“Excellent course. Beyond expectations.”

“More useful than 80% of my lectures.”

– 2015 Global Citizenship Employability Programme attendees

Although there is plenty of information that we will share, our aim in this programme is to explore your ideas with you. We will create opportunities for you to access employers and scenarios that will challenge your expectations. We’ll enjoy learning with you as you get to know your strengths and ambitions. And we’ll guide you and support you in developing your own plan for your future.

Stay tuned for the next Reasons You Should Attend GCEP blog posts, which will be posted over the upcoming weeks, all based on actual student feedback we received last year.  For more information on our Employability Pathway, please visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/global-citizenship/programme/pathways/employability or our website to register.

For more information on the general Global Citizenship Programme, please see https://www.ucl.ac.uk/global-citizenship/programme.

“So so SO worthwhile! I have attempted to think about careers and have attended careers events but I have learnt more on this course than anything before!”

“GCEP is a must do course for improving your chances of gaining the job you want in the future.”

– 2015 Global Citizenship Employability Programme attendees

Thinking about careers for many people can feel quite daunting. Often this is because they haven’t had an opportunity to learn how to manage and plan their career. Without this groundwork, choosing a career can feel like guesswork.

The Global Citizenship Employability Programme uses a series of workshops which build on each other to provide students with the skills and information that they need to take control of their graduate job search.

Stay tuned for the next Reasons You Should Attend GCEP blog posts, which will be posted over the upcoming weeks, all based on actual student feedback we received last year.  For more information on our Employability Pathway, please visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/global-citizenship/programme/pathways/employability or our website to register.

For more information on the general Global Citizenship Programme, please see https://www.ucl.ac.uk/global-citizenship/programme.

“GCEP wasn’t all about learning the tricks to land yourself a job. It helped me understand the graduate jobs market, the recruitment process and my own strengths and aspirations. It taught me a few tricks too!” – 2015 Global Citizenship Employability Programme attendee

Finding a great job is not just about knowing what the employer wants from us, and delivering that. Its also about understanding our own drives, values, strengths and motivations. After all, one person’s perfect job is another person’s mistake.

On the Global Citizenship Employability Programme we will explore the graduate recruitment market, working to understand the employer better and what they are hoping to see in the application and interview process.

Through workshops, discussions and coaching, we will also be exploring aspirations and values developing a better understanding of what working environments and roles will be likely to suit us.

Stay tuned for the next Reasons You Should Attend GCEP blog posts, which will be posted over the upcoming weeks, all based on actual student feedback we received last year.  For more information on our Employability Pathway, please visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/global-citizenship/programme/pathways/employability or our website to register.

For more information on the general Global Citizenship Programme, please see https://www.ucl.ac.uk/global-citizenship/programme.

Registration for UCL’s Global Citizenship Employability Programme is now open. This exciting two week course is designed to empower you with the knowledge and skills needed to successfully approach employers, apply for jobs and secure your desired role. This is a unique chance to get ahead in today’s international, competitive job market.

New to the programme this year, a broad range of employers who value Global Citizenship will discuss with you what Global Citizenship means to their organisation and how these values translate into actions. From panel sessions and group discussions to one-to-one coaching with employers, you will get the chance to explore what Global Citizenship means to you, how other UCL students see the world, and which employers you may want to work for in the future.

Whether you are new to the idea of Global Citizenship or already have a strong view, join the discussion and learn how to relate these values to your future career.

Register now at My UCL Careers.

James Finch, Physics 2014 graduate, attended the Global Citizenship Employability Programme last summer and he tells us why it was so helpful

Graduating from Physics I wanted to pursuit a Technology career in the city. In previous summers I had obtained relevant work experience through internships but hadn’t converted them into full time positions. I knew that applications opened in late summer and lasted till around the New Year and my aim was to work hard applying over this time period.

The first step I took to prepare was to participate in the Global Citizenship Employability Programme. This covered many areas of the application process:

> Application forms

> CVs

> Cover Letters

> Psychometric tests

> Assessment centres

> Interviews

> Job hunt planning

Furthermore through the course you are introduced to the many other services that UCL Careers offers, such as the Alumni programme, 1-1 sessions, careers fairs and workshops. Through the Alumni programme I was able to obtain contacts within the industry/organisations that I was applying for, which was invaluable as you really get to understand what it is like to work for these companies and in these careers. Finally and most importantly I was introduced to the great team at UCL Careers and found the consultants very helpful in getting advice.

Applying what I had learned from the Employability programme, I started making progress with my applications, securing interviews with firms I really wanted to work for. I found it extremely beneficial to practise for interviews with the consultants, it helped build confidence and I received useful tips on how to improve. I always felt that the consultants came well prepared with relevant information about the types of questions that might be asked and about how the interview process would be carried out.

