Your discipline focused Employability Newsletter Welcome to your Employability NewsletterWelcome to the College of Social Sciences and International Studies Employability newsletter: Wherever you are on your career journey, there are always new things you can do to help you identify your path. Those of you getting ready to choose your modules for next year might like to consider a work placement module, which are outlined below. We have range of events throughout February and March which will explore different career options such as working in Human Rights, working in PR and on 8th March, our Women in Leadership event. For students in their final year, why not take advantage of making an appointment to talk through options with a Careers Adviser. Info can be found by clicking here. But don’t worry if you don’t get around to it, as the Careers Service are now offering careers guidance for life! As outlined in the last couple of newsletters, there are lots of online resources available too. Our discipline My Career Zone pages and the Careers Portfolio provide lots of information to help you develop skills and understanding. As the year progresses, I will be posting all the internship and job opportunities that I am sent on the SSIS Employability Facebook page. Julia
Paci Upcoming Careers Events in the CollegePolitics Postgraduate Careers Seminar Series Date: Wed 20th Feb Keith Sargent is an independent advisor and Senior Fellow of the Institute for Statecraft. He provides guidance counsel to governments and their development partners in support of state building. He has a career spanning over 40 years, working internationally (Africa, Asia, Middle East, Balkans, Caribbean and Pacific) for the UK Government (DFID/FCO/SU), UN Agencies, EC/EDF, and World Bank. Keith will be sharing his experiences in this field and provide career advice to interested students. Gregorio Bettiza (Politics academic) will be chairing the conversation and Q&A’s. Light refreshments provided. SSIS Careers: Working in Public Relations / Communications Date: Thurs 28th Feb Join International Relations alumna, Alicia De Haldevang, PR and Digital Communications Manager at Atkins Global, who will be delivering an interactive workshop on what it's like to work in PR and communications. The session will cover both UK and Middle Eastern opportunities, the skills required from your social sciences degrees to succeed in PR employment, what steps you can take to do so, as well as a Q&A where you will get the chance to ask our guest speaker the questions on your mind! Women in Leadership - International Women's Day 2019 Date: Fri 8th Mar To celebrate International Women’s Day we are delighted to announce the Employability team is hosting a Women in Leadership discussion panel and networking on Friday 8th March. With support from the Annual Fund and from the Women and Law SACA project, this exciting event will be a highlight of the social sciences employability events calendar. Open to all students, this event will showcase the inspiring career journeys of our speakers. All speakers are SSIS graduates and leaders in their fields. This discussion panel event will allow plenty of time for a Q&A. Following the event there will be the opportunity to network with all of our guests, where you will be able to speak more freely with them about their careers. Light refreshments will be provided. REMINDERS SSIS Careers: Life as a Commercial Lawyer in a regional law firm Date: Tues 5th Feb Open to law and non-law students, Law alumnus Henry Maples from Murrell Associates, a Truro-based law firm, presents an alternative case-study for building a corporate commercial career in law in a regional law firm. His workshop will include tips on demonstrating commercial awareness. What can I do with my criminology degree? Date: Thurs 7th Feb This session will look at what you can do with your Criminology degree, the skills you have gained, how to explore careers related to Criminology and how to explore those that aren't. We will look at what other students who have studied Criminology at Exeter have gone on to do as well as how to get started when you have no idea what you want to do. SSIS Careers: Human Rights Careers Discussion and Q&A Date: Fri 8th Feb Jonathan Cooper OBE is a Human Rights specialist with experience before English and International courts and tribunals, as well as conducting training programmes and advising on human rights issues in jurisdictions worldwide. You will discuss with him career options in the Human Rights field. Career Planning SupportSSIS: Finding Internships Date: Tues 19th Feb Some internship opportunities are highly visible and are advertised across a range of platforms. Others fall into a category that we call ‘The Hidden Market’ and require a different approach. This workshop will provide an opportunity to discuss all avenues for securing useful work experience. How to develop a strong CV for social scientists Date: Tues 26th Feb This session will focus on the tools you can use to build a strong CV as a social Scientist. It will focus on the content you should include, reviewing how to market your skills, experience and knowledge to produce a CV that will appeal to recruiters in the workplace. SSIS