Summer Suggestions

By jp4,

Written by Career Coach, Wil

What are you doing this Summer?

Congratulations on completing your degree or your semester! FREEDOM for a short while….. Guess what!? The Career Studio has a little suggestion! What if you just put in a tiny amount of work each day to create your graduate CV or your Placement/Work Experience CV. We guarantee you’ll feel accomplished.    

A tiny amount of daily work could be the thing that sets you aside from everyone else in the same pond as you. You don’t have to do hours of work; you don’t even have to do an hour of work! It could simply be 15 minutes just working on a portion of your CV, over the span of a week or two.

It could be you read through some job applications and make notes on the key skills required – and deadline – for that job (or jobs). You could go off and brainstorm job ideas you want to do. There is no timeline or deadline that you have to hit. But there are a few small things you could do to make your summer productive AND relaxing at the same time.

  1. Make mind-maps for jobs that you want to do – it doesn’t matter if you don’t know what you want to go or which company to work for . A lot of employers in the working/placement world no longer look at degrees that are specific to their sector. Its all about being employable and making yourself stand out. Or  it could be telling an employer what you want to gain from relevant work experience to accompany your degree.
  2. Read through job descriptions and pull-out skills that YOU think are important to the job, focus on those areas and try to think of super strong examples that back up how you have that skill.
  3. You don’t need to spend hours doing a CV, even if you just update the education section one day, the profile another day, employment the next. Over a week or two, it all adds up.
  4. Follow a new group or employer on LinkedIn – maybe even try to communicate with them and introduce yourself.
  5. Get some hints and tips, book an appointment with the Careers Studio!

Your summer doesn’t have to be overrun with boring (or stressful) tasks every single day. At the end of the day, you have to think to yourself “how bad do I want my dream job/placement and how far am I willing to go to get it”.
The Careers Studio is an amazing place to go if you feel stuck or just want that little extra guidance to help get you in the right direction. There is so much to offer – from CV writing and mock interviews right through to LinkedIn profile help. Don’t drag yourself down over matters that can be resolved with a little resilience and fire (not literally!), it isn’t worth it in the end. Just keep pushing through and telling yourself that you are worth every ounce in gold.  You aren’t alone ever; you just have to know where to look!   BE PREPARED to apply for the opportunity you want.

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 

UNITEMPS – Placements

By jp4,

written by Alison

Placements are a great way to get on-the-job experience within your subject area. These vary from 12-week projects such as SAMPID to full 12-month placements. Undertaking a placement can be beneficial to your subject area knowledge and employability after completion of your award. 

UNITEMPS’ PLACEMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Unitemps offers many placement opportunities for Staffordshire University students wishing to get real hands-on experience, as well as great connections for when they graduate. Read on to find out the benefits of seizing this opportunity!

What type of placement can I do?

There are many placements available to students at Staffordshire University. The main year of industry placement is the most well-known. With many other project based placements also offered.

A YEAR IN INDUSTRY

A year in Industry is usually based within an organisation in your subject area. These are usually started after the end of your studies in your second year. It is usually up to you to find a placement at the start of your second year of university, However, academic staff usually post relevant opportunities they find within your course’s teams group or blackboard area and are sure to assist you in finding one if necessary.

SAMPID

Staffordshire Advanced Manufacturing, Prototyping and Innovation Demonstrator is a scheme aimed to drive innovation in advanced manufacturing sectors across the region. The aim of the project is to support businesses to develop new to the market products or components utilising groundbreaking equipment. Funded by Staffordshire University and the European Regional Development Fund (2014-2020) these placements are offered on a paid basis lasting 12 weeks at 15 hours per week.

Throughout the placement, a dedicated academic will support one day per week.

This can be in any of the following areas:

  • Aero-auto
  • Energy
  • Agri-tech
  • Medical Technology
  • Applied Materials
  • Transport
  • Food and Drink

Within the placement, you would have the opportunity to utilise Staffordshire Universities Advanced Manufacturing Equipment, such as; Metal 3D printers (Solvent washable), Sinter oven (for metal 3D printers), Educational Robot, Collaborative Robot, Inspection Camera, Spin coater and Probe station.

