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One-to-one Employer-led Coaching With Graduate Recruiters

By skye.aitken, on 1 October 2019

Student sat opposite an employer getting advice

UCL Careers have invited a wide range of graduate recruiters, who have volunteered to offer one-to-one coaching on writing applications (CVs, cover letters, personal statements etc.) and preparing for interviews through role-playing based practice interview sessions.

  • All one-to-one employer-led coaching must be booked in advance through your myUCLCareers account.
  • Bookings for each session will open two weeks before it is due to take place.
  • A returnable £10 cash deposit will need to be left at UCL Careers before you are able to book a place at any coaching session online

For more information, visit the one-to-one coaching page on our website.

For email alerts on when you can book a place at specific events, we recommend that you update your myUCLCareers email preferences to sign up for our  ‘Event update’ emails. You can also subscribe to our Newsletter.

UCL Careers Fairs 2019: Banking, Finance and Economics

By skye.aitken, on 1 October 2019

Interested in a career working in Banking, Finance, or Economics?

The UCL Careers Banking, Finance, & Economics Fair features some of the top employers from a wide variety of sectors including Investment Banking, Professional Services, Retail and Corporate Banking, Economics, Consulting, Investment Management Actuarial, Insurance and many more.

An employer talking to a student at a careers fair

Employers will be hiring for permanent graduate positions, internships and, in some cases, 1st year spring programmes.

The fair is open to all year groups but there may not be structured programmes on offer for all students.

When: Tuesday 8 and Wednesday 9 October | 5:30pm – 8pm

Where: North and South Cloisters, Wilkins Building

Economics zone on Day 1 only
The zone will ONLY be open to Economics students from 5.30 -7.00pm. If you are an Economics student/graduate visiting this section of the Fair please join the queue at the north end of the North Cloister where  you will be asked to show your ID card.

The rest of the Fair will be open to all current UCL students and graduates from the past 2 years from 5:30pm – 8:00pm.

Some employers attending include:

Day 1

Day 2

  • Bank of England
  • Teach First
  • HSBC
  • PwC
  • EY
  • Ofcom
  • Government Statistical Service
  • Deloitte Economic Consulting
  • G – Research
  • Goldman Sachs
  • National Rail
  • Sky
  • Deutsche Bank
  • Greensill
  • Citi
  • Bloomberg

Plus many more!

For a full list of employers attending the fair, visit:

Banking, Finance and Economics Fair Day 1
Banking, Finance and Economics Fair Day 2

You do not need to book to attend our Careers Fairs, but you must bring valid UCL ID to gain entry.

For more information on about the fair and how to prepare, visit: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/careers/about/events/careers-fairs

The Banking, Finance & Economics Fair 2019 is kindly sponsored Greensill (Day 2).

 

UCL Careers Fairs 2019: Management Consultancy

By skye.aitken, on 25 September 2019

Considering a career in Management Consultancy?

The UCL Careers Management Consultancy Fair features some of the top employers from a wide variety of consultancy sectors including strategy, financial, brand, technology and HR.

Image of a student talking to an employer at a careers fair

Employers will be hiring for permanent graduate positions and in some cases internships and placements.

The fair is mainly aimed at final year and penultimate year students. Other years are welcome to attend in order to research employers, but there may not be suitable structured programmes available.

When: Wednesday 2 October 2019 | 5:30pm – 8pm

Where: North and South Cloisters, Wilkins Building

Some employers attending include:

  • Accenture
  • The Boston Consulting Group
  • PwC
  • Oliver Wyman
  • EY
  • Unilever
  • Capgemini
  • Teach First

Plus many more!

For a full list of employers attending the fair, visit:

Management Consultancy Fair

You do not need to book to attend our Careers Fairs, but you must bring valid UCL ID to gain entry.

For more information on about the fair and how to prepare, visit: www.ucl.ac.uk/careers/about/events/careers-fairs

Career Essentials Group Work Sessions Launching This Autumn

By skye.aitken, on 24 September 2019

Three students around a table having a discussion

We are delighted to let you know that this Autumn UCL Careers are launching Career Essentials Group Work, a new series of lunchtime small group sessions. These sessions will give you the opportunity to work with other students on your applications, learn from each other’s experiences, share ideas and receive advice from the trained facilitator. Our new sessions are a sub-branch of our long-running and popular Career Essentials programme, which covers a wide range of career topics. With a maximum of 6 participants at each session, our new group work programme is designed to help you take practical steps to developing your own applications in a supportive environment.

