GUEST BLOG: The charity sector, a road to an interesting career

Guest blog written by CharityJob

What comes into you head when you think of charity work? Is it volunteer work? High street shops? Do you fear reduced career prospects and a low salary?

Well, it’s time to change your expectations because the charity & not-for-profit sector is a fantastically unique and diverse sector where many dedicated individuals have found long and fulfilling careers. Many jobs are paid and hardly any of them in are in high street charity shops, these are a minor element of a charity’s operation.

So, you’re not going to be wiling a way a quiet afternoon on your local high street (well, unless that’s what you really want!) a charity sector job could be your ticket to making a difference in the world, through a career you really love! The variety of work is wide-ranging and exciting, paid opportunities regularly open up in a number of areas, each of these can be a rewarding alternative to a corporate career.

You could end up working in education jobs, youth jobs, housing jobs, disability jobs, environment jobs, arts jobs and many other exciting areas. That said, volunteer work is available and can be extremely fulfilling, it can also be your way into the sector. However, you need to bear in mind that this is not always the case:  there are many paid career options in the charity sector, which could be your route into a job you truly love.

Careers in technology and engineering

Careers blog written by Irena Zientek, Information Development Manager, Careers

Two areas with high demand for graduates are technology and engineering. Skills shortages in these areas mean there are lots of opportunities for graduates with the necessary qualifications and experience.

Developers and cyber security specialists are particularly in demand – just think of the recent data hit the NHS and other organisations took last week.

The scope of opportunities is also widened by the fact that all sorts of industries and services rely on digital systems, not just IT companies. So, there are plenty of possible employers out there.

Opportunities to connect with York graduates online and in person

Our Working in Research event on Thursday night is your chance to meet professionals working in a research role in a range of different sectors – and this includes a number of graduates from York. We hope you have a great evening!

Did you know we have another great way to connect with York graduates? Our York Profiles and Mentors platform allows you to read about the experiences of life after York for hundreds of our graduates – and connect with them remotely.  Some have a research background:

• Kevin – Research manager in digestive health
• Adele – post doc research fellow at John Hopkins University, USA
•  Emma – products research manager at P&G

But we have profiles from a broad range of contributors and they cover most job sectors so you are sure to find someone of interest.

And as well as reading about their career stories since they left York, you can ask quick questions through the system. We have also  developed a simple, quick-to-use mentor request form so you can get in touch and connect with graduates who have volunteered to give something back to York through supporting proactive students like you.

Check out the York Profiles and Mentors platform now.

 

I keep hearing about this York Award, but what is it?

York Award. You probably feel like you’re seeing or hearing about this every way you turn. It’s true, but there’s a good reason why we bang on about it so much!

Most students from their first year at University do lots of things besides their academic studies and these can be useful opportunities to develop skills which employers value.  It’s these activities that can be used in a York Award application from.

Why bother?

• The York Award is an official University award
• It shows you’re a proactive individual, who’s up for a challenge
• You could win a place on the new York Futures scheme’s personal development day
• There’s a chance to apply for an Achieving Excellence Bursary of £2,100
• Employers are interested in the York Award and what it says about you
• You can help your college win the  York Award Trophy for the college with the most applicants

The simple application form asks you to give personal evidence of the following skills and qualities.

• Self-managements
• Team working
• Communication
• Contributing to the university community
• Employer engagement
• Problem solving

In the second part of the form you can choose two additional skills to demonstrate from your experience. These are:

Guest blog: How to kick-start a career in project management

Guest blog written by Simon Buehring, founder and CEO of Knowledge Train

Project management takes place in every sector and industry. Projects make change, positivity and growth happen.

Because of the essential nature of projects, project managers will always be in demand. And because every industry employs them, this makes a career in project management open to all graduates.

Read on to discover more about the career and how you can enter the field.

What does a project manager do?

Project managers are responsible for the daily running of projects. They are strong leaders, driven to get results and able to communicate effectively with a diverse range of people. They have an eye for spotting risks and solving problems.

Do you know what you’re doing this summer?

Okay, so ideally you’d like to have a holiday at some point in the summer vacation and rightly so. What with a full academic year of assignments, essays, tutorials, lectures and exams – you’ve earned the break.

However, with 13 weeks of vacation, it’s also an ideal time to get some work experience in whatever shape that comes. Work experience can give you:

• An insight into a particular type of work or sector
• Extra cash (yes, lots of internships and summer jobs are paid)
• Skills and experience to add to your CV and to use in future applications.

Lots of graduate recruiters offer summer internships of anything up to 3 months and these, more formal, structured schemes, are important in gaining experience and understanding of a large company. Some employers also use them as way of recruiting to their graduate programmes, so that’s why you’ll hear a lot about this type of work experience.

Graduate Survey: why we need your help

If you are a graduate we will be contacting you soon to find out what you are doing. Here’s why.

Every year we contact graduates six months after graduation as part of a national survey to find out what you are doing after leaving York.  We are required to carry out this survey – the Destination of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) – annually.

How does it work?

It’s all really straightforward.  You will receive an email from us in  April 2017  with a request to complete an online survey to tell us what you will be doing (for work or further study) on a specific date. Because we are required to carry out this survey by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), if we don’t receive your completed survey online we will contact you by phone. Read more about how the collection process works.  It really helps to speed up the process if you can complete the online survey.

What do you do with my information?

Firstly and most importantly the information is never published in a way that makes it possible to identify  any individual. We may use it to illustrate in general terms what our graduates go on to do, which sectors they work in, salaries etc.   It can be helpful to current and prospective York students to understand what a degree from York can lead to when they are considering a choice of University and course.

Nationally information is used by HESA to produce statistics, to understand what is happening in the national graduate labour market  and to contribute data to league tables.

We really appreciate your time in helping us collect this information.

I’m happy to help – but can you still help me with my career plans?  

Yes!  You can continue to use our services for as long as you need to after graduation. Get in touch to find out more.