SDIPS

Staffordshire Digital Innovation Partnerships, this programme is aimed at collaborating with small to medium enterprises to enable digital innovation within their organisation. These projects last for 24 weeks and are focussed on three areas:

  • Digital Innovation Partnerships—Focused on technological transformation to support the development of new processes, services or products and their accompanying transformational change within their business.
  • Business Intelligence Partnerships—Focused on supporting businesses to unlock the power of the data they collect, utilising a range of business intelligence tools and techniques.
  • Social Challenge Innovation Partnerships—Staffordshire County council priorities that a business can pitch to develop prototype solutions to.

These projects are all full time for the duration of 6 months, with the support of an academic for half a day per week.

Why a Placement? 

Instead of going into your third year of your degree, a student placement is an option to take a year out to work for an established industry relevant to your area of study. What’s the point of taking a year out when you could just finish that degree and get a job after?

Here’s a few reasons a placement may be the right option for you:

  • You will get real industry experience which will increase your employability and skills.
  • It will also help you apply what you have learnt in theory, so you will have a fantastic, competitive edge when entering the job market (and increased subject area knowledge!).
  • You will also figure out if the career you’re pursuing is really right for you and the different job roles within that sector that you may want to consider.
  • You may even be able to find a salaried placement.
  • And lastly, the obvious: you get great contacts! TopResume states that ‘60 percent of jobs are found through networking.’, so being able to reach out and build relationships will be vital to your job-search in the future.
  • Many times, students have been offered guaranteed graduate roles whilst taking a placement (Wouldn’t you love to spend your third year at Uni knowing you have a job lined up, with a company you are already comfortable with straight afterwards?!).

What’s a Placement Like?

Different for every organization and sector, a placement will technically be a full-time role. You will get a chance to develop your knowledge and skills practically which you build your skill set; this will be a fantastic head start when entering your final year of your degree! You will also work alongside an experienced team too, which will be a great way to network and ask questions.  

Some Stats to Think About

  • According to ISE Development Survey, the importance of work experience is highlighted by the fact that 87% of respondents agreed that a student who had completed an internship had a more enhanced skill set – than those who did not.
  • They also found that employers rehired an average of 43% of their placement students.
  • It is estimated that the average salary of students who have completed sandwich placements is 8% higher than those that did not, six months after graduating.

Where does Unitemps Come In?

Register with us on www.Unitemps.com where you will regularly see placements being posted. So far, we have placed 15 students on a placement since 2021 and we are excited to give more students the opportunity to develop their skill set. We have 6 live placement opportunities in a variety of sectors.

Other ways to get a Placement with Staffordshire University

MyCareer (Online/Science Centre):

The Career Coaches are there for you all week to support your with tailoring a CV or cover letter, coaching you for your next placement with mock interviews and supporting you in building your portfolio. Placement opportunities are also advertised on MyCareer, so check regularly!

Contact them via online (MyCareer), going into a drop-in session at the Science Centre, or emailing them at careers@staffs.ac.uk.


Employability Hub (Microsoft Teams):

Students will be automatically enrolled onto this page, where there will be jobs and placement opportunities regularly updated on their files. All opportunities will relate to a specific degree area, so that all students have a good chance at securing employment.

Useful Resources:

  1. www.ratemyplacement.co.uk
  2. www.prospects.ac.uk
  3. https://www.studentjob.co.uk/placement
  4. LinkedIn
  5. Indeed
  6. TotalJobs
  7. Gradcracker
  8. unitemps.com
  9. mycareer.staffs.ac.uk
  10. Bright Network
  11. Google Jobs
  12. Reed
  13. TargetJobs
  14. SimplyHired

Register with Unitemps Today:

https://www.unitemps.com/Register/Candidate

Follow Unitemps on Twitter for Regular Updates! @UnitempsStaffs

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

 

Local Jobs, Jobs & more Jobs

By jp4,

Witten by Career Coach, Sarah Hartley

With the uncertainty of COVID, no-one was sure what the job prospects would be, even for those who just wanted a temporary role. However, there is good news! Various different organisations are now starting to post the opportunities that they have available, and there is a wide variety to choose from! From working as a Barista in Costa to a Sales Assistant at the British Heart Foundation, there’s sure to be a role for you.

Roles available:

  • Temporary and permanent contracts
  • Part or full time hours
  • Fixed-term contracts available, which are typically 3 months long – perfect for summer!

Whatever you are looking for to fit around your studies there will be something for all students.