Employability Facebook page Give us a 'like' and keep up-to-date with all things careers and employability related! What's New in the Career Zone?Casual Jobs and Internships Fair - 2019 - Tues 5th Feb, 11-2pm, The Forum Employer Showcase - KPMG: Predict the Future Employer Presentation - Teach First Employer Presentation - The University of Law: GDL Workshop Employer Showcase - Free Doughnuts with Police Now Employer Presentation: Teach First Application Skills Workshop Employer Presentation - KPMG Application Mock Interviews - with Alumna Kathleen Lund (Ph.D): CEO of Specialist Schools Trust Employer Presentation - The University of Law: LPC & GDL Workshop Grand Challenges Interested in making real change at the University or around the globe? Looking to develop your transferable skills? Want to meet like-minded people? Grand Challenges is a unique, high-energy week that gives you all of that and more. Taking place 10th-14th June, you will work in an interdisciplinary group on a topic you feel passionate about, and develop an innovative and creative project that tackles a real world challenge. You get to work closely with leading academics, hear inspiring talks from external speakers and form new friendships along the way. Topics for 2019 include climate change, gender inequality, mental health, food sustainability and global security. Sign up now via our website. Work Shadowing Scheme New for 2019, the Work Shadowing Scheme provides an opportunity for you to shadow a professional in their workplace for a day in April 2019, either in the South West or in London. This is a brilliant opportunity to gain a unique insight into a job role, sector or company you are interested in. Opportunities are available across a range of sectors and job roles and are awarded on a competitive, first-come first-served basis, so please apply promptly to avoid missing out. The scheme opens 11th February 2019, apply through My Career Zone, visit the website to find out more and to register your interest. Module Choice Online module choice opens provisionally on 18th March. Be aware that some departments operate a first come, first serve approach to module choices so it’s important to get your choices in quickly. There will also be an on-line module fair this year from Monday 5th March to Thursday 29th March 2018. Remember that there are placement module options to consider such as Learning for Teaching for those of you interested in a career in teaching and need to gain some experience in schools or would like to know more about what teaching training involves. More details are here about how to sign up. Alumni FocusMonika Kirova LLB Law, 2015 and LLM Law, 2016 Tell us about what you are doing now and your future plans: I am a Legal Trainee at the European Union Agency Fusion for Energy which runs the ITER multinational megaproject. The project involves seven partners, namely the European Union, United States, Japan, India, China, South Korea, and Russia, and is dedicated to researching fusion energy, constructing a power plant in France, and putting the innovative type of energy on the market. As I have deeply enjoyed the environment and the type of responsibilities I was assigned to, my next step will be an international organization operating in the field of renewables. What is your current occupation? How has your [LLB Law and LLM Law] helped you with your career decisions? My LLB degree and in particular the courses of European Union Law, Public International Law and Integration and Disintegration in the European Union (the Politics Department) have strongly influenced my decision to further my education and pursue a career on European level. The topics discussed in these modules have certainly spurred my interest towards European affairs as I was exposed to a great variety of legal and policy issues and was astonished by the complex interaction between national and foreign laws. What I have learnt throughout my undergraduate and postgraduate degrees has helped me understand better the legal framework of the European Union and enabled me to quickly grasp the legal principles adopted at F4E. As the work is heavily dominated by issues on contract drafting and implementation, the Contract Law module has also aided me in understanding better the operation of F4E’s contracts. What did you do after you graduated? After I completed my undergraduate degree in law, I pursued a post-graduate study in law with focus on European Union law as I wanted to solidify my knowledge in the area. I completed my Master’s degree in European Law in 2016 and immediately after that I commenced my traineeship at Fusion for Energy. What skills and knowledge did you develop which helped with your career prospects? Having pursued a heavily EU law oriented-degree, I have a wide knowledge-base regarding the different branches of EU law, as well as the division of competences between EU institutions and Member States and the specific functions and responsibilities undertaken by EU institutions. As such, I could demonstrate both interest and understanding of EU law, which is crucial for my current position. As some of my responsibilities entail researching points of law, answering to legal questions, and analysing EU legislation and