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Finding a graduate job live chat 8 September 4-5pm

birminghamcityuni
Mon, 07 Sep 2015 14:11:44 GMT

Join our employment advisors with all your questions about getting a job.

BreenaN
Tue, 08 Sep 2015 13:55:22 GMT

Hello I have just graduated in Fashion Design however I have always had a love for numbers and would like to move into Finance. Is this possible ?

adwangel
Tue, 08 Sep 2015 14:41:59 GMT

Hi - A new question - NHS interview prep advice includes 'Learn about the organisation - what makes it different from others'. (1st Q) What is the expectation of the interview panel? Their vision etc is attached to the job advert and the website for the NHS Trust gives general information. (2nd Q) Any tips on learning more?

jaime-employmentadvisor
Tue, 08 Sep 2015 15:00:21 GMT

Hi everyone, my name is Jaime and I’m an Employment Advisor here are BCU. I am online today to answer any questions you may have and provide you with some relevant information and advice, where possible, to help you in securing your graduate level job! I can also point you in the right direction of some useful resources!

Naatashaar M
Tue, 08 Sep 2015 15:02:17 GMT

Hi, I've just graduated with a Psychology degree and have no plans of perusing a masters yet. I'm trying to get a Job in any field however I have no idea what I would want to do or what would be best to do. Any tips on how to figure out what to do ? I've been applying for office and administrative work as I feel like thats something I may be able to do easily

harps-employmentadvisor
Tue, 08 Sep 2015 15:05:24 GMT

Hello all and welcome to the Live Chat forum. I am Harps the Employment Advisor here at BCU for Health, Education and Life Sciences. We are a team of 4 Employment Advisors allocated to each faculty. The aim our role is to support recent graduates and final year students with employability support and anything relevant to securing that first Graduate role. Should you need more 1:1 support, we can refer to the relevant Employment Advisor appropriate to your faculty.

jaime-employmentadvisor
Tue, 08 Sep 2015 15:08:08 GMT

Sabreena – congratulations on achieving your degree. Firstly, don’t worry, I have worked with many graduates who start a career in another direction that's entirely different to their degree subject. It sounds as though you need some support from a Career Consultant who can discuss and explore career options with you. This can be done face to face or over the phone if you are no longer in the Birmingham area – I recommend that you request a Careers Guidance appointment using the new iASK service - https://iask.bcu.ac.uk/aspx_shared/login.aspx - I hope this helps!

raheema
Tue, 08 Sep 2015 15:09:38 GMT

Recent graduate in Business and Management and looking into the field of consultancy, preferably strategic consulting but I am finding it hard to look for a vacancy is located in Birmingham and that does not require experience in the field

Danny Chauhan
Tue, 08 Sep 2015 15:10:05 GMT

Hi i recently graduated from bcu in the feild of networking and security and wish to purse graduate schemes what the best way that i can make an employer notice me when i have limited exspericne in the field?

lulu-l
Tue, 08 Sep 2015 15:10:12 GMT

Hi I just graduated with a degree in Fashion Design, but I am finding it difficult to find a menswear design or fashion related job in the midlands. I've applied for design several jobs and I been turned down before interview stages, I would like to stay within fashion although I am not sure exactly what jobs I can do with my degree within this field. If I have to go into other areas until I find a design job I would like to do admin/office or fashion retail work. I am just after some information on the next steps I could take or what I can do to become more employable?

harps-employmentadvisor
Tue, 08 Sep 2015 15:19:02 GMT

Great Questions adwangle. Preparing for an interview can be quite daunting if you have never had an interview before, especially with the NHS. 1) The expectation from the NHS interview panel is that you understand what is important to them and understand the role you are being interviewed for. Yes the NHS include information about them in their Job advertisement. Although this information has been supplied you should aim to complete additional research around the department/profession and objectives moving forward. This will show you have kept up to date with recent news, policies and practices within the NHS. This will help strengthen your answer and perhaps stand out from those that have not taken the time to research. 2) Tips for learning more… I would recommend you visit https://icity.bcu.ac.uk/student-services/careers-and-job-prospects/faculty-careers-resources/health for further resources on Health Careers. You may also want to consider booking in for a mock interview via the ASK service to gain some feedback on your interview skills.

