About to graduate or want to get a head start for next year?

Worried about your job prospects? Thinking what options are open to you? Need advice on how to get a job? Then Summer Careers Events 2012 is for you!

The sun may not be shining yet, but we have organised a programme of events to get your career off to a bright start.

Graduating and not yet found a job or postgraduate course?

Come along to the Graduate Recruitment Fair in Manchester on Wednesday 13 and Thursday 14 June 2012, 10.30am – 4.00pm at The Armitage Centre, Fallowfield, Manchester, and get your first step on the career ladder.

There are hundreds of graduate jobs (permanent paid and voluntary) and some postgrad course places available. These include both local and national vacancies and are in a variety of sectors- so there’s something for everyone!

Don’t just take our word for it- Tommy (who graduated last year) gained a job from the fair:

Step Up and Stand Out! Employability Development Fair

Wednesday 2^nd May, 12pm – 4pm, Alan Turing Building

Sign up here

With over 20% of graduates unemployed, this event will give you the opportunity to find out more about what you can do to make yourselves more employable and to develop those skills required to secure a job once you have finished your studies and help you stand out from the crowd!

Organised by students, (the majority of us are third years) for students, this event will highlight the importance of extra-curricular activities and give you the opportunity to attend presentations, interactive workshops and speak directly to experts who will be able to help and advise you how to develop those all-important skills.

Hear from representatives from the Careers Service, including talks on Volunteering and Internships, as well as hearing from the employers’ perspective along with the chance to speak to volunteering specialists from Manchester City Council and Student Action. The interactive workshops will help you identify the skills you already have and those you need to develop.

‘Informal enquiries may be made to…’

A high proportion of job adverts contain the phrase ‘informal enquiries may be made to…’, but what does this mean and what should you do?

Firstly, don’t ignore it- a lot of people will ignore it, so this can be something which will make you stand out before you even send off your application!

 Here are a few more reasons why you should make an informal enquiry:

Group exercises for assessment centres and team dynamics

You have probably already worked as part of a team or group as part of your course, in a part time job, volunteering or in a society or sports club.  So why are you so afraid when group exercises come up at assessment centres?

Group exercises come in many shapes and forms and really what you are being asked to do is not the point. e.g.

• Build a house out of coloured paper according to these criteria…
• Make a bridge out of straws that will support a 500g load.
• Read the business case and come to an agreed recommendation.

The task is often completely unrelated to the job, what they are looking for is how you behave.

So what’s the best advice?

What kind of biscuit are you…?

So, you’re in the interview.  You’ve got your smartest outfit on, the interviewers are friendly and, if you’ve done your preparation,  you’ll have dealt with the “are you a team-player” and “ give me an example of a time you…….” type questions without breaking a sweat.  Even being asked about your weaknesses and a time something went wrong holds no fear for you.  Then, completely out of left-field,  “If you were a biscuit, what type would you be?”   Erm…. what?

That’s a real question a student told us they had been asked at interview.  Other examples include asking for your favourite film or comedian or what one item would you take to a desert island with you? Or how many tennis balls would it take to fill this room? The general reaction to being asked this type of question is, what on earth has this got to do with the job you’ve applied for and how do you answer?   Do Hob-Nobs get hired and Custard-Creams get shown the door?  Will the boss only like you if you can bond over your favourite Michael McIntyre quip? How big is a tennis ball anyway?!!

Start by remembering that’s there probably not one “right” answer. Also,  your actual answer is not really what’s being assessed, you are.  The recruiter doesn’t care whether your desert island item is a beach-ball or a canoe. They’re looking broadly at two things, how do you react and how do you arrive at your answer.

