How Joining A Club Or Society Can Make You More Employable

By Amber, 29 September 2020

Written by Becky

People often dismiss hobbies and interests as relevant information for your CV, but there are in fact a lot of transferrable skills which you develop in activities that you can use in the workplace! We offer a variety of clubs and societies at Staffordshire University, including but not limited to the following…

• Sports clubs such as football, boxing, rugby, lacrosse and netball.
• Societies such as poker, mental health and wellbeing, film and media, debating and amateur dramatics.

As well as the teams above, we also have a cheerleading club on campus, which I have been a member of since 2015. During this time, I began coaching the team and then progressed to the role of head coach and was elected president. As well as president, there are other committee roles you can have as part of a society, such as finance and social secretary. Having a position on a committee further develops your skills useful for the workplace, such as leadership, goal setting and time management.

I have adapted the skills learned from being on a sports team to help me with my work as careers coach, an example of this would be active listening. Being on a team, you get to know the members really well and confide in eachother, sharing experiences and support. This has equipped me to listen to the students who seek careers advice and understand their situations and goals. Being a cheerleading coach has helped me to accurately set tasks and goals for people to reach their potential.

Cheerleading support the other sports teams on campus, including the American football team, Staffordshire Stallions, who we have worked closely with for many years. I have spoken to past members of both teams to give you an insight into what skills they have developed which they now use in their successful careers!

“During my time as a cheerleader, I learnt the value of team work. How you have to work as a team to achieve your goal. Our goal for the year 2005/2006 was to compete in our first ever cheerleading competition. As a team we worked so hard and practiced every day, until our competition routine was perfect. That year we competed in our first ever competition and came 2^nd in our group. The thing about team work is that you may not all be friends, you may not even all get along but you all want to achieve the same desired outcome. My current role as a CSI relies heavily on team work, not only at complex crime scenes, where you and your colleagues are there for hours and hour’s painstakingly recovering and recording evidence but also on a day to day basis. Being the treasurer for the team taught me the responsibly of paying bills, as simple as it sounds. If a minibus wasn’t arranged and paid for then there were no cheerio’s going to the game that Sunday!”

– Beth Nurse, Scarlettes Treasurer 05-06, currently working as a Senior CSI for West Yorkshire Police and a Teacher Practitioner in Crime Scene Science at the University of Lincoln.

“During my time at University I was a member of the Staffordshire Stallions American Football Team. Playing for the team has helped develop my professional skills for work in the legal sector. The sector demands a high level of self-confidence, as well as stamina, and perseverance; all of which are vital attributes for American football. I was also a member of the Law Society, which aided my professional development in a more direct way. The Society organised a number of networking events and competitions, which gave me the opportunity to practice key professional legal skills with a view to becoming a Barrister.”

– Harry Ball, Staffordshire Stallions, currently working in the legal sector.

“It would be easy to roll off the cliche comments that my time on a Uni sports team gave me ‘good team work skills’ or ‘built my confidence’. Yes these are key employment skills however when I reflect on my time on the team they are not actually the key elements that got me to my current situation today. The key skill I developed and use every single day is that of ‘communication’. Whether with league officials, union administrators or most importantly my teammates, University Sports at Staffs gave me opportunity time and time again to head out of my comfort zone and develop into a confident speaker and communicator. A skill I could not work without, and a skill that in all truth, was developed far more by my love of a team and sport than the academia I joined Staffordshire University to pursue.”

– James Tucker, Stallions President 01-04, working as an Assistant Head Teacher.

“I joined cheer because it was good for exercise and it was a social thing to do and a good way to make new friends. I then chose to join the committee in my final year after I had built up confidence throughout the 2 previous years of doing cheer. It’s developed my leadership skills and helped me grow in confidence. It’s helped further develop my organisational skills and teamwork. Getting to work with the other committee members, coaches, other cheerleaders and the union is very rewarding. Being on the cheer committee gives me a sense of pride in myself and the whole team.”

– Becky Bates, Scarlettes President 20-21, currently studying BA (Hons) Events Management at Staffordshire University.

As well as boosting your employability skills, joining a club or society can increase your confidence, encourage you to be more active and also meet a lot of new people who you share common interests with! For more information please visit https://www.staffsunion.com/getinvolved/clubsandsocieties/

The careers studio is still operating digitally and our coaches are available for appointments every week day from 10-6pm. Please book an appointment through MyCareer or email us at careers@staffs.ac.uk. We can help you build a CV that reflects all of your experiences and skills, prepare you for interviews and help you find opportunities suited to your ambitions and interests!

