Noeleen Hammond Jones

International Career Consultant

University of Manchester Careers Service

Making a positive impact with employers

• Recognise the importance of the labour market & employer research

• Awareness of your career goals and job skills

• Understanding of an effective job search strategy

• Overview of application processes

• Help available from the Careers Service

Session Aims

ICE BREAKER

Someone who can speak 3

languages

Knows what Numismatics is the

study or collection of

Has never watched an Harry Potter

movie

Is left-handed Isn’t on Facebook Likes cats better than dogs

Has travelled to 4 countries or more Can play a musical instrument Has more than one sibling

Wears glasses Was born in the same month as you Likes the same food as you

Go to www.menti.com and use

the code

67 22 90

What help would you like?

Starting Point: What options do I

have?

Options with your degree subject: https://www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-

advice/what-can-i-do-with-my-degree

What have other graduates from your degree done?

https://www.linkedin.com/school/university-of-manchester/people/

Job sectors and occupations

manchester.ac.uk/careers/whichcareer/

https://www.prospects.ac.uk/jobs-and-work-experience/job-sectors

In the UK, around 70% of jobs are open to any degree!

You could do… Anything?! How do you choose?

• Using global resources if looking for roles overseas e.g. Passport Careers or Prospects

• Understand the labour market in the UK and the challenges that International Graduates face including visa

• Using various networks through the university such as The Manchester Network (for industry insight), Meet the Professional Events on campus to liaise with alum

• Online job platforms such as Indeed, Glassdoor, Grad Cracker, The Times, LinkedIn

• Job vacancies on CareersLink in the Career Service

• On-Campus events with employers

• Using the Careers Service YouTube channel for resources and webinars on job search and visa information.

• Newsletters and Journals from Trade or Professional Organisations

• Job postings on corporate web sites

• High Fliers, LockIn China, overseas employment agencies

Job Search Strategies

• Do not waste your time responding to jobs that

you are not qualified to do with the exception of

graduate schemes/programmes

• Use your cover letter to answer every

requirement in the job ad/person specification

• Personalise your response as much as possible

including tailoring your CV. Address your

documents to specific individuals.

Tips When Applying for Advertised Vacancies

Good research on employers will not only give you the competitive edge, but also help you decide which employers you want to reach but will demonstrate passion, motivation and commercial awareness to the employer.

• Internet research e.g. LinkedIn, Glassdoor.co.uk

• Annual reports

• Directories

• National Trade & Professional Associations

• Professional Journals

• Talk with professionals working in the field

• Local Chamber of Commerce

Researching Employers

Pairing exercise: Teach First, Cancer Research UK, Civil Service Faststream, Dept for Int Development.

Seek opportunities to innovateEngage and work with others effectivelyTake responsibility for own performance and learningPassionate about driving action to end extreme poverty

Humility, Respect and Empathy, Interaction, Knowledge, Leadership, Planning and Organisation, Problem Solving, Resilience, Self-evaluation, Understanding and Motivation

Problem solving, achieving results, communicating and influencing, leadership, drive and motivation, building relationships

Drive for results, Constructive thinking, Learning and improvement, Building productive relationships, Decision-making, Communicating with impact.

3 mins

Pairing exercise

Dept. for International DevelopmentSeek opportunities to innovateEngage and work with others effectivelyTake responsibility for own performance and learningPassionate about driving action to end extreme poverty

Teach FirstHumility, Respect and empathy, Interaction, Knowledge, leadership, Planning and Organisation, Problem Solving, Resilience, Self-evaluation, understanding and motivation

Cancer Research UKProblem solving, achieving results, communicating and influencing, leadership, drive and motivation, building relationships

Civil Service Graduate Fast StreamDrive for results, Constructive thinking, Learning and improvement, Building productive relationships, Decision-making, Communicating with impact.

Employer research in action

• You will be given the name of a company. You have 10 minutes to:

• Find 3 pieces of information about the company, the more unusual, the better!

(Use for example: LinkedIn, company website, social media, Glassdoor etc.)

• Try to find 1 issue which may be a concern for the company

• What would your suggested solution be?

