Career Ahead - Careers and Employability Fair

This is advance notice of the University of Cumbria's first ever all-inclusive Careers Fair will take place at Fusehill Street campus on Tuesday 29 and Wednesday 30 January 2013. 
Students from all year groups and faculties and recent graduates from the University will get the chance to research job, voluntary, postgraduate and self-employment opportunities as well as the new Career Ahead Employability Award currently being piloted by Learning and Student Services.


The Learning Gateway at Fusehill Street

On the Tuesday, students will be able to attend workshops to help them make the most of their chance to meet employers the following day. Workshops will include The Art of Networking and Successful CVs and will be run by members of the careers team.

From 10.00am – 3.00pm on the Wednesday, around thirty local and national organisations will be available to offer advice and information to students in the ground and first floors of the Learning Gateway.

More information will follow in January on how to register for the event, but in the meantime contact Joanne Watson  if you would like to know more or have employers you would like us to invite. This event is part funded by the European Social Fund.

There are still opportunities for employers to take part on the 30th and any firms interested can register at https://www.survey.bris.ac.uk/cumbria/careersfair2013

A Career in E-Health?

The increasing use of new technology in the provision of healthcare is starting to lead to some new career opportunities.

Key agencies are NHS Direct  which recruits staff into ICT-related roles as well as qualified nurses and  NHS Connecting for Health  whose remit includes developing systems of health provision such as e-prescribing and the "choose and book" system for patients.

Similar opportunities are staring to occur on the NHS Jobs website but as job titles are not yet well-established, they are best found by trying search terms such as "telehealth", "remote", "mobile device", etc*. on the advanced search ('search by skills') section of the site. Precise qualifications required are likely to vary.

There are also likely to be commercial software companies who are developing health-related programmes and applications.

Source: Abridged from a message received from via AGCAS ServiceLink

* Other search expressions that I have tried and work are "electronic", "choose and book", "e-prescribing" and "informatics".

Get Sick At Home? Fascinating Facts About Childhood Illnesses

Many present and future University of Cumbria students express an interest in eventually working with children, but a recent article in the Scottish Daily Mail (01/12/12) suggests some alarming trends in childhood habits they might want to heed.

Based on an NHS Scotland report by Frank Furedi, the author of the book Paranoid Parenting, it shows big differences in the numbers of hospital referrals of children as a result of incidents in the home as opposed to outdoors.

Seemingly, there has been a big slump in numbers of children falling out of trees or off skateboards, while they are twice as likely to end up in casualty with repetitive strain injury after excessive computer gaming sessions.  Other injuries on the increase included falling out of bed, falling downstairs and injuries from using electrical appliances - mainly hair straighteners.

Meanwhile the number injured by fireworks has fallen by 41%, with further drops in injuries caused by ice skates, skis, roller skates and car accidents. The Mail also reports a survey showing that a third of children had never climbed a tree and one in ten cannot ride a bike, while the majority said they would rather play on a computer or watch TV than go outside.

This would seem to be vital information for our Health students, so that they know what injuries they are likely to be treating as well as for Trainee Teachers considering what new risk assessments they need to introduce. And perhaps the University of Cumbria can congratulate itself on its success in tempting so many away from the couch and the computer screen for long enough to sign up for our Sport and PE related courses!

I wonder though how the career choices of this "indoor generation" are being affected...

Postgraduate Study - What Are the Benefits?

The answer seems to be "precious few" according to work recently undertaken by the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS) Postgraduate Students Task Group, as reported recently in AGCAS' Phoenix magazine (October edition).

In a depressed labour market, many graduates hope they may increase their chances of landing a good job by obtaining a postgraduate qualification but the work of the Task Group suggests that many of the benefits they are anticipating can often prove illusory. Their investigations suggest that:

• Only a few employers have recruitment programmes that specifically target postgraduates
• There is not much evidence that acquiring a postgraduate qualification leads to higher salary offers
• With the exception of problem-solving skills, employers do not believe that postgraduates offer a better set of skills or progress faster than graduates in their first job
• A postgraduate degree seldom compensates for failing to achieve a 2.1

Overall the message is that a postgraduate qualification brings few benefits in its own right unless also accompanied by significant professional work experience.

So what price "Education, Education, Education"?

It's interesting to speculate what sort of postgraduates the Task Group, whose work is acknowledged to be anecdotal rather than scientific, had in mind in coming to their conclusions. Many University of Cumbria students pursue careers in Teaching, Social Work, Psychology, Nursing and the Health Professions where it is required or at least very desirable to take a postgraduate qualification, albeit alongside extending their experience in the workplace. There are also many career areas where a Masters qualification is needed if you do not hold a degree in that particular subject.

Could it be that the Task Group were perhaps thinking more of postgraduates pursuing non-vocational or obscure subjects, and then trying to break into the 'blue chip' graduate trainee market?  Quotes from Ernst & Young, PwC (Price Waterhouse Cooper to the rest of us) and RAND Europe indicate that may be the case.

Research Your Course

So where does this leave the would-be applicant?

As so often with careers, it is a "horses for courses" type of situation.  There are a great many postgraduate courses - some that offer no vocational benefits at all and do not even pretend to do so, a few that are effectively essential career stepping stones, and others that come some way between.  The onus is on you to quiz postgraduate course providers about the career outcomes of previous students if you are definitely hoping to choose a course that will advance your own career.

A Guide to Pocket Resumes

Having mentioned pocket resumes in an earlier post, I thought it might be useful to provide some information on how to make one. The following is an edited extract from another blog post with the same title from Six Degrees Recruitment, Carlisle:


This Autumn, we are thinking small. Shrink your resume and take it everywhere you go.

It’s called a pocket resume and whether you print it on a business card or plop it on your iPhone with an app, it’s a great way to share some of your strengths. Because of its diminutive dimensions, you won’t give most of your credentials when you give one away, but you will provide new connections and hiring managers with an appetiser size of your talents.

