Postgrad funding announced

60 taught Masters scholarships are to be offered by the University of York – see the full details at the University’s news pages.

Find a Masters and Find a PhD have also announced scholarships at www.findamasters.com/funding/postgraduate-masters-scholarships/ and www.findaphd.com/funding/postgraduate-phd-scholarships/

Online job scams – top tips to keep safe online!

When applying for jobs online it is important to take care not to be caught out by online job scams – something young people are particularly vulnerable to.  If something seems to be too good to be true – offering large rewards for little effort – chances are it is! Here are our top tips for what to look out for:

• Any organisation that asks for money for training materials, certification or similar to secure a job are likely to be scamming you – no reputable agency will require you to pay in this way to be placed in work
• Opportunities which state “no experience necessary” combined with a large salary, should ring alarm bells. Likewise an employer who is not interested in your skills and experience should be treated with caution
• Do not include unnecessary personal details on any CV you post online. There is never any need to include your NI number, your date of birth or even your full address on a CV – this information can be a gift to identity thieves
• Never give details like your bank account, NI number or passport number to any employer unless you are sure they are genuine. This information should not be asked for in the early stages of a job application, not should it be asked for by email. These can be supplied once you’ve been appointed and are sure the opportunity is genuine
• If you get an unexpected email from a company about a job you can’t remember applying for – be careful – especially if they seem to be offering you a job straight away. It is a good idea to record details of all vacancies you apply for so you are less likely to be caught out
• Think about how the company communicates with you – do emails contain poor spelling or grammar, are their email/website addresses genuine? Do they have a landline telephone? Did you have a proper face to face interview before being appointed?
• If you have any suspicions about a job/agency/recruiter you see online do some research. Come and talk to staff in Careers if you need help. Search online for mentions of the company, type “name of the company + scam” into Google and see what comes up, check student forums to see if anyone else is talking about them or has experienced problems.

Here are some examples of scams we have are currently aware of:

Money laundering  – this scam involves asking you to transfer money to accounts overseas –  what you are actually doing is laundering money on behalf of criminals,  and there are serious legal consequences if you are caught.

United Nations recruitment fraud – scammers claiming an association with recruitment teams within the UN and requesting money or personal details by email to secure employment

CV writing scams – some online job adverts are bogus and are actually used to target applicants with expensive CV writing services. If you have applied for a job online and then get an email offering to rewrite your CV for a cost of several hundred pounds to give you a great chance of getting the position, be wary. We have lots of free CV support available to you online or face to face – and this support continues for as long as you need it after graduation.

If you are scammed make sure you report it to Action Fraud.  The SaferJobs website has lots of great advice and information about the latest online scams to look out for.  Come and talk to us in Careers if you need advice.

 

 

Chinese recruitment fair

The British Council will run a UK Alumni Recruitment Fair and a series of career development workshops in China from 21 to 29 March 2015. This year we are working in partnership with Zhaopin.com to invite well-known businesses to take part in the event.

This is a chance for Chinese students to gain a better understanding of the job market in China, explore job opportunities, and seek guidance on their long-term career ambitions. Participants will also have opportunities to talk directly with business representatives who will be on site to offer career development advice and information on job opportunities with their companies.

Event details:

Ask Countryside Jobs Service

You’re thinking of a career in the countryside. But do you have questions?

CJS has been advertising countryside, conservation and wildlife type posts since 1994 – and helping people just like you all that time. There’s lots of information online but sometimes it’s easier simply to ask! We understand, so ask us and if we don’t know the answers we’ll probably know someone who does.

• Email us your questions to: ranger@countryside-jobs.com.
• Or from today you can tweet us your questions using the hash tag #askCJS
• message us @CountrysideJobs
• or we’re on Facebook for your messages to www.facebook.com/CountrysideJobsService

GUEST BLOG: An introduction to SMEs…

 Guest blog written by Rachel Donallon, User Community Manager, TalentPool

So first off, what does this oft used acronym mean? SME stands for ‘small or medium-sized enterprises’. But what counts as an SME? Here are a few you may have heard of; Seatwave, MatchPint, Pheonix Capital. Over at TalentPool we work with a broad range of SMEs such as GoCardless, AlphaSights and Jukedeck.

There has been a recent increase in both students and graduates wanting to gain experience or jobs at SMEs and start-ups. This is largely because working at a smaller company is a unique experience that exposes you to most of the main business processes; be that marketing, working with clients, developing long term business strategy, contributing to the development of a new pricing model, streamlining certain processes. From my experience you have the opportunity to have your opinion counted on any discussion topic that arises, be it creative, strategic or technical. In addition to this you also have the autonomy to grow your own role and responsibility within the business. To that end, you must be driven, happy directing your own work schedule and content, and effective at prioritizing. However this combination of elements makes for a very exciting job where no two days are the same.

A brand new scientific publication is due to be produced within the University.

Used as a platform for students to publish their own work, this is a great opportunity to develop and practise important professional skills. It will also promote the work of the Scientific departments at York.

To get the publication started organisers are holding a start-up meeting to arrange the various components required – setting the mission brief to the content of the publication.

• Come along to the meeting on Wednesday 11 March, 4pm at W/222.

• Facebook event page: – https://www.facebook.com/events/1604299699785175/

USA Grad School Day

• Date: 10 March (6pm – 9pm)
• Venue: American School, 1 Waverly Place, London
• Cost: £10 per person

USA Grad School Day workshop provides students with an insider’s view of how to successfully navigate the US postgraduate admissions process. Fulbright advisors and experts in the field will cover a variety of topics: choosing the right programme, admissions exams, the application components and funding opportunities, including the Fulbright Awards for 2015-16. This annual event should not be missed by anyone considering postgraduate study in the US!

This event is sponsored by the University of South Florida and Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions and kindly hosted by the American School in London.

• Registration: Register Now (Last year’s event sold out!)
• Unable to attend? Watch our postgraduate study in the US webinar.