GUEST BLOG: How to talk to employers at a careers fair

 Guest blog written by RateMyPlacement

Careers fairs are designed to give undergraduates and employers a platform to meet, interact and discuss potential careers.

They are a chance for you to meet an experienced professional face-to-face, and find out what is like to work for a particular company, or to work in a specific sector. The employers you meet in gatherings like this could also be useful contacts for finding employment before or after you graduate.

A careers fair is a valuable opportunity for you take a positive step towards starting a career while you’re still at university.

So here is a guide on how to talk to employers at a careers fair, and a few points for you to consider to ensure you get the most out of the experience.

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Guest blog: Why do a placement?

 Guest blog written by Nicole Ell, Graduate & Placement Recruitment Coordinator, Nissan

Undertaking a placement is a big decision for some, and an obvious choice for others.

It offers you the chance to gain valuable experience spending time working for an employer and carrying out duties or tasks as any other employee of the company would. Arguably the information gained and skills learned whilst on a placement can be as important as anything you will have learned in education and it is a fantastic opportunity to put that theory into practice. Good quality placements usually offer set objectives for you to achieve and provide an appraisal or other feedback at the end.

The benefits of a placement are endless, with more and more people finishing university with a 2.1 or above, a placement is a great way to get a head start in our competitive job market.

Why all York students should consider a Placement Year

 Careers blog written by Nicola Clemmit, Placement Coordinator, Careers and Placements

New this year, all York undergraduate students can pursue a Placement Year through a Placement Year programme managed by Careers and Placements. This means all York students can access more roles, opportunities and substantive work experience routes in your university years which will strengthen your professional brand and offering, and therefore support your professional career after graduation.  

What’s in it for you?

There are many benefits to completing a placement year. Most placement year students gain a significant confidence boost during their placement year and return to University more focused, confident and assertive which can reflect in their final year grade.

Winning CVs and applications

Careers blog written by Tricia Raxworthy, Careers and Placements

We know that applying for jobs can be a time-consuming, and at times dispiriting business.  But a little extra time spent on your CV and application can be all it needs to get you an interview.

Log into the VLE and have a look at our CV guide – with tips on what to include and different types of CV.  Prospects also has a helpful guide on what to include in your CV.  (This resource includes a personal profile in your CV, but this is optional so only do this if it works for you.)

It is tempting to send off lots of applications, but it’s more effective to spend the time on a few high quality, well-tailored, applications than lots of generic ones.  Preparation is key – take time to research the organisation and the job, and to reflect on your experience and skills (including your degree and time at UoY), before you start an application, and check out this guide on what to include.

We’re always happy to give you feedback on your CV or application – book a CV review (term time) or an advice appointment (vacation), or if you’re away from York just email it to us via Careers Gateway and one of the careers consultants will have a look at it for you; often it’s just a case of a couple of tweaks to make more impact.

 

 

 

Which way next?

Photo: University of York – Mark Woodward

Careers blog written by Tricia Raxworthy, Careers and Placements

Summer can be time to take a break, time to reflect on the past year, and also to consider: which way next?

If you’re starting to think about your future direction after your degree, we have some resources to get you started:

Prospects: What can I do with my degree?

This helpful website suggests jobs directly related to your degree, jobs where you degree would be useful, and reminds you of the specific and more general transferable skills you will have acquired through your studies – useful for any job application.

 
You can get ideas by looking at the career stories of graduates from your department in York Profiles and Mentors.  You need a York log in  and will be able to read case studies, ask questions and even request a period of individual mentoring if you feel that would help you.

Enjoy your summer!

The Careers and Placements Team

 

Job hunting for graduates

 Careers blog written by Kelly McDonald, Careers and Placements

This week we’re thinking about job hunting – there are lots of job sites out there, but here are a few resources to help you get started.

Our website has a section to help you look for your first graduate job, and more on what the recruitment process is likely to include.

If you’re keen to stay in York(shire), Yorkshire Graduates advertises vacancies in the region. Other regional sites include Inspiring Interns (for Manchester and the north of England, as well as London), Graduate Advantage (Midlands), Unlocking Potential (Cornwall); if you’re using national sites, eg Graduate Talent Pool, you can often filter by location.

Our Job hunting toolkit breaks the task down into manageable steps and gives you tips on how to understand what employers are looking for in the job ads you find.

You might feel you’re not ready to start job-hunting yet, and need more time to be sure of your direction. We’ll be exploring possible directions in future blogs, so look out for those.

Careers help during vacation

Over the undergraduate summer vacation, Careers and Placements is open Monday to Thursday  10.00am – 4.00pm. We have a few closures so keep a check on the website for details.

We also have appointments running throughout the summer – you can check out what’s on offer on the website and book through Careers Gateway

We only run Careers Advice appointments in the summer – but you can do everything you need in them – get advice and guidance, find information, CV/application review. Postgraduate students can use these too, instead of their usual Postgraduate Advice appointments.

If you are not in York you can ask for a telephone appointment. Book your appointments via Careers Gateway, as usual, then email us (careers@york.ac.uk) to confirm you want to have your appointment over the phone. Don’t forget to let us know your preferred phone number, so we can call you at your appointment time.

Alternatively, you can submit a query through Careers Gateway. This will be allocated to a member of the team and we’ll get back to you within a few days.

Each Tuesday during July and August we have our drop in for international students who are interested in working in the UK – no appointment needed just come along with your questions between 10.30am and 12.30pm on Tuesdays.