Whether you’re in the thick of a job hunt or just tip-toeing into a stealth search, a pocket resume could be a crucial piece for marketing yourself. Why? Because it’s concise, discrete and easy to use at both career fairs and professional networking events.

“It’s a great networking piece” and a way for people to be “clear, precise and memorable,” said Mark Connor, Managing Director of Six Degrees Recruitment. “It really forces you to think what is absolutely critical,” he said.

Your pocket resume needs to dovetail with your elevator pitch, and may even have some of the same elements and phrases. But because it is the size of a business card, it really must be concise.

So how do you create a pocket resume? Here’s a quick guide:

Here’s what we feel should be on the list:

• Your phone number and email
• Web address for personal website, or social media profile
• Three titles that describe you and what kind of work you’re good at – and are seeking
• Standout traits: bilingual, ability to create web apps, others
• A short memorable summary, for example: “a one-man geek squad”

So what do you take off? Plenty. “You’ve got to cut, cut, cut” to make it concise. That means you skip your work history and university degrees – unless of course they will open a lot of doors.

Make sure the type size is at least 9 point so 50-something recruiters and others can read it. We prefer a one-sided format so the recipient can jot down something about you on the flip side. Other experts say using both sides to sell yourself may be a good idea. If you’re in the arts or creative professions, you may want to express that a bit with the design or a tiny illustration. It may be a good idea to test yours on a variety of people with different perspectives to make sure it works and really captures your essence.

At upcoming networking events, you want people to realise you’re an expert, and “put an impression in that person’s head” and hands with your pocket resume.

Thanks to Mark Connor for permission to use this material.

Careers in Marketing - Free Careers Talk at Carlisle

The Institute of Marketing is providing a free careers talk at University of Cumbria's Fusehill Street, Carlisle campus on Tuesday 4th December, 12 noon - 1.00 p.m. in the Learning Gateway (Room LG105).  Main speaker will be the Institute's Regional Director, Diane Earles.

Although recent graduate destination statistics (see recent post) suggest that Marketing graduates do well at finding relevant job opportunities, my contacts tell me that competition for graduate traineeships in marketing remains intense...  So it's advisable to be seriously clued-in if you are considering this area of work in the future.

You can get more information about the local Institute of Marketing branch from their dedicated webpage

New Postgraduate Business Courses at the University of Cumbria

The new University of Cumbria Business School is offering a series of postgraduate courses that will be starting at the University on 14th January 2013. They are:

        · MBA - full time (Lancaster)
        · MBA - part time (Fusehill St, Carlisle)*
        · MA Business Management (Lancaster)
        · Certificate of Management Studies - part time (Fusehill St, Carlisle)*
        · Diploma of Management Studies - part time (Fusehill St, Carlisle)*

Also on offer from the same date are:

        · BA (Hons) Business Management (Lancaster)
        · BA (Hons) Business Management - top up (Lancaster, Fusehill Street, Carlisle and Energus, Whitehaven)

Interested candidates can get more information at www.cumbria.ac.uk/newstart or from our course enquiry centre on 0845 606 11 44.

Alternatively you can visit one of the School's open evenings in early December.

* All on Tuesdays

FAQ - Can Someone Help Me Fill Out an Online Application Form?

Some of our students clearly think that online application forms are a pain in the back end, and many Careers Advisers partly share this view. This is because it is actually quite hard for us to see what is going on in the world of online applications without starting to apply for the jobs ourselves!

As such online application forms are a bit of a Pandora's Box - you never quite know what will spring out next. But the main answer to this FAQ is that we are always pleased to hear from University of Cumbria students and graduates by email if they would like a meeting to discuss online forms.

A look at the dim and distant archives of this blog shows that I took a look at online application forms nearly four years ago.  So what follows next is bit of an update on the information offered there:

Copy and Paste

One standard piece of advice is to prepare answers to questions offline and paste them onto the relevant screen. But the most popular tool for preparing drafts is Microsoft Word, which has sometimes been known to cause problems because it generates a good deal of spurious html code.  Assuming the online form isn't clever enough to weed out the unwanted characters, the applicant can be left finding that they have exceeded the word or character limit on the form for no apparent reason.

If you find this is happening to you, a better way might be to copy and paste the answer into a text editor like Notepad first. If you then copy and paste from the text editor into the form, the extra code will be eliminated and 'what you see is what you get' again.  Note however that you may need to re-insert any formatting (e.g. bold, italics) that you want to keep.

Deadlines

Deadlines can cause an extra problem for applications in cyberspace that does not really exist with the paper equivalent.  The scene is that many people decide to apply at the last minute, the company's server gets clogged up and some applicants in Cinderella-like fashion fail to log on before the clock chimes and the system closes down the vacancy.

So the clear moral of the story is: set your own deadline a good bit before the deadline.

Extra Questions

Online forms often have more detailed questions than paper forms, which may simply ask for "Comments in Support of Your Application".  Competency-based questions are a common favourite, so it is useful to swat up on them - for example using the simulator produced by the University of Kent.

Where Do Graduates Go?

"What Do Graduates Do" (see recent post) also contains a breakdown of the likely areas of the UK in which graduates are likely to find their first job, with some interesting analysis according to job sector.

Unsurprisingly, just over a third of all graduates ended up working in South East England and 21% went to jobs in London, although many were concentrated in the City of London and Westminster, a very small geographic area, whereas under 7% took up jobs in North East England and Northern Ireland.

