Guide to Career
Planning
2014-15
Careers Service
Your success.
Our goal.
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Graduate and internship opportunities
As we set out to shape the future of Barclays, we are looking to our
graduates and interns to play their part. Whichever part of the business
you join, your innovation, drive and inspiration will take us forward.
You’ll get every opportunity to make a positive impact, and our full
support when you do. And it all starts today.
barclays.com/joinus
Go a long way,
the right way.
For most students, irrespective of degree discipline, an important question is bound to be ‘What will I do after I finish university?’ Well, you have already made the first step towards the answer by picking up this Guide.
Aimed at both undergraduates and postgraduates, the Guide provides useful information to assist, whatever your career goal. It leads you through the process of making your career choice and planning your job-hunting strategy with practical advice on how to succeed.
You will find information on the career destinations of past Imperial graduates and a section devoted to further study and working internationally.
Successful career planning starts early, and by that we really do mean your first year; it is not enough these days to just apply for graduate jobs on the basis of a good degree alone. Companies expect you to have engaged with all available ways to develop your skills such as volunteering, internships, sports and societies so planning your time effectively from year one will make job applications much easier. Remember that the Careers Service is here to help, whether your career goals are well developed or still quite vague. We offer one-to-one advice, workshops, seminars, and online and hard-copy resources. We also work closely with your department to ensure that you get information that is tailored to your subject and offer support for
placements and internships.
Working directly with companies, we run a programme of events including careers fairs, forums and company presentations. Our website holds information on over 8,000 employers, covering all sectors from multinationals and public sector to start-ups and charities. Our online career management system, JobsLive, has up-to-date information on placements, internships and graduate vacancies, all aimed
specifically at Imperial College students. To find out more, have a look at our website www.imperial.ac.uk/careers and register with JobsLive. You can also drop in to see us and browse our materials in the Information Room.
Most companies start their application process early in the autumn term for both graduate jobs and summer internships so don’t get caught out by leaving things too late!
We look forward to helping you.
www.imperial.ac.uk/careers
Welcome
THE IMPERIAL GUIDE TO CAREER PLANNING 2015
1
Elspeth Farrar, Director, Careers Service, Imperial College London
Welcome!
Step inside for help
with your career
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10.00am–5.15pm Monday to Friday Imperial College Careers Service Imperial College London Level 5, Sherfield Building South Kensington CampusLondon, SW7 2AZ Contact us Tel: 020 7594 8024 www.imperial.ac.uk/ careers Opening times Produced by GTI Media Ltd The Fountain Building Howbery Park Benson Lane Wallingford Oxon OX10 8BA UK T: +44 (0)1491 826262 www.groupgti.com
Editor Jane Pooler Editorial Sam Pope Design Jane Anderson Proofreader Gabrielle Orcutt Advertising Luke St George, sales product champion; the TARGETjobs sales team; the campaign management team Commercial director Jon Mallott Sales director Simon Rogers Marketing director Chloe Burgess Production director Jane Anderson Publisher Matt Dacey Group CEO Graham Storey ISSN: 1479-8964 ISBN: 1 84318 862 7 Printer Headley Brothers, Ashford
GTI Media works in association with AGCAS to provide top quality careers advice to university students.
4 Take every opportunity
5 Here to help
8 Life after Imperial
10 Start now to get ahead
12 Skilfully done
14 Career planning step by step
16 All experience is good experience
18 JobsLive in three easy steps
19 Who do you know?
21 Working in the UK for international and EEA students
22 The global graduate
25 Further study
29 The skills hit list
30 First impressions count
34 To the letter
36 Ace applications
37 In the hot seat
39 Your time to shine
Imperial and your career
Planning and developing your
career
An international career
Postgraduate study
Applications and interviews
Who do
you know?
THE IMPERIAL GUIDE TO CAREER PLANNING 2015
3
www.imperial.ac.uk/careers
42 Leading employers and course providers who want to hear from you
Employers
BAE Systems ...43
Bain & Company...43
Barclays Bank PLC ...IFC The Boston Consulting Group ...43
CHP Consulting ...(44) 43 CII ...44
Corporate Value Associates (CVA) ...44
Credo...45
Dialog Semiconductor ...45
Dixon Wilson ...45
Dstl (Defence Science & Technology Laboratory)...45
FTI Consulting ...(46) 46 GSK...46
Hiscox Insurance ...47
Integration Management Consulting ..47
Johnson Matthey ...47
KPMG LLP ...IBC, 47 Lazard ...48
L.E.K. Consulting ...48
M&G Investments ...48
McKinsey & Company ...48
Morgan Stanley ...OBC, 49 Mott MacDonald ...(49) 49 National Grid ...50 Newton Europe...50 Oliver Wyman...50 PA Consulting Group...50 RBB Economics...51 Schlumberger...51 Strategy& ...52
Swiss Reinsurance Company Ltd ...52
Teach First ...52
Tessella Ltd ...52
ThoughtWorks ...53
TPP (The Phoenix Partnership) Ltd ...53
TRW ...53
UHY Hacker Young ...53
Course providers
London Business School ...(56)IFC = inside front cover OBC = outside back cover IBC = inside back cover ( ) = Display advertising
Jobs and course providers
At your Careers Service website
Go to www.imperial.ac.uk/careers for... • jobs and opportunities you won’t want
to miss – register on JobsLive • answers to your questions on topics
ranging from further study to how we can help you get that job – in our CV and application form workshops! • downloads/audio presentations from
careers events
• information for international students • more!
And don’t forget
Go to targetjobs.co.uk to find your ideal graduate job, work placement or part-time job. You can search thousands of vacancies by sector and location, as well as access top-notch careers advice. And go to targetpostgrad.com if you’re considering postgraduate study. Find the right course for you, as well as advice on funding and how your postgraduate study options affect your career prospects.
www.imperial.ac.uk/careers
First
impressions
count,
page 30
interactive business games and case studies, giving you another opportunity to prepare yourself effectively for a range of professional and business sectors.
Employers want to hear from
students at Imperial like you.
So attend careers events,
meet employers on campus
and find out all you can.
