employer’s Application Forms

Contents – up to employer Often competency-based – see:

www.kent.ac.uk/careers/compet/skillquest.htm Common concerns

(Degree class, A-level grades, alternative qualifications, nationality)

References Submit online or download to complete

Further Information Careers and Employability Service website

www.kent.ac.uk/careers/applicn.htm CES booklet “Making Applications” Reference Books in Careers Service DVDs “Your Job’s online” & “Looking Good on

Paper” (available online at www.kent.ac.uk/careers/IntVid.htm

http://targetjobs.co.uk/careers-advice/applications-and-cvs

http://www.prospects.ac.uk/cvs.htm

I’m not looking for a job! Postgraduate study?

– www.kent.ac.uk/ces/postgrad-study.html

Time out?– www.kent.ac.uk/careers/

alternatives.htm Travel?

– www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sitesint.htm

The Careers & Employability Service

Where is the CES? Who works there? What does it do? How can it help me?

Who works there?

Careers and employability advisers

Jenny Keaveney Kathryn Segal

Bruce Woodcock Natalie Smith

Amy Scamell Nicola Urquhart

Who works there?

Support staff:

Lara Cavill

Sarah Farley

Sue Perry

How can the CES help me?

Careers advice: help with – choosing a career– Making applications– Preparing for interviews

We offer this advice through ‘quick queries’ and longer careers guidance interviews

Careers information: including– online job vacancy database– Information on sources of specialised vacancies

Careers website www.kent.ac.uk/ces

When can I use the Careers & Employability Service? Open to all students at all stages of their

studies – and after you graduate too! Open 9-5, Monday to Friday Open term-time and vacation Our website is

freely accessible on

and off campus – you

don’t need a Kent login

@kentunices

for job vacancies, events, news and updates

Careers and Employability Service

www.kent.ac.uk/ces