Throughout the Autumn we will be running a fortnightly CV group work session from 13:00 to 13:50 at UCL Careers. In this session, you will gain feedback and tips on how to present your CV. You will also learn how to tailor your CV for the particular role you are interested in applying for and make an impactful first impression with recruiters.

The CV sessions will take place on the following dates:

Please click on the above dates to access myUCLCareers for more details about the CV sessions, the required preparation work and to book your place. Bookings will open two weeks in advance of the sessions.

Please note:

  • Places are limited to 6 participants at each session and therefore booking is essential. Only book if you are able to attend.
  • To take part in the sessions you must complete the short preparation tasks and be willing to share and discuss your work with other participants.
  • The CV session will focus upon CVs for non-academic purposes, such as job and internship applications.

In the Spring our Career Essentials Group Work programme will be expanded with further practical sessions on making speculative applications and using STAR to showcase strengths and skills on application forms. More details to follow soon.

Remember that you can also access support for UCL Careers by booking in for a 1:1 application advice appointment with us.

What did Love Island 2019 teach us about careers?

By uczjsdd, on 15 August 2019

Let me start with an apology. It’s been over two weeks since our Love Island King and Queen were crowned, and I’m only now distilling the show’s career wisdom into the traditional annual blog post (see 2017’s and 2018’s gems if you missed them). I could pretend I’ve been busy with urgent careers business, but clearly I’ve just needed some time off to process the shock result and catch up on the socialising (ahem…other TV) I’ve missed over the summer. Better late than never though, because LI 2019 didn’t disappoint. Here are the three main career lessons I’ve taken from the show:

1) Appeal is in the eye of the beholder

Remember when Maura first admitted she fancied Curtis, and the nation let out a collective “Huh?!”. And then her Mum came into the villa and said encouraging things like, “Well, you obviously must see something in Curtis, I guess”, while unashamedly pieing him for Ovie? But Maura was undeterred. She so clearly adores Curtis, and you retweeting an image comparing him to a dancing ring-tailed lemur isn’t going to change that.

In careers, as in love, everyone has different taste. If those around you seem enamoured by a certain career path – great! But that doesn’t necessarily mean you will be too. Take the time to investigate what exactly the day-to-day work looks like, and if it would suit you as much as it suits them. Labour market information sites like Prospects and iCould can be good places to start. And if you’ve found a career you think you might love, of course it’s sensible to listen to the advice and concerns of others, but remember ultimately your job needs to make you happy, not anyone else.

2) Your true feelings will eventually show through

 Curtis gave being the best half-boyfriend in the world a good shot. He made endless cups of tea and showered “fantastic young lady” Amy with misguided compliments on her “talent”. But his heart just wasn’t in it. As soon as Casa Amor put him to the test, his true feelings were revealed, and Amy got hurt.

Faking attraction to a career can be similarly exhausting, and cause just as much bother. That’s why employers ask why you want to work for them, what you know about the role and their organisation, and why you think you’ll be a good fit. They know if your heart’s not in it, you’re probably not going to be happy or work very hard for them, and you may leave before they want you to.

So obviously to perform well in the recruitment process you should thoroughly research the role and organisation beforehand, and practice selling the skills they’re after. Our UCL Careers Essentials online course offers tips on how to do this. But if you find you’re faking your motivation and strengths, it can also help you reassess your options!

3) Rejection is sometimes for the best

Despite staying true in Casa Amor, Amber was ditched by Michael. She was of course heartbroken at the rejection. It was almost too much to watch…

…and yet we still watched. And what we saw was that Michael probably (definitely) wasn’t the best catch in the sea for her anyway. And then we saw her meet and win the series with Irish-rugby-player-and-so-far-seemingly-lovely-overall-sweetheart, Greg.

Just like Love Island, jobhunting can be filled with rejection, and it can hurt and knock your confidence. It’s important to recognise rejection happens to everyone. Often getting feedback, making adjustments, filling gaps, and trying again can do the trick. But don’t butt your head against a brick wall. Sometimes rejections are a sign a role wasn’t the right fit for you, and that your Greg, £50K cash prize, and online retailer sponsorship deal will be found elsewhere.