But a look at destinations broken down by career sector showed up some other happy hunting grounds for graduates looking for jobs outside the centre of London:

• Marketing graduates also found work in the London Borough of Camden, Hertfordshire, Surrey, Oxfordshire and Manchester.
• Science graduates were most likely to start work in Oxfordshire or Cambridgeshire but Merseyside, Surrey, Norfolk and Aberdeen (also the main centre for oil and gas engineering) were popular destinations.
• Outside London, Surrey, Cambridgeshire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Belfast and Tyne and Wear took on IT graduates in considerable numbers.
• Similarly, graduates in Art and Design subjects also found opportunities in Merseyside, Hertfordshire, Surrey, Manchester, Kent, Glasgow and Edfinburgh.

Of course, many career areas (e.g. retail management, energy, public sector jobs) offer a wider geographic spread of opportunities but the overall message is that graduates in less affluent parts of the country will struggle to find graduate jobs locally - and of course none of the areas mentioned fall within Cumbria or North Lancashire.

Incidentally, you can find an online version of "What Do Graduates Do?" 2012 on the HECSU website

What Do Graduates Do?

Although graduate employment levels for 2010-11 were slightly down on the previous year, there were considerable variations between different subjects of study, according to "What Do Graduates Do?" (WDGD) 2012, based on the annual survey of Destinations of Higher Education Leavers that takes place each year.

One career area that clearly bucked the downward trend was Computer Science and IT which showed an 8.5% rise in graduate employment and e-skills UK have forecast that growth in IT employment will grow at twice the UK average until 2020.  Of course, not all entrants into the industry will have studied IT as a main subject at University.

Less good news came unexpectedly from the public sector with a big fall in entrants and the trend extended to include occupational therapists, physiotherapists, radiographers, teachers and probation officers.  These areas each offered over 100 posts less than 2010-11 but the biggest drop was in the number of social work entrants, which fell by 420.  This is certainly not great news for the University of Cumbria, which offers courses in all the professions listed except probation.

The report once again showed the importance of self-employment to graduates from performance arts, media production and art and design. 64.6% or artists and 85.3% of musicians were recorded as being self employed or freelancers six months after graduation.

The Business Studies area is one that exemplifies the "mixed message" theme identified in the WDGD report.  Although it shows up with a higher level of unemployment than average (10.1%) and a sharp drop in the numbers going on to further study, each of the key disciplines of Accountancy, Business Management and Marketing showed high levels of graduates going straight into relevant employment.

They were also some of the subjects that produced less graduates working as Retail, Catering, Waiting and Bar staff, a denomination which covers a large number graduates yet to find a suitable career opportunity by the date of the survey - although longitudinal studies show that many succeed in doing so over a longer period of time.

Business start-up workshops in North Lancashire

Sharon Jackson freelance web designer, is working with Enterprise Nation to bring their Start Up Saturday workshops to the Morecambe Bay area. Holding the workshops once a month, she hopes to help local people in their quest to start a business.

What you can learn at Start Up Saturday?

· How to uncover your BIG Idea and research the market

· 5 points to include in a business plan

· The must-do’s – register the company and protect your brand

· Straightforward finance and easy budgeting techniques

· Set-up tips on office tech, furnishings and fashion!

· All things web – building a home online

· Simple sales roadmap and cold-calling made easy

· Make some noise! Successful marketing on a budget

· 5 essential social media tools and how to make the most of them

· Teamwork – how to grow the business without outgrowing the home

· Happy Customers and Balanced Business – you can achieve it all!

Where can you book?

Currently the workshops are being held at Trust Medical offices on Marine Road, Morecambe. The next workshop is Saturday 27^th October 2012 and you can book online via Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.com/event/4488741948

The cost is £35 for a 5 hour workshop jam packed with information that will get you going with your business.

New Trends in CV Writing

A paper for careers professionals produced by a group calling itself the Career Thought Leaders Consortium has suggested amongst many other things some new developing trends in the use of CVs.

Apart from some interesting comments indicating for example that 50% of hiring managers no longer read covering letters and have an "almost-universal dislike" of functional CVs, there are some interesting tips that you may find useful when compiling your CV:

• It is still vital for the CV to make a strong impression "above the fold" i.e. in the first half page 
• 'Hybrid resumes that combine an amplified profile (the “functional” component) with abbreviated reverse-chronological detail on jobs can work for those with less experience, employment gaps, or other challenges.' Translated into more normal English, this basically means: Skills-based CVs can still work for the groupings mentioned.

• For online CVs it is becoming important to ensure a good match of keywords between any person specification and the CV text, e.g. by using software like Wordle
• It can be useful to include endorsements in the form of brief testimonial statements. LinkedIn recommendations can provide a useful source of quotes for testimonials.

If you are looking to try some more innovative approaches to CV writing, there are some emerging ideas suggested in the full report. You could look at producing a CV in a series of ten 140 character tweets as a #twesume on Twitter, an infographic CV in the form of a diagram, a popup CV that appears on your website, or a pocket resume that you can leave at networking meetings and careers fairs on the back of a business card.

Perhaps what needs to be added at this point is that many of the Career Thought Leaders Consortium are US-based and it may take some time for the likes of twesumes to establish themselves this side of the pond.  But in a situation where candidates are routinely urged to put out large numbers of CVs, it is easy to see that there may be a need to go for more innovative approaches.

Please let us know whether you have heard of any of them being used in the UK (and with what result) by adding a comment below.

New Jobs at Gretna Gateway

According to the local press, there are fifteen new shop jobs coming up as new stores move into the Gretna Gateway Retail Village.

Molton Brown (beauty products), The Perfume Shop and The Gift Company are all recruiting for new staff as they prepare to open up later this month.  This follows on from new openings by Clarks Shoes, Berghaus, The Body Shop and Pagazzi Lighting at Gretna Gateway, which already provides work for over 400 people.

More details on the opportunities are available at gretnagateway.com or by email from recruitment@moltonbrown.com, tpsrecruitment@the-perfume-shop.com or lynn933@msn.com (for The Gift Company).

Source: Dumfries and Galloway Standard.

P.s. This could be excellent news for our Carlisle students. Shop jobs were hard to find in Carlisle last autumn and Gretna Gateway is just a train ride away.

