Your dream career, as easy as 1,2,3!

Do you know what you want to do with your life?  Career choice isn’t always easy – not everyone knows what they want to do. At Royal Holloway many of the courses are not vocational and many UK recruiters do not specify particular degree schemes so graduates can apply for careers completely unrelated to their academic background. For many EU students that is fabulous because in their home countries students decide on a vocational route at a young age. But having so much choice can also be a problem – where do you start?

Careers Advisers are specialists at helping students develop their own career choice. There are many different ways of exploring career opportunities and the careers advisers can help you do that. Book yourself into a quick query appointment to find out more.

There are several online guides that can help you decide which path to follow. sort_it is a collection of interactive modules designed to increase your ability to manage your career, from choosing your future path to settling into your new job. Students from English, History, Arts, Media Arts, Classics and European Studies can book a sort_it session with Rachel Demetriou to explore different job options.

There will be workshops about career choice later on in the year but international students can attend “My Dream Job Plan” on Monday February 2 at 5.00pm in HLT2. This session will start by exploring different ways of understanding what career path might suit you, followed by an action plan of how to get started. The session is mainly for first year undergraduates but others may attend also. We will be demonstrating Careers Tagged and other interactive tools to help you decide.

Target China

I recently attended Target China, a forum run by UCL Careers Service for Chinese students seeking work back home in China. The event is specifically for UCL students so I was not able to publicise it earlier. Congratulations to the UCL careers service for putting on a very well co-ordinated event even down to having traditional erhu music on arrival!

Of the employers who attended, some were law firms that might be of interest to Royal Holloway students considering converting to a law career after graduation. They were Mayer Brown,  Linklaters and BDO Stoy Hayward who offer a variety of opportunities for graduates.

Consultancies represented included PWC and Harvey Best who were detailing their operations in China, Hong Kong and India.  For IT and business students, IBM spoke about their international graduate programme based in the UK.

For students returning back to China or Hong Kong the message from employers was clear – make sure you have the right skills for the job and that your command of Mandarin, Cantonese and English, where appropriate,are of professional standard.

The event was recorded for future podcasting. I will publish details of this when I have them.

Do you use Monster?

Students currently registered with jobs website Monster may wish to check their account details. The BBC has recently reported that the site has been a victim of a security breach with the privacy of personal details of users being compromised.  Monster have released a statement here.

Hong Kong opportunities for native English speakers

The Chatteris Educational Foundation provides native English speakers to schools in Hong Kong. The positions are paid and are seen as more than just a typical “TEFL” projects. In addition to skills graduates develop whilst training and working within a Chinese school culture, Chatteris offers optional further programmes with focuses such as career development, community work, cultural understanding and professional skill enhancement.

Chatteris is looking for graduates from any academic discipline but their English proficiency must be equivalent to native standards. The programme offers graduates very well supported programme designed both to provide help for Hong Kong schools but also to develop graduate career paths and increase employability.

Royal Holloway Alumni have already taken part in this scheme and Chatteris are keen to follow that up with future applications.

For details of the programme click here

The website and application process is here

Chatteris will be on campus on February 3 from 5.00pm.  Book this event by visiting the careers centre.

Event today: Mock Assessment Centre

 

Assessment Centre Simulation: INT243 (International Building)  1.00pm – 3.00pm

This workshop is led by Hilary Moor, MBA Careers Adviser and Andrew Falconer. It is not specific to international students. There are still six places left if you want to attend but you must sign up in the careers centre as soon as possible to book your place. If you attended the Assessment Centre workshops in December you need not attend today.

The workshop will give an overview of assessment centres so you’ll know what to expect and will run sample in-tray (e-tray) and group exercises. In December a series of articles examining assessment centres was published on this blog and you can access them by clicking here.

This is the time of year when many students are attending their first assessment centres – for internships or graduate jobs. If you have never been to one today’s session would be ideal for you to attend. This is the first time the careers centre has run a combined simulation centre so come and enjoy the experience!

Careers in the Charity Sector

Charities aren't just about fundraising

The UK’s voluntary sector is huge (employing around 500,000 people) and growing faster than many industries. ‘Charities’ range from tiny self-help groups through to multi-million pound organisations employing hundreds of staff and seeking all the graduate skills needed in any large company. Charities might be concerned with children, animals, cultural heritage, medical research, politics, social deprivation, and many, many other areas.  The sector is also known as the “Third Sector”.

International students may need to emphasise that the Post Study Work visa allows them to work in the UK without the charity having to apply for a permit.