If you’re struggling with any aspect of the jobhunting process, come on in for a one-to-one appointment with a UCL careers consultant.

LGBTQ+ Careers – SOAS Careers Service Panel Discussion

By uczjsdd, on 21 May 2018

LGBTQ+ rainbow flagEarlier this month SOAS Careers Service ran a discussion panel on LGBTQ+ experiences in the workplace. Sitting on the panel were LGBTQ+ professionals employed in a range of sectors; we heard from two management consultants, an artist, a charity worker, a higher education professional, a digital marketer, and a jobseeker. Three of the panellists had past experience in teaching, one had spent time in recruitment. The panel kindly shared a variety of thought-provoking views and personal experiences. The main messages I took away were:

All parts of our identity can shape our career

Many of the speakers felt being a member of the LGBTQ+ community had influenced their career decisions. For some that meant being subconsciously drawn to open, inclusive, and innovative environments. For others, after experiencing workplaces that weren’t diversity-friendly, their move to open and inclusive work environments was far more deliberate. Some said although their gender/sexual identity hadn’t determined the sector they’d chosen, it did influence the companies they targeted within that sector, and the types of initiatives they became involved with at work e.g. LGBTQ+ groups, and equality and diversity recruitment initiatives.

Research was quoted showing LGBTQ+ people are more attracted to altruistic careers than heterosexual people, and the panel’s charity worker agreed their sexuality had influenced their choice; they felt they wanted to help society in part to prove their worth and overcome the stigma associated with being LGBTQ+.

The drag artist was pretty sure their LGBTQ+ identity may have influenced their career choice….and there are specific arts funds that as an LGBTQ+ person they can apply to for their work.

Some workplaces are more accepting than others Thumbs up featuring the LGBTQ+ rainbow flag.

A few speakers shared experiences of working in less tolerant workplaces and countries, and the negative impacts they had. There was a feeling shared by three panellists that in the workplace, just as in the rest of society, non-binary identities such as pansexuality, bisexuality, and gender fluidity are currently less well understood and accepted than some of the other LGBTQ+ identities. With this feeling came a call for people to make fewer assumptions about colleagues’ identities.

One speaker emphasised the importance of being out and proud in shaping less open workplaces to be more accepting. But if you’re concerned about joining an already diverse and open employer, each year Stonewall compiles a list of 100 organisations doing great work for LGBTQ+ acceptance, which is a good place to start. Here is 2018’s (huzzah for UCL at number 98). Also try speaking to people working in your target sectors and organisations. This sort of ‘informational interview’ can provide a better idea of whether a role and organisation is for you in every way, including the LGBTQ+ angle.

The drag artist worked in a pretty accepting environment…and they emphasised the difference between working in an accepting but predominately straight environment, and queer-run, queer-owned businesses which are leading the way in acceptance, and whose policies they hope will eventually be adopted by other employers.

The decision to be out at work is yours and yours alone

Although all speakers were generally “out”, the panel reflected a range of experiences of being open about their sexual and gender identity at work. One panellist had not been out when working in less tolerant countries, another has been closeted as a teacher, which is a decision they now regret. The benefits of being out at work were discussed: the fact that it encourages other people to be out and confident, that it encourages straight colleagues to be more aware and accepting, and that the energy it takes to hide a major part of yourself every day at work could be better spent on doing and enjoying your actual work.

After much deliberation, and asking tutors and family for advice, one panellist made a conscious decision to be out when working as a school teacher. They wanted to provide a proud LGBTQ+ role model to young people, which had been lacking when they were at school. Although it was terrifying at first, the projected confidence with which they were out led pupils to not see it as a big deal.

The drag artist was pretty comfortable being out at work…but in past 9-5 office environments thought their career wasn’t helped by the fact they were, in their words, “really queer”. So they assured the audience that no one person should feel they have to be out and leading the way, you have to do what’s right for you. The panel agreed it’s an individual decision people need to make for themselves, and that personal safety and comfort must be considered.