case-law, I benefit greatly from the research skills I developed throughout my studies at Exeter University. Particularly as I have completed two dissertations, I have improved my ability to assess the law and provide concise advice on legal interpretation. Having to respect deadlines, I believe my time in Exeter has also helped me better organise and plan my time. As the examinations in my degree were primarily essays and course-works, the ability to structure logical arguments has been handy when discussing issues with contractors. How did your career path develop whilst at University? It has started with studying European law and then deciding to take more European affairs-targeted modules, which happened to be taught in the politics department. Already at my second year I have decided that I want to specialise in European law therefore I dedicated to writing a dissertation in the field and pursuing a Master’s degree. In the meantime, I also had two of my essays published in academic journals which was certainly an encouragement for my true interest in European law. I very much enjoyed my postgraduate study as it was entirely EU affairs-dedicated with a blend between EU law and politics. As I have been deeply interested in European affairs, it was clear for me that I will pursue a career in the field. Did you attend any careers events at university and if so, what was most useful? I attended various career events whereby the University Career Zone has been extremely helpful.
I completed the Exeter Award and Exeter Leader’s Award, participated in Grand Challenges, had my CVs and applications forms checked numerous times, took advantage of the fantastic database on employability tips, went to the University Career’s fairs and attended various employability sessions. I also attended law firm’s presentations and the annual European Union Career’s talk. I perceive all of them as useful, and perhaps the ones that had the most tangible impact are the CV and application form checks as those really helped me express myself better and build my applications in a more appealing manner. Did you do any work experience or internships while you were at Exeter which helped you get the position you are in? I worked as a Legal Secretary at a law-firm and attended various open days at law firms which gave me a better insight into practicing law and client interaction. I also had an internship at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in Bulgaria and was involved with a variety of European youth projects in Bulgaria. I believe the latter helped me understand the functioning of a public body and the values pursued at the EU. I also had part-time positions within the university which aided me in shaping my people’s skills. What advice would you give to current students who may want to follow in your footsteps? To have interest and experience in EU affairs! I recommend to students to familiarise themselves with the career opportunities and the recruitment process as it is quite different from the one at private companies and other public organisations. I would very much encourage students to brush up on their language skills as the environment is truly international (at the moment, there are four languages spoken at my team on a daily basis) or at least be willing and prepared to learn another language. The EU endorses mastering another language, thus it provides courses and certification. Most of the people speak at least three languages on advanced level, the French and English being most widely-spoken. What advice would you give current students? To always search for their passions and to seek opportunities to grow. I believe that having clarity about one’s interests and passions, strengths, and points of improvement are crucial for discovering the right career and obtaining the right job. Passion transmits through application forms and is evident at the workplace thus it is necessary both whilst applying for jobs and working later on. I would recommend being on the look-out for opportunities and building connections with people from the field. I also advise students to gather as much information as possible, especially whilst at university because they still have a relative freedom over planning their time and can dedicate more hours to career research and preparation. What are your tips for breaking into your current profession? Again learning a language, studying EU-related subjects and having a passion for them. I believe one also needs to be comfortable and interested in different cultures as the environment is extremely diverse and its richness is highly praised. What advice would you give other students who have a passion they would like to pursue? To commit to it and to be consistent. I would recommend having a plan of how to obtain their goals and constantly searching for opportunities that would lead them to their ultimate goal – this could be attending events, meeting professionals, taking work experiences, volunteering and starting jobs which would either put them straight into the field or at least would enable them to gain transferable knowledge and skills.
Contact the Email Julia Paci (Employability & Outreach Manager) Becca Drew (Employability & Alumni Administrator) |