Fancy A Career in Human Relations? Read On...

An Interview with Kathy Allison, Head of HR at boohoo.com

How did you begin your career in HR and progress to your current position at boohoo?

Kathy Allison

Before joining boohoo, I worked in the hospitality sector as a People Development Manager at Radisson Blu Hotels. Throughout my time there I looked after Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool properties. My position at boohoo came after a friend encouraged me to apply – they had seen the role advertised and thought it sounded like a good role for me. It was a lengthy interview process but I was fortunate enough to get the job and become the first Head of HR at boohoo.

How would you describe a typical day working at boohoo?

My role is really varied so it is difficult to describe a typical day. I can be doing anything from a full day of interviewing senior candidates, supporting with people issues or attending and addressing director meetings. There is always plenty for me to do!

Do you think you need to have a degree in HR to start a career in it?

My degree wasn’t in HR but I have gained a lot of experience to develop my career in this field. Having said that, I do think it is great to have a HR degree as it provides a foundation and you then have the technical and theoretical knowledge about HR.

What advice do you have for anyone wanting to begin a career in HR?

It is helpful to know what industry you’d like to do HR in and then you can gain experience in that area. This isn’t essential though as your skills will be transferable. I do feel that being prepared to understand the HR function from the ground up is a good basis for career development. As with many competitive industries, it is really important that you prove your determination and demonstrate the skills you have that will make you stand out from the crowd.

Do you have any suggestions about how someone could sell their skills when applying for a role in HR?

Have a look at your CV and make sure it is concise. Start with highlighting your key achievements. Don’t make it long, and more importantly keep it focused to the particular role you’re applying for. A one size fits all approach doesn’t always work.

What do you look for in a candidate applying for a job within HR?

Candidates that stand out to me are those who can show how they will benefit the business if they are successful. Being able to work commercially and a real desire to deliver success through people is important. It is also great to see someone with a real passion and persistence to work in the industry.

Note: Thanks to Sasha Jones for providing this interview.  If you would like to know more about careers in HR, a good starting point is the Graduate Prospects website.

A Career Is Born!

Thanks to the efforts of the Beer Academy a new career has come over the horizon - that of a Beer Sommelier!

According to "Wetherspoon News", the Academy introduced its Beer Sommelier scheme in 2011 to help restaurateurs, publicans and bar staff develop on their expertise on many students' favourite subject on the lines of the more established wine sommelier.  As well as advising on quality, a key part of the sommelier's role is to suggest how beverages can be paired with food items on the establishment's menu. So, for example in the case of beer, it seems Belgian raspberry beer works really well with chocolate pudding and a tangy IPA is the perfect compliment for a Stilton at dessert.

To become a beer sommelier, candidates have to pass the Beer Academy's Advanced Training Course as well as a course entitled "How To Judge Beer" plus an 'oral' (presumably verbal) examination and a blind tasting in which they have to identify different styles of beer.  Examiners look not only for a high level of technical expertise but good communication skills to convey their enthusiasm about beer.  A written portfolio, showing the candidate's skills in pairing beer and food in practice is also required.

Apparently, the Beer Academy has identified a gap in the market for beer connoisseurs, but it is not yet clear whether we can expect a flood of vacancies coming through on the University of Cumbria Job Shop

Best (or Should that be Worst?...) Lawyer Jokes

The Legal profession stands out as one which generates a lot of jokes at its own expense.  But since the financial crisis of 2008, it has also stood out as one which has become increasingly tricky to enter.  Potential lawyers face the multiple hazards of shrinking numbers of job opportunities, lengthy and expensive postgraduate training periods, unpaid internships, under-employment, gender discrimination* and the like.

My guess is that those prospective lawyers need a bit of cheering up, so what better excuse for providing a selection of favourite lawyer jokes, having separated the wheat from much chaff and cut down on the 'shaggy dog' elements:

Q:  What is the difference between a solicitor and a barrister?
A:   One's like a crocodile and the other's like an alligator.

Q:  What's the difference between a dead fox on the road and a dead lawyer
A:  There's skidmarks next to the fox.

Q:  Why won't a shark eat a lawyer?
A:  Professional respect.

Graveyard tombstone: Here lies a lawyer and an honest man.
Passer-by: It doesn't look big enough for two people

Client waiting to appear in court:  How long do you think this business is going to last?
Lawyer:  For me about two hours, for you about five years.

Lawyer:  If you want my honest opinion...
Client:  I don't want your honest opinion, I want your professional advice.

Q:  Which side should a tired lawyer lie on?
A:  The one with the most money.

Lawyer:  Have you told me the whole truth about this incident?
Client:  Of course!  You can add the lies in later.