To hear more LGBTQ+ workplace experiences, check out Stonewall’s LGBT voices, which forms part of their mega helpful Starting Out Guide. UCL HR also have links to useful resources, including UCL’s LGBT+ Volunteering Fair. And for inspiration, check out The OUTstanding lists: LGBT leaders and allies today.

 

 

 

 

Telling Future Employers about Non-Visible Health Conditions: The Disclosure Conversation

By UCL Careers, on 6 May 2018

Having the disclosure conversation can be nerve-wracking but if you’re prepared, you will have the extra confidence and control you need, ensuring the focus is on the impact and your needs.

Before preparing, ask yourself the following:

  • Do I have to tell my employer? (see previous blog)
  • Why do I want to tell them? (is this out of obligation or will be helpful to you?)
  • How do I feel about telling them? (whatever emotional response this elicited is very normal)

Having a plan

Having a disclosure plan for the conversation helps you keep the things you want the employer to concentrate on. There is also a bit of reflection and research you can do to support your plan.

When will I tell the employer?

This could be at application stage, at interview, before a test, after the job offer is made, when you’re in the workplace. When you disclose is entirely dependent on how comfortable you feel disclosing at any of these stages. It may be worth listing pros and cons to help you decide the timing.

Where will I tell them?

Think about what the conversation might look like. Will you speak to someone on the phone or will you do this in person? If the conversation is not face-to-face, how might this change what you want to say? E.g. how much time will you have with them?

What will they say?

Pre-empt questions or concerns. Think about how you might deal with a reaction. Two big questions they will likely have are:

  • How will this affect your work?
  • What support will you need?

How will they react?

There are two things to remember here – they are human and may react in a way you didn’t expect, and also that you have had time to absorb this information for a while, however they might need time to take it all in. Equally, of course, they may not react at all and take the information in their stride.

What will I say?

As the mainstay of the conversation, keep it positive. Remind them of what you do really well and, concisely, tell them about how you currently manage your condition at university. Highlight areas of work that might impact your condition, then focus on what support you can both put into place to help you do your job the most effectively. Think about what your employer might do to help you – are there any physical changes to your desk? Is there something about your working pattern that might help? Think about ways of working you can bring from university or what you found helped you. You can make clear whether or not this would be open information or if you would like things kept private and confidential. Remember, this is not only about what you can do, but also that employers have a duty of care to take away barriers in the workplace that exist because of your condition. They do this by providing reasonable adjustments (more in the final blog).

How will I say it?

Keep the conversation flowing and factual. Focus only on aspects that are relevant to the role.

How will I ask for support?

Once the information part of the conversation is over, if you feel this is the right time, you can move on to your needs: things that will help you integrate and help you to do your job effectively. This is the research bit – once you’ve identified areas in which you’ll need support, do some research on the sorts of things others have found very useful.

Use your resources

At UCL Careers, we’re more than happy to talk through disclosure with you, whether you’re confused, have made up your mind or just want to do a simple role play! If you are an Undergraduate, please access UCL Careers Extra appointments; if you’re a postgraduate, feel free to book any UCL Careers one-to-one appointment and we’ll give you a steer.

Article written by Careers Consultant, Carla King: carla.king@ucl.ac.uk

Resources:

Equality Act & Human Rights Commission Contact: 0808 800 0082

Disability confident employers registered with the Department for Work and Pensions

Workplace adjustments: Equality Law

Science Communication and Science Policy Forum

By uczjsdd, on 16 March 2018

Did you come to our Careers in Science Communication and Science Policy forum earlier this month? No? Well fret not! You haven’t missed out because we’ve summarised the key points below.

Who were the speakers?

David Robson, a freelance writer and editor, previously at New Scientist and BBC Future, currently writing his first book THE INTELLIGENCE TRAP: Why Smart People Make Stupid Mistakes, and How to Avoid Them, which will be published in Spring 2019.

Iain Dodgeon, Strategic Ventures Manager in the Wellcome Trust’s Public Engagement team, where he’s helped develop science-related entertainment in the form of games, TV, and films. Iain is a former medical doctor.

Rose Gray, Senior Policy Advisor at Cancer Research UK. Rose is a UCL Chemistry alumnus, who built up a range of science communications experiences while studying, including working with Guerrilla Science.