Interested in volunteering abroad?

 Interested in volunteering overseas?…then come and “Meet VSO”

Local teacher Sue Ryding will be among those sharing their experiences of volunteering with Voluntary Service Overseas at a Carlisle event organised by international development charity VSO on Saturday 20th October.  Sue volunteered in Namibia and is now back teaching in Cumbria.  She will be joined by other local returned volunteers Hilary Pickup and John Dawson. They will be sharing their experiences of working in the world’s poorest countries and providing an insight into what it's really like to volunteer.

 The  “Meet VSO” event, will be held from 1030 to 1200 on Saturday 20 October at the Old Town Hall , upstairs Assembly Room, Carlisle, CA3 8JH. Also present will be members of the local VSO Cumbria Supporter Group  (www.vso.org.uk/act/supporter-groups/cumbria.asp).

VSO is now recruiting young people from 18-25 years old to take part in the International Citizenship Programme.

VSO also needs experienced, older, skilled professionals with agriculture, healthcare, education, and business backgrounds and is currently recruiting  doctors, midwives, teachers, business advisors, managers, fundraisers, and many more. The organisation works in 34 developing countries and delivered half a million hours of volunteer work to help fight poverty last year. It focuses on health, education, HIV/AIDS, increasing political participation and helping people in poor and marginalised communities to secure a decent livelihood to work their way out of poverty.

The Meet VSO event aims to bring volunteering with VSO to life, and will cover the role of a volunteer, what volunteers can do, and how to get involved.

Anyone interested in volunteering, or finding out more about VSO, will be very welcome at the Meet VSO event in Carlisle on Saturday 20 October.

The event is free. Book your place at www.vso.org./events or just turn up on the day.

Impressive careers information

Have you had a look at the National Career Service website lately?car
No? Well as a self-confessed careers information nerd I have!
And it's pretty impressive.
Careers information databases like this one and Prospects (the UK's official graduate careers website) are a great starting point for researching your job ideas.
Not only do they give you a summary of what the job involves, skills and qualifications needed, routes in as well as pay, but the further information section is great at taking your research that bit further by giving you links to industry bodies and key organisations.
This sort of exploration can lead you to ideas for work experience, key job vacancy sites, interesting courses and application and interview advice - for the job area that interests you.
Much better than Googling!

October Teaching Careers Workshops

Now is the time to start thinking about Teacher Training applications especially for Primary PGCE courses - and Secondary as well if you are thinking of applying for in-demand subjects like PE.  The deadline for Primary applications is 1st December.

With this in mind, Careers Adviser Joanne Watson will be delivering two sessions at Brampton Road campus this month for those who are or may be interested in teacher training.

You can find more details, dates and times on the University website

How We Can Help New Students

Following last week's Freshers' Fayre, it seems like a good time to highlight some of the things we can provide for students joining the University of Cumbria for the first time.

It would probably fair to say that most students are not likely to be making major career decisions in the first week of term.  Apart from having fun, any serious thoughts they have are likely to be on the lines of:-

• How will I manage for money?
• Can I cope with the course?
• Will I make friends?
• Will I be homesick?

Most students will be on the look out for a part-time job to ease money problems and you can find some useful guides on how to find casual jobs in Carlisle, Lancaster and elsewhere by following the links from our jobs and vacancies page on the University website.

Many part-time applications will be by CV, and you can find some more help with compiling a CV via the Get a Job section of the Jobs&Careers tab on Blackboard (best viewed in Internet Explorer).  You can also ask us to check your CV by requesting an appointment through LiSS staff or via email 

We wish all new students a happy and successful time with us but if you decide you may have made the wrong choice of course, we can help you look at what the alternatives might be.

For more information about us see www.cumbria.ac.uk/careers

Come and Meet Us at Freshers' Fayre...

This is a notice for University of Cumbria Students!

Careers Advisers will be at both Freshers' Welcome Fayre events for new students next week at both Lancaster and Fusehill Street campuses next week.

Dates and locations are as follows:

• Fusehill Street Learning Gateway, Tuesday 25th September (from 10.00 a.m.)
• Lancaster Campus Old Dining Room, Wednesday 26th September (also from 10.00 a.m.)

While long-term career planning isn't usually the first thing on students' minds at the beginning of term, you might want to:

• Find out about sources of possible part-time jobs
• Learn about 'Career Ahead', the University's newly-introduced Employability Award
• Try our cryptic careers competition and possibly win a £20 voucher
• grab any freebies we manage to put together on the day

Here's the faces to look out for:

Joanne Watson, Linda Powell, Sandra Baron, Colin Taylor, Libby Davies

FAQ: Is there a certain way to write a CV depending on what job you are applying for?

This is going to be a 'yes and no' type of answer!

Broadly speaking, third year students and graduates can feel fairly safe if they adopt the traditional, two-page, reverse chronological, approach covering the key headings of Education, Employment, Interests and Achievements and References (one academic reference and one from the world of work) or the skills-based approach where you have a strong section on your employment-related skills instead of much detail on your past jobs.  If you don't understand the difference between these two approaches, you might like to do some initial research using the resources like those mentioned at the end of this post.

However, there are some mainly slight differences that do occur according to your career interest.

For example, Law CVs tend to be highly traditional.  The skills-based approach is not favoured and neither are off-the-wall presentational features. Unlike other areas, all exam results including GCSEs should be stated, including all degree modules and results.

On the other hand, imaginative approaches that break the 'normal' CV mould can work in some employment sectors although it should be remembered that they are always a 'high risk strategy' that can succeed spectacularly or fail totally.  For careers in the creative sector it is probably best to stay with a fairly standard approach, but ensure the CV conveys a sense of good visual presentation, and include a link to your online portfolio.

