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.

Summer bursaries and internships

You probably already know how important work experience can be to your future career. You gain experience, confidence, skills, networks and much more. To help you make the most of this summer, the University is piloting a new Summer Internship Programme.  The internship programme has two key features:

1. Internships that the Careers Service will work with employers to generate and promote
2. A bursaries programme to support students who want to do an internship

Bursaries will be available to help students access either internships generated by the Careers Service, or internships that they generate themselves. For example, if you have already secured an offer for work experience this summer, you may be worried about how to afford it; perhaps the job is either low paid, or even unpaid, or based somewhere where accommodation or travel costs are expensive. We will be offering a number of bursaries (worth between £50 – £800) to help students undertake work experience this summer, because we know how vitally important it is for your career. The bursaries can be applied towards full-time or part-time work, in any sector, and will be awarded through a competitive process.

You will need to apply and give us information on the internship you are planning to undertake, how it may benefit your career and why you feel you should be awarded a bursary.

Full details about the internship programme and how to apply for a bursary will be published in May. Think you might be interested? Then please register your interest today.

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.

Win a 1 week placement and £1000

Adzuna Graduate Competition of 2012

Adzuna is pleased to present its first Graduate Competition of the Year 2012 to all recent or soon-to-be graduates, where you stand to win a 1 week placement with one of the leading companies in the UK including the likes of eBay, Sony and L’oReal as well as some CV mentoring. On top of that, you will receive a combined salary and cash prize of up to GBP 1,000. We looking for an outstanding individual among the recent graduates from a recognised UK university. Whether you excel in arts, music, sports, a particular academic, language or are an outstanding student union member, leader, or social contributor, we want to hear about you and why you deserve to win. For more information and details on how to apply, go to http://www.adzuna.co.uk/jobs/graduate-of-the-year.html. Deadline is 31st May 2012 and the winner will be selected on the 1st of July 2012. 

About Adzuna

Adzuna.co.uk is a search engine for classified ads which makes it easier for you to find the right car, property and job locally. The company was named a Top 20 Startup of 2011 by Startups.co.uk, a finalist in the Website of the Year awards, and shortlisted for the Europas.  The company has raised £800k in investment financing from Index Ventures, The Accelerator Group, Passion Capital and angel investors.

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.

Everything you wanted to know about work experience & internships

Is it suddenly on your radar that summer isn’t far away? Do you have this vague feeling that your CV is a bit bare and there should be more on it? Then read on.

Aside from your degree, work experience is the number one thing future employers will be looking for on your CV.  A scary thought perhaps, if the best you have so far is a few days from when you were at school. But the good news is that everything you do counts, and there are many ways to get it, including casual vacation work this summer, a professional summer internship, industrial placement, work shadowing or a few weeks informal work experience. They need not be related to your degree. Even part-time work can count toward your work experience, its about what skills these experiences give you and how you talk about them that matters.

The key is to do something now, while there is still time before the end of your degree!

If you haven’t yet seen the work experience section of our website, you will find lots of tips and advice there, with links to where you can find advertised vacancies in CareersLink and other jobsites.

You can also get instant advice online at the National Work Experience Campaign website, which is live until the end of March 2012. 

If you would like to ask your burning questions to a real person face-to-face, then come along to one of our work experience talks taking place on  14th and 21st March. You can also speak to someone in the Careers Service, including our information team whenever we are open (Monday – Friday 9-5), an applications advisor if you need some advice on your CV for an internship, or a Careers Consultant if you want to discuss what kind of careers you could go into, and what kinds of experience would boost your chances.

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

Virtual jobs fair – summer opportunities up for grabs!

Did you know that this week is National Student Employment Week?

To help you find opportunities in all kinds of areas, NASES (who represent university jobshops across the country) are hosting a virtual work fair where you can find out a range of summer work opportunities and internships. These include accountancy/finance, law, marketing, tourism, hospitality, leisure, IT, teaching, summer camps, volunteering and many others.

Organisations include big names like Ernst & Young, RBS and British Heart Foundation, but also some you might not know, including Blue Cow, who raise income for charity by selling milkshakes and smoothies at festivals; and (if you fancy topping up your tan this summer) Cosmo Animación who organise hotel entertainment for children and adults in the Balearic Islands and Spanish coastal regions.

Some of the organisations have closing dates not too far away, so what are you waiting for?

http://www.nases.org.uk/virtualfair

Could you be the student employee of the year?

Are you the 11th National Student Employee of the Year?

Get your employer to nominate you for a student Employee of the Year award.

SEOTY alumni are in jobs all over the world, in many different sectors. If you think you deserve to be among them get nominated now and you could have something amazing to put on your CV.

You and your employer could win a local, regional or national award, including a cash prize for you, a trophy and certificate!

Find out more and get nominated at www.nases.org.uk/seoty