career planning guide for taught postgraduates plan… · planning your career is to think about...

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CAREER PLANNINGGUIDE FOR TAUGHTPOSTGRADUATES

Career success for Masters students

CONTENTS

www.kent.ac.uk/ces

Introduction 1

Choosing a career 2

Skills developed through postgraduate study 4

Your career options 6

Non-academic and academic-related careers in universities 7

Careers in teaching and research 8

Finding a job – vacancy sources 9

Applying for jobs 10

Interviews 11

The creative career search 13

Further study and academic careers 14

What does the CES offer postgraduate students? 15

Career planner for taught postgraduates 16

This booklet has been written for alltaught postgraduate students, andpostgraduates who have recentlycompleted such courses, at theUniversity of Kent. Its aim is to helppostgraduates to achieve theircareer aims by providing informationon opportunities for postgraduates,advice on job-seeking and details ofthe help and resources available topostgraduates – at the University ofKent and beyond. It looks at careeropportunities for postgraduates andat the skills and knowledge whichthey can bring to a large number ofjobs – not just those directly relatedto their studies. The booklet can onlyoffer a general introduction and youshould follow it up by using thevarious information resources towhich it will point you or bydiscussing your own personalqueries and issues with a careersadviser.

Service and the other sources ofadvice and information on careersand employment noted.

Whatever you are studying andwhatever your future career plans,you should begin your careerplanning early and not wait until youhave completed your dissertationbefore taking action. This will giveyou plenty of time to decide on yourpreferred career option, to developa contingency plan and to gatherinformation about opportunitiesthrough research and networking.Many major recruiters will advertisevacancies several months inadvance of the starting date.

There is a very wide variety oftaught postgraduate students,studying on full-time and part-timeprogrammes across the full rangeof academic subjects. Some havegone on to postgraduate studyimmediately after theirundergraduate degree, while othershave returned to study after someyears of employment. Some arestudying for interest, others forvocational reasons: some plan tocontinue onto a research degreeand an academic career whileothers may hope to use their studiesoutside academia.

This booklet inevitably has togeneralise about the opportunitiesopen to postgraduates and the skillsgained through postgraduate study.Please use it as a starting point andcontinue your career planning byusing the Careers and Employability

INTRODUCTION

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CHOOSING A CAREER

The first thing to do whenplanning your career is tothink about issues such as:

• Your interests• Your values• Your skills• Your opportunities – the jobmarket for your subject or area of interest

• Your personal circumstances –such as geographical restrictions

This will help you to decide what you want from a career, what youcan offer employers and what otherfactors might affect your choices.The following sources will provideinformation and advice to help youmake these decisions:

• Choosing a Career A bookletproduced by the CES to help youmake career choices. It outlinesthe different stages of decision-making, the issues that studentsshould think about during thisprocess and provides resourcesthat will enable you to find outmore about yourself and yourcareer options. Available in theCES building, or download it fromwww.kent.ac.uk/ces/publications.html

• Prospects Career Planner:www.prospects.ac.uk/myprospects_planner_login.htmAn online self-assessment andcareer choice program that helpsyou to:- generate new job ideas andcheck out your existing ideas;

- identify your skills and find outwhat motivates you in a job;

- see how these match the jobsyou are considering;

- research your chosen jobs inmore detail and decide on theright choices for you

• Your Masters – What Next?www.prospects.ac.uk/postgraduate-study/masters-degrees/your-masters-what-next- Find out about the skills youhave gained as a result of yourpostgraduate study and howyou can present these skillsmost effectively to an employer.

• Options with your subjectwww.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/what-can-i-do-with-my-degreeA series covering over 40academic subject areas givingideas for how graduates can usetheir degree subject or theemployability skills acquired instudying it. Although targeted atundergraduates, much of thecontent is also relevant topostgraduates.

• ‘What can I do with my degree in ...?’www.kent.ac.uk/ces/student/degreeInformation on the destinationsof Kent graduates andpostgraduates plus links toemployers and career areas likelyto be of interest to graduates inthat subject.

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Important things to keep inmind when making careerdecisions• Get to know yourself – youremployability skills, abilities andpersonal qualities. Withoutknowing what is important to you,what you want from a job andwhat you can offer, it will be moredifficult to make career choices.

• Other people can often help youto see yourself more clearly. Tryasking your friends, relations ortutors about your strengths and

weaknesses, or talk over yourideas with a careers adviser. Theycould help you to see yourselfmore objectively.

• Don’t have fixed ideas aboutjobs, such as who does themand what the work is like.Stereotyped pictures of jobs arerarely accurate. Find out what isreally involved and look for thetruth behind the popular image.

• The best careers advice comesfrom people with first-handknowledge. Try and make contactwith people doing the type of jobsthat interest you and talk to themabout their work.