I
mperial College London isn’t just agreat place to study – the employment prospects are excellent too. A wide spectrum of firms wants to recruit Imperial students, not just those who are active in science and engineering. Imperial is targeted by many large multinational firms, but these aren’t the only option – some students choose to start their career in smaller organisations or startups.Meeting employers
From as early as the start of your second year, take every opportunity to meet employers on campus. The big firms start recruiting for summer internships well before Christmas, so keep your eye on events organised by the Careers Service, including fairs, forums, lunchtime talks and workshops.
Fairs – these enable you to meet many
companies at the same time, to collect information on them and compare opportunities.
Forums – these provide an
opportunity to find out more about careers in a specialist area, by listening to, and networking with, a panel of professionals.
Lunchtime talks – these are
50-minute talks, usually by graduate employers, which give a taster of various career areas or a look at recruitment processes.
Employer presentations – these
may be on or off-campus and aim to promote an organisation and the career opportunities they offer. You get the chance to meet representatives, including
recently recruited graduates, and find out more about the company’s culture and what people do day to day.
Employer-led skills workshops –
these take place on Wednesday afternoons in the autumn and spring terms. They enable you to develop skills for the selection process, which may involve applications, interviews or assessment centres, as well as important commercial skills such as presenting and negotiating. By interacting with the recruiter in this way, you show you are proactive and keen on self-improvement, while finding out more about what they do. Some of the workshops comprise
I found events
organised by the Careers
Service very useful. The employer
talks and events gave me a lot of
helpful general information about
different industries, which has helped me
when making job applications. As well as
gaining an insight into a company and what
kind of qualities they are looking for, you
can also get an employer’s business card,
allowing you to contact them
direct.
Kun Zhao, MSc advanced chemical engineering (2010)
Imperial
and your
career
Events in 2014–2015
The following events are organised by the Careers Service:2014
9 October Finance and Consulting Fair
16 October Energy Industry Forum 23 October Engineering Careers Fair 30 October Consulting Forum 6 November Science Forum 13 November IT & Technology Careers
Fair
20 November Manufacturing Forum 27 November Charities & Not for Profit
Forum
2015
22 January PhD Forum 29 January Science Careers Fair 5 February Career Women’s Forum 19 February Internship Careers Fair 14 May PhD Careers Fair 21 May Summer Recruitment Fair To find out about events and book to attend, register on JobsLive at www.imperial.ac.uk/careers/jobslive.
Take every
opportunity
THE IMPERIAL GUIDE TO CAREER PLANNING 2015
5
Imperial and your career
www.imperial.ac.uk/careers
aspect of the graduate recruitment process from CVs to preparing for aptitude tests
• find what you need via the ‘A–Z’ and ‘Search the Careers Website’ facility.
Search and book online with
JobsLive
By registering with JobsLive on
www.imperial.ac.uk/careers you can
access the following:
• details of job opportunities such as graduate positions, training programmes, internships, part-time work and volunteering opportunities • a database of employers by job type,
industry sector etc
• book a place on employer events such as occupational talks, company presentations, careers forums, and employer-led skills workshops • registration for careers seminars and
workshops.
Here to help
From work placements and
job opportunities to further
study and careers advice,
we’re here to help.
he Careers Service provides a wide range of resources. These include: • comprehensive information, advice, vacancies etc – all accessible online at
www.imperial.ac.uk/careers
• the Careers Information Room – you’re welcome to come in and browse at any time, pick up take-away handouts and publications, consult reference files, use the computers or find a space just to sit and read
• events organised by careers, such as careers fairs, talks and workshops, that put you in touch with employers • workshops and seminars run by the
team of careers consultants to assist
you with CVs, applications, or the interview and assessment centre process • and last, but not least, confidential
one-to-one appointments with a careers consultant for guidance on careers-related issues.
Read on to find out more about all the ways in which the Careers Service is here to help.
Start with our website
www.imperial.ac.uk/careers
This comprehensive resource meets many of your information needs:
• career planning in the Undergraduates section encourages you to reflect on yourself, your skills, qualities and interests and how these relate to possible careers
• the Resources section offers a wide range of information such as handouts, publications, downloads of events and talks, useful tips and videos on every
Careers seminars and workshops
As well as the careers talks by careers staff in your department, which you’ll hear about from them or from your departmental careers adviser, a rolling programme of central seminars on topics such as CVs, interviews and assessment centres is also run in the Careers Service. These are bookable via JobsLive.
As a first step to producing an effective CV, we suggest that you attend a CV seminar, apply the tips and suggestions given to your own CV, and then, if you still have queries, book a 20-minute consultation with a careers consultant for feedback.
Getting advice from a careers
consultant
Our team of professionally qualified and experienced careers consultants offers you confidential, one-to-one guidance about any issue related to planning your career, such as your career options, how to find out more about opportunities of interest to you, deciding on your next step, getting feedback on your CV or helping to prepare for interviews.
The careers consultant’s role isn’t to tell you what job to do or match you up with specific employers but to provide advice and guidance on how to move forward, make decisions and promote what you have to offer more effectively. You can seek individual guidance in the following ways:
• 20-minute consultations: these are offered daily in the morning and afternoon during term time and in the afternoon during vacations.
Tom Wheeler, BSc physics (2014), Student Union President (2014–2015)
During the final year of my degree I found the Careers Service to be invaluable. Making decisions about my future career was a huge challenge, but knowing that I had an experienced, helpful and honest adviser to talk to made these decisions much more manageable. I received help with every aspect of my job applications, from figuring out which companies I should apply to and writing a CV and covering letter to preparing for job interviews. This then led to a job offer from an investment bank and opportunities to attend several other interviews/ assessment centre days. When I decided to stand for Union President, I received even more advice from the Careers Service regarding how to proceed with my job offer – support which has put me in a strong position for my future career. • 40-minute consultations: longer careers
consultations are also available. If you’re located away from the South Kensington campus, you can request a telephone or Skype consultation. • Contacting us by email: you can also
email your questions to
[email protected] and we will point you in the right direction.
Departmental careers advisers
Remember, your academic department also has a departmental careers adviser whom you can contact for advice on degree-related careers as well as on postgraduate study and research.