To speak to one of our Career Coaches get in touch:

Email: careers@staffs.ac.uk

Twitter: @CareersAtStaffs

Instagram: @CareersAtStaffs

Facebook: Staffordshire University​ Career & Personal Development

LinkedIn: @CareersAtStaffs

Life As A University Student: Working On Campus

By Amber, 22 September 2020

Written by Annie

Throughout my time at Staffordshire university I have always had a job role on campus which has provided great benefits for my busy schedule and enabled me to continuously commit myself to my work commitments whilst balancing my studies. I have been fortunate enough to be able to secure a multitude of roles working within the students union and with Unitemps as a student ambassador and careers coach for the careers studio. I work two/three jobs whilst studying, however the flexibility of these roles all being on campus allows me to continue to keep my studies a priority. 

Benefits to working on Campus 

• Flexible shift patterns  
• Insight into how the University Runs  

• Perfect Locations 
• Balance studies alongside working  
• Opportunity to enhance skill set 
• Available to work across departments  
• Role progression  

My Experience

Working for the Students Union 

My first role I acquired whilst being at the university was a job as venue staff at the Ember Lounge. Working for the students union enables me to be at the hub of all activity on campus, I have great knowledge of the unions student services, all that they offer to the students and activities that keep the student lifecycle running. I have been able to become a team leader whilst working at the students union and delegate tasks on shift to my colleagues and also become involved in aspects of recruitment such as core competencies for union staff. I have had the opportunity to be an interviewer on recruitment days and secure new intakes of staff across venue departments, this gave me a professional insight into the way in which the organisation runs. Working at Ember has also given me a chance to enhance my skill set there are various qualifications available such as food safety, fire training, terrorism training, and other courses that are accredited to boost your employability. The students union enables flexibility and works around your studies enabling the development of transferable skills and the option to pick up shifts in other departments. Whilst working with the SU I have been able to take shifts at Ember, Greenpad, LRV and Squeezebox which gave me experience in a multitude of different departments under the Unions services. This student role gives a diverse aspect to your CV as there are many opportunities given to working on campus and getting involved within the university community. 

Working for Unitemps 

Within Staffordshire university we have a recruitment agency Unitemps which posts amazing job opportunities available within the university and for other companies advertising roles for graduates, part time, work experience and placements.  

Student Ambassador 

 I found the role of student ambassador advertised on their website and it is extremely student friendly. As a student ambassador there are so many diverse roles and jobs you can sign up for and it is all within a calendar every month that is sent out. You decide if you want to work every month and can sign up to any job that is sent out on their calendar, there is also no worry of balancing your commitments as if you have deadlines or other things to attend in the month you do not have to commit yourself to the roles. As an ambassador I have had the opportunity to work open days, graduation, big events on campus, clearing hotlines and UCAS fairs. This gives you a great opportunity to pick up a multitude of skills and work in various roles. As a student yourself you find it easy to assist other students with any queries they may have and you know the campus well, this facilitates signposting students and those who visit the campus on event days to ensure they have a positive experience and really find what they are looking for. This role is within campus with options to travel to different locations and represent Staffordshire university in different events, they have a lovely supportive team and with any queries about the role or the way it works Unitemps are readily available to answer any queries.  

Careers Coach 

I found the role of a careers coach through the Unitemps website. I have been in the role for just over a year now and have been able to commit myself to my personal and professional development through a supportive management team with the ability to work independently. As a new concept the Careers studio was opened to start peer to peer mentoring for students on campus, this included help across all areas of career planning, CV’s, cover letters, applications and mock interviews. Being a careers coach enables me to pass on knowledge and utilise my research skills to help students in every stage of the student lifecycle. It also allows me to input my experience as a student to continue to promote the careers studio and assist any past/present students that wants to interact with the careers studio. This has benefited me as it has given me an insight into how to plan and start my career alongside what I need to work on to get me onto a career pathway. Working with my colleagues which are other students has allowed a collaborative team working style from a multitude of specialist subjects at all levels and this is what makes the role beneficial to the university and the students its provided for. Within this role I have been given the chance to work on my own project and apply transferable skills to collaborate with managers in the university departments, this is an opportunity I would not have been given if I did not work a student role within a university.  

How can this help me in the long run? 

Working within student roles gives you more opportunities to progress. The university roles and the student union understand your work is a priority and you are here to complete your studies but there is also a massive element of continuous support. They look after your interests in terms of your personal and professional development and provide opportunities to gain extra qualifications, enhance your skill set and work within various roles to experience different work settings.  