• Keep an open mind. Be flexible.Be receptive to new job ideas.Don’t reject career possibilitieswithout some consideration first.Remember that your first careerpost does not have to set thedirection for the rest of yourworking life if you don’t want it to.

• Make full use of the Careers andEmployability Service. Use ourprint and online resources andconsult careers advisers with anyqueries and problems.


SKILLS DEVELOPED THROUGHPOSTGRADUATE STUDY

Employers wantpostgraduates to be ableto offer more than theiracademic subjectknowledge. They also lookfor a range of skills:transferable skills such asteamworking, businessawareness andcommunication skills plus,depending on theemployer, more practicalskills such as languages,numeracy, laboratorytechniques andquantitative methods.These skills are importantfor jobs in all areas –business, education,research and the publicsector – and you will needto show them on your jobapplications.

The transferable skills most often sought by employers ofpostgraduates are:• Written communication skillsThe ability to use the Englishlanguage effectively in order toexpress your ideas clearly and ata level appropriate for youraudience.

• Verbal communication skillsAgain, using language effectivelybut with the additional ability tospeak confidently and clearly andto pitch what you say in such away to have the desired impacton your listeners.

• Analytical abilityConsidering differing ideas,information and theories; pickingout key points and details in orderto construct or support yourarguments; following complexreasoning; applying logic.

• Critical thinkingAbility to question and not to takethings at face value. Interpretinginformation and arguments;considering their validity in thelight of issues such as theirsource, the evidence provided tosupport them and other materialon the topic. Constructing areasoned argument for your ownpoint of view.

• Planning and organisingApproaching tasks and projectssystematically; managing time;setting targets; monitoringprogress; delegating; ability tohandle a number of differenttasks simultaneously.

• Research/Investigative skillsUse of a variety of sources;constructing research proposals;testing different theories; usingspecialist techniques such asstatistical packages or laboratoryequipment.

• InnovationAbility to take a fresh approach,think laterally, be original andcreative, willing to try new thingsand adapt to new environments.

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• Problem solvingTaking a systematic approach toproblems; being flexible in findingsolutions; looking at differentangles and approaches;identifying the most appropriatesolution for the situation.

• Maturity and confidenceWide experience of life generallyand specifically of working withother people; strong careerfocus; credibility with employersand clients.

• Self-motivationAbility to work independentlywithout the need for constantdirection or feedback.Anticipating what needs to bedone; setting your own goals andworking towards them. Beingpositive and professional. Takingresponsibility for your own workand personal development.

• Commercial awarenessAn awareness of the environmentin which an organisation operates(public sector and charitableorganisations face commercialand financial pressures too!). A focus on the purpose of theorganisation and its clients and/orstakeholders.

• Co-operationThe ability to work with otherpeople, inside and outside yourown department or organisation.Working together to achieve acommon goal. Allocating andsharing responsibilities and tasks.

Many of these skills are developedto a high level through postgraduatestudy. Others can be demonstratedthrough other aspects of yourexperience, such as part-time orvacation work and extra-curricularinterests, so be sure to get involvedin activities outside of your studiesand to use these activities in yourapplications.

http://targetjobs.co.uk/careers-advice/job-descriptions


YOUR CAREER OPTIONS

Once you have thoughtabout your skills, andwhat you want from yourcareer, you are ready tostart looking atopportunities.

You may have chosen your Master’sdegree with a particular career inmind and know exactly what youwant to do; you may have only amore vague idea of how you canuse your postgraduate studies inyour career or you may have takenyour degree purely out of interestand now be looking at a wide rangeof possibilities.

In some job areas, such aseconomics, political and socialresearch, science and technology,education and psychology, apostgraduate qualification is often arequirement or a strong advantage.It can also be helpful if you want towork abroad, or for an internationalorganisation, as in other countries aMasters-level qualification may bethe norm for graduate jobs.

However, many graduate recruitersin the UK do not put any greatadditional value on a Master’sdegree, especially where thegraduate has taken a taughtMaster’s degree immediatelyfollowing an undergraduatedegree, and does not have a greatdeal of work experience beyondpart-time and casual jobs.

While employers are happy torecruit Master’s graduates ontotheir graduate schemes, thesegraduates apply through the sameroute as undergraduates and arenot treated any differently in therecruitment process or when theystart work. A recent (small-scale)survey of ten of the largestgraduate recruiters found that onlyfour even mentioned postgraduatequalifications and that only two ofthese had some specific roleswhere a postgraduate degreemight be an advantage.

As a Master’s graduate, though,you do have more to offer theseemployers than you did at the endof your first degree. At the mostbasic level, you have an extrayear’s experience, which makesyou more mature and focused.Since most Master’s students areself-funded, taking a degree at thislevel demonstrates commitmentand motivation. If, during yourpostgraduate year, you havegained further experience andskills (through internships or extra-curricular activities) inaddition to academic qualificationsthis can help you to stand outwhen competing with Bachelor’sdegree graduates. See page 4for an outline of the employabilityskills developed throughpostgraduate study.