jaime-employmentadvisor
Tue, 08 Sep 2015 15:19:48 GMT

Hi Naatashaar, I recommend that you keep exploring what jobs are out there and apply for roles that are of interest to you but you may also benefit from a guidance appointment with a Career Consultant if you feel you would like some help with direction. Are you also aware of the BCU online jobs board? You can sign up to receive job alerts on your chosen areas of interest - http://bcun.prospects.ac.uk/ You could also check out the relevant psychology vacancy sources on Icity - https://icity.bcu.ac.uk/Student-Services/Careers-and-job-prospects/Faculty-Careers-Resources/Education-Law-Social-Sciences/employers-and-vacancy-sources/index

harps-employmentadvisor
Tue, 08 Sep 2015 15:29:00 GMT

Hey Raheema, If you have not already, register to Linked In to build a network and complete job search. Employers are using this as a tool to headhunt candidates, but also gives you the opportunity to have discussions with those that are already in Consultancy work within West Midlands to find out about their journey, and perhaps get recommendations to employers you can approach. You may also want to consider registering to the BCU Jobs board to look for local opportunities http://bcun.prospects.ac.uk/

jaime-employmentadvisor
Tue, 08 Sep 2015 15:29:10 GMT

HI Danny, great questions. If it is graduate schemes you are after, there's a great website - http://www.savethestudent.org/student-jobs/graduate-scheme-deadlines-20102011.html that has done the hard work for you in highlighting many of the graduate schemes that are around. You will notice that this list is for 2014/15 but it will still give you an idea of what websites to keep an eye on for their 2015/16 schemes! In terms of standing out from the crowd to an employer, the best way to do this is to ensure that you write a brilliantly tailored application that perfectly demonstrates that you have the right skills and experience to carry out the job/graduate scheme they are recruiting for. As employment advisors, we are here to help with this, so please do email us at [email protected] with your application documents, CV and covering letters and the job description of the job you are applying for, so that we can review them and provide you with any recommendations for improvement before you send your application off to the employer. Hope this helps for now Danny!

adwangel
Tue, 08 Sep 2015 15:33:54 GMT

Thank harp re the interview questions - great help.

jbarros1
Tue, 08 Sep 2015 15:36:09 GMT

Hi, I just graduated in English and creative writing and would like to get into teaching. I'm planning to do a pgce next year but for now I wanted to get a teaching assistant role or something, so I can gain experience. Do you know any website that could have immediate vacancies for midlands or London?

jaime-employmentadvisor
Tue, 08 Sep 2015 15:39:44 GMT

Hi Lulu, thanks for waiting! I am the employment advisor for the Art, Design and Media faculty, so I am happy to help you with some tailored job search and by reviewing your CV/covering letter /application form before you send them out, to ensure that they best match the job you are applying for. I would still focus on your primary job goal but it’s good to be open minded about other roles that will also help to enhance your CV to also get you there eventually! If you’d like to email your CV to [email protected] for my attention, then I will review it in the first instance and also carry out some job search for you! Hope this helps for now…

harps-employmentadvisor
Tue, 08 Sep 2015 15:46:54 GMT

Hello jbarros1, Congratulations on your achievement! I would recommend you are open minded about different roles within Education. As well as Teaching Assistant roles, have you considered Academic Mentor roles? This will allow you to get great experience within the Education field. We recently had opportunities advertised on the Jobsboard, keep an eye out on this. Not only that, look at local school web pages as they normally advertise direct via own website, or through local authority websites (Both West Midlands and London). Sign up for agencies that specialise in T.A roles, start with using Indeed to search for agencies with live opportunities. Prior to doing this, you can send your CV to [email protected] to have your CV checked prior to submitting to any employer.

jbarros1
Tue, 08 Sep 2015 15:57:02 GMT

Thanks for the advice @harps!

harps-employmentadvisor
Tue, 08 Sep 2015 16:00:20 GMT

Thanks for joining both Jaime and I in the live chat forum this afternoon. Jaime has left information on how to get further support if you missed the session. We’ll also keep you posted on any future chat events. Over and Out!

jaime-employmentadvisor
Tue, 08 Sep 2015 16:00:23 GMT

Thanks for to all who have joined us today - I hope you have found thisa useful experience. If you have missed this session but would still like our support with career direction or perhaps with some help securing a graduate level job, please contact the Careers and Job Prospects Team at - www.bcu.ac.uk/myfuture