Careers and Employability Service

Working in a university

Nicola Urquhart

Careers Adviser

What we will cover

• Information about the HE Sector

• What opportunities are available

• How to get a job

• Networking

• Ways to get involved as a student

• Key websites

• How CES can support you

• Questions

Information about the sector

• 119 universities in the UK

• in some UK towns the central university is the largest employer. In 2011/12 there were 181,385 academic staff working in UK higher education institutions and 196,860 non-academic staff;

• 47% are male

• Females are most likely to be under 30 whilst males are most likely to be 55 or over

• 70% are employed on permanent contracts

What do employers want?

Degree

Employability skills

Extra-curricular activities

Professional attributes

Work experienceSector awareness

Key skills and attributes needed for working in a University

• To have good interpersonal and communication skills

• To be able to work in a team

• To be able to network

• To be able to spot opportunities

• To be flexible

• To be able to prioritise own workload

• To be innovative

• To have good project management skills

Skills of the future

Innovative thinkers

Curiosity

Determination

Pragmatism

Agility

Resilience

Networked

Collaborative

Areas of increasing importance

• Globalisation

• Customer service and the student experience

• Commercial focus

• Widening participation

• Organisational efficiency

• Management of change

Example opportunities

• Lecturing

• Research

• Information Services

• Student Recruitment

• Information Technology

• Corporate Communications

• Data Compliance

• Commercial Services

• Student Services

• Human Resources

• Estates Department

• Finance

• Innovation and Enterprise

• Risk Management

• And many more …

How to get a job in a university

• Get some work experience

• Be flexible about the role

• Let people know you are interested

• Learn how to network and build contacts

• Find out how the University/Academic School works

• Find out how and when they recruit

• Put together a good CV

• Be prepared to take temporary posts

• Find out if they use recruitment agencies

Network, Network, Network

• 80% of job roles are not openly advertised

• In HE most are but many will have identified frontrunner candidates

• Attend extra-curricular and School events

• Take on additional roles

• Use Social Media

• Be friendly, professional and polite

• Market Yourself ! - It’s not necessarily who you know but who knows you

Social media

• Social Media: “an umbrella term that defines the various activities that integrate technology, social interaction, and the construction of words, pictures, videos, and audio.” www.wikipedia.org

• Enabling conversations

• Facilitating discussions

Linkedin and Twitter

• Many employees of a university will be on LinkedIn http://uk.linkedin.com/in/nicolaurquhart

Twitter

• Companies/employers you are interested in working for

• Industry experts/bloggers

• Professional networks and industry/professional publications

• Job sites and job boards

• Recruiters / head-hunters / HR personnel who are hiring for the roles you're targeting

• @unikentemploy

Get involved during your studies

• Kent Union /Job Shop

• Student Ambassador Scheme

• Academic Peer Mentoring Scheme

• Student Representative

• Kent Hospitality

• Student Societies

• Award Schemes (Employability Points and Global Skills award)

• Academic School specific

Useful websites

• www.kent.ac.uk/employability

• www.jobs.ac.uk

• www.academiccareer.manchester.ac.uk/

• www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/

• http://jobs.guardian.co.uk/

• www.kent.ac.uk/jobs

• http://www.canterbury.ac.uk/AboutUs/Workhere/Workhere.aspx

• www.prospects.ac.uk

How the Careers and Employability Service can help you.

What we do

• Careers Talks and Workshops

• Careers Library: Employer Directories, Occupational Profiles, Books etc

• Comprehensive Web Pages

• Careers Employability Award (CEM) on Moodle

• Vacancy Database

• Alumni Careers Network

• Annual Careers and Recruitment Fair

• Drop In - Quick Query

• Careers Guidance Interviews

Careers and Employability Service Web Site: www.kent.ac.uk/ces

Careers Employability Award

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

The module takes about 12 hours to complete

But this can be done at your own pace

You do this by completing:

9 quizzes

3 short assignments

1 feedback form

Attend Careers Talks and Workshops.

• Career planning for your second year

• How to achieve success at interview

• Commercial awareness

• Using social media in your job search

• Passing assessment centres

• Subject specific ‘What can I do with a degree in?

Vacancy Database

• All vacancies sent to the Careers and Employability Service by employers, whether for graduate jobs, sandwich placements or vacation work/internships are entered on this database which offers:

• Email alerts of new vacancies which may interest you

• Employers notifying vacancies are often specifically targeting Kent graduates, so competition for jobs is lower than on other vacancy sites www.kent.ac.uk/careers/jobs/index.htm

Speak to an adviser:

• Quick query, drop in and speak to an adviser 10.30am -12.30pm and 2.00pm-4pm Monday to Friday.

• E mail careerhelp@kent.ac.uk and an adviser will respond to your query.

• You can also book a longer career guidance appointment over the phone or pop in.

Advice

• Get involved during your time at University!

• Remember the importance of networking

• Let people know if you are interested in gaining work experience/paid employment

• If there is something you would like to be involved with talk to your Academic School

• Regularly check vacancy pages

• Remember not all jobs are for Academics

• Keep up to date with information about the sector

• Make use of the Careers and Employability Service

Questions

Careers and Employability Service

You can download a copy of this presentation at www.kent.ac.uk/careers/slides.htm