Outside these big graduaterecruiters, there are plenty ofopportunities where a postgraduatedegree will be a requirement or anadvantage and employers will valuethe specialist knowledge or practicalskills gained through your studies.Some of these employers may havean annual graduate intake, but manymore will only recruit on an ad hocbasis, as and when they needsomebody with a particularknowledge base or skill set.

In general, though, postgraduatesare highly attractive to a wide varietyof employers, whatever theirbackground.

The following pages look at somepopular areas for Master’s graduateshoping to use their qualifications orinterests in their career, eitherdirectly or indirectly.

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NON-ACADEMIC ANDACADEMIC-RELATED CAREERSIN UNIVERSITIESAs well as academic roles,universities employ staffin a variety of academic-related management andsupport roles.

These include:• Administration, including studentregistration and admissions,central services administration,departmental co-ordination;

• Library and information services;• Scientific support, e.g. laboratorytechnicians;

• Careers, employability andenterprise;

• Human resource management,including staffdevelopment/training;

• IT and systems support;

• Public relations and marketingposts, promoting universities toprospective students (in the UKand overseas), alumni,businesses and the community;

• Student welfare and support:counselling and advice services,disability support, internationalstudent support;

• Accommodation, catering and conference services;

• Arts, music and events;• Financial management;• Health and safety.

For more information, seewww.kent.ac.uk/ces/student/workin/university.html

Vacancies in these areas may beadvertised at national level on thejob sites below but, at entry-levelgrades, may only be advertised onthe individual university’s website.

Finding a job in the highereducation sector• www.jobs.ac.uk• The Guardianhttp://jobs.guardian.co.uk/jobs/education/higher

• Times Higher Educationwww.timeshighereducation.co.uk

Most of these sites list jobs coveringa range of academic, research,managerial and support roles inhigher education plus vacancies inother public and private sectorbodies that may require or prefer apostgraduate degree.


CAREERS IN TEACHINGAND RESEARCH

Careers in teachingA number of postgraduates will goon to an Initial Teacher Education orTraining Programme leading toQualified Teacher Status (QTS).These are available either through aPGCE course or while working in aschool.

If you intend to teach in schools,you should have some workexperience with the relevant age-range. Most providers expect you tohave at least two weeks’ classroomexperience before you beginteacher training.

For further information on teachingcareers, teaching qualifications andentry requirements seewww.kent.ac.uk/ces/student/workin/siteteach.html

Careers in researchHumanitiesOutside education, jobs which makedirect use of a Master’s degree inthe humanities are unlikely to bemore numerous at postgraduatelevel than they were after your BA.Areas such as the media, publishingand the heritage industry are highlycompetitive and, although yourdegree should be able to help youdemonstrate an advanced level ofskills and knowledge, employers willusually be seeking practical andtransferable skills rather than purelyacademic expertise.

Social SciencesYou may be particularly interested inthe field of social research –working for central or localgovernment bodies, think-tanks andconsultancies. Commercialorganisations, such as marketresearch and advertising agencies,also make use of social researchtechniques and skills. Subjects such as law, business andeconomics can also be applied withcommercial employers specialisingin these fields.

Science and technologyResearch and developmentscientists are employed in manyorganisations includingmanufacturing companies(cosmetics, pharmaceuticals,defence, etc), energy and utilitycompanies, Governmentlaboratories, charities and ResearchCouncils.

For links to these and other areas,see www.kent.ac.uk/ces/student/workin/research.html

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FINDING A JOB – VACANCYSOURCES

If you are looking foremployers who run large-scale graduaterecruitment schemes, youcan find details on sitessuch as:

• Prospectswww.prospects.ac.uk/graduate_job_search.htm

• TARGET Jobshttp://targetjobs.co.uk

• The Times Top 100 GraduateEmployerswww.top100graduateemployers.com

• Milkround Onlinewww.milkround.co.uk

There is a fuller list of these andother listings sites atwww.kent.ac.uk/ces/student/findajob.html

These are national resources whichchiefly focus on large corporate andpublic sector recruiters. Many ofthese employers will beginrecruiting in September forgraduates to start work the followingautumn, so apply in good time.


APPLYING FOR JOBS

While your postgraduatestudies will have equippedyou with a large numberof the skills thatemployers want forgraduates, if you areapplying for posts outsidethe academic or researchfield, you will need toconvince employers of twothings:

• that the skills you have gainedcan be useful in a non-academicsetting;

• that you are motivated andenthusiastic about the positionthat you are applying for.

In other words, you not only need to convince prospective employersthat you can do the job, but also that you want to do the job.

