What employers really want from interviewees

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Take a look at the following feedback from employers who took part in a recent student mock interview event. Are you meeting their needs?

  • Take notes if the interviewer gives you feedback.
  • Articulate what your achievements say about you. If you swam for the county, for example, that says you are committed and competitive.
  • Relate extra curricular activities to skills employers are looking for. Use army cadets experience, for example, to demonstrate  teamwork and leadership skills.
  • Take an interest in the outside world, current affairs and business. Prepare an answer to the question ” what has grabbed your attention in the news recently”.
  • Answer the “tell me about your weaknesses question” very briefly, stop speaking and wait for the next question. Don’t fall into the bear pit by rambling on about your weaknesses.

The Placement Careers Centre sees students up to two years after graduation. If you would like careers or interview help, book a session with a  careers consultant today by emailing careers@brunel.ac.uk,  stipulating your degree course and student number.

Graduate sales scheme at Academia opens

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A minority of us are born sales people, the rest of us need training, and great sales training can set a person up for the rest of their life. It provides crucial tools for the future, whether that’s working for yourself or an organisation. Fast-growing technical  services company, Academia, is looking for multiple graduate sales trainees to join its 70-strong team based in Enfield. The opportunity to earn (OTE) salary is estimated at £25,000 after the first year.

A graduate in IT / Computer Science or media related course is preferred but if you meet the other requirements, get applying using the Eventbrite  link. Check out the Academia careers page clicking on Graduate Sales Programme for further details of the role, remuneration, and application process.

Calling all music journalists

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Talent plays a big part in journalism but so does determination, and work experience – typically unpaid in this world. With this in mind, music e-zine Not Enough Notes is looking for wouldbe musos to write music reviews and report back on the latest bands in their area. Fancy a go? Read on ………….

“Never Enough Notes is a music e-zine dedicated to featuring up-and-coming and well-known acts. Do you want to get your writing seen? Do you want experience for a portfolio? To build up contacts? Free gigs, parties, festivals, and to interview both up-and-coming and established acts? And to top it off, to hear all the new releases before they hit the shelves?

Never Enough is looking for volunteer journalists to report back on what’s happening in music. We are looking for students to commit a few hours a month to review gigs and releases. We’re more than happy for our writers to suggest/request subjects to cover – after all, you know what you and your mates would want to read.

Sound good? Simply send an example review to  editor Kimberley-Marie Sklinar  kim@neverenoughnotes.co.uk. All you need is a personality, some
free time, a love of music, and access to the internet!”

 

 

Grad recruiters hit out at unpaid internships

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The Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) is pressing employers to change their ways, as current hiring methods are excluding  graduates from disadvantaged social backgrounds. Offering unpaid interships and demanding a 2.1 or above, they say, means that grad recruiters are missing out on a wealth of talent.

Unpaid internships can depend on students’ family connections or the candidate’s ability to work for nothing.

Research from AGR and the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS) revealed that employers are “unknowingly and unintentionally” putting up common barriers that stymie social mobility and overlook talented individuals. These barriers include job offers based on degree classification and experience gained through unpaid internships rather than a candidate’s ability to do the job on an equal basis.

Further results from this work showed that employers who lead the way in fair and transparent recruitment “are seeing clear business benefits including opening up a larger talent pool, increasing the skills base and more accurately reflecting the diversity of their customers and clients.

The research is part of a series of projects looking at social mobility and graduates’ transition into the job market, funded by the Department for Business, Innovation  and Skills.

400 extra grad places going at Vodafone

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Vodafone has injected new life into its graduate scheme by offering an extra 400 places on its programme over the course of the next five years.

The revamped graduate programme at the communications company will also see the length of the scheme doubled from one year to two as Vodafone seeks to take on more university leavers than the 50 it has recruited annually in recent times.

If you do fancy going on to a graduate career with Vodafone then a 2:1 degree is a minimum requirement – but the company doesn’t mind which course you have graduated in.

 

Good grad job stories and keeping motivated

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As most of you know, finding a grad job is 50% searching and 50% keeping motivated, particularly after the rejections come in. To keep upbeat follow the tips below. Also check out first grad stories on the Graduate Recruitment Bureau website where recent grads talk about how they managed to secure roles, normally after a year or so of trying, lots of lateral thinking and a huge dose of grit and determination. Their stories are uplifting. 

A recent communications and media student of mine, who speaks fluent Japanese, had been looking for a year for a role and was working in a Japanese restaurant in the meantime, polishing his language and customer service skills.Using his sleuthing abilities, he managed to locate recruitment agencies specifically looking for Japanese speakers, and has recently landed an entry-level role with an export/import company. He is delighted.

To keep motivated:

  • Celebrate small victories – such as a cracking application form or a phone interview – remember how many people you must have beaten to get the interview. Celebrate the feedback following the interview if you do not get the job.
  • Keep active – don’t spend all day job hunting. Make time to exercise. A healthy mind in a healthy body as they say.
  • Keep in touch with people in your network. Drop them emails, chat to them on the phone, send useful bits of information to  keep them in the loop. Ask for shadowing opportunities.
  • Socialise – you probably don’t need prompting to do this, but those of you who feel guilty about catching up with friends when you think you should be job hunting, remember, there’s nothing like the support and company of mates to lift the mood, boost confidence and make useful suggestions.

Free journalism workshops

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Fancy a life penning for a newspaper or magazine but aren’t totally sure it’s right for you? Try a free journalism workshop run by newpaper group Brighton Argus. The journalistworks taster workshops run on June 7th and August 30th over the summer. Sign up to learn how to write a news story and get proper feedback plus insight into the world of newspapers. Find out all the (many) jobs that can be available to you, how to impress at interview and what you need to do to start your journalism career.

It will look good on your CV too.