No Images? Click here Welcome to your Employability newsletterThe big, wide, scary world of careers In my role, I am lucky enough to get time to spend with current students and talk to them about career choices. A theme that often comes up is fear: fear of failure; fear of making the wrong choices; fear of committing to a career path that does not bring fulfilment. These fears can, understandably, lead to you delaying making choices, sometimes until after you have graduated. However, even if you are unsure about what you will eventually end up doing, I strongly recommend that you still do everything you can to equip yourselves with the skills and experiences that all employers are looking for. You can do this by completing the Exeter Award, which helpfully gives you a structure of the sorts of things you can do to make yourself more employable, whatever career you decide to undertake. But here’s the crunch; it is valuable to do things that are challenging, that you don’t enjoy, where you might fail. Graduate schemes, while not for everyone, do provide fantastic training that often leads to accelerated promotion, good salaries and surprisingly interesting work. The hard slog of finding the “hidden” jobs and internships; making speculative applications, researching organisations and following up with them will help you build up resilience, tenacity and good organisational skills. So, my advice is go for it! Don’t be afraid. Every time you make an application, you are improving; every time you try something you don’t like, you’ve made a decision about it. Nothing lasts forever, especially in the world of work, just remember to take every opportunity that comes your way as your working life will be full of “engineered serendipity” that will carry you forward and lead you to where you want to be. Julia Paci, Employability and Outreach Manager (SSIS) Upcoming careers events in the College:Alumni talk: How to become a barristerDate: Wednesday 16th November Hear from two alumni as they speak on their experiences of the process of becoming a barrister. Sophie and Ben both worked for the CPS prior to joining 9 Kings Bench Walk. The Chamber specialises in high level and general crime, offences of serious violence, child abuse, rape cases, fraud and immigration. As well as finding out about getting pupillage and tenancy, you can also find out about the Chamber's mini-pupillage and internship opportunities. Refresh Your Maths We still have spaces remaining on our two upcoming Refresh Your Maths specialist PGCE sessions. These sessions are designed to specifically cover the PGCE Maths test. Refresh Your Maths! (PGCE Test - Special Session) Refresh Your Maths! (PGCE Test - Special Session) Teacher Recruitment Fair 2016 Date: Tuesday 6th December Are you a PGCE student? Don't miss our upcoming Teacher Recruitment fair for the opportunity to speak with a number of teacher recruitment agencies and local education authorities. Come along and find out about the NQT vacancies they have available locally, nationally and internationally. There is no need to book in advance. Law Mock Interview Opportunities with Squire Patton BoggsWe are pleased to announce we will be running a second set of mock interviews on Friday 25th November. The interviews will be run by Exeter law alumnus and experienced interviewer, Trevor Ingle. Trevor is a partner at the top city law firm, Squire Patton Boggs. This is a great opportunity to give yourself a ‘test run’ in an interview situation and gain valuable feedback that will help you when it comes to the real thing. The Interviews: If you wish to do a mock interview, then please send your CV and a covering letter outlining in 300 words what sort of law firm you would like to work in and why, as well as why you wish to have this mock interview, to: E.Hayter@exeter.ac.uk. Please also send your three preferred time slots. Work Abroad Year (with Employment Experience Abroad)For the first time, Politics and SPA students will be able to spend their third year working abroad as an alternative to Study Abroad. It’s a great way to get work and international experience simultaneously which you can use to differentiate yourself as a graduate. It’s also a great way to learn about another culture while developing your own skills and self-resilience. We can support you to find a paid job or internship, and if you will be working in Europe you may also be eligible for additional ERASMUS+ funding. Applications open on the 1st December and close on the 15th January. To find out more, please click here or if you have any questions, please email us. Student Section:Opportunity for current and former Philosophy students We're looking for submissions for a new online magazine: Undercurrent Philosophy. We are looking for regular, occasional, and one-off writers. Get writing and submit your ideas to undercurrentphilosophy@gmail.com, or email us with any questions. Very best, Looking for a career in law? Join the trainees and graduate recruitment team at law firm Stephens Scown on Wednesday 23 November 2016 from 5pm to 7pm at their offices at Curzon House, Southernhay West, Exeter, EX1 1RS This is a great opportunity to speak with