All of these roles can be found on MyCareer: https://www.staffs.ac.uk/students/careers/mycareer

This also means it is the perfect time to contact the Career Coaches for support with things such as your CV, interview tips, and much more! You can do this using any of the platforms below:

Email: careers@staffs.ac.uk 

Twitter: @CareersAtStaffs 

Instagram: @CareersAtStaffs 

Facebook: Staffordshire University​ Career & Personal Development 

Career Chat: https://www.staffs.ac.uk/students/careers/careers-studio/chat-to-our-careers-coaches

Getting Access to MyCareer

By jp4,

Written by Career Coach, Jade Wigley

Are you aware of what MyCareer can offer?

MyCareer is your career and personal development one-stop-shop to view and book onto career events, search for job opportunities and book appointments.

To access MyCareer you must be a student or graduate and use your account to log in, this is usually using your student email. You can access MyCareer by clicking this link – https://mycareer.staffs.ac.uk/student/home.html.

On MyCareer you can book onto career events.  Currently we have an opportunity to complete a TestFest exam on Microsoft Office which will equip you with training and skills to become a Microsoft expert! The exam will award you with a Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS), a Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA), an Adobe Certified Associate (ACA) and a Microsoft Technical Certification (MTC). This is a great chance to expand on your current Microsoft knowledge and make your CV standout with these certificated skills.

The platform also has regular updated job vacancies publicised. We can all find job searching a long and tiring task however, on MyCareer you can refine your search to make it easier and quicker to find jobs tailored to you. You can also search for placements, volunteering positions and work experience with just a few clicks of a button.  There are so many amazing opportunities up for grabs right now, do not miss out on them, they might just be right up your street!

Book an appointment with a Career Coach,  through MyCareer. You will receive information, advice and guidance with anything from career advice to helping you write a CV. We offer a peer-to-peer approach so that us as students can relate to what life whilst studying throws at us!

So, if you have not already, log onto MyCareer and see what benefits it has to 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

Career Chat: https://www.staffs.ac.uk/students/careers/careers-studio/chat-to-our-careers-coaches

 

 

Plan Ahead to Get Ahead

By jp4,

Written By Wil Lewis

There is nothing more fulfilling than getting to the end of your year at university and having that huge sigh of relief knowing that you get the whole of summer to relax and forget about the world for a while. It’s the best feeling and a well-deserved one at that! But what if this wasn’t the case? What if there was a way for you to strategically plan you summer so you can make the most of having a break AND being able to get the most of your next year at university?

Well, there is! There is two weeks of Get Ahead left for you to enjoy, with a whole host of activities to get stuck into. Of course, there will be those that are tailored to your school, however there is also the option to attend other programs and activities that are more focused at other schools too! With Q&A sessions to talk about LinkedIn and how to make the most of your summer as well as other fun sessions. These are all able to be found on the university webpage.
Why not make these weeks even more productive and add a bit of extra learning! Through LinkedIn learning, there is a wide range of certificates that you can get. With 25 new courses every week, why not push yourself or even learn a new skill that may benefit you in the future. This doesn’t just have to be something you do in Get Ahead week either! You can plan out your summer to incorporate learning something new and get ahead of your peers.

But what if you choose not to attend Get Ahead? All the skills from LinkedIn learning are still accessible, so are the Microsoft and Adobe certificates on university website. Options for you to maximise your summer potential are still high! Whether you’re going into your final year before graduation or are planning on taking that placement year after second year is done, there has never been a better time to start (or polish) your CV. Obviously, you aren’t in this alone. There is a wealth of help out there, whether it be your parents to help with the layout or the careers studio to help you perfect a template of your CV, you aren’t in it alone. Summer is the perfect time to really dig into the task and perfect it and trust me, you will really benefit from getting at this task early.
Naturally, your CV is a very important document. It gives you the gateway to the potential to score an interview and hopefully land that job you’ve always wanted. So why push it aside to the last minute? Give it some love!     
Here at the career’s studio, we are more than willing to lend that extra helping hand to ensure you are showing you skills and abilities in the best light as possible. From CV’s and cover letter writing to interview practice, we are here every step of the way to make your life easier.

Summer may be a fun, chilled time to relax and celebrate another year of university done. But why not use some of it to get ahead of your peers and really make yourself stand out!

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 

Career Chat: https://www.staffs.ac.uk/students/careers/careers-studio/chat-to-our-careers-coaches