For those whose degrees are recognised professional qualifications (e.g. teachers, health professionals), some useful pointers are:

• Quote your professional registration or PIN number in your personal details (or say that it's awaited) to demonstrate your eligibility
• Offer some comments about parts of your course you found interesting or significant
• You must include details of your course placements including what you did or learned on them

Probably the only area where the approach to the CV is completely different is the wonderful world of Acting and Performance, where it is usual (unlike UK CVs in general) to include a photograph of yourself but to omit your school qualifications altogether. Details such as your physical appearance, the ages and accents you can portray would however be included.

This is the latest in our occasional series of Careers FAQs.  For more information about CV writing, see the links we have provided at http://delicious.com/skillzone/cv  or one of the numerous books on the subject in the University and public libraries. University of Cumbria students can also find more information on the Jobs&Careers tab on the Blackboard Virtual learning Environment.

Forthcoming Shortage of Primary Teachers?

Student Teachers at University of Cumbria

Last Friday's 'Independent' reported research by Pearson Education which indicated that, while applications for primary teacher training places have dropped by 17%, primary school and nursery roles are set to rise by 8% over the next three years, leading to speculation of future shortages of qualified teachers.

Researchers also found that 55% of Primary Headteachers reported a decline in staff morale and had found it more difficult to recruit teachers than last year. Suggestions of a recruitment crisis have however been stringently denied by the Department of Education.

Comment: Some of our recent Primary graduates may be surprised to learn that it is becoming easier to find teaching jobs.  Any easing of the currently highly competitive recruitment situation at Primary level will of course be good news - but one wonders whether any benefits will be equally spread across the country.  What happens in Stratford may not come about so readily in Cumbria.

Do You Lie On Your CV?

In yet another piece of research Graduate Prospects have unearthed some troubling evidence that suggest a good proportion of students and graduates are not entirely truthful on their CVs.  Of 1,306 surveyed, a third reported that they knew someone who had lied on a CV or deliberately exaggerated their qualifications.

Apparently, graduates prone to tell porkies are most likely to give a higher grade than they actually achieved, with a substantial proportion claiming to have completed a course when they didn't. Smaller proportions falsely changed their degree subject to suit job requirements or claimed they had a degree they did not possess.

Perhaps more worryingly, many respondents thought that practices like lying on CVs or purchasing fake degree certificates would increase in the wake of increased tuition fees, although such results can presumably only be regarded as speculation.

Comment: I have to say that in all my time at the University of Cumbria, I have never uncovered a clear example of a student providing false information on a CV.  There may have been one or two minor sins of omission but, in my view, our students are far more likely to undersell themselves on their CV.

For some hints on compiling a good (but truthful) CV, try the weblinks at http://delicious.com/skillzone/cv

Which Company Is The Biggest Recruiter of Graduates?

According to work done by The Complete University Guide based on the national graduate destination survey, the answer is a little surprising.

You might not have guessed that the biggest recruiter of 2011 graduates was Boots Pharmaceuticals of Nottingham who took on 520 across their various divisions. In second place was the NHS Graduate Management Scheme, accounting for just under 500 graduates.

Seven of the other top ten places were occupied by banking and financial concerns.  The exception was Tesco who came in sixth as the largest UK retail employer.

Incidentally, a recent survey of 2,000 employers by REED suggested that many did not feel that the 2.1 degree stipulation enforced by many top firms was a good criterion for successful recruitment.  96% said that they would prefer applicants who had the right skills and mindset than those with a 2.1.

Careers Advisers have often felt that the rigid insistence on an Upper Second by many companies was an artificial barrier that meant companies were indirectly favouring applicants from more privileged backgrounds. But whether many companies will abandon the 2.1 requirement in favour of more objective criteria in the foreseeable future remains to be seen.

Train to Teach – Bursaries still available

The University of Cumbria still has places on PGCE courses

You may be eligible for a place on one of our PGCE courses starting this September for which we have a limited number of places still available.

These courses include:

• PGCE Primary in Carlisle & Tower Hamlets, London
• PGCE Early Years in Carlisle & Lancaster
• PGCE Secondary subjects in Biology, Chemistry, English, Geography, ICT, Maths & Physics all in Lancaster

If you are unsure about whether your degree makes you eligible for these courses please call us on 01524 384 500/679 and we can advise you and possibly offer you a Subject Knowledge Enhancement.

You may be eligible for a bursary between £5,000 - £20,000 depending on your degree subject and classification – we can advise you on your eligibility when you call us.

For more information visit the following link:

http://www.cumbria.ac.uk/Courses/ApplicationsEnquiries/Enquiries/PGCE.aspx


Source: The Education Enquiry Team

Have You Ever Thought About Teaching Internationally?

article submitted by the

 

Why not? Discover a world of exciting career prospects through the Council of International Schools (CIS)! As a not-for-profit, membership organisation, CIS provides teacher recruitment and accreditation services for 660 schools located all over the world. At a CIS-organised recruitment fair, a selection of international school representatives interview qualified teacher candidates for positions within their schools.

For those with a sense of adventure, a career in international education can be a uniquely rewarding experience, both professionally and personally. Broaden your horizon and become immersed in a different culture and environment. You will no doubt make many new friends and forge life-lasting ties as you join an engaged global community of educators. International schools, by mission and by model, promote international awareness, knowledge, understanding and inclusion. You can keep up-to-date with current educational practices by participating in rich and varied professional development programs which are integral benefits of working at an international school as are modern teaching resources and technology. International schools offer a comprehensive salary and benefits package that may provide higher remuneration than that offered by national or state schools.

The CIS London recruitment fair is a well-established, respected and successful event that has been running for over thirty years, attracting a diverse mix of schools and teachers. Only schools meeting our rigorous membership criteria and standards may utilise our recruitment services so you can be confident of engaging with quality, reputable schools.