If you have a disability or a specific
learning difficulty, eg dyslexia
The Careers Service is committed to making the full range of services available to all students; whatever your particular requirements, we can help you with information, guidance and advice in a variety of formats to suit your needs, and in a comfortable environment. The College’s disabilities adviser can also be contacted for further guidance:
Disability Service
Room 567c, Sherfield Building Tel: 020 7594 9755
Email: [email protected]
Visit the Careers Information Room!
Come to the Careers Information Room to browse, access reference materials, use one of the PCs for your research and pick up information, booklets or leaflets of interest. Much of the information is there for you to take away.
Level 5, Sherfield Building South Kensington Campus
Tel: 020 7594 8024 Email: [email protected] www.imperial.ac.uk/careers
H
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Monday to Friday, 10.00am–5.00pm, including vacations. Opening timesH
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and finance or management consultancy
• Inside Careers publications on a range of occupations
A wealth of information on occupations can also be found online:
www.imperial.ac.uk/careers/ occupations.
THE IMPERIAL GUIDE TO CAREER PLANNING 2015
7
Imperial and your career
www.imperial.ac.uk/careers
What’s available? What is it? Why do it?
20-minute consultation 20 minutes with a member of the careers staff. Book online on the same day viaJobsLive.
An ideal starting point for specific questions, eg feedback on your CV, cover letter or application form.
Internship placement 20-minute consultation
20 minutes with a placement and internship officer. Book online on the same day via JobsLive.
Advice on finding and applying for internships and placements.
40-minute consultation A 40-minute, one-to-one session with a careers consultant. You need to book in advance in person or by phone.
Allows detailed discussion about your options. Helps you to focus on what you want and form strategies to achieve your goals.
Final 5-minute CV check A 5-minute final CV check is available in the autumn and spring terms. Look on our website for details of how to book.
You receive some quick, final feedback on your CV before sending it off.
Careers seminars A weekly programme of seminars on a range of topics given by members of the careers staff.
You get information on CVs, interviews or assessment centres. Seminars are run to coincide with different stages in the recruitment cycle.
Workshops on interviews and
assessment centre tasks
Develop and practise your skills in an activity-based small-group workshop, facilitated by a careers staff member.
Good if you’re about to attend an interview or assessment centre or simply want to have a go and improve your skills in activities such as group exercises, in-tray exercises, presentations and interviews.
Employer-led careers workshops and talks
A full programme of occupational and skills talks and workshops given by external speakers. Check the Career Choice publication and JobsLive for details in the autumn and spring terms.
You can become better informed and better prepared for the selection process by attending these, find out more about a range of careers or develop your teamwork, interview or presentation skills; or practise a ‘case study’.
What advice and guidance do we offer?
Hard copy and online information isorganised as follows: • exploring your options
• exploring occupations or further study • exploring working abroad
• applying for jobs • company information.
The information team is always on hand to help point you in the right direction and a comfortable study area is available, enabling you to make the most of your visit.
Examples of resources for you to take away are:
• handouts written by careers staff on every aspect of career planning, eg getting started, researching your options, producing an effective CV, coping with psychometric tests or other selection-process exercises, postgraduate study, etc
• TARGETjobs publications on a range of job sectors such as engineering, City
The end of your degree marks
the beginning of a world of
opportunities. Here’s what four
Imperial alumni have to say...
Solving an 11-year problem
By my fourth year I knew where I wanted to work, thanks to two summer placements in the railway industry. I was very happy to accept a place on the TfL Mechanical Engineering Graduate Scheme, as it was my first choice of places to work. The two-year graduate scheme consisted of three-month placements and I gained a variety of skills and knowledge. Highlights included developing my own macro, night shifts delivering new trains to London, working on the feasibility project of driverless trains and one placement based in Perth, Australia!
Playing an important part
I’ve since rolled off the scheme into a project engineer role for the replacement of gearbox bearings on the Central line. It’s actually much more interesting than it sounds; a large part of the role involves designing and building a text rig to demonstrate that the replacement bearing won’t show the fatigue failure that the current bearings show. It’s an important part of the project, and one that the company is very interested in because it will help solve an 11-year problem. I am responsible for the build of the rig and the completion of testing, and this has given me great experience of designing and engineering as well as management, costing and being held accountable.
Developing management skills
I’m working towards Chartership with the IMechE and will hopefully achieve this by the end of the year. I also work closely with the IMechE Railway Division to organise events, including an annual visit to railways around the world; last year this was based in Canada. Being involved in this really helped develop my management and leadership skills in the first two years of the scheme when it was difficult to obtain these through placements. It’s been very interesting and exciting so far and I look forward to working on future TfL projects!
Graduated with an MEng in materials science and engineering in 2010
Leadership and learning
opportunities
After graduating I took a gap year, travelling and volunteering in Latin America, before starting my career search. I knew I wanted to work in finance or business and the wide variety of career paths and different global locations offered by a global oil and gas company really appealed, and I joined ExxonMobil in 2007.
Gaining exposure
My first role was as a business analyst within the finance department, monitoring and reporting on operating costs for the marine fuels department and presenting these monthly to the director. This involved global interaction – quite a responsibility in my first year! Then I moved to a more senior position in marine fuels, reporting on the overall finances of the business. In my third year, I moved to the gas marketing team with more responsibility and exposure to accounting, including formally overseeing the work of others and thinking about the direction of the group and its activities. Additionally, I helped oversee the divestment of a major part of the UK portfolio, which was a unique opportunity to work on a project with no precedent. My next move was to the internal audit department, which was brilliant due to the variety of work and location.
I qualified as a management accountant (CIMA) within three years of joining the company. This involved lots of work outside the office to attend classes and prepare for exams.
Variety and challenge
My current role involves undertaking different audits, each of which lasts three to four weeks and focuses on a different part of the organisation, often in a different country, eg in Russia, the Middle East, Europe or Africa. As well as the variety, there’s the challenge of quickly understanding a new subject and having an in-depth discussion with someone who has been working in that area for up to 20 years. There are opportunities for leadership too, managing the audit team. Working with people from many different nationalities and backgrounds, and interacting closely with senior management, provides great learning opportunities.