How to react – you’ve just been hit with something you couldn’t anticipate. The interviewer knows that whatever you say now is not something that you’ve prepared and practised over and over.  Firstly, don’t panic when, as it inevitably will for a moment, your mind goes blank.  Take a breath, maybe a sip of water.  Say something along the lines of “That’s a really interesting question, let me think for a moment”.  This doesn’t mean minutes of silence while you mull over all the options.  It’s just time to settle the nerves and start to think clearly so you don’t just blurt out the first thing in your head.   You are showing the recruiter that, when faced with something out of the blue, probably in a situation you find stressful,  you can think on your feet and respond calmly and professionally.

Your answer -  Bourbons!! Great, question dealt with. However, you’re only half-way there.  If you blurt something out and don’t give them a reason for your answer, they’re certainly going to ask for it.  The recruiter is looking at your decision-making process and how you deliver your response.   Demonstrate to them that you considered options and alternatives in a logical and thoughtful way,  no matter how strange the topic, and reached a decision or found a solution that you can back up with reasons.  Show them that you can communicate your choice, and how you arrived at it,  in a clear and structured way.  “My favourite biscuit would have to be a Hob-Nob.  They’re not too sweet and they don’t fall apart when you dunk them in your tea.  They’re not too expensive either, which is important on a student budget”

What’s the point? –Yes, they could ask directly about your problem-solving skills, how you cope under pressure or make decisions.  You could just as easily respond with a ‘best-practice’ answer that you’ve polished and perfected to be exactly what you think they want to hear.  By forcing you to respond to an off-the-wall question, they see the real you in action.  You have to demonstrate the skills, not just talk about them. If you can demonstrate the skills in interview, that’s a good indicator that you’d use those skills as an employee.  By answering one seemingly random question,  you can show a potential employer a lot about yourself.

Finally, don’t have nightmares.  These questions are not routinely trotted out at every interview.  Most of you will probably never be asked a question like this.  You don’t need to spend hours making lists of your favourite things in every possible topic.  Prepare for an interview as much as possible (the Careers Service can help with mock interviews if you want some practice) and don’t worry about being asked something crazy.  Should such a question come up,  you’ll now recognised  it for what it is, understand its purpose and how to approach answering it.

For the record – I’d be a Ginger Nut.

Read all about it! Skills for assessment centres.

 

Just bought a load of new books to help with those tricky issues of how to behave at assessment centres.

Books on working with other people, managing teams, managing time, leadership, business writing etc

Plenty to have a read through.

Still looking for an internship, work experience or a casual summer job?

… Then you might like to hear about these talk talking place in the next couple of weeks. Sign up on CareersLink if you are interested!

Finding summer jobs, internships & work experience 14th March 1-2pm

Summer work experience is a great way to earn money, boosts your CV, develops your skills and can help you make new career contacts.

If you haven’t yet found something to do this summer, don’t despair! There are still opportunities out there, and this session will show you where to find them…

Whether you are looking for a professional summer internship, casual vacation job, summer work abroad or a few days work shadowing, you will come away armed with useful advice and tips.

Find out more about this session and register for your place in CareersLink

Work experience & internship Application and Interview Masterclass 21st Mar 1-3pm

If you are applying for internships, placements or work experience, then give yourself the edge with this hands on workshop. The session is designed to show you how to:

• Understand what employers want
• Identify what you have to offer (even without previous work experience)
• Build a great CV
• Show you are the right person for the job
• Handle tricky interview questions 

Please bring your existing CV to this session as you will use it as a basis to build from. This will be an interactive workshop and you will have the chance to have a mini mock interview, so be prepared to get involved, it will be fun!

Find out more about this session and register for your place in CareersLink

Handling Volunteer Interviews

I decided to begin applying for summer volunteer jobs early, before I would go back to my regular university and job routine for the second semester. I have now got a volunteer interview in London next week and am brought back to the memory of my first interview for my current volunteer job in Manchester. Firstly, when they say ‘please come to our offices for a short and informal interview,’ it is likely to not be short and there still remains the formality associated with meeting new colleagues. The best advice I can give is to be prepared, regardless of the situation presented:

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!