Careers Training and Development
We have developed a specific careers training and development programme for all of our students. Each student will have the opportunity to attend our different workshops below, together with one-to-one career coaching and individual action plans.
Starting your career journey: what, where, how?
The first stage in a career journey begins with self-assessment (evaluating your skills, needs and career values) and researching the sector and companies you want to work with.
What will I learn?
It involves introspection – what are your key skills, research about the field you are interested in getting into, if the career and pay prospects are in line with what you expect – doing a reality check if you have the aptitude for the role and if your personal values are in line with the prospective company objectives.
CV writing
The UK standard CV summarises your academic, professional and personal contact details and any affiliations or interests.
What will I learn?
The structure, format, language, voice, and even the look of a UK CV is different to the CV used in Europe, Africa, Asia, in the Pacific, Middle East etc. (that is, the Do's and Don'ts vary). Chances of finding a job diminish with a poor CV and there exists a very real risk of getting screened out on the first stage of a job application process.
Cover letter writing
In the UK, each job application should always have an accompanying cover letter which is customised for that job.
What will I learn?
The cover letter starts with a brief profile and allows you to sell your unique skills that make you most suited to the role (to match what is asked for in the job description, with examples). Skills could either be gained academically or through your prior experiences and your letter should highlight your motivation to join this particular company, explain any gaps in your CV, express your availability to interview, etc.
Building your personal brand and networking
In this workshop you will understand the concepts of creating your 'personal brand' for career success and understand how to create networks for career success.
What will I learn?
We will touch upon the 'video resume', the 7 steps to successful networking, how to use blogs business cards personal websites and webpages networking sites to the best advantage, the importance of creating an achievement's database, the '30 second elevator pitch'.
Using social media for career success (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc.)
In this day and age, we witness the increased use of social media - not only in our personal but professional lives.
What will I learn?
This workshop is meant to be interactive. We will touch upon the various social media or professional and networking sites available, the purpose of each, the kind of subscribers, followers and trends. Most importantly you will learn how you can use them to your best advantage.
Informational interviewing
An informational interview involves talking with people who are currently working in your field of interest to gain a better understanding of the occupation or industry and more importantly to build a network of contacts in that field over a period of time (usually a year). This can also be used to gain valuable information for your dissertation.
What will I learn?
Although the purpose is not to ask for a job, if you impress the interviewee he / she may remember you when a vacancy does come up. The workshop will touch upon how to prepare, how and where to target relevant interviewee's, the type of questions you should ask (samples of informational interview letters and emails and how to structure the call if done via phone) and the etiquettes.
Job search strategies & online resources
Invaluable tips on how to look for a job, techniques you can use to your advantage.
What will I learn?
We will cover networking and referral, reference book list and other resources including recommended job sites, niche career websites (on Energy, FMCG, Finance, Consulting, Media, Healthcare, Technology, etc.) as well as recommended recruiter / executive search firm lists for graduate or more experienced candidates.
Interviewing
In this workshop, we will touch upon the purpose of the interview, preparation for the interview, types of interviews, how to handle and answer questions in the widely accepted and result oriented STAR format.
What will I learn?
We will also discuss etiquettes, competency based interviews, the questions you can ask back which put you in better light.
What-is series: careers in financial services
In this workshop you will understand the different career paths in the Financial Services for postgraduate students. Graduates are often surprised by how many different career paths there are within financial services.
What will I learn?
Although people can join at various levels and the size of many companies and banks in the industry also opens up opportunities in areas such as IT, Human Resources and Training, Marketing, Project Management and Product Development – we will explain the main areas of work and then delve deeper into key roles in the Investment Banking sector. You will touch upon typical tasks and job responsibilities under each role and also be provided with a list of investment banks.
What-is series: careers in marketing
This workshop introduces you to the different options available to you within the field of marketing.
What will I learn?
We examine the differences between Strategic Marketing, Marketing Communications and Marketing Operations and look at ways in which students can enter different industries. We focus on key resources and how to you differentiate with prospective marketing employers.
What-is series: careers in consulting
This workshop introduces you to the different options available to you within the field of consulting.
What will I learn?
At a time when recruitment by management consultancies is recovering after the global economic slowdown, we will be discussing: How, where and when to look for consultancy careers, Why strategy consulting isn't the only game in town, What life as a consultant is really like.