In order to register and participate in a recruitment fair, you will need to create an account on our website and complete an application form. A professional file must then be established and approved. For details on the criteria and application documentation, please view the teacher recruitment pages of our website. We can only consider applicants once they have had 1-2 years of current teaching experience so, please bear CIS in mind for the future.

We have a dedicated and friendly team of professionals available to answer your questions and advise; send us an email at teacherrecruitment@cois.org

Where will you go? Paris? Stockholm? Moscow? Dubai? Shanghai? Phuket? New York City? Cairo? Nassau? Don’t decide in advance; be open to opportunities as they present themselves. You could have the experience of a lifetime!

Public Finance - Drop in Recruitment

Unsurprisingly, public bodies are recruiting less Accountancy trainees due to the recession and economic difficulties. The work of the Audit Commission has also declined, resulting in a drop in numbers of graduates being taken on. Some private sector firms have taken on public sector work but overall recruitment numbers are down.

A few local councils have set up in joint schemes to recruit graduates. The Society of London Treasurers run a graduate scheme which aims to recruit 25 graduates to work in a number of boroughs across London. Professional body CIPFA (Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy) is now working with other regions to look at similar schemes it can work with to deliver the qualification particularly in the Midlands and Wales.

Graduates looking for a career in Public Finance Accountancy need to offer at least a 2.1 degree or an alternative qualification in the accountancy field.

Source: AGCAS/CIPFA

Forthcoming Careers Fairs in Manchester

This is our annual message to let you know the dates of autumn careers fairs for students and graduates, organised by the University of Manchester.

This year's dates are as follows:

• ETHNIC DIVERSITY FAIR 2012 (Whitworth Hall, Manchester) 10 October
• ENGINEERING, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY FAIR 2012 (Manchester Central, G-MEX) 17 October
• FINANCE, BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT FAIR 2012 (Manchester Central, G-MEX) 18 October
• LAW FAIR 2012 (Manchester Central, G-MEX) 20 November
• POSTGRADUATE STUDY FAIR 2012 (Manchester Central, G-MEX) 21 November

 The next Graduate Recruitment Fair will take place in June 2013.

For more information, visit www.manchester.ac.uk/careers/fairs

Swings and Roundabouts of Graduate Labour Market

The latest AGCAS* Survey of University Careers Services shows that the overall number of graduate vacancies is holding up well in spite of continuing economic difficulties.

Careers Services reported continuing shortages of well-qualified candidates for IT and engineering positions  and the last quarter showed a noticeable increase in the number of advertising, marketing, sales and purchasing vacancies. Services also mentioned an increase in opportunities for hospitality, retail, leisure and sports managers, graphic designers and many roles in small businesses where flexibility and multiple skills are needed.

Although the continuing decline in public sector vacancies is affecting areas like podiatry, dietetics, education, social work and youth work, and the number of legal traineeships is down, increased activity in other areas has compensated for these losses nationally.

Comment: The University of Cumbria is however heavily dependent on local public sector vacancies for many of its graduates and restricted opportunities in education and social work mean that applicants will often need to widen their initial career aspirations and geographical target area to compete successfully. On the positive side, increased graduate recruitment activity by small businesses can only be good news in a region that has so few large employers.

*Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services

FAQ - How Can I Get Information on Working and Studying Abroad?

As with many careers faqs, a really good starting point on information about careers and courses in the rest of the world is the Graduate Prospects website, where you can find a dedicated section on the subject.  Here you can find plenty of help to think through your decision, profiles on working and studying in over fifty different countries, plus information on gap years and Teaching English as a Foreign Language plus a search facility to find international job opportunities.

Working abroad is one of the subjects on which books are still being published, so a visit to the main University library or public lending library may be worthwhile.  Titles covered include everything from finding holiday jobs and backpackers' guides to information for people who are considering long-term relocation to develop their career.

Some key tips from our own Careers Advisers on the subject of working and studying abroad are:

• If you're considering a gap year, how will it fit in with your future career plans?  Not all employers will be impressed by your improved surfing skills gained on Bondai Beach.
• There is a current vogue for 'overseas internships' but check these out carefully as many require you to pay large sums of money to participate.  Ask about the career destinations of past participants and check that there are no similar paid or cost-free opportunities.
• As with many things, planning is the key to success.  Start thinking about your plans well in advance.  Next year may be better than right now.

For some extra links on opportunities try http://delicious.com/skillzone/abroad or http://delicious.com/skillzone/gap_year  

Changes to School Direct from 2013

Those interested in a career in primary or secondary teaching may be interested to know that the School Direct programme has been expanded for the academic year 2013/14 and will then offer two types of training places:

1) The School Direct Training Programme, which is open to all graduates and funded by tuition fees
paid by the trainee, who may receive a bursary from the Teaching Agency (TA).

2) The School Direct Training Programme (salaried), which is an employment-based route into
teaching for high quality graduates with three or more years’ career experience. The trainee is
employed as an unqualified teacher by a school and will replace the Graduate Teacher Programme (GTP) which will close.

All School Direct places will lead to qualified teacher status (QTS). Schools will decide whether they wish the provider to award a postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE)from a higher education institution or School Centred Initial Teacher Training Institution (SCITT).

For recruitment to the academic year 2013/14 the TA will manage a central application system, providing a single point of application for all candidates and on which all School Direct places will be listed. Further details will be made available in due course.

Please note however that places for the 2012-13 School Direct programme will be made direct to schools.  For more details see the Teaching Agency website.

Source: Teaching Agency announcement via AGCAS

Employers Try New Assessment Tactics

Following a recent post on the dissatisfaction of applicants with their experience of psychometric testing, it was interesting to read in "Graduate Recruiter" that Barclays Capital have moved towards using an online business simulation exercise during their half day assessment centre programme.

The exercise aims to test candidates' responses to realistic work situations using an interactive tool which feeds them information from a variety of sources, rather in the manner of the old 'in-tray' type exercise, complete with deadlines, distractions and last minute changes.