All this soon resulted in securing a job as a Technology Analyst at an Investment Bank. Much hard work was required on my part but the advice and support I received through the careers service really made it easier, with all the tips and hints along the way, that are difficult to pick by yourself. Even if you are very confident, there is no harm in reaching out to these guys, you will definitely learn something new that will benefit you in your job hunt. Good luck!

If you’d like to find our more about the Global Citizenship Employability Programme, visit: www.ucl.ac.uk/global-citizenship/employability

When gearing up for an intense two-weeks focusing on honing you to be a highly employable global citizen, learning your new key skills directly from the employer you actually want to work for might not be an obvious approach. But UCL Careers actually has an extensive employer engagement programme based on skills development, which will be a large part of the Global Citizenship Summer Programme.

Graduate recruiters are often very willing to give up their time to come onto campus and spend time helping students improve their employability skills. At the Global Citizenship Employability Programme, employers from a vast variety of sectors will join us on select days to help you with your interview skills, your CV, and assessment centre exercises.

This is a great opportunity to improve your eligibility and confidence (by practicing with one of the most relevant people to your career interests) before you go up for the real thing. For the sake of a good example, let’s presume you study finance and it’s your dream to work for Barclays. Would you pass up an opportunity to get a personal session with somebody who recruits graduates to work for Barclays, in a totally informal way, and receive feedback from them on your CV and your interview abilities? You never know how far impressing the right person at the right time can take you.

The scenario described above is not, of course, applicable to everyone. Let’s look at another example – say you are serious about your studies and have a good idea of what you want to do, but only vaguely where you want to work. Why not take the totally free opportunity to meet a recruiter from the sector or sectors you’re interested in, who will give you tailored, relevant feedback to prepare you for applying within their industry? Alternatively, it might even be an extremely useful and efficient way to figure out what companies or sectors you might not actually be that well suited to after all.

Who knows— you might even be surprised when you’re a student who just wants some professional feedback— anybody’s professional feedback—and you realise that your skills are quite well suited to an employer that you’d never considered before.

At the Global Citizenship Employability Programme, you will meet and work with a variety of employers. You’ll have chances to network and potentially make some useful contacts along the way who can answer your questions and tell you about the skills they developed when they were in your position.  You’ll practice intense and high pressure “speed” interviewing, practicing answering competency questions under time pressure to a series of employers from different industries. You can get your CV checked and work with a group of students to understand what you can do to improve this fundamental document. There will be a number of diverse, helpful viewpoints that you will be exposed to, and invaluable advice tailored to your employability.

To register and find out more about the UCL Careers Global Citizenship Employability Programme as part of the Global Citizenship programme run by UCL, head on over to: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/careers/events/employabilityprogramme

– Weronika Benning, Skills Administrator, UCL Careers

On Friday 20^th February UCL’s Global Citizenship Programme launched, and undergraduates across UCL will be able to register to take part in one of the different programmes taking place from 1-12 June.

What is Global Citizenship?

Global Citizenship is UCL’s initiative to build students who can:

• look beyond their individual and local interests and see the complexity of an interconnected world
• understand the nature of the challenges that face that world
• are aware of their social, ethical and political responsibilities
• are ready to display leadership and work together to change the world for the better
• are able to solve problems through innovation and entrepreneurship
• prosper in a global jobs market that values the skills UCL provides

It’s made up of 7 different strands to choose from: 4 targeted at first years and 3 more open to 2nd years, penultimates and finalists. The Global Citizenship Employability Programme (GCE), run by UCL Careers, is one of these latter strands – so if you are thinking about what your future may hold beyond UCL, read on!

What will you gain on the GCE programme?

UCL Careers Global Citizenship Employability Programme is an exciting and very hands-on 2 weeks. This programme is ideal for students who are interested in having a fulfilling and rewarding career, and who want to prosper in a global jobs market. In many ways the GCE programme is an ‘employability crash course’.

During the programme, you will take part in interactive workshops helping you to build an effective CV, perform well at interviews and assessment centres, build your network, search successfully for jobs and understand the graduate labour market. Importantly, the programme begins with a full-day dedicated to helping you discover, and articulate, your strengths, which you can then use to help develop your career.

What else does it involve?

Programme highlights include:

• fast-paced speed interviews with a range of employers, arming you with tips from professionals across different industries
• priority access to more employers at our Jobs Market, most of whom will have live vacancies they want filled!
• Employer 1:1 coaching on your CV
• Support to develop a personal action plan that you can take with you, helping you identify key steps you need to take to enter and prosper in a global job market.

What did people say last year?

