Catch me if you can

Allie Lawson, Student Marketing Ambassador shares her experience of the recruitment process and some handy tips that could help you …

 

My life last term was chaotic, to say the least. Alongside finishing my degree, running a business, and working part time, I managed to beat the odds and get a place on a graduate scheme.  

How to apply for your first dream IT job or work experience opportunity.

Despite official reports stating a drop in youth unemployment rate (16-24 year olds) there’s no denying that getting your first job or work experience opportunity can still be a tricky task, especially in a competitive market. So how do you gain that much coveted role in your dream firm?

Here are a few top tips both for your application and you CV to ensure that you get to interview.

Kick start your graduate career with GO Wales.

Kick start your graduate career with a GO Wales Taster, Placement or Jobs Growth Wales role.

Universities in Wales deliver a range of services for graduates and students via the GO (Graduate Opportunities) Wales programme. These services are designed to help you make the best start to your graduate career through quality work experience, jobs, training and other support.

GO Wales services are available to graduates from any University, of any age, with any degree – with the exception of Jobs Growth Wales  scheme which is for graduates who are 24 and under.

This year GO Wales is celebrating 10 years of the programme, and to celebrate they’ve pulled together some impressive facts and figures… 

Looking to get on the career ladder? Work experience is key!

Hannah Richards

A recent graduate of Cardiff University, Hannah Richards explains how a portfolio of work experience was instrumental in gaining her first job within her preferred field.

Hi, my name is Hannah and I’m an English Literature graduate of Cardiff University. I got my first job through GO Wales and I’d like to tell you how work experience was a major part of this achievement.

I always felt that work experience was important: to discover what type of career I would like, to practice my skills and to develop new ones. I knew I wanted to work in the area of media, marketing and PR and so I went on a mission to get work experience and test out the industries. My placements included a week at the South Wales Argus, a fortnight at Working Word PR and a week at Buzz Magazine – a Taster I applied for through GO Wales. As well as these placements, I volunteered as a marketing and publicity assistant at a local charity. For me, these experiences confirmed that I loved writing and that these were my preferred career areas. I could leave university with a clear focus and with evidence of my interest and abilities in these industries on my CV.

Undertaking work experience also gave me the opportunity to build up a portfolio that would demonstrate my creativity, writing, media and marketing skills. I collated samples of the work I had completed throughout my voluntary experience and took the portfolio to my job interview. My employer later told me that the portfolio was a nice surprise as it showed how much I wanted to work and also that it was the ‘icing on the cake’ –  the part of my interview that fully confirmed his decision to pick me.

Due to my efforts with work experience, I am now the Marketing Assistant at Pinnacle Internet Marketing. My duties include copywriting, search engine marketing, paid search advertising, email marketing, content marketing, work with website design, work with clients and exhibitions and various other areas. Within the four months I have been at the agency, I have already developed a whole new set of skills that will be of great use for me going into the future, and I’m still learning something new every day.

Even though I have a full time job, I want to keep my career options open. So, in my spare time I contribute to Buzz magazine, both because I enjoy writing and because I want to build upon my journalism experience. My GO Wales Taster with the magazine is what introduced me to this opportunity and my previous work with Buzz was a great help when I applied to become a contributor.

In light of my experience, if I could give one piece of advice to all prospective students, current students and graduates, it would be that work experience is the key to getting on the career ladder!

Make the best start to your career with GO Wales – paid work placements, work experience, jobs and training.  http://www.gowales.co.uk

Get further help and support from the Careers & Employability Work Experience Team.

Career insight from Natasha Caplan, GO Wales Taster Manager

Natasha Caplan graduated from Huddersfield University in 2004 after studying Hospitality and Events Management, and now works for GO Wales within the Careers & Employability department of Cardiff University.

I am originally from Warrington in the North West and moved to Cardiff 9 years ago for a graduate role as an Events Assistant.  After 4 months I realised that the industry simply wasn’t for me. As well as the unsocial hours and the lack of training/development, I found myself feeling stressed and out of my depth. 

How will an IT work placement help me in the working world?

The IT industry is an exciting place to be right now – not only are IT professionals some of the most in-demand people, especially amongst tech start-ups and smaller businesses, but they’re also at the forefront of modern technology. When starting out in any profession it’s extremely important that you develop skills to add to your CV which will impress future employers, but what exactly are the skills that your future IT employer is looking for?

–         Talent

It goes without saying that to work as an IT professional you’ll have to be highly skilled, whether you’re an IT support technician or a web developer, making sure that you show accuracy in the execution of your job will go a long way for your career. Employers want someone they can rely on. For example, if you’re working in IT support you’ll be expected to have a wide-ranging knowledge to solve various problems or if you’re working as a web designer you’ll have to be able to follow a brief whilst demonstrating a creative flair. 

I went, I met, I chatted, but what do I do after a Careers Fair?

So you attended a Careers Fair this autumn – we had lots to choose from Autumn, Business, Engineering & Technology, Law and Science.

Now here are some tips on what you could do next …
1. Keep the brochures from the recruiters you spoke to and make a quick note of their contact details and your conversations. This will help you to refresh your memory should you choose to apply to the organisation.

2. Check Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin for social media accounts for the organisations you are intrested in. Follow, like or join these to keep up-to-date with what’s happening with the organisation and their recruitment teams.  This will give you greater knowledge of the organisation that you can use throughout the recruitment process.

Science Students – It’s Over to You

 

Mary Smith from Cardiff School of Bioscience offers some guidance for Wednesday’s Fair …

So we’ve done our bit and lined up 20 potential employers for you to speak to at the Science Fair on 6 November 10.30 – 2.30pm in the VJ Gallery, Main Building. So. it’s over to you …

… What we now need is for you is to come along!  Now that may sound rather obvious but it’s amazing how many students simply don’t bother and waste this fantastic opportunity to find employers who you might not otherwise be able to get access too.  All years are welcome.

To get over that awkwardness of introducing yourself and to get the best out of the Fair here are some *top tips for you* 

Ever considered converting to law?

 Cardiff student Lowri tells you more about converting to Law at Cardiff University …

The GDL (Graduate Diploma in Law) is a conversion course which enables graduates of other disciplines to train for a career in the law. It is much sought after by employers, who value the breadth of experience and insights which its students bring to their firms. The qualification is now so popular that GDL graduates make up a large proportion of new lawyers.

Could have, would have, should have … don’t regret not going!

If it’s a job, an internship, work experience, postgraduate study or time out you are considering or you haven’t even given your future a thought, now’s your chance. 

Tuesday’s Autumn Careers Fair sees the start of a great programme of careers and employability activity designed and delivered for you and your fellow students.  Come along Tuesday 15 October, 11am – 3pm, City Hall you won’t regret it.