He is now an internal auditor at ExxonMobil. Graduated with a BSc in maths in 2006
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2006
Now
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She is now a project engineer (mechanical) at TfL (Transport for London).
Life after
Imperial
THE IMPERIAL GUIDE TO CAREER PLANNING 2015
9
Imperial and your career
www.imperial.ac.uk/careers
Advising the government
Before graduating, I benefited from two industry placements, which had taxonomy at their core (fungi and beetles), so it seemed sensible to continue that theme with an MSc in taxonomy and biodiversity at the Natural History Museum (London). Specialising in such a niche topic may seem limiting but it was quite the opposite, since the differentiation and naming of organisms is central to all biological research, from genetics and biotechnology to ecology and evolutionary theory. To this day, I still use the skills and knowledge I learned back then.
Outstripping the competition
After a few years’ volunteering in the wilderness (Tanzania and the north Atlantic), and my fair share of temping jobs to fund it all, I returned to a PhD in oceanography, which allowed me to focus my efforts and experience into an early career in tropical marine ecology. Shortly after gaining my doctorate, I was offered two jobs advertised in the New Scientist and accepted my current post. I’m sure that having a strong academic core and broad taxonomic skill set, together with tailoring my experience to the job description and emphasising my transferable skills, was crucial to me outstripping the competition.
By land and sea
Among my present responsibilities, I research the potential impacts of offshore activities such as wind-farm construction and dredging for aggregate, as well as advising the government on their licensing. Although my job is land-based, I do occasionally get to spend time on research vessels at sea (euphemistically called ‘cruises’) and have even appeared in a documentary by the National Geographic (pictured). Applied science might not be to everyone’s taste – it can sometimes seem less in-depth than pure research – but it is certainly varied and never boring. A career in science requires sacrifice and perseverance but in my opinion it’s definitely worth it in the end.
Ensuring design alignment
I applied for an internship with BP in my third year at Imperial, as I’d previously done an internship at a much smaller company and had enjoyed that very much. I felt that a larger corporation would provide a good comparison and allow me to determine the environment in which I wanted to work. The internship gave me the opportunity to really experience what it is like to work at BP. The travelling and networking with employees from other parts of the company in the main offices helped me learn about all the different disciplines and what people did in BP.
An early job offer
The way I was looked after during my placement and the company’s willingness to invest in my learning helped me consider applying for a graduate job. At the end of the internship I completed an assessment and was offered a graduate position, so it was great returning to my final year knowing I had a job lined up. I joined BP’s Challenge Programme in September 2012, and work within our Global Projects Organisation. I have been assigned to the Shah Deniz Project, based in Azerbaijan. In my role, I spend a large amount of time working on the interfaces between the team I am in and the people designing the offshore platform, ensuring design alignment.
A unique role
It has been a great experience, as my role is quite unique for a process engineer. The company is moving forward with more subsea projects so my improved understanding and newly acquired skills should prove beneficial in the future. Graduated with a BSc in
applied biology (1997)
MSc in advanced methods in taxonomy and biodiversity (Natural History Museum (London) 1998).
PhD in oceanography (Southampton 2005). He is now a benthic
(seabed) ecologist at Cefas (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science).
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1998
2005
Now
She is now a process engineer at BP.
Cl
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Now
P h o to b y Tino So riano / Na tional Geographic Graduated with an MEng in chemical engineering in 2012First year
Your degree is important and must be your first priority. But university life offers so much more than just the chance for academic study.
Getting involved in clubs and societies or volunteering is good for your social life, helps you settle in more quickly and makes your CV stand out too. Work experience in vacation time is useful, even if it’s in routine customer service roles, as this helps demonstrate skills that future employers seek. Participating in the new Imperial Horizons programme –
www.imperial.ac.uk/horizons – will help you see your subject in a broader societal and multidisciplinary context and provide you with opportunities to work and debate with students from other faculties. So take action now – get involved in activities that interest and excite you – and make the most of your first year at Imperial!
Find some vacation work
Most people need to earn some money during the long summer break, and the Careers Service can point you in the right direction. Start by searching on our website
www.imperial.ac.uk/careers – and read the article on work experience on page 16. Many internships are only open to penultimate-year students so you also need to actively network and approach organisations directly – there’s more on page 19.
Volunteer
There are lots of interesting projects in the local area that you could get involved with. Volunteering is worthwhile: while helping others out, you help yourself too! See
www.imperial.ac.uk/volunteering.
Join clubs and societies
Take up a new sport or develop a new interest. You will meet new and interesting people, make new friends and all this will be great for your CV too.
Start now to
get ahead
Y
our university years should besome of the most interesting and enjoyable of your life so you need to make the most of theopportunities available in and out of College. The next few pages give you some ideas about how to make the most of everything you do whilst at Imperial and increase your future employability too!
• Plan – this helps you achieve more and make the most of your time. Take advantage of opportunities around you, in and out of College, and follow your interests. Have a plan but keep an open mind too.
• Take advice – build on the experience of others: learn from them, take their advice, test it out, accept some of it, reject some too and adapt what works for you.
• Learn from your mistakes – this is an important part of life experience. It can help to keep a note of the progress you make, how you’ve learnt from new experiences, including the setbacks along the way.
Ioannis Mariggis, MEng electrical and electronic engineering (third year)
At Imperial, there are great opportunities to bring ideas beyond the classroom. My engagements with the Shell Ideas360 Competition and the ICStartup Venture Catalyst Challenge have taught me, through hands-on experience, how an idea is to be treated not only from a technical but also from a management and business perspective. They have also helped me develop my research and analytical abilities, as well as entrepreneurial and team-working skills. I would strongly encourage students to get involved with such activities, as they can become a great asset to your professional development – and of course to your CV.
G
e
t i
nvo
lv
ed!
It is never too early to start
building your skills base and
enhancing your employability.
Employers
look for team players
who understand the
bigger picture. Imperial
Horizons will help define you
with a unique set of Imperial
graduate attributes.
Elspeth Farrar, Director of the Careers Service
Finalist
You’ve studied, worked and played hard but now you have to sell that experience to employers... and fast!