Purpose of Employer research in action

• Understand what labour market information is

• Increase commercial awareness

• Appreciate it differs by company, sector, region and

country

• See the benefits of researching organisations and

sectors to be informed of opportunities and challenges

• Make informed career choices

• Understand the challenges in specific sectors

• Understand how to find opportunities that align with your

knowledge and skills

• Understand how being commercially aware can help in

interview.

Self Assessment questions to ask

yourself

• What skills do you have?

• What advantage have you gained from

education / experience?

• What are your values and motivations

• Lifestyle, Interests, Location, Work

Environment,

• What type of position do you want?

• How have you made the most of your

time in the UK?

• Have you researched the industry and

career opportunities open to you?

Case study questions

• What careers do you think Ayesha could

progress into?

• What skills do you feel Ayesha has to

offer?

• 5-7mins

Ayesha - case studyAyesha studied Politics and Sociology and is now exploring her career options. She is a creative person and enjoys posting about her interests on Instagram and via a blog. As the marketing officer for her student society, she was responsible for promoting events and activities via social media.

As part of her degree, Ayesha really engaged with the modules: Media, Culture & Society and New Media, how to conduct Politics research and Crime, History and Law. She feels she now has a critical understanding of market research, representation, consumer culture, the digital divide and political activism.

Alongside her studies, Ayesha is working as a volunteer for Refugee Action, whereby her empathy, report writing and bi-lingual skills have been an advantage. Ayesha also has work experience in fast-paced customer service roles.

Careers and Skills

• Journalism and media

• Market research and social media

• Advertising, marketing and PR,

• Advocacy and campaigns

• Politics, policy officer or social researcher

• Think Tanks

• Charities and the not-for-profit sector

• Law

• Education and training e.g. academic pathways

• Civil Service Fast Stream

• Social work or youth work

• NHS

• Government departments e.g. Ministry of Justice

• The British Council

• FMCG

• Social media

• Tailoring communication to suit different audiences

• Working under pressure in fast-paced environments

• Report writing, writing to word limits

• Critical thinking

• Research and analysis

• Knowledge of law

• Understand dynamics of different social groups

• Empathy and resilience

• Interpersonal

• Languages

• Creativity

• Adaptability

• Willingness to learn

• Customer service

5 minutes to reflect on your own or

in pairs key learning at this point

Why we undertook these activities in

relation to Applications & CV’s

Applications

What Is A CV For?

The purpose of a CV is to….get you an interview

How will it do this?

By giving the recruiter evidence that you have what they’re

looking for.

- Personal Qualities

- Key Skills

- Relevant Experience

Convince an employer!

• Make an impact

o Set up: founded, launched, introduced

o Fixed: reorganised, resolved, transformed

o Made better: simplified, eliminated, improved

• Quantify, results, outcomes

• Stress personal involvement – “I” not “We”

• Use recent experiences – from all parts of your life

Your education

• Academic and specialist knowledge

• Include your current course

• Results (known and predicted)

• List key modules

• Include soft skills / transferable skills

Your experience

• Voluntary work /activities

• Part-time jobs

• Internships/ work experience

• Work shadowing

• Being a mentor and/or a mentee

• Attending events/networking opportunities

• Positions of responsibility –teams/ student

societies/ group work

How NOT to communicate to an employer what

you have done!

Waiting Staff, Bob’s Bar and Restaurant

Aug 2017 – July 2019

•Serving customers

•Clearing tables

•Handling cash

•Occasional bar duties

Your Real Experience!Aug 2017 – July 2019 Waiting Staff, Bob’s Bar and Restaurant

• Worked well as part of a team of 10 in a busy restaurant serving over

300 customers per evening. Helped to train and support 5 new staff over

a period of 3 months

• Used excellent customer service skills and attention to detail to ensure

orders were taken and delivered quickly and accurately. Awarded Bob’s

Customer Service Award 2019.

• Worked flexibly, as required, between bar and restaurant to ensure high

service standards were maintained at peak periods.

• Suggested improvements to layout of menus and drink-cards to improve

look and clarity. Used creative and IT skills to make samples. One of

these is now in use in the restaurant.

How to get your CV right!

