Download - Careers and Employability Service
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
• 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 [email protected] 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