Q. How can you tell a lawyer is lying?
A. Other lawyers look interested.

Q:  Do you have a criminal lawyer in this town?
A:  Yes, all of them are.

"I hereby give, grant and convey to you all and singular my interest, right, title and claim of and in this orange, together with all its rind, skin, juice, pulp and pips, and all right and advantage therein with full power to bite, suck or otherwise eat or consume the said orange, or give away the said orange, with or without its rind, skin, juice, pulp or pips subject to any agreement subsequently introduced or drawn up to this agreement." (Lawyer offering an orange to a colleague)

God: I'm going to sue you for trespassing in heaven.
Devil:  And where do you expect to get a lawyer from?

Lawyer (awaking from major surgery):  Why are the curtains drawn?
Nurse: Well there's a fire across the road and we didn't want you to think you had died.

Hospital Visitor (to very ill lawyer):  Why are you reading the bible?
Lawyer: I'm looking for loopholes.

Lawyer's wife:  This room needs new wallpaper.
Lawyer:  Don't worry, dear, I'm doing a divorce case at the moment.  Once I've broken up their home, we can redecorate ours.

Butcher:  Your dog came into my shop this morning and stole a turkey.
Lawyer:  How much was the turkey worth?
Butcher:  About £10.
Lawyer: Well, my fee for legal advice is £50, so just send me a cheque for £40 and we'll call it quits.

Irish Barrister:  The offence was committed at half past twelve at night on the morning of the following day.

Icelandic Barrister:  Where were you on the night of December 3rd to March 2nd?

Q: How many lawyer jokes are there?
A: Only three, the rest are all true.

Unless, of course, you know better.  Please feel free to add a comment below with your favourite lawyer joke.

*see end of previous post on The Futuretrack Survey

Your New Career Year Resolution?

New Year always brings a "new brooms sweep clean" mentality as people clear out their dusty mental cupboards and look for new ways of approaching their life.

This made me think that in career decision terms, the obvious equivalent to "ringing out the old and ringing in the new" would be to take a career interest guide questionnaire.  Generally recommended by Careers Advisers to clients who can think of no or very few career ideas that would interest them, interest guides are also a good way of checking if your career wish list is up to date or whether there are new contenders emerging over the horizon.

Invariably online these days, the system you choose interrogates you about work preferences or personal interests, then spews out a series of career titles that potentially match the inputs you have provided.  At which point Careers Advisers usually hasten to add that you shouldn't expect miracle solutions.  A computer can't tell you what to do - you have to evaluate the possibilities yourself by doing some research.

But where do we find the sort of tools we are talking about?

For students and graduates, the most commonly used system is Prospects Planner from Graduate Prospects.  Revamped this year, its key focus is a belt-and-braces analysis of personal interests and motivational factors.  The distinguishing factor is that the jobs it links to all require a graduate qualification or are commonly entered by graduates.

Perhaps less available than they once where, similar products for a more general market are Kudos (aimed at young people) and Adult Directions (for adults as it says on the tin).  The trick here is to find a local careers guidance or similar agency which has a licence to offer them to the end user, normally without charge.  Adult Directions has a few sophistications which allow you to filter opportunities (e.g. by salary or contract type).  When I last played with it, I particularly liked the fact that you could decide how many questions you need to answer before you think you have clear results.

Recently some of the big jobsites have started to offer interest guides in various forms. Possibly the simplest is the Career Snapshots facility offered by Monster, offering some basic job suggestions that link to a particular interest (e.g. working outdoors, writing).  On the other hand TARGETjobs Career Planner facility is a full thirty minute look at interests, strengths, personality and abilities that produces a full report that is free to those registered on the site. I notice that Fish4jobs also offers personality profiling but this is a charged facility at £8.99 a head, which might be enough to encourage most people look elsewhere.

On the basis of a fairly superficial glance, one of the most comprehensive facilities is offered by the New National Careers Service's so-called Skills Health Checklist. As well as covering interests and motivation, it also distinguishes between skills you like doing and skills you are good at (not always the same thing - I seem to remember it can be an important difference!) and a set of Activity Skills, which is newspeak for what we used to call aptitude tests - the sort of tests that were typically used to see if applicants had the right level of ability in particular areas (e.g. verbal or numerical reasoning).

Also with more than half a foot in the aptitude testing camp, the Morrisby Profile is one test that is still delivered via timed paper and pen sessions of some length, as is the detailed career profile which is produced as a result.  Morrisby claims a "depth of analysis that is not available in other vocational systems" but, unless you're lucky, this deluxe approach is likely to be reflected in the price you will pay for it.

