The University of KentCareers & Employability Service

Careers with a degree in Comparative Literature/English

Language and Linguistics

You can download a copy of this presentation You can download a copy of this presentation at at

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

One third of graduate jobs accept any degree subject.

BECAUSE:• Learn new skills

quickly• Analyse & solve

problems• Communicate well• Open to new ideas,

adaptable and flexible• “Managers of change”

• Marketing and Sales

• Retailing• Social Work• Personnel• Civil Service• Accountancy• Banking• Computing

Humanities Degree Skills• ability to write well in a variety of styles.• to organise your work and meet tight deadlines.• to convey meaning precisely.• to summarise, argue and debate.• to research, select, analyse, organise and present

information.• to think logically.• EXCELLENCE IN COMMUNICATION!

“Would you say their are any skill shortages in the UK for actuary's ie their enough out their, is their a shortfall of any kind of actuary?” In an email from an HBOS HR manager to me!

CLS/Language

What can I do with my degree subject?

• What graduates in your subject did after leaving Kent

• Jobs related to your subject• Employers and vacancy sources

www.kent.ac.uk/careers/cls.htmwww.kent.ac.uk/careers/fdrbases/2012ughum.htm#lang

CHOOSING A CAREER

• CHOOSING A CAREER www.kent.ac.uk/careers/Choosing/ChoosingCareer.htm and booklet available from Careers Service.

• Prospects Planner - powerful career choice program. www.prospects.ac.uk/links/Pplanner

• I Want to work in ….. www.kent.ac.uk/careers/workin.htm

Postgraduate Study• MA taught – 1 year Sept to June – lectures,

June to Sept – dissertation.• Research MA 1 to 2 years – often part-time• PhD – 3 years. Must do an MA first.• PGCE (teacher training) 1 year: about 6% of

grads• See www.kent.ac.uk/careers/postgradmenu.htm

Postgraduate study• Not much funding available for MA. Fees

are about £5,000. At Kent get £1,000 graduate school scholarship reduction

• Many students work for a year to fund it or do it part-time whilst working

• Consider vocational MA – journalism, publishing, business, HR etc.

• Normally apply middle of final year. No UCAS can apply to as many course as you wish to – 3 or 4 is normal

Graduate Application Form Questions• Describe a challenging situation which

required your persuasive skills and your ability to organise other people in order to reach a successful resolution.

• Describe how your personal planning and organisation resulted in a successful achievement of a personal or group task.

• Describe a situation where you had to work effectively as a member of a team. What were the team’s aims? How was the team selected? What was your role?

Skills gained with a Humanities Degree: sell these in your applications!

• ability to write well in a variety of styles.• to convey meaning precisely.• to summarise, argue and debate.• to plan, organise and meet tight deadlines.• to research, select, analyse, organise and present

information.• to think clearly and logically and solve problems.• To gather, assess, interpret and critically evaluate.• EXCELLENCE IN COMMUNICATION!

“Would you say their are any skill shortages in the UK for actuary's ie their enough out their, is their a shortfall of any kind of actuary?” In an email from an HR manager to me!

VACANCIES

University of Kent Vacancy Database

www.kent.ac.uk/ces/vacancies.htmlWork Experience - seewww.kent.ac.uk/careers/vacwork.htm OTHER TALKS

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

Applications and Interviews• Humanities CV: must be targeted at the job!

www.kent.ac.uk/careers/cv/English-cv.htm• Media CV www.kent.ac.uk/careers/cv/mediacv.htm • Covering Letters• Practice Interviews – journalism, teaching, marketing,

HR, postgrad study etc.www.kent.ac.uk/careers/interviews/mockivs.htm

• Application, interview and selection centre videos www.kent.ac.uk/careers/IntVid.htm

Other Points

• Check you campus emails regularly as I will send you emails most Mondays!

• Apply early in your final year if you want a graduate training scheme with a “big” company, advertising, marketing, HR or primary teaching.

• Applications and interviewswww.kent.ac.uk/careers/applicn.htm

Location of the Careers Service

Open 5 to 5 Monday to Friday including vacations

BRUCE WOODCOCK• A careers adviser is on duty for short (15

minute) consultations in the Careers and Employability Service any weekday morning 10.30-12.30 or afternoon from 2 pm to 4 pm. You don't need an appointment to see the duty adviser at these times. Just ask at Careers Reception to see them.

• If you need longer ring our reception on 01227 823299 to make an appointment for interview.

• Email: bw@kent.ac.uk

Careers Employability Award on Moodle

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

The University of KentCareers & Employability

Service

You can download a copy of this presentation atYou can download a copy of this presentation atwww.kent.ac.uk/careers/www.kent.ac.uk/careers/

slides.htmslides.htm