Penultimate year
Now is the time to start thinking seriously about your future career. Not having any idea what you want to do is no excuse to delay finding out about the possibilities! You are surrounded by many sources of information: careers consultants, Careers Service resources, the internet, tutors, friends and family. Don’t just coast through this year: start planning your life now! The start of the second or penultimate year is the time to set your sights higher and raise your game.THE IMPERIAL GUIDE TO CAREER PLANNING 2015
11
Imperial and your career
www.imperial.ac.uk/careers
Need help?
You can get information and advice on career options with your subject, graduate options, employers, further study and much more from the Careers Information Room and on our website www.imperial.ac.uk/careers.
We’re here to help
The Careers Service is a good starting place if you need help firming up your plans or if you simply have no idea where to start.
Pop in to speak to one of the information staff.
Arrange an appointment with a careers consultant for either a 20-minute or 40-20-minute consultation. Check out our website for all the advice and information you need to plan and develop your career: www.imperial.ac.uk/careers and register with JobsLive for updates by email.
Get going
October in your final year is a good
time to put your career plans into action. Start thinking seriously about your future, if you have not already done so. Take advantage of the many events happening in the autumn term that bring you into contact with employers, such as talks, skills workshops and fairs. Information on all these can be found on the Careers Service website or inCareer Choice.
Internships
Your penultimate year may be the best time to do an internship. What you will gain: • insight into a sector
• an opportunity to discover if a job is for you
• contacts in your chosen industry • experience to talk about in job
applications and interviews
• possibly even a job! (Many companies use internships to fast-track you into graduate jobs).
Find out more on page 16 and by visiting www.imperial.ac.uk/careers.
Meet employers
At all the events happening, especially in the autumn term, such as fairs, forums, talks and skills sessions. Details can be found on www.imperial.ac.uk/careers or pick up a copy of Career Choice from the Careers Service.
Committee work
This is excellent preparation for life after university. You learn to set agendas, run meetings, agree actions, persuade other students to do things, work within budgets and plan a variety of events.
Get involved
It’s time to put your skills to the test! Organise a social event for your department, look after the finances of a society or become fixtures secretary of your team. The more effort you put into something, the more you get out of it.
ever organised
an event and sold tickets, raised funds for a charity or an expedition? How did you manage the resources or promote the event to save or to make more money?
Consider the commercial implications of what you’ve done in all your work experience. Think about how your ideas, problem-solving or technical approach made a difference. Perhaps your improved computer program or novel way of approaching an engineering problem helped to deliver a higher standard of work to clients? Maybe you improved a database that made the organisation more effective by increasing profits or minimising losses. Even filling supermarket shelves creates sales opportunities!
Keep up to date by regularly reading quality broadsheets to increase your awareness of current affairs and business issues. And take advantage of what Imperial has to offer:
• find out what’s involved in starting a new venture here at
www.imperial.ac.uk/entrepreneurship
• take part in business game workshops, led by employers from industry and commerce and solve typical business and management problems.
And finally...
• For more general ideas on how to develop your skills, visit
www.imperial.ac.uk/careers/ug.
• Have a look at The skills hit list – what employers want on page 29 for more ideas about your skills and how to develop them further.
• Consult a careers consultant – they have expertise in matching your skills to relevant careers and can help you to plan how to develop yourself further.
Marc Ewenz Rocher, MEng aeronautical engineering (first year)
The ‘Professional Skills for Employability’ Horizons Course was an excellent opportunity to improve my understanding of employability and to link my current work at College to my future goals and objectives. It gave me the chance to practise and understand the importance of team-working and presentation skills, all within a supportive environment. I feel I can sell my skills much more confidently now, which will be useful when I attend interviews and assessment centres in the future.
Skilfully done
Your time at Imperial offers
many opportunities to
develop yourself and your
skills. Do what you enjoy, get
involved and prove you’ve got
what it takes.
E
mployers who recruit for vacationwork or permanent jobs will be looking for particular skills or competencies.Teamwork
Your degree gives you lots of experience in problem-solving but make sure you get some teamwork experience too, whether it is through employment, volunteering, completing a group project or
participating in a club or society during your time at Imperial.
Oral and written communication
skills
The following experiences are examples of where you can demonstrate these skills: • projects where you’ve written a report
or made a presentation
• jobs where you’ve dealt with customers on the phone and in person
• negotiating with a landlord • writing for Felix
• participating in student radio • any time you’ve spent abroad developing language skills.
Analysing and debating
Your degree is developing higher-level thinking skills and the ability to put across your point of view clearly and cogently, and participating in a scheme like the Imperial Horizons programme can help: www.imperial.ac.uk/horizons. This scheme is open to all undergraduates at Imperial.
Commercial awareness
All sorts of activities help to develop commercial awareness. Perhaps you’ve managed a budget for a club or for friends. Why was a budget necessary and how did you keep within it? Have you
P
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How to get hired
targetjobs.co.uk and TARGETjobs sector guides –
find 1,000s of graduate jobs with tips on getting hired
targetjobsinternships.co.uk and TARGETjobs Internships –
how to get started
TARGETjobs Events – face to face experiences with future employers
TARGETjobs Undergraduate of the Year – celebrating the brightest
and the best – undergraduateoftheyear.com
The Guardian UK 300 – top-ranked graduate employers
TARGETpostgrad – courses, funding and fairs
Keep in touch @targetjobsUK
Internships
Know yourself
How well do you know yourself? What can you learn from your experiences?
What do you really want from work? What interests you or matters to you? What skills and strengths do you have and what are you good at?
How would you like to improve?
Review and evaluate your options
Be clear about what you want, and rate your options in order of preference. How achievable and realistic are they? Find out what you can do to improve your chances, eg work experience. Have a ‘plan B’!
If you’re struggling to do this, approach people who can help.
Explore opportunities
Research occupations, employers, study and training opportunities, using recommended resources. Who do you know to talk to and who might know more about opportunities for you? Keep a file of key contacts and information you gather.
Take action
Check deadlines and how to apply. Make an action plan.