One last word on career profile reports from TARGETjobs: "...don't let it languish unused in a drawer or fester on your hard drive. Book an appointment at your careers service. A careers adviser will be able to talk through the findings, shed additional light on your potential career opportunities and help you assess how you can build your skills."

I'm sure we couldn't agree more!  Very few clients come back to tell us what they found out from completing an interest guide, or to tell us how useful they found them.  Perhaps that should be your second New Career Year Resolution?

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.

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

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!

Chartered Institute of Marketing...Local Meetings

I have learned that the Chartered Institute of Marketing have a local group that meets in the Cumbria area. Students interested in a career in marketing would be welcome to attend.

More details are available from University of Cumbria Business Studies Lecturer Linda Danielis who is a member of their local committee.

Are you thinking about a career in teaching?

We are running two sessions for University of Cumbria undergraduates, principally those in their second and third years.

For information on entry routes and how to make a successful PGCE application, come along to:

Applying for a PGCE seminar

Wednesday 19th October 12.30-1.30 pm

Lecture Theatre 1

Brampton Road campus, Carlisle

GTTR applications workshop

Wednesday 2nd November 1-3 pm

Room 102, Learning Gateway

Fusehill Street campus , Carlisle

For information on the sessions or for advice on planning your next steps after graduation, email: careers@cumbria.ac.uk

Source: Joanne Watson

Become a Careers Adviser?

Places are still available for the September 2011 intake of the Postgraduate Diploma in Career Guidance and Development at the University of the West of Scotland (Paisley Campus) and Edinburgh Napier University (Sighthill Campus).

Both centres are Institute of Careers Guidance (ICG) approved and successful completion leads to the additional award of the ICG’s “Qualification in Career Guidance and Development”. Both courses attract SAAS Postgraduate Awards and encourage applications from ethnic minorities as well as those living outside of the central belt of Scotland.

Our understanding is that there is a shortage of applicants for Careers Adviser posts from applicants who hold the postgraduate qualification.

Making The Most of Your Time in Higher Education

This report from the CBI/NUS is available at http://ow.ly/58zac and contains lots of wise words on how to improve your value in the employment market after you get your degree.

It covers areas like:

• thinking about what you want from your time at University
• the value of early careers advice and career decision making
• the key skills employers say they want and how satisfied they actually are with the skills of new recruits
• how to use your course to improve your workplace skills
• the value of work placements and voluntary work
• getting the most from life at University
• the importance of reflecting on and recording your progress...

...plus lots of more detailed advice on what to do to maximise your potential in all of the above areas. Overall a good, common sense read for everyone who wants a successful career after University and a bit of an antidote to the more cynical view of employability I posted on a couple of months ago.

Finance Insight Course for Disabled Students

From an email sent by EmployAbility:

The Financial Services Authority has partnered with EmployAbility for a 3 Day Insight Programme this summer.

The FSA offers a three day programme to first year undergraduates designed to give a full overview of their multi-faceted work. The Insight will combine a mixture of networking with graduates and business representatives, case studies to give students an insight into the work of the FSA and skills sessions to help them succeed in the assessment process.

Requirements

To apply for the programme undergraduates will need to:

• be a first year undergraduate.
• have 300 UCAS points or more.
• submit the short application form
• have a short telephone interview, demonstrating a motivation for a career in regulation. They will be informed shortly afterward if successful in obtaining a place on the programme.

If there are extenuating circumstances which may have affected grades, this must be clearly stated on the form and/ or EmployAbility contacted for further information.

Apply now

The completed application form must be returned to applications@employ-ability.org.uk by 20^th February, 2011.

Please contact Justin Penney on 07776 090 508, info@employ-ability.org.uk should the form be required in an alternative format or for any questions.

Fancy a Career on the Telly?

The Network is the charitable arm of the MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival and provides the opportunity to attend four days of FREE training in Edinburgh preparing delegates for a career in television.

The Network takes place between 25 and 28 August 2011. Highlights from last year include a masterclass with writer and creator of Shameless, Paul Abbott, a research workshop with Charlie Brooker and the team behind Would I Lie To You? and masterclasses from Putul Verma, Series Producer, Dragons’ Den and Jay Hunt, Chief Creative Officer, Channel 4.

All the people involved are passionate about passing on their skills and insights to those starting their career in television

The Network has helped to launch hundreds of TV careers.

With the exception of travel to and from Edinburgh, everything else, from accommodation and food to the actual workshops, is entirely free. Applications open on February 14 2011 and applications are sought via our website at www.mgeitf.co.uk/thenetwork. Applicants can save their application form and come back to it as many times as they like until the closing date - 15 April 2011.

