Jennifer Reay Careers Adviser j'reaylondonmet'ac'uk Career Development

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Jennifer ReayCareers Adviserj.reay_at_londonmet.ac.
ukCareer Development Employment
ServiceDepartment of Student Services
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Careers sessions

• Intro to CDES identifying your skills and
  attributes
• Writing CVs
• Writing covering letters
• Job search strategies

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Objectives

• By the end of this session, you will
• be aware of the range of services available to
  LMU under/graduates from CDES
• be able to identify key transferable skills and
  attributes which employers look for in graduates
• identify your own transferable and specialist
  skills
• know how to enhance your skills

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Career Development Employment Service
(www.londonmet.ac.uk/career)

• Quick careers queries (drop-in)
• Careers guidance interviews
• E-guidance (www.londonmet.ac.uk/careers/e-guidance
  )
• CVs, application forms, covering letters
• Workshops and employer presentations
• Take-away and reference information
• Volunteering (http//reach.londonmet.ac.uk)
• Job vacancies Employment Service on line
  (www.londonmet.ac.uk/careers/employment)

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How to get in touch

• Student Services, 1st Floor, Tower Building
• Open 9-6pm
• Drop-in 12-3pm, Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri term-time
• Wed. 12 - 3pm phone to book on the day
• Careers guidance interviews contact one of the
• careers advisers direct via Student
  Services in
• person or tel. [phone]
• E guidance
• www.londonmet.ac.uk/careers/e-guidance
• Website www.londonmet.ac.uk/careers
• E mail careers.studentservices_at_londonmet.ac.uk
  

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Skills and Employability
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Why bother with skills?

• know what employers are looking for
• match yourself against the job requirements
• know what you have to offer
• able to promote yourself
• self-confidence
• identify skills gaps and plan how to fill them

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Employability

• The most recent labour market information
• appears to provide evidence that a degree on
• its own, without accompanying work
• experience, evidence of achievement and
• transferable skills, is not enough. This is true
  
• especially against a backdrop of increasing
• participation in Higher Education..
• Prospects website, 2003

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Decision-Making Module

• Task 9
• Identify the employability skills and attributes
  you have used in carrying out this project. For
  each skill you identify, provide brief evidence
  of how youve applied it in the project.

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Skills and Attributes

• A skill is..
• an ability to do something that has been
  learned and developed to the point where it can
  be applied effectively and competently e.g.
  presentation IT
• An attribute is ..an aspect of a persons
  character or personality e.g. honesty, reliable

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Skills exercise using graduate job adverts
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Identifying skills in job ads.

• Read the details of the two jobs
• Identify the skills (transferable and specialist)
  and the attributes that the employers are looking
  for.

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What are Employers Looking For? Transferable
Skills

• Team work
• Leadership
• Initiative
• Problem solving
• Communication skills (oral and written)

• IT
• Self-awareness
• Interpersonal
• Numeracy
• Business awareness

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Specialist Skills

• Mathematical
• IT technical
• Analytical
• Problem-solving
• Practical
• Designing and implementing projects

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Attributes commonly sought by employers

• Motivated/self-starter
• Flexible
• Adaptable
• Reliable
• Personable
• Goal orientated

• Maturity
• Balanced outlook
• Common sense
• Awareness of other people
• Enthusiasm

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Meeting skill and attribute requirements

• Understanding the skill or attribute why needed
  in the job role?
• What evidence do you have for it?
• How can you acquire new and further develop
  skills and attributes?

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Understanding the skill team working

• Working co-operatively towards a common goal
• Helping out, covering for colleagues
• Contributing your own ideas effectively
• Listening to others
• Taking a share of the responsibility
• Being assertive
• Learning from and giving constructive criticism
  and positive feedback

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Evidence of a skill team working

• Academic group projects/assignments
• Work
• Voluntary work
• Other activities (e.g. sport, Student Union
  societies/clubs)

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Developing skills - getting more experience

• At university temp. work e.g. Welcome Team
  clubs societies, Students Union activities
• Your course especially group projects
• Paid work
• A work placement (Employability Unit)
• Voluntary work (http//reach.londonmet.ac.uk)
• Other interests and activities

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Key to Success

• Developing self-awareness strengths and
  weaknesses
• Being able to identify your transferable and
  specialist skills and personal attributes
• Gaining experience (and evidence) to develop
  additional skills
• Learning how to communicate your skills to
  employers via the application process
• CV with covering letter
• Application form
• Interview and selection process

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Skills exercise what are my skills?
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Conclusions

• You will already have many skills and abilities
  that employers will value
• You will further develop these and learn
  additional ones whilst at university
• Work experience and/or volunteering are vital to
  enhancing your employability
• Learning how to communicate your abilities to
  employers is essential
• Use the resources that the University provides to
  get ahead in the job market

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Action plan?

• Think hard about things you do and how you do
  them identify skills and attributes
• Psychometric tests
• Prospects Planner www.prospects.ac.uk
• Careers interview
• Self evaluation exercises handouts on-line
  careers reference books in Student Services