Sam Dick, a Science Information and Policy Officer at The Institute of Cancer Research, who completed his PhD in Structural Biology at UCL before moving into policy work via voluntary and internship roles at The National AIDS Trust and the Humsafar Trust in India.

Aalia Kazi, an Account Manager at Incisive Health, a healthcare communications agency that focuses on policy and policy makers. Aalia is a UCL MSc Cardiovascular Science alumnus, who first joined Incisive Health as an intern after volunteering for Doctors of the World UK.

And Jayne Hibberd, Associate Director at Galliard Healthcare Communications, whose role focuses on global communications strategies for her clients. As Associate Director, Jayne helps shape the future direction and day-to-day business of the agency.

What do they like about working in Science Communications and Science Policy?

Everyone agreed working with bright motivated people – whether they’re other communicators, scientists whose research must be communicated, or policy makers being communicated to – was one of the best things about working in these two sometimes overlapping sectors. Jayne values the insight she gains into her pharmaceutical company agency clients driving exciting scientific developments. As a popular science writer, David especially enjoys working with art departments of magazines on displaying stories effectively.

Many felt being attached to science, which most of the panellists studied at university, was a draw, as were daily tasks of writing and crafting arguments, and the variety of scientific topics covered by both those communicating to the public and to policy makers. Iain mentioned working for an organisation like Wellcome, which is independent from government and commercial pressures, is liberating.

Aalia, Rose, and Sam agreed that knowing their policy work influences real changes that impact real people’s lives is one of the best things about their jobs. Rose gave the example of having reports she’s worked on read by the secretary of state, and seeing beneficial legislation passed in part as a result.

What are the worst bits?

The variety of topics covered can have a downside, potentially leading to overload and stress. The hours can sometimes be long, and working late occasionally means cancelling social plans. Though the hours and deadlines seemed more of an issue for those working with clients, they were also mentioned by David when he’s scheduling interviews with researchers overseas outside of working hours due to time differences. David also commented that getting negative feedback on your writing from editors can be very tough at first, so you need to develop a thick skin.

Aalia and Jayne have clients, and though they both value working with them, they acknowledged it can also be demanding, a bit like having multiple bosses. The client-focused nature of the work also means they both have to account for their time very precisely in order to bill clients, a different way of doing things to the other speakers.

For those in policy, the flip side of the rewards gained when important change is effected is that it can be frustrating when something you’re passionate about doesn’t work out, or when change is only incremental. Additionally, the work is dictated in part by political whims rather than simply by the science.

Will getting a science communication or policy qualification help you get in?

None of the speakers had one of these qualifications so clearly it’s not a prerequisite! Those in science communication mentioned that the qualification can be a great way to build networks which may be valuable, but that the science communication world is fairly small so you can build useful networks through your working life without the qualification too. Rose commented that having a policy qualification shows motivation, but in her team at CRUK relevant policy work experience is likely to be prized above a qualification. And some people undertake a policy qualification after already working in the sector for a while in order to get maximum value from the experience.

Any tips for those wanting to enter the sector?

The overwhelming advice from the panel was to do stuff. Lots of stuff. Even if you don’t know where it will lead. This reflected the speakers’ career paths. Whether it was Iain leading a comedy group and securing funding for a film-making course while at university, Rose working in a hospital alongside her study and learning she didn’t want to be a medic but she did want to influence change over the NHS, or Sam volunteering in policy and outreach during his PhD and realising this was the work he enjoyed the most, all of the speakers had stories of taking a punt on something they thought looked interesting without necessarily having a ‘career plan’ in mind. In retrospect their narratives make sense, fitting together nicely into a career story. But none of them knew that at the time. They simply tried stuff, learning about themselves and the working world in the process.

The panel also advised reaching out to people. Most will be happy to tell you about their experiences and offer advice, some may even be able to give you a job. Jayne in particular shared that she would be impressed by the motivation of someone who was proactive enough to contact a professional and show an interest in their work.

For aspiring journalists, David extolled the virtues of starting a writing career in a small industry publication or local newspaper as a way of creating a portfolio and getting valuable feedback on your writing. He also advised being bold and pitching story ideas to publications like New Scientist who are always looking for great feature ideas. And if a pitch gets accepted, ask to be paid.

