Careers with a difference

Watch out for our semester 2 events – March is “Careers with a difference month”.

Semester 1 sees many of the big corporates recruiting and having events on campus, the “non – corporates” tend to recruit in less regular patturns so to give them a stronger presence each year we focus on them in semester 2.

Just a few of the events coming up:

• Environmental careers
• Development work
• Broadcast journalism
• Entrepreneurship and enterprise
• Voluntary and not for profit sector

For further details and more events keep checking in Careerslink

Accepting and Ignoring Advice

Recently I’ve been talking to a lot of people about postgrad options. At the beginning of the year I decided that I would rather die then do an MA. I then started applying to a load of graduate jobs, decided that I really did not want to do any of them, then stared blankly and disheartened at the computer screen. Then an email came: “Have you considered doing an MA?” I read the email and decided that yes, maybe I should do an MA.

Power of Positivity

Worrying about finding a job? Did you know Recruitment Company REED surveyed over 1,000 businesses and found that 97% of employers would employ an applicant with a positive mind-set even if they were not as strong as other candidates in terms of skills and achievements. So when attending a job interview or event always ensure you convey positivity above all else.

Clearly we don’t always feel positive, especially in this socioeconomic climate. Global recession, inflation, increased tuition fees, public sector job cuts, soaring petrol prices all beg the question ‘What is there to be positive about?’ However the question you should be asking is ‘Why should I be positive?’ because the answer is a much more satisfying one.

He who hestitates…. may not get an interview!

Each year we hear from students who are invited to interview with some impressive big name companies, but miss out on their interview dates because they take too long to think about it.

• Check your email and voice mail regularly, at least once a day.
• If you are given a choice of times, locations or dates, book one immediately.
• If you can’t make any of them ring the company immediately and tell them why not, but it better be a good excuse like an exam!

The slots will book up with other candidates who are sure about their commitment to this company very fast. It is possible they may invite more people than there are slots – there will always be some who don’t bother or have had a better offer.

So think carefully about your priorities:

• Is playing football that afternoon worth giving up that job for?
• Can you miss a lecture or tutorial? (It’s fairly likley that on balance you will be able to negociate something with your school so don’t wait a week while you figure it out!)
• Can you change a shift at your part time job?

At the end of the day how much do you want to work for company X? What is your future worth to you?

It’s tough out there but this is nothing new, companies simply don’t have time and money to waste waiting around to fit in around potential employees.   There are plenty of other candidates out there so don’t get left behind in the race!

WARNING- Be aware of your ‘digital footprint’

Ever tried googling yourself? No? Well a recruiter might have!

According to the Jobvite Social Recruiting Survey, 32% of recruiters always search for social media profiles when reviewing candidates, 38% sometimes do and 13.5% review if provided by candidate.

This can have both negative and positive outcomes:

Reasons why you’re fired:

• Poor communication skills
  – illiterate, poor grammar or spelling
• Inappropriate photos
• Information about drinking/drug use
• Lying about qualifications/experience
• Unprofessional screen names
• Racist/sexist/offensive comments

Reasons why you’re hired:

• Great communication skills
• Professional image portrayed
• Good fit for company’s culture
• Wide range of interests
• Positive recommendations, achievements, qualifications, experience, awards etc.
• Use keywords that you want to be associated with (to be picked up by search engines)

So, how can you make sure your digital footprint gets you hired rather than fired?

Approach 1: Keep your personal and professional profiles separate

Approach 2: Ensure ALL your social networking profiles are respectable

Also be aware of ‘open’ profiles, make sure you check your privacy settings! For profiles which are open, make sure you:

• Use your real name
• Clean up ‘digital dirt’ – don’t send the wrong message
• Join groups selectively
• Monitor or block comments

REMEMBER: If in doubt, think ‘Would I be happy for a prospective employer to see/read this?’

3 Simple, Stress-Free Ways to Get Ahead!

Now deadlines have past, and with the Christmas break, everyone including myself must be feeling like this:

The best thing you can do now is breathe, step back and relax. I have realised you can do this and still be productive. Here I have compiled 3 little things you could do to get the most out of the break, before revision kicks in:

Thought Facebook was only for fun stuff… think again!

Social Media is increasingly becoming a tool for recruiters and savvy job hunters alike.

According to the Jobvite Social Recruiting Survey, 92% of those hiring in 2010 were already recruiting or planned to recruit via social networks and of this group, 86% used Linked In, 60% used Facebook and 50% used Twitter to do this.

So, how can you use social media to help you bag your dream job?

Blogs- Following blogs such as this are a good way to find out about various opportunities and gain tips and advice on how to make yourself employable, how to make applications and find out industry specific information.

Similarly, for those of you interested in working in the creative industries, a blog is a good way of showcasing your talent and demonstrating an interest within your chosen industry.  You can attach a link to your blog on your CV and this will provide an employer with hard evidence of your skills and talents. However, if you are going to do this- make sure there is nothing on there you wouldn’t want a potential employer to see!