Note: This is a shortened version of an email we received from The Network

Ever heard of a Support Time and Recovery Worker?

Talking of opportunities that are not well-covered on standard careers websites, etc., have you any idea what a Support Time and Recovery Worker does?

Basically, it is an NHS role involved with mental health patients in a support and advocacy role.

You can find more details on the appropriate section of the NHS Careers website.

Access to Fashion

This is a copy of the text of a poster we received from Elevation Networks:

Interested in Fashion? Aspiring to be the next Fashion Mogul? Want to know the opportunities available to you as a student? Then this is the event for you!!

Elevation Networks is proud to present an exclusive Access to Fashion event. Where 30 carefully selected students will get the opportunity to meet industry professionals and ask questions to the people who know it best. The event will be hosted by the National Magazine...the owners of Cosmopolitan, Reveal and Harpers Bazaar*.

To Gain your Access invitation please email your CV and Cover Letter to: events@elevationnetworks.org telling us why you should be selected for this event.

Deadline for applications is: FEBRUARY 11TH 2011

*presumably London. The actual event is scheduled for 25th February between 5.30 and 8.00 pm

The Growing Potential of the IT Industry

IT enthusiasts looking for a stable career choice should feel comforted by the fact the IT industry has not suffered excessively during the recession. In fact, in many areas it has grown, and this reliance on IT Consultants has led to demand far outstripping supply.

IT is a fast-paced and challenging industry in constant development as it adapts to new technological trends. IT and non-IT Graduates can enter the industry via Graduate Training Programmes or post-graduate training including specialist streams where there is particular growth and potential. New research reveals particular growth for IT services is being experienced in three key areas: 1. Improving security systems 2. Better project management methodologies and 3. Enhanced Infrastructure support.

Specialising in specific streams such as Testing, Development, Infrastructure Support or Project Management through to certification is particularly appealing to companies looking for a high degree of knowledge and skill to fit in with company requirements.

The Association of Graduate Recruiters reports that working in IT currently features in the top five sectors for graduate jobs, along with accountancy, the public sector and law firms. IT recruitment is currently at an all-time high.

If graduates pursue a career in IT, they can expect to earn anything up to £24,000 in their first year. This is £2,000 more than the starting salary in a science-related job and £4,000 better than the average starting salary of £20,000 according to the Higher Education Standards Agency and Workdigital. After a second year in IT, graduates can earn anything up to £27,000, and after their third year the sky is the limit as qualified IT Consultants possess the training, skills and experience to work across various roles in different business sectors across the globe.

Note: This post was based on a submission from Genna Singpo, Communications Officer with FDM Group who have just announced that they will be doubling their graduate intake to 1000 in 2011, thereby becoming one of The Times Top 100 UK employers.

Open Day at Northumbria Law School

Northumbria Law School are running an open day on their postgraduate courses in Law (GDL, LPC and BPTC) on Friday 19th November from 2.00 p.m.

For more details, visit http://www.northumbria.ac.uk/sd/academic/law/

Career Player

Graduate Jobs and Career advice on video - internships, psychometric tests &c http://ow.ly/36DhR

Notes from Careers Mini Convention at Fusehill Street Campus

CEVA Logistics

Further to yesterday's entry, CEVA (formerly TNT) Logistics offer a one year programme including 4 research assignments on customer sites in the Midlands (e.g Volkswagen, B&Q, Rolls Royce). Access to a car provided during this period.

CEVA customers nearer to our area: British Gypsum (Penrith), Thorn Electrical (Durham) and NHS Scotland. Lots of automotive industry customers.

Looking for 2.2 graduates who are ready to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty, are practical and can think outside the box. Provide life insurance and pension. Starting salary £23k.

Likely first jobs are in operations management in one of their key industry areas (see previous post). Later specialisms might include Finance and Accountancy, Human Resources, IT.

www.cevalogistics.com

Enterprise Rent-A-Car

Increased number of graduate opportunities this year. Looking to recruit 1000 trainees nationally including 100 at their outlets in the North. Locations include Carlisle, Lillyhall, Penrith, Hexham, Morpeth, Newcastle, Dumfries, Barrow, Kendal, Morecambe, Lancaster.

New this year: 3 month summer paid internship placements for first and second year students who want to improve sales and customer service. Dealing with telephone queries, taking and upgrading bookings, administration, reporting and analysis.

Also 12 month internship placements for students on business-related courses.

www.erac.com

Good Companions

Offer flexible hours for home carers at various locations within an eleven mile radius of Carlisle - numerous vacancies for forthcoming contracts.

Start on £6.50 an hour plus performance bonus, car and mileage as well as free NVQ training and uniform.

www.goodcompanionscareservices.co.uk