Introduction to Profiling Judith Baines Development Manager & Careers Adviser for BSSM Career Development & Employment Service

Lecture Plan u Introduction u Graduate Labour Market u Transferable Skills u Ways to Develop Transferable Skills u Resources

New World of Work u Gone is the job for life with planned career structure and company training scheme u Gone are the clear functional identities of jobs Instead: u World of customers, clients and adding value u Lifelong learning, portfolio careers, self development and staying employable Skills for Graduates in the 21 st Century: Association of Graduate Recruiters

“having a degree opens up more doors than without one …. Graduates have significantly higher earnings than non-graduates and the financial benefits of a degree increase markedly with age.”

Good News for Business Graduates u Graduate unemployment is low, 6.9% in 2002 u Graduate unemployment amongst Business graduates is lower, at 6.7% u Business & administrative studies graduates are a marketable commodity to employers u Most common academic background of FTSE 100 business leaders is in accountancy and finance Source: Prospects website

Graduate Destinations 2002 Source: Prospects Website

Outlook for 2004 u Graduate vacancies expected to rise by 11.9% in 2004 u Over 40% of 2003/04 vacancies were in the capital u Recruitment in London is expected to increase by around 8% Source: Prospects website

However... We are in an era of mass Higher Education In 2003: u over 5000 graduated from London Met. u You are competing with a lot of equally qualified people. u A degree is an excellent start, but you need more!

“The most recent labour market information appears to provide evidence that a degree on its own, without accompanying work experience, evidence of achievement, and/or transferable skills, is not enough. This is true especially against a backdrop of increasing participation in Higher Education…..” Prospects website, 2003

Improve your career prospects u 1 st Year u Find your feet u Explore your degree subject u Have fun u Develop some transferable skills u 2 nd Year u Gain work experience in chosen field of study u Final Year u Consider your career after graduation u Start applying for positions/training schemes

What are Employers Looking For? Interpersonal & Transferable Skills: u Willingness to learn u Commitment u Dependability/reliability u Self-motivation u Team work u Communication skills (oral) u Co-operation u Communication skills (written) u Drive/energy u Self-management u Desire to achieve/ motivation u Problem-solving ability Source: Employer Satisfaction Survey, in AGCAS Making Applications booklet

Skills Gaps Identified by Employers u Communication skills u Customer service u Team working u Problem solving u Management skills u Initiative u Managing your own development u Business awareness u Interpersonal skills Source: Employer Skills Survey, Association of Graduate Recruiters 2002

Question u Put your hand up if you think that you have already developed some of these skills?

“Our employers look for individuals who have some knowledge of the world of work, have reflected on their experiences and can articulate in a job interview what they have learned.” The Council for Industry and Higher Education

“Where it was once enough to simply state that one had canoed up the Khyber backwards, one now has to demonstrate the individual competencies, which have been acquired and developed through undertaking such an exercise, and how they relate to the required competencies being sought by the organisation” Brown, P & Hesketh, A. The Mismanagement of Talent 2004

Key to Success u Gaining the experience to help you develop transferable skills u Learning how to communicate the skills to employers via the application process: u CV with covering letter u Application form u Interview process

Developing Skills u Through school activities u Through your home life u Through your course u Through vacation and part-time work u Through a placement u Through extra curricular activities

Work Experience Helps you Work Experience Helps you find out : u Whether you are suited to working in a large or small company u Whether you prefer to work in the commercial or not-for-profit sector u Reality of every day working eg. timekeeping u Whether you want to work indoors, outdoors, at home or abroad u What you like and don’t like doing u What you are good at u Whether you might want to start your own business Liz Rhodes, National Council for Work Experience Liz Rhodes, National Council for Work Experiencehttp://nusonline.co.uk

Employment Online u Part time work u Vacation work u Placements u Internships u Graduate jobs u Jobs by Register online

Benefits of a Placement u You often need experience in order to get a graduate job!! u Practice for the graduate recruitment process u Get a thorough understanding of a sector, organisation or job role u Gain real evidence of achievement and the skills employers look for u “Test-drive” a specific job without long term commitment u Become aware of the culture and structure of a working environment

Business Placements Unit u Helps students into sandwich placements u Advice and guidance on skills audit, planning, making applications, interview technique u Advertises hundreds of placement vacancies every year u Offers advice on work experience for non- sandwich students u Stapleton House, Room 103

Employability Unit u For students who do not have a compulsory placement as part of their degree u A minimum of 5 weeks during summer vacation after year 2 u A period which is equivalent to 5 weeks (25 days) during year 3 u Provide you with structured guidance and workshops on CVs, applications, interviews u Room M10 The Learning Centre

Extra- Curricular Activities u Volunteering placements u Tutoring/coaching u Role model u Mentoring u Self reflection/skills development u Part-time work within the university/peer support

Volunteering “Put aside preconceptions: volunteering is work experience… the act of choosing to be a volunteer can show greater initiative and commitment” Miles Killingley, Senior Manager, Executive Education at HSBC “Volunteering can be a great way to develop the skills we look for when recruiting graduates.” Helen Feltham, Marks and Spencer’s Director of UK Retail, Human Resources

Double Club (tutoring/coaching) Arsenal Double Club (tutoring/coaching) Mentors act as tutors/coaches to primary school children for Maths, English, IT and football or hockey. Mentors trained as tutors and coaches 90 minutes per week - forty-five minutes (one half) is spent on academic study Forty-five minutes on sports Over 30 weeks a year No automatic certification but promising mentors can be put forward to the coaching certification

Aim Higher Project – ethnic minority achievement service (role model) u Run by CEA (Cambridge Education Authority). u Links student volunteers as mentors to pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds u 8 students mentor pupils in Year 10/11 who are studying for their GCSE’s - scope for students to provide reading support to primary age students u To talk to students about their lives and career aspirations; to encourage them to give serious consideration to their futures

InsightPlus TM (mentoring) u Mentoring years (15+ years) u Helping them to recognise skills and experience developed during part-time work u Support up to 5 students over 6 months u School students receive Introductory Certificate in Team Leading u 5 days – training, meeting mentees, 2 half day sessions in school, final assessment u plus.htm

What’s Going On? u Careers Fairs u Workshops u Skills/Development Schemes u Events Careers

Key to Success u Gaining the experience to help you develop transferable skills u Learning how to communicate the skills to employers via the application process: u CV with covering letter u Application form u Interview process

Resources Career Development & Employment Service u CVs, application forms, covering letters u Quick careers queries u Vocational guidance u Workshops u Information on jobs, careers and employers u Job vacancies “Openings" u Visiting employers-presentations, stands, workshops u Computer-aided guidance u Psychometric test sessions u Free take-away literature

How to get in touch Student Services, 1st Floor, Tower Building Open 9-6pm Drop-in 12-3pm, Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri term-time Wed. 12-3pm phone to book on the day Tel:

Prospects www. prospects.ac.uk

Conclusions u You will already have many skills and abilities that employers will value u You will further develop these and learn additional ones whilst at university u Work experience and/or volunteering are vital u Learning how to communicate your abilities to employers is essential u Use the resources that the university provides to get ahead in the job market