To speak to one of our Career Coaches get in touch:

Email: careers@staffs.ac.uk

Twitter: @CareersAtStaffs

Instagram: @CareersAtStaffs

Facebook: Staffordshire University​ Career & Personal Development

LinkedIn: @CareersAtStaffs

Finding Part-Time Work

By Amber, 15 September 2020

Written by Teresa

At the start of a new academic year you may be considering some part time work to do alongside your studies. Not only will you earn some much needed money it will also look good on your CV and give you those ‘transferable’ skills which you can take with you into future employment.

Where to look for opportunities:

There are jobs available within the University, such as the Student Ambassadors or staff for the Students Union venues. One of the best things about these jobs is that they will be flexible around your University timetable and commitments. Check out Unitemps www.unitemps.com for opportunities as well as the Students Union website https://www.staffsunion.com/getinvolved/jobs/ (Unfortunately the Students Union are not recruiting at the moment for staff but it would be worth checking back on a regular basis).

Have a think about your hobbies and interests and think about jobs relating to those. Think about where you would LIKE to work. There is no harm in contacting an employer to see if they have anything available.

As always, check out our portal MyCareer for vacancies www.staffs.ac.uk/mycareer. It is populated by vacancies that we find out about and also vacancies directly from employers.

Alternatively, there are plenty of the big high street names around the area who often have part time jobs available, especially now in the run up to Christmas – have a look at the Careers section of their websites. Some of the names I have seen advertising recently include Tesco, Next, Iceland and Debenhams. There are also regular bar staff jobs advertised. The Potteries Shopping Centre is close by so a trip up there with your CV could be worthwhile – they have a jobs board in the centre. Also check out www.indeed.co.uk. 

It often doesn’t take long for part time positions to be filled so you need to be ready to go – get in contact with us if you would like help with a CV / application / covering letter. Good luck!

To speak to one of our Career Coaches get in touch:

Email: careers@staffs.ac.uk

Twitter: @CareersAtStaffs

Instagram: @CareersAtStaffs

Facebook: Staffordshire University​ Career & Personal Development

LinkedIn: @CareersAtStaffs

Graduate Outcomes 2020

By jp4, 9 September 2020

by Sam Levitt, Career Manager for DTA

As we have mentioned in a previous blog, the Graduate Outcomes Survey team will soon be contacting former students who graduated 15 months ago.  

In the lead up this, myself and the rest of the Careers team wanted to give the thousands of students who would be completing the survey a courtesy call to provide them more information about the survey and to see how graduate life is treating them.

Our Graduates

My experience of calling graduates was an extremely rewarding one. I spoke to many students who see their time at Staffordshire University as a positive experience in their lives and one that has got them to where they are today. These graduates were really pleased to hear from their University again and speak highly of the courses they studied and the opportunities that studying at Staffordshire University has presented to them. They are truly #proudtobestaffs.

I spoke to several former students who since they graduated have now embarked on their dream career. Many students have made the big leap to move to a new city or even relocate overseas, whilst some graduates have chosen to stay close to home. I spoke to graduates who studied a wide range of courses, who now work for an array of different companies in a variety of different industries.

Some graduates are doing the job they trained to do during their degree. Whether they are working as a games programmer for a big gaming company, a special effects artist for a global film company or as a clothing designer for a major high street chain, these former students are now in a job that they love and one they dreamt of doing whilst they were studying for their degree.

In contrast, several graduates have decided to pursue a career which is totally unrelated to their degree subject, achieving this through completing a postgraduate course or simply by applying for jobs using the transferable skills they gained through their degree. 60% of graduate jobs are available to graduates from any degree disciple, so your degree really can take you further than you think!

I also spoke to some former students who had undertaken a placement year whilst they were studying at Staffordshire University and now have a graduate role within the same company. These graduates spoke about how being offered a graduate job by their placement provider was a great reward for the hard work they put into their placement and they felt reassured that they were going to love their new role as it was with a company they had already enjoyed working for.

Lifelong Promise

A few of the graduates I spoke to are currently unemployed, have recently lost their job due to the pandemic or are looking to change career. Some of these graduates spoke about how they are struggling with where to look for jobs or are having difficulty understanding what direction they want to go in with their career. Once I told them that as a Staffordshire University graduate they have lifelong access to careers support and could receive this support by simply emailing careers@staffs.ac.uk, they were delighted. Through these calls we have given support to many graduates with looking and applying for jobs, who are now on the path to finding their dream role.

When it is your time to participate in the Graduate Outcomes Survey, please make sure you take part to let us know where your time at Staffordshire University has taken you.

To speak to one of our Career Coaches get in touch:

Email: careers@staffs.ac.uk

Twitter: @CareersAtStaffs

Instagram: @CareersAtStaffs

Facebook: Staffordshire University Career & Personal Development

LinkedIn: @CareersAtStaffs

Location of the Career Studio: Student Hub, Science Centre on Leek Road.