• Arms length test

• Edit ruthlessly – no size 8 fonts and tiny margins

• Line up text in columns

• Short sentences

• Break up text with bullet points

• NOT TOO MANY CAPITALS AND Changes of font

• Logical Structure / Clear Sections and Headings

• Get the good stuff on

the first page

Covering Letters

• Always include one if possible!

• One page maximum

• Write to a named individual

(if possible)

• What to include:

1. Who are you, what you are applying for

2. Why you are you interested in the role

3. What attracts you to their organisation

4. What makes you a strong candidate

5. Positive ending – what should happen next?

Networking is

• Directly asking for a job

• “What can you do for me?”

• Collecting as many Business Cards as

possible

Networking is NOT about…

• Building Relationships

Benefits of Networking

• Mutually beneficial

• Demonstrates your interest

• Offers great insight

• May give you the edge

• Can unlock the hidden job market

• Most effective method of job search

• Once you have targeted a specific career, you

should introduce yourself with professionals in

that field.

• Get the insider’s view

• Opens doors that might otherwise remained closed.

• Conduct Informational Interviews

Develop a Contact Network

Exploring your Network Map

Work

My Network

Family

Friends

Society Membership

Professional Bodies

UniversityOnline

Networks

Other

Online Networking

• Set up your online profile eg LinkedIn

• Become findable – photo, keywords,

summary, connections

Join relevant occupational groups - interact

Follow employers

Connect with friends, colleagues, acquaintances

Verbal CV Pitch activityIn pairs 7 mins:

• Choose who will be the ‘interviewer’ and ‘interviewee’

• Use your phone stopwatch to give your ‘interviewee’ 2 minutes to answer

• The ‘interviewee’ must address the 4 criteria on the next slide

• At the end the ‘interviewer’ should write down 3 things they remember about the ‘interviewee’

• Swap and repeat the exercise

Verbal CV PitchTell me about you:

Name

What you study

Overview of relevant experience,

achievements, positions of responsibility or

skills

Career aim (job role or sector), or why you

want to work for the employer of your choice

“Hello, my name is ______ and I have a

degree in _____ and I am currently study a

masters in _____. What appeals to me

about your company is _____. I am very

interested in _____. As you can see in my

enclosed CV I can offer you my knowledge

and experience in_____ which I feel would

make me a great fit in your company.”

So… what do I say?

How to network at events

• People expect to be approached by strangers

• Approaching individuals

– “May I introduce myself?”

• Approaching groups

– Look for open groups

– Try to catch someone’s eye, ask if you may join them

– Listen to the conversation – you may be interrupting

– Don’t try to change the conversation topic, let it naturally develop

Conversation Starters

• Have you travelled far today?

• Have you been here/to this event before?

• I understand you are a ???, what attracted you to that profession?

• I see from your name badge you work for ??? company. What sort of work are you involved with?

BAD Conversation Starters

• Can you help me get a job at XXX?

• I want to work in your area, but I haven’t

researched it. What's it like?

• My name is XXX, I am doing an MSc in YYY…

me, me, me, me, drone, drone, boring!!!!!!!!

Interview & Assessment Centre

Tips

• Do not smoke before an interview

• Do not use your mobile phone from the moment you walk into the building

• Be dressed appropriately – black trainers are still trainers!!!!

• Be polite to everyone

• Be interested and ask questions

• Strong confident handshake

• Sit with bottom in back of seat for comfort

• Adopt open posture, do not fuss with hands or clothes

• Prepare good questions to ask at the end

• Thank them for their time and finish with a firm handshake

Check out your University Careers

Service pages for help, advice and

guidance

http://www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/international/

Help available from a Careers Service

• Careers guidance’ appointments

• Career guides to help you research options

• Graduate directories / booklets

• Information talks, employer events, fairs

• Mentoring

• Advice on CVs & applications

• Practice psychometric tests

• Simulation interviews

Careers Service - Location

The Careers ServiceThe Atrium,

1st floor, University Place

Appointments

Phone: 0161 275 2829

www.mancester.ac.uk/careers

Post it time !!!

Please put your thoughts on a post it

• What did you enjoy

• What would you like to see in future sessions