Facebook- Join our Careers Facebook group for your academic school to be the first to hear about relevant events, vacancies, internships, placements, training and further study. www.manchester.ac.uk/careers/facebook

 Twitter- The careers service twitter is a good place to find out information as soon as we hear about it, follow @ManUniCareers or @ManPGCareers for Postgraduate Careers Advice or @mcrmediaclub for the Media Club’s own twitter.

Similarly, many employers use twitter as a place to advertise jobs and work experience placements, therefore it may be wise to follow companies you are really interested in working for on twitter. Also search engines such as www.twitjobsearch.com make searching for jobs on twitter easy for you!

Twitter can also be used to find out information about the industry you wish to work in, and you can keep up to date on industry news by following relevant bodies such as the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising, for example (follow @IPA_Updates)

You can also use Twitter for networking, and to create your own opportunities. The following article on the Guardian website, which was written by a current Manchester student, details her experiences of using twitter to do this. http://careers.guardian.co.uk/journalism-work-experience-twitter

Our student bloggers also recommend Twitter, see these previous blog posts: http://manchesterundergradcareers.wordpress.com/2010/02/15/where-would-i-be-without-twitter and http://manchesterundergradcareers.wordpress.com/2011/11/14/a-career-in-journalism-its-time-to-get-started

Linked In- Although this is perceived as a resource for business people- Linked In can also help you get that first rung on the career ladder!

Helen has previously posted an excellent blog  post regarding all things linked in: http://manchesterundergradcareers.wordpress.com/2011/05/11/why-linkedin-is-the-facebook-for-professionals-and-jobseekers

Here are my tips:

Fill in your profile with as many details as possible, such as your degree and extra curricular activities and you can add work experience and volunteering to the work history section, creating an online CV. By filling in your profile using key words this will allow people to search for you using these words- and who knows what opportunities may arise!

Further, you can join a wide range of groups which may allow you the opportunity to discuss key issues within your chosen industry with professionals and consequently provide a vehicle for networking. You can also use Linked In to research organisations and specific job roles.

Linked In can also be used to keep a track of people you have networked with, through work experience, careers events etc, and this allows you to maintain these relationships.

What are you waiting for? Get started with your social media hunt today!

As you’re prob…

As you’re probably aware, Christmas is fast approaching, as is the end of term! With it being the festive season, employers are looking for people to work the Christmas and new year period – what better way to make a bit of money, and add something to your CV? Maybe even build on your team-work and communication skills? It’s always good to start looking early, but employers are sometimes still recruiting in December! Try looking online, in papers, in shop windows, you might be surprised at what you can find!

And on the topic of hunting… what about all you first years looking for a home for the next year? I’m aware some of you are fine as you are, but if you haven’t even thought about it yet – don’t worry. I wouldn’t leave it much later though – spend the break looking for some properties in the area you want to be in, looking for people you want to live with, and speak to fellow students – second years, etc. They’ll have been through this process already, and I’m sure they’ll have some words of wisdom for you! But if this post is making you panic a little, stop. There are more houses than students, so you’re definitely not going to be homeless!

And on a final note, I’d just like to say happy holidays! Good luck to everyone with January exams – I know I’ll be knuckling down hard this Christmas, and hope you all have a wonderful New Year.

Heena. -x

Student Blogger

Get Paid Work Experience with a Major UK Publishing Company!

Pearson Education, the leading publisher for higher education, is now once again looking for bright, motivated university students to become part of its Pearson Student Advisory Board from September 2012 until June 2013. Could you be one of the 8 students selected?

Those selected to be on the board will work on individual projects on campus on behalf of Pearson and attend 3 expenses paid residential weekends sharing their ideas with the Pearson executive board.

For at least the last 3 years, a student from the University of Manchester has been one of a select group of 8 students from all over the UK to join the Board, and we’re obviously keen that this trend continues! This year, we have done particularly well as we are the only university to have not one but two students on the Board!

Find out more about the Pearson Student Advisory Board here: www.pearsoned.co.uk/psab

Why apply?

•  It’s a great way for students who are interested in a career in business, marketing, education or publishing in particular, to get some valuable experience for their CV.
• The board will get the opportunity to meet Pearson executives and influence decision makers at the highest level.
• A £500 bursary and free books are provided, as well as the support of a Pearson mentor for the duration of your time on the board.

 Who can apply?

Pearson are looking for undergraduate students in any subject (currently in their 1^st, 2^nd or penultimate year) who are “passionate about the experience of learning and care about helping those in education to reach their full potential.”

 How to apply

Send your completed application to Janet Willis, Careers Consultant at the University of Manchester Careers Service via email: janet.k.willis@manchester.ac.uk in the form of:

• A CV with details of two referees (one must be an academic)
• A covering letter that outlines details of the student’s course and academic attainment to date
• A 100-word summary outlining interest in and suitability for becoming a Board member

 Deadline is Friday 30th January 2011.

Everyday Networking

I quite enjoy my part time job, a Viewer for a City Centre letting agents. I meet a lot of people and, due to the nature of my job, I get to have extended conversations with them. A lot of the time we just talk about the weather, or finding apartments, or other things that I’m supposed to talk about in order to rent flats out, but sometimes they divulge more interesting information about themselves. Here are two examples of being given pretty useful information from clients at work.