School of European Culture and Languages

24th October 2012

Careers and Employability Service

Nicola Urquhart

Careers Adviser

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?

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

Changes to graduate recruitment

Previously…

Degree + good application + good interview = graduate role

Changes to graduate recruitment

Now …

Employers increasingly focusing on attributes in addition to traditional employability skills

Successful applicants have often had experience within the organisation via Insight days, work experience, internships etc.

The Careers and Employability Service

• Comprehensive web pages

• Careers talks and workshops

• Careers Employability Award on Moodle

• Vacancy database (Graduate Directories)

• Annual Careers and Recruitment Fair

• Drop In - Quick Query

• Careers Guidance Interviews

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

Attend Careers Talks and Workshops.

• Choosing a career

• Applying for teacher training

• Careers in the public sector

• How to make effective presentations

• Commercial awareness

• Postgraduate study

• More information available http://www.kent.ac.uk/ces/events/

Employers visiting campus Examples this term include:

• MBDA

• Bloomberg

• RAF

• Teach First

• Majestic Wine

• NHS

• PriceWaterhouseCoopers

Careers Employability Award (on moodle)

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

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

Careers and Employability Service Fair

• Thursday 1st November 2-5pm Eliot Great Hall.

Chance to meet employers and hear about opportunities

Speak to an adviser:

• Quick query, drop in and speak to an adviser 10.30am -12.30pm and 2pm-4pm 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.

Action points

• Start to think about your career plans early!

• Complete the Careers Employability award on Moodle.

• Stay up-to-date with what is happening.

Stay up-to-date with what is happening

• www.kent.ac.uk/ces

• www.kent.ac.uk/employability

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

• Follow us on Twitter at @unikentemploy

The University of KentCareers and Employability

Service

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