Psychology careers event

It is nearly time for our annual careers event about psychology related career options.  It is open to graduates of The University of Manchester as well as current students.

This event gets fantastic feedback every year.  If you would like to explore psychology related career options don’t miss it.

Wednesday 10th March 2010, 1pm-4.45pm.  For full details of the venue and talks please check the website.

If you did not study psychology, but are planning to convert this would be a great event to find out about career options but please note that the afternoon will not cover conversion routes.

What do maths graduates do?

Listen to real life maths graduates talk about their jobs in the audio podcast Travels in a Mathematical World.  Each episode is about 10 minutes long.

Jobs featured include: maths biology, coding, cryptography, engineering, fluid dynamics, wave dispersion, transport modelling,  network optimisation, Bayesian statistics, stochastic calculus, architecture, art, education, maths communication, finance category theory, astrophysics, crowd modelling and invisibility cloaks.

Invisibility cloaks?!  Who knew mathematicians are making the world of Harry Potter possible? :)

Tesco China webchat today 1pm

If you are a fluent Chinese speaker you might be interested in a webchat taking place this afternoon (Wednesday) 1-2pm.  Tesco China are recruiting for their Chinese Graduate Programme, it is open to Chinese speakers regardless of nationality.

The scheme involves a 6-7 month structured development programme in the UK followed by a permanent move to China.  Find out more at the link above and in the webchat this afternoon.

Graduate vacancies available now

More organisations have contacted us to let us know that they still have graduate jobs available.  Here is a round-up of the latest…

• Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) – closing soon
  Group Manufacturing Leadership, Retail Business Leadership, Group Sourcing & Vendor Management, Blobal Banking & Markets Technology, Global Banking & Markets Operations, Business & Commercial (Lombard), Global Restructuring Group, Global Transaction Services, Private Banking, UK Corporate Banking.
• IBM - Information Developer, IT Consultant, IT Specialist, Software Developer, Business Strategy Consulting, Strategy Consultant.
• Teach First – Maths & Science & ICT
• Conservation Internship Grant – not a job this one but funding of £4k for 6 months full time research on a specific mammel related project.

Win £100 cash or £50 Amazon voucher for 5 minutes of your time

Complete our survey about interactive careers services.

You need to be a student or graduate of The University of Manchester to enter.

One £100 cash prize and two £50 Amazon vouchers are up for grabs!

Value of work experience in finding a graduate job

A recent survey asking graduates early in their careers about their experiences of the job market has highlighted the value of work experience.

Here at the Careers Service we are always going on about how important work experience is!  We think it is important, employers tell us it is an important thing which they look for in their applicants and this survey shows that graduates who have found a job think that it was useful to them too.

What the Real Prospects graduates’ experiences do emphasise is how useful work experience is for graduates and that not only does it allow them to acquire skills, knowledge and contacts it also enables them to explore job roles, careers and their interests.

If you are convinced but are regretting that you didn’t do a summer internship or an industrial placement while you were a student all is not lost.  It is possible to get work experience as a graduate.

You can search for advertised work experience opportunities on our website and on Graduate Talent Pool. But remember that ‘work experience’ does not necessarily mean a formal placement or internship.  It might mean working in a non-graduate role in the sector, so also check out other job sources such as website and local newspapers.

Work experience opportunities at the BBC

If you are hoping to break into a production career in the media you may already be aware that it is necessary to obtain work experience, and that most work experience opportunities in the sector are unpaid.

Applying for the BBC Vision Intake Pool might be a way to obtain paid work experience as a Runner or as a Production Manager Assistant (PMA).  There is no guarantee of work but it is worth a try. Closing date is 31st January 2010.

You can only apply for one role (either PMA or Runner) and you have to choose one location.  You can apply for PMA roles in London or Bristol and Runner roles in London, Manchester, Bristol or Birmingham.

Financial support for unpaid internships

At last I have news to report about financial support for unemployed graduates who want to do an unpaid internship via Graduate Talent Pool.  This was promised way back in the summer but details have only just been released.

From January 2010 you may be entitled to a training allowance when accepting an unpaid or expenses only internship, However there are a lot of conditions.

You must…

• Have graduated in 2009.
• Have been claiming jobseekers allowance for six months or more.
• Live in a ‘Flexible New Deal’ area, if you are aged under 25.  If you are aged 25 or over you may apply from anywhere in the UK.  List of Flexible New Deal areas.

The internship must…

• Have been advertised on and filled via Graduate Talent Pool.
• Be unpaid or pay expenses for childcare and/or travel only.
• Last up to 13 weeks.
• Involve at least 16 hours of activity per week.  (You allowed to undertake an unpaid internship for less than 16 hours per week without losing your Job Seekers Allowance anyway).

For more information check the DirectGov website.

Media careers news

The Careers Service has set up a new blog for the Media Club.  It is well worth keeping an eye on if you might be interested in a career in this competitive sector.

And on a related note the BBC North has opened a jobsite for vacancies at Media City in Salford.  Media City is not yet complete but it is a useful website to bookmark and check over the next couple of years in the run up to the big opening.

Graduate recruitment news

Good news…

It has been widely reported recently that blue chip graduate recruiters are starting to increase their intake of graduates compared to last year.

Not so good news…

A survey of small and medium sized businesses indicated that most were not hiring graduates at the moment.

In my experience the situation varies widely according to the sector and region of the country so  consider having a careers appointment to discuss your personal situation.

Over the last few days we’ve had a few companies let us know directly that they are still or about to start recruiting.

KPMG have just opened some new advisory vacancies and are still recruiting in audit and tax.

GlaxoSmithKline still have vacancies available in Global Management & Supply, NPI technology, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Automation and Control Engineers.

Santander is about to become a major new player in the UK graduate recruitment market as it becomes a major new name on the high street.  This will be of particular interest to graduates interested in banking who have missed deadlines or been unsuccessful in the autumn as they are just opening applications.

They have 2 entry routes for graduates:

• Accelerated Entry Programme (approx 150 vacancies)
  Not specifically a graduate scheme but suitable for graduates and a good entry point to the company.  This involves working in branches as Personal Banking Advisers.  Applications from international students/graduates are welcomed.  Salary: £18-21k + bonuses.  Applications open now.
• Business Area Specific Graduate Programme (approx 70 vacancies across key disciplines)
  Covers Finance, HR, Internal Audit, TD (call centre), Retail Branch and Complaints.  Applications from international students/graduates not accepted for this programme. Salary: £25-27k.  Applications opening this week, so check back if they are not open today.