our Training Principle and Partners, as well as our current trainees and hear first hand what it is like to work at Stephens Scown. During the evening you will be able to see how an interview is conducted and ...what we are looking for in a Graduate Trainee, as well as an opportunity to ask questions throughout the evening. Not only will this be a great chance to learn more about a career in Law, you will have the opportunity to network and sample regionally produced refreshments from awarding winning suppliers. To register interest, please email: graduaterecruitment@stephens-scown.co.uk by Wednesday 16th November 2016. Bracton Law Society Alternative Legal Careers: Speed Networking Date: Monday 28th November This informal session will give you a glimpse at some of the other options available in terms of careers in law. The attendees are below:
Please click below to e-mail and reserve a space. Bracton Law Society 'Commercial Awareness Forum', sponsored by Ashurst Date: Tuesday 29th November The first of 4 events run by the BLS; these will be an invaluable opportunity in developing both global and commercial awareness. Each session will be a panel event with guest lawyers discussing the impact of big-ticket issues on their department's work intake. A selection of non-legal professionals will provide a similar analysis from their sector. Undergraduate Poster Competition 2016 The Undergraduate Poster Competition is a chance to celebrate the research undertaken by students at the University. We warmly invite students from all disciplines to take part in the competition, which will see all submitted work displayed in a 3 day exhibition on 28th-30th November, with separate events on our Streatham and Penryn campuses. All posters must be submitted by 12noon on Friday 18th November through the online form in MyCareerZone. University staff will print and prepare every poster for exhibition on each campus. What's new in the Career ZoneGlobal Entrepreneurship Week 2016 Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) sees thousands of events and competitions in over one hundred countries aiming to inspire participants to engage with entrepreneurial activity. The Think, Try, Do programme will be delivering various enterprise focussed workshops across the week, including two digitally driven sessions delivered by Dan Wiseman of Web Wise Media. We will also be hosting a panel of entrepreneurial alumni to show students how they can take their business ideas forward and the career benefits that engaging with enterprise activity can offer For more information on Think, Try, Do and GEW events please click here to visit the microsite. Law Careers Fair 2016 Date: Wednesday 16th November Over 50 organisations will be exhibiting, providing a fantastic opportunity for University of Exeter students from all disciplines to interact with some of the country’s top recruiters and discuss training contracts and vacation schemes. The event is open to all students and there is no need to book in advance. Watch a video below from our sponsor, Michelmores on how to prepare for a law fair:
Alumni Focus: What SSIS students do next...Natasha Baker (BA Arabic and Islamic Studies, 2013) 1. Tell us about what you are doing now and your future plans. I currently work in Dubai, United Arab Emirates for a communications company that has offices in Dubai and London. In my occupation as Account Executive, I work for a British company that specialises in providing PR and media relations services to sport and automotive clients across the MENA region. The role requires work to be conducted in both English and Arabic, in written and oral tasks. I looked at the opportunity to work for a British-owned company as a long-term solution to using my language skills but retain the option to relocate to the UK in the future. 2.
How has your degree BA Arabic and Islamic Studies helped you with your career decisions? The combination of Arabic language modules and those required for Islamic Studies provided me with an excellent foundation - this included a good understanding of the culture in the Middle East and the language skills to communicate with clients and colleagues alike. I graduated in 2013 and my first job was at Al Arabiya, a leading Arab news organisation, where I worked as a journalist. I secured this position through the connections I made while interning. It was from this role that I moved into communications - there are many overlapping elements in the sectors. 3. What advice would you give to current students who may want to follow in your footsteps? Studying at the IAIS is a fantastic opportunity that provides you with a wide array of skills but it doesn't teach you how to adapt to working life in a different culture, using a language other than your native tongue. My advice to current students who would like to pursue a career in media or communications in the Arab world would be to spend as much time in the region, whether that be working, interning or staying with an Arabic-speaking family. How to contact your College Employability Team:Email: ssis-employability@exeter.ac.uk What would you like to see in this newsletter? Email us your feedback! |