Review Your Options and achieve Career Success after Graduation

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Review Your Options and achieve Career Success
after Graduation

• Tina Allen
• University of Edinburgh

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Aim

• Remind you of aim of CS
• Review the range of jobs/postgrad courses that
  physics/astrophysics graduates enter
• Alert you to career deadlines of final year
• What services does CS provide that may be
  relevant to your needs?

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Careers Service aims to

• Expand your horizons
• Equip you to make informed career decisions
  throughout your life
• Help you achieve high personal and professional
  achievement, and a fulfilling future
• Help you whatever you want to do

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What did graduates do with an Edinburgh
physics/astrophysics degree in 2010?

• Employment 38 (51)
• Further study 42 (35)
• - academic/vocational/professional
• Time Out 2 (10)
• Unemployed 18 (4)
• (2009 figs in brackets)

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Some of Jobs from 2007-10

• Management Trainee European Space Agency
• Physics Teacher
• Marine Geophysicist
• Publishing Editor - IoPhys
• Software Engineer
• Medical Physicist
• Research Scientist
• Science Communicator
• Windfarm Dev Analyst
• Meteorologist

• GCHQ Civil Servant
• Fund Analyst
• Management Consultant
• Actuary
• Chartered Accountant
• Systems Engineer
• Royal Navy
• Statistical Officer
• Musician / Photographer
• Ski Patrol Officer (Canada)

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Some of Postgrad Courses from 2007-10

• PhD in Physics
• Climate Change
• Nuclear Astrophysics
• Musical Acoustics
• Astronomy/Cosmology
• Meteorology
• Active Galactic Nuclei
• Dark Matter
• Environ. Acoustics
• Biophys. Chemistry
• Neuroscience
• Soft Condensed Matter
• Theoretical Physics

• MSc in Neuroinformatics
• Orthopaedic Engin.
• Space Science
• Photonics
• Plasma Physics
• Renewable Energy
• Medical Physics
• MA in Music
• Business
• Govt, Dev Conflict
• PGDE/PGCE in Secondary Physics

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What stage are you at?

• Already have a job/postgrad course offer for
  September
• No ideas! ?( done nothing so far)!!!
• Some ideas of jobs/postgrad courses but you need
  to do more research
• Know exactly what job firm(s)/postgrad courses
  youre aiming at and have all the
  information/skills you need to get it eg. closing
  dates, up-to-date CV, interview skills polished,
  etc.

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Thinking of finding a job?

• Careers Fair October 11th 12th (different
  employers both days) 1.30-6.30pm - Adam House
• Employer Presentations start 3 October
• Careers information workshops this semester
• eg. actuarial work, advertising, Civil Service,
  teaching, conservation, social media careers,
  management consultancy, international
  development, the media..
• Skills development workshops eg. business
  awareness, presentation skills,

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Who is recruiting for what I want to do?

• Vacancies online on SAGE (the employer database
  at the Careers Service) www.ed.ac.uk/careers/sage
  
• Collect directories from the Careers Service eg.
  GET, Prospects
• Research company websites
• Newspapers/periodicals
• Professional bodies eg. Institute of Physics
• Contacts/networking

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Thinking of continuing to study?

• Talks UK 21 Oct taught
• 28 Oct research
• USA 13 Oct
• Europe 31 Oct (central area)
• Talk to your tutors/discuss topics of research

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Have you got all the jobhunting skills you
require?

• Talks at KB
• CVs 29 Sept
• Application forms 22 Sept
• Interviews 6 Oct
• Compile your CV get some feedback at CS
• Fill in application forms get some feedback at
  CS

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• Interviews book a mock interview with a careers
  adviser
• Assessment Centres book a practice on 19 Oct
• Psychometric tests take a practice set (5 Oct
  2 Nov) get extra practice online at CS website

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Talk to your Careers Adviser

• Book a long interview (30 - 45 minutes) at the
  Weir Building, Kings Buildings Tel [phone]
• Book a short interview (20 minutes) at the Weir
  Building, Kings Buildings Tel [phone]
• - book on the day only for 1pm/1.20pm/1.40pm
• Use the CS website www.ed.ac.uk/careers
• - details of all events book through MyEd

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Strategy 1

• Research plan as quickly as possible
• Decide on number of applications your
  priorities
• Compile shortlist how many?
• Check closing dates to establish timescale
  (November for some)
• Do forms/CV in draft form get feedback as soon
  as possible
• Top tip - dont choose all household names!

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Strategy 2

• OR do nothing now!!
• Wait until after finals then start
• Graduate Recruitment Fair May
• Summer workshops CVs, Interview Skills,
  Finding a Job in Edinburgh, etc.
• But..youll get whats left over may need to
  take some time out by default!