Welcome to the SSIS Employability Newsletter No Images? Click here Welcome to your Employability NewsletterLooking back and looking forward Happy 2018! I hope you are all well-rested and ready for the term ahead. Whatever career you end up in you will encounter change and must be open-minded in looking ahead to challenges and opportunities. In January, to help you look ahead at your own career plans, we have arranged a number of events with guests and alumni from a variety of professions to speak to you about their career highlights and the challenges they have faced. Julia Paci Upcoming Careers Events in the CollegeJournalism Workshop: Getting a story on air with Simon Vigar (5 News) Date: Fri 19th Jan 2018 Join Simon Vigar (Royal Correspondent for 5 News) for a workshop focusing on delivering a news story, analysing scenarios and practical ways of dealing with them. There will also be time for a Q&A with Simon about careers in broadcast journalism. Getting into marketing workshop Date: Weds 24th Jan 2018 Join Exeter alumnus George Paige (Group Head of Merlin Annual Pass at Merlin Entertainments plc) for a workshop focusing on everything you need to know about careers in marketing. Find out about his career and experiences, and get his tips for following a similar path. Careers in the Foreign Commonwealth Office Date: Wednesday 24th January 2018 Join UK Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Robin Ord-Smith, as he comes to speak about careers in the Foreign Commonwealth Office, as well as providing an insight into his current poster. There will be an opportunity to talk with Robin and ask questions of your own. What else can I do with my Law degree? Date: Weds 24th Jan 2018 Are you a Law student and want to explore career options other than solicitor or barrister? This is the session for you. Find out how your skills can make you a versatile and desirable graduate from alumni speaker George Paige, now working at Merlin Entertainments. Women in International Law: Discussion and Networking Date: Thurs 1st Feb 2018 The ECIL welcomes Diana Ellis QC (Criminal Defence Barrister), Dr Kate Parlett (Barrister in Public International Law), and Lucy Martinez (Counsel at Three Crowns LLP). This will be an opportunity to hear about the fascinating careers of three successful women practitioners in international law. The Perils of Polling: so, what went wrong (and less wrong) with the polls in 2017? Date: Fri 2nd Feb 2018 After another poor election for many (but not all) in the polling community, Mike Wheeler (former pollster and current Civil Service Principal Research Officer) analyses what went on with the polls this time. Interpreting for the British Red Cross Date: Friday 2nd February 2018 Join Dr. Orieb Masadeh-Tate (Lecturer at the University of Salford, Manchester and English-Arabic Interpreter for British Red Cross) for a workshop focusing on everything you need to know about a career as an Interpreter. Student SectionGraduate School of Education’s Initial Teacher Education programmes rated “outstanding” by Ofsted Tozers Solicitors LLP Welcome Event Date: Thurs 25th Jan 2018 This event will be an informal opportunity to chat to Tozers's partners, solicitors and trainees about the day to day working culture at the firm and the career paths and training contracts that are available. Exeter Award Ambassador wanted The Exeter Award Team are looking for volunteers to help promote the Exeter Award to students. The role requires 1 hour volunteering a week. Duties include encouraging students to sign up at events and in lectures, providing support to participants, and running promotional stands. If you are interested or would like more information please email Work-Related Learning Co-ordinator Rachel Sloan at r.e.sloan@exeter.ac.uk. Opportnuities with Frontline Interested in social work? Careers Portfolios Want to find out what you can do with your degree? Do you know what you want to do but don't know how to get there? Take a look at the Careers Portfolios for everything you need to know about popular careers with Social Sciences & International Studies students. What's New in the Career ZoneUnderstanding Psychometric Testing Date: Fri 19th Jan 2018 Psychometric testing is a means used in many different graduate-level recruitment processes. This session will help you understand the different types of tests you might encounter, and ways to maximise your performance in them. Mock Assessment Centre Simulation Date: Mon 29th Jan 2018 The assessment centre is an essential part of the recruitment process for many graduate jobs, and yet it is one that many graduates face without prior experience. This session will take you through a simulation of some assessment centre group exercises to help you prepare for the real thing. Refresh Your Maths! (Final sessions of 2017/18) Refresh Your Maths is an employability skills training session, led by Maths students, to help you brush up your GCSE-level Maths ability and prepare you for numerical reasoning tests. For information on the different types of workshops, click here. There are only a few sessions left this academic year. Book now and don't miss out! The Exeter Award The Exeter Award is an employability award for current undergraduate and taught postgraduate students, to help you make the most of your professional experience. You'll receive training in professional skills, develop workplace experience and learn how to optimise your CVs and application forms. You can sign up any time through My Career Zone. Alumni Focus: What SSIS Students do next...Charlotte Mackay Current Occupation: Civil Service Fast Stream Tell us about what you are doing now. I am on the Civil Service Fast Stream, a Government graduate programme, as a Generalist. This involves changing jobs and Departments every 6 months, which is a great way to gain insight into the huge variety of roles that contribute to making the country run! So far, I have worked in the Department of Health on Childhood Obesity Policy, an exciting role drafting a strategy that the Prime Minister was personally interested in; the Ministry of Defence on Army infrastructure, where I learnt how to run a £1.8bn programme effectively; and the Home Office on Policing and Crime legislation, ensuring the smooth passage of a Bill through the Houses of Parliament. Over the next five years, I am keen to complete a Masters in Public Policy and/or International Relations, and move into internationally-facing public sector work. What skills and knowledge did you develop which helped with your career prospects? The skills I developed during my degree have been really useful for my career. Constructing persuasive arguments, backed up with a strong evidence base, is a skill I use in my work every day. I am a huge supporter of getting really stuck into extra-curricular activities whilst at University. I joined Amnesty International Society, and was VP in my final year, where I helped to run events and campaigns. I was also a History student rep, Equality and Diversity Officer and answered phones in Domino’s! These roles equipped me with a whole host of skills that I wouldn’t have gained just through my academic work – leadership, extensive team-work, project management, taking initiative. I drew on all of these skills when applying for the Fast Stream. I also did an internship in an NGO in Cambodia, which was a really interesting insight into working for a small organisation in a completely different culture. This gave me further clarity on the type of career I wanted in the future, as well as showing me how to work effectively with diverse colleagues. What advice would you give to current students who may want to follow in your footsteps? Whether or not you want to work in the public sector, it is worth getting as much experience of different types of job as you can whilst at University. Similarly, the more skills you can develop by taking on an extra-curricular role and leading a project/event within that role, the better. All of these experiences are ones you can draw on in applications and interviews – I used my experiences answering phones in Domino’s Pizza as an example in my Fast Stream interview! If you are specifically interested in the Civil Service, or the public sector, looking at graduate schemes is definitely a good place to start. The Fast Stream offers a whole range of different careers, specific and general, and is a fantastic way to be given lots of responsibility in Government early on. Don’t be intimidated by the application process – there’s no pass or fail like University and you can always try again the next year. I’d also recommend looking at direct-entry routes, such as on www.civilservicejobs.gov.uk. Finally, on a personal note, I’d say – be confident. You’ve got a degree from an excellent University (probably the best in the world) and a lot going for you. I would love to see lots of Exeter alumni around Whitehall in the future, so am rooting for you! Wherever your career takes you, good luck! Contact the Email Julia Paci (Employability & Outreach Manager) Tom Skitt (Employability & Alumni Support Officer) |