Don’t just take our word for it – check out our video and hear from attendees at last year’s programme and come along to our information session held Friday 27^th February in Archaeology LT G06 at 1pm for more information, and to hear some case studies of students who succeeded from last year’s programme. And most of all, be sure to register and come to UCL Careers to pay your £20 deposit to secure your place!

It’s over! UCL Careers has just finished running the two week Employability Summer School as part of the Global Citizenship programme. Taking place over two weeks, from 2 – 13 June, we saw over 70 penultimate and final-year students, from a whole range of different departments, go through the fortnight building upon their skills as well as improving their confidence in the job hunting process. With over 20 interactive events tackling a whole host of topics, it was an intense first-time experience for many – the days were jam-packed with information, guidance and plenty of opportunities to put it all in to practice.

What did they do?

Beginning with an ice-breaker to get things going, students kicked off the programme with a day looking at how to connect with employers – a session rounded off with an opportunity to chat with a UCL Alumni panel and network afterwards. The following day’s workshops focused on CV and applications as well as interview techniques and ended with a chance to speak to start-up businesses at the Small Companies Big Jobs fair. The week was then split in to sessions full of tips on online job searching, psychometric testing, mock assessment centres, post-graduate study and international job hunting with plenty of 1-1 coaching interspersed. Throughout the week, mornings were spent with varied plenaries from Capco and Save the Children which were engaging and insightful.

Week two followed a differed flavour with a group ‘job searching’ session and an opportunity to put everything they had learnt in to practice at the annual UCL Careers Jobs Market. The students then divided up over the next three days with some attending the case-study-centred ‘Focus on Management’ and others developing strengths-based skills at the ‘Marketing yourself as a Global Citizen’ strand. The last day was dedicated to action-planning and forward thinking as well as a chance to celebrate the past two weeks – rounding out a successful programme of workshops with an HEAR accreditation and a well-deserved lunch.

What did they build their confidence in?

On their first day, students took a ‘confidence measure’ which got them thinking about how they felt in regards to their personal situation. With a score of one to five, they marked their self-confidence in:

• Connecting with employers
• How to write a good CV
• Filling out applications
• How to succeed at interviews
• How to find relevant jobs
• Making decisions about their future careers choice

They then filled this same indicator out on the last day and compared them both – the idea being that they’d hopefully see an improvement from their first day. It is safe to say that there was a huge improvement! Every one of these pointers saw the numbers rocket from a score of around 1-3 to a confidence-inspiring 4-5 by the final day. Proving the value of all they had picked up over the two weeks, students felt that going forward, they were more ready and able to approach the job search armed with the right information and resources, as well as the support of UCL Careers in the months and years ahead.

Well done class of 2014!

What did students think of the Summer School?

 “The best course I’ve done at UCL! It has increased my confidence in connecting with employers and finding job that suits my strengths and personality as well.”

“Enjoyable, interactive and applicable to real life.”

“Finally someone turned the lights on in a pitch black room!”

“UCL Careers is a great asset to the university – use it!”

Want to find out more about this unique opportunity to hone your employability skills? Visit: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/careers/students/skills/summerschool

Throughout the year we run many events aimed at supporting students and recent graduates in all parts of their job search. Find out more: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/careers/students/skills/calendar

“I studied Mandarin at Tsinghua University in Beijing during my gap year before moving to London to complete my Undergraduate degree in Statistics, Economics and Finance at University College London from 2009 to 2012. Having undertaken various marketing internships and having studied a bit of Marketing in my last year at UCL, I secured a place on the Unilever Future Leaders Programme with a focus in Marketing.

Since joining Unilever in September 2012 I have spent 12 months as the Homecare Assistant Brand Manager in a local marketing role, constantly deepening my knowledge of Unilever brands and the people who use them, and using this level of insight to help develop products’ personalities and bring them to life in the eyes of consumers. I have worked on the launch of new products, looked at sponsorship opportunities for some Homecare brands and planned digital  and TV campaigns to raise awareness and engage with consumers.

In October 2013, I moved to a global marketing role in Oral Care. This role is all about strategy, deciding where we want to bring the brand in 5 to 10 years and how we will do that. I work on innovations and advertising development at a Global level (working with France, China and Brazil). These roles have provided me with the opportunity to work with iconic brands, develop my leadership skills on a day to day basis, being responsible for key projects, and also experience working closely with colleagues in a number of business areas – from the Supply Chain to Sales and Research  & Development.”

Unilever are taking part in UCL Careers’ Employability Summer School – a 2 week programme running between 2nd – 13th June. Who is Unilever? We make some of the world’s most loved brands: Dove, Lynx, PG Tips, Sure, Magnum, Persil and Hellmann’s, to name a few. 173,000 employees around the world work to bring them to life. They’re sold in 190 countries, and are used by two billion people daily. We have an impact on lives in so many different ways, from providing food and refreshment to cleaning clothes and washing hair.