International students - How to build and promote your employability skills

Welcome to theCareers andEmployability Centre

Information about……

• Identifying your employability skills and competencies

• Providing evidence of your skills and competencies

• Applying for jobs

• CEC events and resources

Identifying your skills

CV checklist handout

• Look at the skills listed – choose one to focus on• Write down something that would demonstrate this skill• How would you give evidence of having this skill?

http://www.sussex.ac.uk/careers/jobs/applyingforjobs/cvs

Evidence of skillsHow to gain experience and develop skills

• Placement year• Volunteering• Vacation internships/schemes• Work experience• Part time work• Clubs and societies• Student rep/ambassador roles

http://www.sussex.ac.uk/careers/gettingexperience

Application form – STAR formula

S situation or scenarioT task or challengeA action, what did you do?R result, positive outcomes

Evidence of skills - example

Eg. Organisation skills I worked as an activity leader on a children's summer camp in

America. There were ten leaders and due to bad weather we had to come up with a plan to keep the children busy indoors. I suggested we brainstorm some ideas and then get into groups of three to spend an hour developing one idea each. I then drew up a rota so that we all knew what we were doing and when. The extra activities were popular and the other leaders were happy to have shared the workload and limited the amount of additional work.

How to apply for a job

• Application form • CV• Cover letter• Phone employer• Call in • Linked in

Application form - tips

Work in draft firstFollow guidelines for on-line applicationsCheck for spelling and grammarComplete all the sections of all the questions Be positive!

CV design

A CV usually contains the following information:

Personal details inc. name and contact detailsEducation historyEmployment/voluntary work Skills and experiencesAchievementsInterests and hobbiesReferences

CV design

• Two pages in length – clear layout you can use headings to separate sections

• A personal profile/objective – optional but useful• Ensure you check spelling and grammar• Be concise, use bullet points and space• Make a positive impression on the first page so the employer is

immediately aware of what you can do

Cover letters

First paragraph• Who are you and why are you writing?Second paragraph• What attracts you to the job and what have you done that makes you a suitable applicantThird paragraph• What attracts you to the organisation- research the company and why you want to work

for them specificallyFourth paragraph• Your availability for interview and your enthusiasm to discuss your application in person at

interview

What about speculative letters?

Part time working in the UK -Working in term time

• Students on a Tier 4 visa are usually allowed to be in paid employment for up to 20 hours per week during term

• Only Undergrads can work full time during the vacation.

• Postgrads can work full time after the official end of their programme

• Restrictions include self employment , freelance, professional sportsperson or entertainer

• The University recommends that you only undertake paid work for up to 15 hours per week if you are an undergraduate (20 hours per week if postgrad)

• Jobs advertised our website www.sussex.ac.uk/careers/jobs/search

Part time working in the UK –The things you need to know

• Minimum wage (£6.70 an hour)

• Income Tax (payable if earning over £10,660 per year)

• National Insurance (payable if earning over £155 per week)

• You must have a NI number0345 600 0643

• Complete forms possibly attend

interview at Job centre

Career planning sessions this term..

Wednesday 28th Oct – Get hired! Practical advice on applying for placements, internships & jobs Most Tier 4 students can work part time and also apply for a professional placement year or vacation internship (sometimes called a vacation scheme). Knowing when and how to apply is crucial if you want to take advantage of this opportunity. This session will prepare you to make winning applications.

Wednesday 11th Nov – 10 effective job search strategies Not sure where, when or how to start looking for vacancies, or how to organise your job/placement

search? This session will provide 10 logical steps to help you to make positive applications and approach employers with confidence.

Wednesday 18th Nov – How to build and promote your employability skills ‘Explain how your skills and experience meet the job description’ - most application forms will include a

question asking you to explain why you are the best person for the job. In this session you can explore your skills and experience in advance

so that you will be able to answer this question and make a positive impression.

Career planning sessions this term..

• Opportunities for Chinese Speakers in Market ResearchFriday 23 October, 1 – 2 pm www.nielsen.com •  Mandarin Consultants – opportunities in ChinaWednesday 25 November, 2 – 4 pm (TBC – so not on event listing yet!)  

Save the Date!Wednesday 4 November11am – 3pmThe Amex Stadium

120+ exhibitors…1 iconic venue!

All students welcome!

Sponsored by:

www.sussex.ac.uk/careersfair

For more information…

• http://www.sussex.ac.uk/careers • Briefings – Sussex Plus, Finding PT work, CVs and Applications • Careers Advisers are available daily 10-5pm • Events – listed on news & events page• Follow us on Twitter & Facebook