General Course Students Career Presentation Viki Chinn LSE Careers

Agenda: Using the Careers Service The UK job market-what do employers want? Internships UK CV protocol Explaining the ‘General Course’ to employers Questions

Using the Careers Service-What we can and can’t do Help you identify your dream job Reality check – Labour market knowledge Suggest stepping stones to the dream job Help you articulate your employability skills to employers Help you with your careers research We can’t… create jobs / internships in competitive sectors Write your CV/ application for you Proofread Change the world

LSE’S Best Kept Secret

What do Employers Look For? Consistently good academic performance Awards, achievements Some work experience Extra-curricular activities Voluntary/community work People who can communicate, analyse information, problem-solve, work with others and learn on an ongoing basis

Re-active and proactive job hunting in the UK Proactive markets Majority of recruiters have one or at most two vacancies Don’t recruit every year No skills shortage Reactive markets Lots of big players with 60 – 1000 vacancies Recruit every year Skill shortage

Internships? Common in: Less common in Management Finance & Banking Consultancy?? Law Marketing, advertising, PR Less common in Media NGOs/development Think tanks 'Niche' or specialist areas

Not advertised- Speculative Applications Pros: Competition limited, maybe nil You seem well motivated full of initiative Cheaper for employer Can be immediate start Cons: More work for you How do you find the opportunities? You must know what you want what you have to offer

Networking and Informational interviewing Typical questions: What is it like to work in this industry? Who are the key players? Which skills are most relevant? How did they get their current job? Any advice they can offer? Best person to contact re work experience?

Internship issues Dates you are available – most internships run for the whole of July and August Locally focused recruitment – internships are used to talent spot, so some organisations are only interested in those who will be available to work in the region on graduation. Don’t forget home universities recruitment Network for flexible experience

CV vs Resume Length Include high school grades Include extra curricular activities and hobbies / interests Careers profile / career aim x

Explaining the ‘General Course’ to employers Include in the ‘education’ of your CV Use the LSE ‘brand’ to talk positively about employers and opportunities Use the General Course to demonstrate a range of skills including: International focus Ability to thrive in a diverse environment and interact with a wide range of people Independence and maturity Wider network and (potentially) language skills Academic ability

Making the most of your time in London Gather evidence of employability skills by: Getting involved with student societies Volunteering – Volunteer centre in Careers Service Part time term time work

Questions?