Develop a good CV and work on your letter and applications too. Prepare for interviews and assessment centres.
Remember to do the above for ‘plan B’ as well.
Career
planning step
by step
Where do you start with planning your
career? This article gives you ideas on
how to get going.
A
lthough everyone’s situation is unique, there aresome key steps to take in order to develop and progress your career. The diagram opposite shows the main elements of career planning; start this process early on as an undergraduate and you will save yourself time later. This process continues as your career develops too.Brent Morris, MSci physics (final year) Developing an understanding of my career options early in my degree helped me receive an internship offer from PwC and a graduate offer from Teach First. I began investigating the graduate opportunities available during my first year, attending a range of employer presentations to find out which industry and employer were best for me. The skills sessions graduate recruiters ran were particularly useful for understanding the competencies recruiters look for and how to demonstrate them in an interview or assessment centre.
Chun Li, MEng electrical and electronic engineering (2014) – technology placement with Goldman Sachs (2013)
Apply for jobs as soon as possible and to several different firms because it will be quite tough to get an offer. If possible, try to get in touch with people working in the same firm or industry and get some first-hand information from them. Use Imperial’s Careers Service too; they were very helpful. Research individual firms when you apply, as they may be looking for different types of competencies. And, finally, get some interview practice with several different people – careers consultants, tutors, your friends even.
Planning
and
developing
your career
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THE IMPERIAL GUIDE TO CAREER PLANNING 2015
15
Planning and developing your career
www.imperial.ac.uk/careers
There are four main aspects to
career choice and development:
To make choices you need to know yourself as well as possible: your interests, what motivates you, the skills you have and those you wish to develop more.
Explore opportunities open to you, whether directly related to your degree background or in new career areas, using the skills gained on your course. Research your options and approach organisations and employers direct to find out more. Start to develop your network.
Start reviewing and evaluating your options, and making decisions, focusing on areas of particular interest.
Prioritise and create a plan, with built-in deadlines and contingencies. Find out how best to present yourself – in writing and in person – so you can start applying for jobs,
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2
3
4
internships or courses. Read the articles from pages 29 onwards to find out more.
This process doesn’t stop once you’re in a job. It continues as you find out more about what you enjoy, do well at and want to do more of, as well as who or what experience can help you progress further.
Your career-planning ‘to do’ list
Whilst at Imperial, there are many things you can do to help with each stage of planning your career.
Book a 40-minute consultation with a careers consultant if you need help with how to move your career on.
Use an online tool such as
www.prospects.ac.uk/links/pplanner
or targetjobs.co.uk/careers-report. Have a look at
www.imperial.ac.uk/careers/ug/plan.
Use the LINKS directory
www.imperial.ac.uk/careers/resources/ weblinks.
The ‘Useful websites to explore opportunities’ on this page gives some useful starting points.
Consult the ‘Options’ folder for your degree in the Careers Information Room. Read and apply the advice given in the next few articles on work experience and alternative job hunting or networking. Simply taking action and interacting with employers helps to move your career forward.
www.imperial.ac.uk/careers/ug/ applicationandselection helps you
present yourself well in writing or in person, with tips on your CV etc. Attend a talk or workshop given by a careers consultant or an employer for more tips or help with preparing for interviews and selection centre exercises. Book a 20-minute consultation with a careers consultant for feedback on your CV, covering letter, application form question or tips on interviews.
General
Imperial College Careers Service LINKS directory www.imperial.ac.uk/careers/ links TARGETjobs targetjobs.co.uk Prospects www.prospects.ac.uk/ links/industries Accountancy
TARGETjobsCity & Finance targetjobs.co.uk/finance ICAEW – Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales www.icaew.com
Actuarial
TARGETjobsCity & Finance targetjobs.co.uk/finance The Actuarial Profession www.actuaries.org.uk
Built environment
Institution of Civil Engineers www.ice.org.uk
The Institution of Structural Engineers www.istructe.org TARGETjobs Construction targetjobs.co.uk/construction
Computing and IT
British Computer Society www.bcs.org
Computer Weekly Magazine www.computerweekly.com TARGETjobsIT & Technology targetjobs.co.uk/it Consulting TARGETjobs Management Consulting targetjobs.co.uk/consulting Institute of Consulting www.iconsulting.org.uk Management Consultancies Association www.mca.org.uk Engineering
Association for Consultancy and Engineering www.acenet.co.uk Engineering Council UK www.engc.org.uk TARGETjobsEngineering targetjobs.co.uk/engineering Environmental work
British Ecological Society www.britishecologicalsociety.org Environmental Data Services www.ends.co.uk
Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management www.ieem.net
Finance and banking
TARGETjobs City & Finance targetjobs.co.uk/finance Careers in Financial Markets www.efinancialcareers.co.uk
Law and patent law
LawCareers.Net www.lawcareers.net
Law Society of England and Wales www.lawsociety.org.uk Inside Careers – Patent Attorneys
www.insidecareers.co.uk/ patent
TARGETjobs Law targetjobs.co.uk/law
Marketing, sales and media
Chartered Institute of Marketing www.cim.co.uk Institute of Practitioners of Advertising www.ipa.co.uk
Not-for-profit sector
Engineers without Borders www.ewb-international.org Prospects
www.prospects.ac.uk/ links/industries – search for Charities and Voluntary Work TARGETjobs targetjobs.co.uk/charity Public sector/NHS Civil Service www.civilservice.gov.uk NHS Careers www.nhscareers.nhs.uk Retail
National Skills Academy for Retail www.nsaforretail.com British Retail Consortium www.brc.org.uk
Science
Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry careers.abpi.org.uk Institute of Physics www.iop.org Nature Jobs www.nature.com/naturejobs New Scientist jobs.newscientist.com Royal Society of Chemistry www.rsc.org Society of Biology www.societyofbiology.org Biochemical Society www.biochemistry.org Social care
The British Association of Social Workers
www.basw.co.uk
Teaching
UCAS Teacher Training www.ucas.com/ucas-teacher-training
National College for Teaching and Leadership www.education.gov.uk/get-into-teaching Further study Postgraduate study www.prospects.ac.uk/ postgraduate_study.htm TARGETpostgrad targetpostgrad.com
Useful websites to explore opportunities
job as a result of your achievements on a work experience placement.
