Introduction to the Careers and Employability Service

Nicola UrquhartEmployability Adviser

What we will cover:

• What is employability?

• What employability skills are graduate recruiters looking for?

• How the Careers and Employability Service can help you.

• How to stay informed

• Action points

• Questions

What is Employability?

‘A set of attributes, skills and knowledge that all labour market participants should possess to ensure they have the capability of being effective in the workplace – to the benefit of themselves, their employer and the wider economy.’ (CBI, March 2009)

What employability skills are graduate recruiters looking for?

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Communication

Report writing

Team working

Leadership

Planning and organisation

Project management

Enterprise

Problem Solving

Reflection

Adaptability

Energy

Drive and resilience

Integrity

Reliability

Enthusiasm/passion

Self awareness

Confidence

Contextual/cultural awareness

Capacity to develop

NumeracyPositive attitude

Business and customer awareness

IT skills

Why are employability skills so important?

• Increased competition – over 400,000 graduates leaving university each year.

‘Our latest UK recruitment campaign closed having attracted c.24500. The bank will offer c.475 places in 2012.’ HSBC newsletter April 2012

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Why are employability skills so important now?

Changing world of work:

• Global economy

• More career changes

• New technology

• Roles change

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What employers say…

• "Few students are able to articulate what they have gained from their experience in higher education." (Association of Graduate Recruiters, 1995)

www.kent.ac.uk/ces Telephone: 01227 823299 Email: careerhelp@kent.ac.uk

Opening hours: Monday to Friday 9 to 5 including vacations

Drop-in times (no appointment needed): 10.30 to 12.30 & 2 to 5 pm

Careers and Employability Service

• Drop In - Quick Query

• Careers Guidance Interviews

• 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

Speak to an Adviser:

• Quick query, drop in and speak to an Adviser 10.30am -12.30pm and 2pm-5pm Monday to Friday.

• E mail @careerhelp and an Adviser will respond to your query.

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

Attend Careers Talks and Workshops. Examples this term include:

• Using Social Media to enhance your employability

• How to prepare a CV

• Applying for a solicitor’s training contract

• Using Personal Development Planning to enhance employability.

• More information available at www.kent.ac.uk/calandar

Use the Careers Library and Publications

• Graduate Directories

• Postgraduate Prospectuses

• Various books and publications

• Career Planning Guide for Undergraduates

• The Creative Career Search Booklet

Careers and Employability Service Web Pages

• I want to work in Creative Careers http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/workin/creative-careers.htm

• What can I do with my degree in Film Studies. http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/Film.htm

• Applications and Interviews (includes assessment centres and psychometric tests etc.) www.kent.ac.uk/careers/applicn.htm

• Example CVs & Covering Letterswww.kent.ac.uk/careers/cv/cvexamples.htm

• Interview Reports http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/ivreps/ivrepsmenu.htm

Careers Employability Award

• Indentifying and learning how to develop your employability skills and how to sell them to employers.

• Identifying your interests, values and personal styles and finding out which careers these relate to.

• Finding out about a particular career or industry.

• Preparing a quality CV and learning how to perform well at interview.

Moodle Careers Employability Award

• Assessed by a range of quizzes and assignments

• Will greatly improve your career planning and job hunting skills, giving you strategies to make career choices and will increase your chances of getting a graduate level job.

• Takes about 12 hours to complete

• On completion you will get a University of Kent Careers Employability Award to add to your CV

• Get 40 Kent Employability points for successful completion of the module.

• www.kent.ac.uk/careers/moodle.htm

• “I liked the fact that the assignments relate to how you would fill in answers on a graduate job application step by step and provides examples of how to fill it in.”

• “I really enjoyed the quizzes. They effectively highlighted the gaps in my knowledge, as many of the answers surprised me. I also found the module on creating my own CV very useful, these skills will be invaluable for tailoring my CV to particular jobs.”

• “There is a wealth of information about everything; I especially liked the individual information about specific job types and the advice given about interview skills.”

Comments from students who have completed the award.

On successful completion you receive a University of Kent Careers Employability Award.

You can then add the following to your CV to show to employers.

"On my own initiative I enrolled for and successfully completed the University of Kent Careers Employability Award which covered identification and development of employability skills, self-awareness, identification of relevant career options, researching opportunities, CV preparation and interview skills."

The Careers Employability Award

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:

• A personalised search facility

• 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

KSCV Bronze

25 hours of volunteering

KSCV Silver

50 hours of volunteering 15 minute review with a

member of staff

KSCV Gold

100 volunteering hours Review 2 training sessions 750 words

Careers Network

• Helps current students gain an insight into careers through contact with alumni.

• Information and advice by letter/phone/email, work-shadowing. 

• Visit the Careers Centre and ask to use the Careers Network.

Kent Grads

• KentGrads - database of companies in Kent who employ graduates, and who may, from time to time, have vacancies. It is not a list of current vacancies, but a resource to help you find possible employers.

• The site can list all the companies in the database grouped in one of a number of ways:

• by location in Kent , by the criteria you specify or by keywords. For example: if you can remember the surname of a particular contact at a company, but are unsure of the company name.

Employer events and information

• Employer talks on campus e.g. IBM, Coca Cola, Bloomberg, European Commission.

• Careers and Recruitment Fair 1st November Eliot Great Hall

• Working in Kent Pages www.kent.ac.uk/careers/kentopps.htm

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How to use CESBegin by doing some research

Perhaps into yourself (ideas, interests, preferences)

Then into your opportunities (use vacancy database, Directories)

Use IT: CES website

Attend talks/workshops/presentations etc

Quick Query at CES

1:1 careers interview

Employability Web Pages

• Volunteering (Kent Union)

• Student Ambassadors Scheme

• Employability Points

• Opportunities to learn a language

• Information on working/studying abroad

• www.kent.ac.uk/employability

Stay up-to-date with what is happening

• www.kent.ac.uk/ces

• www.kent.ac.uk/employability

• Employability Newsletter

• Follow us on Facebook at University of Kent Student Employability www.facebook.com/UKCE

• Follow us on Twitter at @unikentemploy

• Check out your School website.

Action Points

• Take advantage of all the initiatives the university has to offer. www.kent.ac.uk/employability

• Register on the vacancy database – become aware of deadlines

• Make use of the Careers and Employability Service. www.kent.ac.uk/ces

• start NOW!

The University of KentCareers and Employability

Service

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