There are many different career paths in the sector: campaigning, fundraising, policy-making and lobbying, research, marketing and PR, administration and project management.  For more information about these different roles click here

If you are interested in working in the sector you may have to work unpaid for a while.  Charities rely on volunteers and often you can volunteer in specific departments to benefit you and the charity.  The Guardian newspaper has an excellent article about breaking into jobs in the Third Sector here.

Charity jobs are advertised in The Guardian, the JobOnline website and on various  such as Third Sector jobs , NCVO and charityjob – even on Facebook! There are also specialist recruitment agencies that recruit into the charity sector.

The Careers Group organises a one-day event for those wanting to find out more about careers in the third sector. The next Careers in Charity is scheduled for 2nd March 2009 and details will be posted on this blog closer to the time. To see details of last year’s event click here.

Fancy working in Singapore?

Singapore is very proactive at encouraging foreign workers to move there. The Careers Group regularly engages with Contact Singapore to highlight opportunities over there. According to the WorkSingapore site:

“Whether you are a Singaporean currently working abroad or a foreigner who has never been to Singapore, you will be amazed by the rapid progress and growth potential there. Recognising the need to balance work and play, the government has taken efforts to transform the island state into a dynamic and modern city. Believe it or not, the nightlife scene in Singapore frequently tops global polls, while qualities that have propelled Singapore to where it is today remain, such as a safe, clean environment and a multi-racial population that lives in harmony.

There is good news if you’re thinking of working in Singapore. Salaries in Singapore are expected to increase by an average of 5% in 2008, slightly higher than 2007’s average of 4.5%, according to a survey of nearly 200 companies by the Singapore Human Resources Institute. Besides the average 5% increase in basic wages, variable bonuses are expected to remain similar to 2007 at an average of 2.1 to 2.6 months. 95% of the companies involved in the study have increased wages this year.

Apart from increment in wages, unemployment also fell, as employers turn to foreigners for six in ten jobs, up from five in ten the previous year. There were over 900,000 foreigners, who fill everything from construction jobs to white collar and service work, accounting for a third of the 2.73 million people employed, enabling the economy to grow beyond the limits of Singapore’s indigenous workforce.

Singapore has a competitive and friendly environment for foreigners who would like to work here. Singapore is ranked 1st for having the best labour force (BERI Labour Force Ranking 2005-2007) and 2nd for the most attractive environment for highly-skilled foreigners (IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2005). Some of the reasons that attract foreigners to come to Singapore for work include open recruitment policies, low personal taxations and a high standard of living, coupled with an English- speaking environment.”

The WorkSingapore site is well worth investigating – it has a wealth of information including an overview of what life is like in Singapore, how to find jobs, practical information and of course lots of lovely glossy pictures!

Facing a job interview?

The spring term is usually one where students start the round of interviews. Having spent many hours, days or weeks writing application forms in the autumn term, the consequence, hopefully, is a selection of interviews and assessment centres.

 

Many students find the process intimidating. Many experienced professionals also find the experience intimidating. And perhaps international students, particularly where English is not your first language, may find the process a little daunting.

 There are many things to consider. Different cultures have different approaches to these situations. Is your direct “say what you think” manner going to be well received by British employers? Do you avoid eye contact with somebody in authority? With five people interviewing you, to whom would you address the answers?

 Tomorrow evening there is a UK Interview Technique session being held in the careers centre at 5.00pm. Places are very limited so you must book in advance. The session will be interactive and will try to get you to think about your interview style and what the employers expect.

 If you cannot attend then you may wish to go to one of the interview workshops in the careers service spring programme.

 Also – if you have a job interview you want to have a mock interview with an experienced careers adviser first.  Drop into the careers centre to find out more.

Indian postgrad work placement scholarships

The UK India Business Council is offering ten scholarship opportunities in India.

The scholarship programme allows students that are studying a post graudate course, or who have recently graduated from this course, to combine their academic studies & experience in a live business environment.

Business Scholarships

Each participating company has agreed to provide a specific project for you to work on whilst on the scholarship programme. On completion of the scholarship you will be required to write and present a report to the host company and the board of the UKIBC.

Scholarships are available in a number of business sectors. Where possible, the UKIBC team will place you in the company & sector that best suits experience, qualifications and career goals.

Click here for more information and to apply for the scholarships.

If you do not obtain a scholarship, there are self-funded programmes available through the UKIBC partner Expindia.

Can you spare an hour?

The careers service would like to hold two focus groups in January, one on Monday January 26 at 5.00pm and the other on Wednesday 28 at 5.00pm. Particpants will receive a complimentary book token for helping! We just want to hear your views on careers issues, that’s all! If you can make one of these evenings please email me and let me know your course details and nationality.