Both paid and voluntary work experience gives you the opportunity to develop skills that are important and relevant to future employers and careers.
Work experience schemes
Research each employer’s selection criteria, application process and the closing dates for applications so you can prioritise whom to apply to when. Bear in mind that many schemes are only open to penultimate-year students. If the challenge of working abroad appeals, there are many programmes that offer such an experience (eg in the USA), many of which charge you a fee.
Details of work experience schemes in the UK and overseas are listed on the following page. At the Careers Service you can pick up copies of many free publications with information and contacts such as TARGETjobs
Internships, Prospects – Work Experience and Internships or Rate my Placement. Make sure you’re also registered on JobsLive.
The unadvertised job market
Don’t overlook the importance of speculatively approaching organisations of interest and the value of networking too. A personal approach can help you to uncover opportunities for work
experience that never get advertised. There are tips on how to do this in Who do you know? on page 19, First
impressions count on page 30 and To the letter on page 34.
Make the most of your work
experience
If you keep a note of your activities on work experience, challenges you face, even mistakes you make, and what you learn from it all, you will find this comes
All experience
is good
experience
Your worst nightmare or sheer
bliss? All work experience is
useful as it tells you more
about what you like and
dislike doing, as well as what
your strengths and
weaknesses are. And it looks
great on your CV too.
W
ork experience on your CVreally helps you to stand out from other candidates. It enables you to demonstrate to future employers how you’ve applied your knowledge and skills in practice, and proves you have gained a better insight into an industry sector or role.It also helps you to make career choices by confirming that you are interested in a certain area – or that it doesn’t suit you after all. Many employers use work experience as a testing ground for recruits and may offer you a graduate
Niall Jeffrey, MSci physics (third year) During summer 2013 I worked for ten weeks as an operations intern for GDF Suez, which I found through someone my Dad met at work. My role involved developing a series of original methods to analyse new materials science data for a client. For the project, I travelled to Brussels for a meeting at the research centre of GDF Suez subsidiary Laborelec to discuss possible techniques and conclusions. The best part about the internship was meeting new people. In the future I hope to work in a science or technology-based field. This internship really helped me gain that all-important experience whilst learning about energy companies and operations teams. Amrita Ghosh, biochemistry (2014),
was awarded the Careers Service Charity Insights bursary (2012) When I saw Charity Insights advertised in my first year, it seemed to be an amazing chance to gain experience and learn new skills on a four-week internship. My placement was with the National Children’s Bureau, working with the ‘Play England’ division, helping them to organise their annual ‘Play Day’ and get information online about this event. The experience I gained working with colleagues to overcome difficulties together will be really helpful in any future job. I would certainly recommend this scheme to other students – it offers a golden opportunity to volunteer and build contacts for the future.
in very useful later when applying to future employers. You can create your own log or diary or use the work experience tracker at targetjobs.co.uk.
Things to include in your work experience diary:
• what you find out about yourself – both your strengths and your
weaknesses (the latter could be aspects where you simply need more experience and support in the future)
• what you enjoy about working
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THE IMPERIAL GUIDE TO CAREER PLANNING 2015
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Planning and developing your career
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• achievements and responsibilities • names, job titles and contact details offuture contacts
• how you applied and developed key skills in practice
• meeting customers
• communicating with another office or department
• analysing numerical information and learning new techniques
• improving the way things have been done or making suggestions that others have taken on board.
These things may not seem important at the time but employers will view these experiences favourably when you are applying for full-time work after graduation.
Work experience
schemes
www.imperial.ac.uk/careers/ internships
Start your search here to find out about all the options – including links to internships, placement schemes and volunteering opportunities.
JobsLive –
www.imperial.ac.uk/careers/jobslive
You can register to receive emails about vacation work, internships and work experience on JobsLive, as well as information about events to meet
employers. The next page shows you how to get the most from JobsLive.
TARGETjobs –
targetjobs.co.uk/internships
A graduate careers website that provides internship opportunities and immediate vacancies for students and graduates. There’s also general advice about work experience and starting a graduate career.
UROP – www.imperial.ac.uk/urop
The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme (UROP) provides opportunities for undergraduates to participate in and contribute to research at Imperial, which can also link with final-year project ideas. There are term-time and vacation opportunities.
Charity Insights –
www.imperial.ac.uk/ careers/charityinsights
Find out more about the bursary offered to students by the Careers Service to undertake a four-week internship in the charity sector.
IVC – www.imperial.ac.uk/volunteering
Volunteering can be as beneficial as other work experience in developing and improving your skills and increasing your employability through practical experience.
The International Citizen Service –
www.volunteerics.org
Enables young people aged 18–25 to volunteer overseas on programmes that last 10–12 weeks.
IAESTE –
www.britishcouncil.org/iaeste
The International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience (IAESTE) is administered in the UK by the British Council, and aims to provide science and engineering undergraduates with paid, course-related vacation training abroad.
Prospects –
www.prospects.ac.uk/workexperience
A graduate careers website that includes a section on how to gain and benefit from work experience, with useful links to many other schemes.
STEP – http://opportunities.
stepenterprise.co.uk
STEP is a UK scheme that offers paid, project-based placements for penultimate or second-year undergraduates and
internships for graduates. These are with companies of all sizes, small to large. Projects can be in marketing, strategy, product development, improving administrative procedures and software development.
More worldwide programmes
Several organisations run global work experience, working adventure and work and travel programmes. There is often a fee to cover visa and work permit requirements and it’s important to check whether your airline fare and insurance are included when comparing fees. Visit:
• www.imperial.ac.uk/careers/goingglobal • www.targetjobs.co.uk/gapyear
• www.prospects.ac.uk/links/gapyear • www.istplus.com.
Chun Li, MEng electrical and electronic engineering (2014) – technology placement in Goldman Sachs (2013)
The most important skill I learned from doing a technology placement in an investment bank was time management, because there was so much work and I needed to prioritise and plan how I’d do it all. I had to be proactive too as there were many financial and technology aspects that I wasn’t familiar with. I had to learn it all quickly, and ask people questions when necessary. I learned how to network and socialise with other people too, not just within the team I was working in but also in other divisions.
