Do you want to chat with a Chinese business journalist?

I have been in contact with a Royal Holloway alumnus who has had extensive experience working as a journalist for business media in China. 

I am willing to organise a web-chat (after the exams) with her but need to have enough interest from students to make it worthwhile.  If you would be interested in taking part please email me here to let me know.

Time to celebrate a little success

Since this blog was launched in October 2008 we have had 10,000 views!

The blog was an experiment and a new venture for the careers service. It will continue to grow and increase its usefulness as a provider of information resources for international students.

I would like to thank all who have supported this venture since its inception in May last year, months before it went live. And thanks for coming back time after time to read it!

If you would like to contribute to the blog please email me here.

Andrew Falconer

International Student Careers Adviser

Join us on Facebook

This blog has proved very succesful.  We have obtained just under 10,000 hits since it was launched and feedback from readers is very positive.

I have decided to take the blog one step further by integrating some of it into our new Facebook page. You can become a fan of Royal Holloway International Students Careers by clicking here.

The Facebook page will keep you up to date with events and activities as well as bringing the latest news from the blog.  There is also the space on the page for you to post job adverts that you see or to ask questions.

I hope the new Facebook page will add to our existing communication activities in a positive way.

Andrew

German speakers required

Advert from Gumtree.com

My client, a market leader in their field, are looking to recruit 5 NATIVE GERMAN speakers to join their busy international customer services team for a project starting soon. 

Jobs In Africa and Middle East

The Global Career Company organises a range of international careers forums in London.  You  have to apply to attend and your interests and expertise will be matched with companies attending.  The Global Career Company says that many companies will be giving job offers at the events.

Careers in Middle East – click here

Careers in Africa -click here

The deadline for applications is April 30.

Exciting events programme launched!

Easter is usually the time when students are studying and getting concerned about Finals. However there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Once the exam period is over we have an extensive careers programme of events for you to attend – and now you have no lectures to go to, there is no excuse for not attending! Details of the careers service’s summer programme are available here.

As part of our generic programme we are running a series of “Don’t Panic” sessions which aim to give you the skills and expertise to find your way into graduate employment despite the current labour market situation.  There is a session called “Second class degree, first class career” (I thought of the title so blame me!) to help students who may have not got the degree level they were hoping for. We also have a session about public sector jobs which may give you an idea of what is available. The public sector can often recruit non-EU candidates for certain roles.  This year we have also arranged for a number of recruitment agencies to attend the campus in a sort of mini careers fair – more details soon.

And to finish off the international student careers programme for the year I have arranged two specific events. On June 1 you can come along to “Working in the UK” where non-EU alumni share their experience of finding work and living in the UK – from visas to finding work, business culture and making friends.  And then on June 2 we have the college’s first ever international student careers fair. We have eight organisations coming onto campus who are interested in non-EU students for positions in the UK and overseas.  Details of the companies attending will be available on this blog soon but as a taster I can confirm that we have Bank of America, Gartner and CMC Consulting.

Employers give up time and resources to attend the campus and a poor turnout means they are unlikely to return. Even though the exams are over please make every effort to attend.  There are very limited spaces available for the international events due to the anticpated popularity of recruitment events. You MUST sign up in advance using the keywords here. For generic programme events you need to sign up in person at the careers centre.

China tackles graduates’ gloom

Article recently published in the Times Higher Education paper. Click here

16 April 2009

With an unprecedented 6.1 million college graduates due to enter the job market this year, employment is at the top of the Chinese Government’s agenda.

In recent sessions of the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Committee, employment was listed as the number-one priority.

Computer Science opportunities in Singapore

Contact Singapore is the agency responsible for encouraging international candidates to move to and work in Singapore.  They hold a variety of events and attend University campuses – they have been invited to our international careers fair on June 2 but as yet have not confirmed.

According to their latest email:

Singapore offers limitless possibilities in animation, games development and visual effects! The local media industry has made significant inroads into the international market, with a slate of co-production projects with leading international players across various platforms and an increasing demand for Made-by-Singapore content.

A number of top international game publishers and animation companies have established studios in Singapore, including Lucasfilm Animation Singapore, Double Negative, EA Games, Side Effects and Ubisoft.

You can click here to submit a CV for consideration and you will then be contacted if the companies are interested.  The deadline is 30 April.

Jobs for Greek speakers

Advert from Gumtree.com

The Company:

Our client is a UK based international company currently recruiting for a Greek speaking Customer Service Advisor based at their Southern European offices located in Surrey. This is an excellent opportunity to work for a market leader within its sector.

The Role:

The role will be based at the heart of the company’s Customer Services Department. Daily tasks will include:

- Dealing with inbound telephone enquiries, queries and complaints.
- Dealing with inbound email enquiries, queries and complaints.
- Dealing with electronic transactions.
- Providing excellent customer service.
- Assisting and escalating queries and complaints to relevant departments.
- Dealing general administration duties required within the role.
- Assisting other team members where necessary.

Candidate Profile:

The candidate will need to be numerate and have a good general standard of education. The candidate will also require telephone based customer service experience and be IT literate. Is it likely that the successful candidate will have the ability to deal with complaints and queries in a positive and professional manner.

Salary/Additional Information:

Candidates must be fluent in Greek and English. The salary for this position will be £18,705. An excellent benefits package is also offered. The working hours for this role will be 40 hours per week between the hours of 8.00am – 11.00pm Monday – Friday. The need to be available to work on bank holidays and public holidays for which you will be given time off in lieu is also necessary.

Please send your CV for the attention of Laura to l.zapala@betrecruit.com or visit www.betrecruit.com for further information.

Malaysia’s Top 100

GradMalaysia.com has just launched its first guide to the top 100 recruiters in Malaysia.  The guide is similar to some of the employer directories we hold in the careers service but is also based on the results of a student survey.  They are currently undertaking the survey for next year’s guide. The book gives you an overview of what it is like to work for a company, what they offer and the business areas they work in. 

Guides like these are useful in that they can give ideas of potential employers.  However they tend to focus on those companies with highly funded marketing and recruitment teams and perceptions can be a bit different from reality.

The whole guide is available online here.   To influence next years guide with a chance to win some money, click here.