And finally, Rose recommended visiting UCL Careers. In her words, Rose “absolutely rinsed” us when she was exploring her career options, and found our help very useful.

Cultural Heritage Forum

By UCL Careers, on 1 March 2018

So what is cultural heritage?
Cultural heritage encompasses three main areas:

Built environment:  man-made structures such as buildings and ruins
Natural environment: e.g. cliffs, rural landscapes or woodland
Artefacts: E.g. Books, pottery, pictures   or paintings

 

 


Best things about working in the sector
Our speakers shared with us why they enjoy working in this sector. Even though they all have different roles and backgrounds, lots of similarities were clear:

  • Variety – of objects, tasks, sites and people.
  • The opportunity to influences change – in policy, in planning decisions and in people’s opinions
  • You get to argue a case – for things that have no voice of their own

Challenges of working in the sector
The main issue that came up time and time again was – the competitive nature of the job. It is such a popular sector to get into. Luckily, our speakers shared some top tips for getting ahead in the race. A master’s degree is not always enough to get you in.

5 Top Tips for Students 

  1. Don’t panic if you don’t know what job you want to go into – there might be jobs you do not know exists.
  2. Network and meet as many people in the field as you can.
  3. Think about what you can offer that is different from other people – so for example getting involved in fundraising and understanding that process or working with young people
  4. Take every opportunity for experience that comes to you, whether this is volunteering, doing field work or part-time work. This can often lead to full time jobs
  5. Have confidence and patience if your first few attempts at applying come to nothing.

Finally we opened up to some question from the students
You talked about networking a lot – where can I meet relevant people?

  • On the masters programmes – your peers and academics
  • Talks by professionals – speak to them!
  • Create or join groups on Facebook
  • University open talks (look on their website/twitter)
  • Read professional blogs– and contact them with the personal touch “I read your blog about….what is your opinion about…I’d like to find out more….”

How much volunteering work does it take to get a paid job?

  • It really depends on the organisation and what you do
  • Sadly, it is often being in the right place and the right time
  • However, think about helping with social media communications or online content which could be done at home. This is sometimes a skill that is lacking.

Can you work in others roles, such as PR?

  • Yes! It actually has good links with cultural heritage e.g. exhibitions. It is a great area to get in.
  • You will have to have skills such as PR and administration anyway when working with a smaller company.
  • They really need people with a commercial or business head
  • You often need to have a problem-solving brain e.g. how can I build an apartment building on top of a roman boat – whilst preserving the boat and avoiding sinking the building…

Many thanks to our speakers:

Freya Stannard, Manager of the Acceptance in Lieu and Cultural Gifts Schemes at Arts Council England.

Ruth Dewhirst, Education Assistant in the Charles Dickens Museum

Dr Jane Sidell. The Inspector of Ancient Monuments for London

Nick Bishop, Senior Heritage Consultant at Planning Consultancy Lichfields

Think Ahead

By UCL Careers, on 29 January 2018

Think Ahead is a new route into social work for graduates and career-changers remarkable enough to make a real difference to people with mental health problems.

On the two-year programme, you are paid to work in an expert team alongside clinical professions, study for a master’s degree and develop your leadership skills.

Mental health social workers empower people with mental illness to live fulfilling, independent lives. As a social worker in community mental health services you will build relationships with people, provide guidance and therapy, arrange support and care, ensure people’s safety, stand up for people’s rights and improve community services.

Three different UCL graduates have so far joined the Think Ahead programme. Deborah, who studied human science at UCL, initially worked in science communication, but then switched to our social work trainee programme. She said, “I really enjoy learning about people’s stories, being someone that they can talk to who can offer that kind of support in an emotional, but also practical way”.

Think Ahead also runs three-week internships each summer in our London office, which are paid at the London living wage. Previous interns have got experience of event planning and developing our brand on campus.

Think Ahead is looking for exceptional individuals who have the potential to become excellent mental health social workers, and go on to become leaders in their fields. We are looking for people who can demonstrate seven specific attributes and skills: leadership, motivation for mental health social work, adaptability, relationship-building skills, communication, problem-solving and self-awareness. We encourage applicants to demonstrate how experience they have gained through their degree and through voluntary and paid work matches our seven attributes.

Applications for our 2018 programme will close on 1 February. You can find further information at www.thinkahead.org