The Careers Service offers help with the application
process, and can answer any questions you may have.
Fu
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lp
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JobsLive in
three easy
steps
JobsLive is the Careers Service’s online jobs, appointments and events system. You can book online to see a careers consultant, book to attend events and search for vacancies and employers from a database of over 8,000 organisations.
Select
JobsLive
Select ‘JobsLive’ from the Careers homepage www.imperial.ac.uk/ careers.
Login
Login with your Imperial College login.
Update your profile
From ‘My Profile’ select ‘Update Profile’. Set your profile settings to receive daily or weekly email alerts about job vacancies and events, according to the types of work that interest you. You can also browse vacancies, internships and the large employer directory. It’s a good idea to subscribe to the weekly careers email, which keeps you informed about all Careers Service events and news.
Enjoy!
Now you are ready to search for job vacancies, receive email alerts and book events or 20-minute consultations with careers consultants!
Step
1
Step
3
Step
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THE IMPERIAL GUIDE TO CAREER PLANNING 2015
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Planning and developing your career
www.imperial.ac.uk/careers
Follow up. Follow up by sending an email to thank your contact. This enables you to make a lasting positive impression.
Nurture your contact by keeping in touch; ask them if you can add them to your professional network, eg connect via LinkedIn.
7
Questions you could ask yourcontact:
• What do you enjoy about your work and what are the downsides?
• What might a typical day involve for you? • What experience do you look for in
applicants?
• What are current trends in the sector that will impact on your work in the future?
6
Getting the most from your contact.
The purpose of any networking is to get yourself known by making direct contact and by finding out useful information about the industry or the role.
To become a well-informed applicant, ask for advice and information, show curiosity and genuine interest, bring your strong points into the conversation and start building a positive relationship.
Keeping an open mind and being flexible are some useful components for a successful approach to creative job hunting.
5
Making your pitch! Prepare a short summary paragraph about your course, your key skills/strengths, experience and your career aim. This can help to break the ice: make a succinct introduction and you’ll come across as focused and confident!
4
Who else could you make contact with?Think about employers who come to Imperial for fairs, talks, and other events, relevant professional bodies and social networking sites (more on this later). Many employers send Imperial alumni to help staff career stands at fairs. You can also ask alumni questions via the ‘Ask an alumnus’ database, co-ordinated by the Careers Service – www.imperial.ac.uk/careers/ug/ask.
3
Who do you know? You have more contacts than you think. Consider fellow students, university staff, friends and their friends, parents and their friends. Your aim is to find someone (who knows someone) who does what you want to do!
2
Know what your aim is. This helpsyou target your questions effectively at the right kinds of contacts. What kind of career area do you want to explore?
1
Who do you
know?
Having contacts is one of the key ways of finding
work and experience, so get networking to give
your career a head start.
I
n today’s fast-paced, competitive environment, we all know weneed to stand out from the crowd. This section is about how to do just that. While many people find jobs through applying to advertised positions, it is thought that as many as 60 to 70 percent of jobs are never advertised, so networking is a useful additional tool. Here are some tips to make you an effective networker.Marianne Teoh, BSc biology with management (final year) The Natural History Museum (NHM) is a world-renowned research centre, in which I had always dreamed of working. However, gaining a volunteer position proved extremely competitive, and my formal applications didn’t seem to get anywhere. I identified a researcher, who I found particularly inspiring, and I contacted him for advice on my career and working at the Museum, showing interest in his field. After meeting him, he recommended me to several colleagues at the Museum and I was offered a few different research experience opportunities. Spending a summer working in the NHM labs was brilliant, and I came away with even more contacts as well as the experience itself.
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Making the most of social media
Social media offers you a chance to communicate widely and job-hunt creatively, as long as you use it wisely.
Your digital footprint
To check your own digital footprint, type your name into Google (or any other search engine) and see what there is out there about you. What you find is what any employer would find about you, too! You could also sign up to Google Alerts
(www.google.com/alerts) to receive updates when friends and family members post information about you.
This is a professional networking site for making meaningful career connections. Think quality, not quantity. To benefit from this, create a profile (and keep it up to
date), using specific key words for your skills and experience – just as you would in a CV. You can find contacts by joining groups relevant to your interests. Write
a friendly personal message to introduce yourself to a new contact. Group membership enables you to see members’ profiles and send them messages directly.
You can also contribute to discussions, which will help get you noticed. Consider joining one of the
Imperial alumni groups. You can also research company profiles. See
www.linkedin.com.
Check out your public profile. Is
there anything you wouldn’t want an employer to read or see? Pay attention to your privacy settings to allow access only to friends or use a nickname for your private profile. Many employers now have Facebook pages which contain useful content about their application
process as well as providing a way to contact them. You may wish to become a fan of organisations in
which you are interested. To be up-to-date with careers events and other useful
information, sign up to www.facebook.com/ imperialcareersevents.
Twitter and blogs
Both can be useful if your chosen career field involves written communication and creative skills. Twitter is a real-time information-sharing network that lets you communicate with others while using no more than
140 characters. You could ‘follow’ professionals and companies to keep up-to-date, and Twitter has free apps.
See twitter.com.
Blogs are commentaries, news or diaries maintained by individuals or businesses, and can provide useful advice and insights. You can get blogs in any topic of interest and specialism, and these could also help you prepare
for job interviews. See: wordpress.org, blogger.com (Google) and many others. Imperial’s own blog site
is www.imperial.ac.uk/blog. Creating a blog of your own can showcase your creative
writing skills and really get you noticed!
Etiquette
Be careful with your use of language – if you wouldn’t
say it in person, don’t say it online and use professional vocabulary rather than familiar terms or text speak! To build your online brand and maintain online relationships you need to be as professional as you would in real
life. Pause and think – once you’ve hit that submit button,
it’s gone and online forever.
Discussion forums
These can provide a useful avenue for finding out about
career areas and for asking specific advice, eg careers.guardian.co.uk/forums.
Professional associations will also have links to