Meanwhile GCHQ have had the innovative idea of asking potential applicants to crack a code on an anonymous website and publicising the event on blogs, twitter, youtube and other social media.  Those who successfully cracked the code without hacking the site illegally could access details of the code source as well as current employment opportunities with GCHQ.

Apparently this campaign attracted 94 million hits, a record for a recruitment website. However, only 236 people succeeded in cracking the code. Presumably at least some of them are by now working for GCHQ.

FAQ: Where can I get advice on which postgraduate course to study?

A good starting point is the Graduate Prospects website, which has a whole section on postgraduate study at prospects.ac.uk/postgraduate_study.htm  As well as general information about key things to consider and funding information, you can find detailed information on specific University Departments and a search facility so that you can look for postgraduate courses in the UK that may interest you.

At the University of Cumbria, campus libraries contain copies of postgraduate prospectuses sent to us by many Universities as well as hard copies of the Prospects Postgraduate Directory, Prospects Postgraduate Funding Guide and Prospects Postgrad UK (quarterly magazine).  Many public lending libraries will also hold copies of these publications.

You may also find some more specialised information about specific career or study areas.  For example, if you are looking for postgraduate teacher training courses www.gttr.ac.uk has full details about how to apply and an online application system.  Or if you are interested in Psychology courses, you can find details about the various options at www.bps.org.uk   These are just two examples.

It's important to consider your reasons for wanting to do postgraduate study and the relative importance of your eventual career choice.  A postgraduate course is by no means a ticket to a guaranteed job, so ask course tutors carefully about the destinations of previous students if career outcomes are important to you.

If you are looking at doing a postgraduate qualification by research rather than a taught degree, you will need to take the initiative in structuring and organising the research and choosing a supportive research tutor you feel you can work with can become almost as important as the choice of research topic.  There are also an increasing number of postgraduate courses taught by distance learning.

University of Cumbria students and graduates who want to discuss their postgraduate options in depth can feel free to contact us  by email

Health Job Shortages

Although entry to many health sector jobs has become more difficult over the past few years, there are still areas where there are some shortages.  A listing produced recently suggested the following:

◦       Hospital Consultants in: neurophysiology; emergency medicine; genito-urinary medicine; haematology; neurology; occupational medicine; forensic psychiatry; general psychiatry; learning disabilities psychiatry; old age psychiatry.

◦       Hospital Doctors specialising in: anaesthetics; paediatrics; intensive care medicine; general internal medicine (acute); emergency medicine; general surgery; obstetrics and gynaecology; trauma and orthopaedic surgery.

◦       Nurses specialising in: operating theatres; neonatal intensive care.

◦       Radiographers.

◦       Nuclear medicine technologist; radiotherapy technologist.

◦       Cardiac physiologist; clinical neurophysiologist; clinical vascular scientist; respiratory physiologist; sleep physiologist.

Meanwhile a drive to recruit 2,400 more health visitors by 2015 is also underway.

Of course, this does not mean that your local NHS Trust will automatically have vacancies for all these positions!

Teaching Supply Agencies prove fruitful for NQTs

Last week teaching supply agencies visited the Learning Gateway at Fusehill Street Campus to update NQTs on the benfits of considering supply work as a means of getting their teaching career started.
M2Education, Hi-Flyers, Teaching Personnel and CAPITA met with students from the PGCE and QTS Primary courses.
If you are considering supply as a stepping stone to your dream job then check our hand-picked website links for Supply Agencies http://www.delicious.com/stacks/view/INRflp
and Finding Jobs http://www.delicious.com/stacks/view/C26Vjb

BBC Design Trainee Scheme

The 2012 BBC Design Trainee Scheme is opening soon. And you need to get your skates on if you want to apply, as the scheme is so popular that applications are only accepted between 18th June and 22nd July.
The opportunites last for 12 months and combine training, mentoring and work placements.
So if you are interested in make-up, costume, interactive deign or art department then check out www.bbc.co.uk/design

Fully funded opportunity to study at Cambridge University

Interested in studying for a second degree in the arts or humanities?
St John's College, Cambridge are offering the opportunity to spend another 3 years in academia at their expense. The John Crook Scholarship covers all costs including fees and a grant of at least £1080 per month for living expenses.
You need to be:
- the first in your family to attend university
- demonstrate exceptional academic performance in your degree
- a British citizen
Interested?
Call 01223 338789 to find out more or download an application form at www.joh.cam.ac.uk/john-crook-scholarships

The TDA is dead - Long Live the TA!

The Teaching Agency (TA) opened on 1st April, replacing the abolished Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA).  Information on becoming a teacher previously available on the TDA website is now available at www.teach.gov.uk including the flagship School Direct programme.

FAQ: How can I go about looking for a job?

This is the second in our series of answers to frequently asked questions:

How can I go about looking for a job?

First, have you remembered the ‘University of Cumbria Job Shop’? 

1. Access the main page - http://cumbria.prospects.ac.uk
   
2. Press ‘Register Now’.
   
3. Create a user name and fill in your details.  Once Registered:
    
4. Select ‘Search for Vacancies’ in the ‘Main Menu’ on dashboard to access jobs by type, sector and location.
    
5. Sign up to receive email job alerts (optional).
    
   
6. To search for specific employers, type the employer name in ‘Keyword’ box.
   
   
7. Simples!

For more jobsearching tips, see the careers section on The University of Cumbria website.

FAQ: Where can I get practice with numeracy, aptitude and personality tests?

We recently researched some Frequently Asked Questions for a forthcoming guideline to help our students and graduates.  Unfortunately there were so many, we couldn't include them all! So this is the first in a mini-series to cover at least some of the ones that got missed out.

The trouble with tests is that no employer will be able to show you exactly what test they will use because it would render the test invalid.  Obviously previous knowledge of the exact test will skew candidates' results.


So where can I get practice with numeracy, aptitude and personality tests?

Fortunately, the increase of careers materials on the internet has meant that a large number of sample tests have become freely available.  We have collected some of the links on our section of the Delicious website and in particular you could try http://www.delicious.com/skillzone/psychometric or
http://www.delicious.com/skillzone/tests

For an overview of the types of tests most commonly used in graduate recruitment, plus some further samples, start with  http://www.prospects.ac.uk/psychometric_tests.htm  Also useful for a broader overview of psychometric and personality tests used in a variety of different occupations is http://www.careergym.com/psychometric_glossary/psychometric_test_types

Even if you end up facing a test you've never heard of, don't press the panic button before you start.  There will invariably be one or two trial items at the very beginning of the test to make sure you understand what's required.

Recruitment Fair - Supply Teaching

Are you a newly-qualified teacher (NQT) or graduate seeking work locally or nationally?

The University of Cumbria’s Careers Service is organising a Teaching Supply Agencies Mini Recruitment Fair 
Date: Tuesday 19th June, 9.00 a.m. - 1.00 p.m.
 
Location: Ground Floor, Learning Gateway, Fusehill Street, Carlisle

Agencies represented will include M2Education, Reed Education, Hays, High-Flyers and Teaching Personnel.

All are welcome to attend.

Further information from Joanne Watson, Careers and Employability Adviser.

Help for Newly Qualified Teachers

The job situation for Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs) has slowly been worsening over the past few years and even highly skilled leavers are now having to fight hard to find the right opportunity in some parts of the country.

With this in mind we have used our account on delicious.com to gather together a 'stack' of key links that are likely to be helpful to NQTs in their search for work. You can view them at http://delicious.com/stacks/view/INRflp and we hope they help our own and other students to break into the teaching profession.

Incidentally, you can view stacks on an increasing number of key related themes by looking up http://www.delicious.com/stacks/skillzone

Mini Careers Fair At Fusehill Street Campus

Here is some slightly delayed news from employers who attended this event, which took place in the Gateway on 2nd May:

Hays Recruitment

Full and part time work opportunities for students and graduates including reception, administration, project support and project management. Employers include NHS, schools and colleges, Riverside Housing, Cumbria County Council and manufacturing companies such as James Walker and Northern Food.

Event Guides

Have short term summer work on sales support on event publications and three permanent graduate vacancies.

Inspira
Recruiting summer volunteers for National Citizenship Service, working with 13-19 year olds.

Carlisle Youth Zone

Have volunteer and part-time roles working with children and young people.

Nestle, Dalston

Graduate scheme and quality assurance roles on offer. Looking mainly for candidates from science/technology backgrounds.

Are job interviews decided in the first minute?

The ‘Making an impact’ DVD from the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS) attempts to answer this question.

Interviews are nerve racking affairs but the main message from the DVD is that if you come prepared there is nothing to fear.

Interviewers are interested to know what you can bring to the organisation you are applying for and so will analyse how you sell yourself from what you say. It is important you have researched the company you want to work for as they will check for career motivation, enthusiasm and an understanding of their business.

Key Tips:

1: The interview is a natural extension of the CV you have sent to an organisation and you will be expected to give more detail of it at the interview.

2: Employers test you on competency based questions at interviews. A competency based question is when you give specific examples of past behaviours that show how you behaved in certain situations in an interview setting. Do not be general in the answers you give to a competency based question. 

3: Maintain eye contact and answer the questions as quickly as possible. Silence is ok but not prolonged silence.

4: Before the actual interview check the competencies that the organisation looks for on their website and practice examples of them using the STAR approach*.

5: When answering questions never say ‘we’. Interviewers are interested in how you handled each scenario as you will be the one they will hire.

6: Research the company and get the dress code correct by understanding the ethos of the organisation.

7: Telephone interviews are a low cost initial screening of candidates in some companies to take through to a face to face interview and you must treat them seriously and come across as confident, articulate and give clear detail. 

8: Build rapport with the interviewer at all times and make sure you leave a good first and lasting impression.

*  P.s. The STAR approach is:

S – Situation, background set the scene
T – Task or Target, specifics of what's required, when, where, who
A – Action, what you did, skills used, behaviours, characteristics
R – Result – Outcome, what happened?

If an interviewer starts probing you, this is a clue you are not giving enough information (such as names, role, project, feedback, who, what, when, outcome).

Thanks to Cheryl Copeland for providing this article.

Note:  University of Cumbria students can access the "Making an Impact" video via the Jobs&Careers tab on Blackboard.

Employers' Use of Testing Alienates Graduates

Another recent article from "Graduate Recruiter" (view earlier post) quotes research by Talent Q UK to suggest that candidates for graduate posts are becoming alienated by employers' use of psychomentric and ability tests.

It all seems to come down an issue of poor communication.  According to the research, employers frequently make basic mistakes like:

•  not explaining why applicants are being asked to take a test and how the results relate to the job
•  not offering feedback on candidates' performance, which breaches requirements of the British Psychological Society
• not telling people why their application failed, which may or may not be down to a poor test result

An additional problem is poor record keeping, resulting in duplication and frustration for applicants.

I am sure many Careers Advisers can report meetings with students and graduates who have been fed up with the sometimes apparently random nature of the tests they were asked to take and the opaque, remote nature of the whole process. Online tests seem to be particularly loathed.  But is there much consistent evidence that candidates with superior test scores really do perform better in the workplace?

Yorkshire Graduate Recruitment Fair

Also on the Careers Fair trail, The Yorkshire Graduate Recruitment Fair takes place on Thursday 31st May between 11.00 a.m. and 3.30 p.m. at The Edge, University of Leeds and is open to graduates of all UK universities.

There will be over 90 employers, CV checks and a series of 10 minute workshops.

Find out more at http://careerfairs.leeds.ac.uk/ygrf/