Your CV should therefore use yourpostgraduate study alongside yourwork experience and other activitiesas evidence of the skills andpersonal qualities required in thatparticular position. It should include:• A brief outline of your academicqualifications, both postgraduateand undergraduate;

• Work experience – here, any typeof experience may be relevant:part-time and vacation work,voluntary work, work shadowing,etc;

• Extra-curricular activities andinterests – these do not just helpto demonstrate your skills butalso show that you have a lifeoutside your studies!

• Evidence of skills such as IT,time management, projectmanagement and report writing;

• References. Usually just tworeferences, one academic andone employer or characterreference.

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CONTINUED OVERLEAF

INTERVIEWS

The format of these, andthe questions asked, willnaturally vary accordingto the employer and thetype of job but in mostcases will focus as muchon your skills andcompetencies as on yourstudies and research.

With any interview, thoroughpreparation is the key to success.This will help you to appearconfident at interview (howevernervous you feel inside!) andprovide evidence of your motivationand enthusiasm by showing that youhave taken the trouble to researchthe career area and the employer towhich you are applying.

As part of this preparation, youshould:• Think about why you want thejob – what motivates you?

• What you have to offer that willhelp you to do the job – relevantexperience, skills and/orcompetencies;

• Prepare examples thatdemonstrate these skills;

• Anticipate questions that youmight be asked during theinterview.

Demonstrating your motivation and competencies will be doublyimportant if you are applying for aposition that has little or no directrelevance to your studies. Whileemployers may find your academicqualifications impressive some,particularly in smaller organisations,may equally find them intimidating.

They may also have concerns aboutthe relevance of thesequalifications, your practical andpeople skills and your commitmentto a career outside academia.

A survey of employer attitudes topostgraduate researchers foundthat the following concerns andnegative perceptions were mostoften raised by employers outsideacademia:• Lack of commercial awareness• Difficulty in adapting to theworking culture outside university

• Over-specialisation and lack ofadaptability

• Unrealistic expectations – of, forexample, salary and levels ofresponsibility

Although this survey focused onresearch postgraduates, someemployers may have the sameconcerns about candidates withtaught Master’s degrees, so thinkabout how you can counter them.Using all aspects of yourexperience, including part-timework and extra-curricular activities,rather than just focusing on yourstudies, is a helpful tactic. Questionsabout the relevance of yourpostgraduate degree, and yourreasons for changing careerdirection and applying for aparticular position, can easily beseen by the candidate as hostile butare a legitimate way for theinterviewer to test your motivationand enthusiasm, so don’t letyourself get flustered.


The questionsYou can expect to be askedquestions such as:• Why did you choose to take apostgraduate degree?

• What did your course actuallyinvolve?

• How might your degree be usefulto us?

• What do you know about thisorganisation?

• Why are you applying for this job?• What do you expect to be doingin this job?

• Apart from your degree, what canyou bring to the job?

• What other jobs have you appliedfor?

• Where do you see yourself in fiveyears’ time?

• Have you thought about carryingon into a PhD?

These questions are designed toassess your motivation – do youwant the job? Other questions willaim to assess your competencies –can you do the job?

Competency-based questions willfollow the format ‘Give me anexample of a time when you have…’:• had to convince a person orgroup to do something that theywere initially reluctant to do;

• had to analyse detailedinformation to extract theessential points;

• had to manage a heavy workloador a number of conflictingpriorities;

• had to organise your time toachieve a specific aim;

• worked with a group of otherpeople to achieve a common goal;

• taken a major decision;• succeeded in a challenging taskin difficult circumstances;

• solved a problem in a creative way;• acted to improve a process ormake a system work better;

• had to explain something in detailto a person or group who knewlittle about the subject;

• begun a task and then had tochange your approach and dosomething in a different way.

Your studies will have given youmaterial to use in answering many ofthese questions, but it is a good ideato provide a number of examplesfrom outside academia as well – this will reassure theinterviewer that you have experiencebeyond university and have gainedskills from ‘real life’ as well as fromstudy and research.

INTERVIEWS (CONT)


THE CREATIVECAREER SEARCH

Unlike conventionaljobhunting this involves acreative, active approachrather than being passiveand reactive. Instead ofjust waiting to apply foradvertised vacancies, youtake the initiative andmake an active search.Most jobs – the figure isgenerally estimated at 80%– are never advertised sothe creative approachopens up many moreopportunities.

A key element of the CreativeCareer Search is networking –building up a network of peoplewho can help you in your jobsearch. This help may be veryrelaxed and informal, such as justchatting to people about their work,their current research or even aspare-time interest that they sharewith you, or it may develop intosomething further such asmentoring or work-shadowing.

Conferences are a good place foracademic networking and youshould be sure to attend these orother meetings whenever possibleto get to know other people workingin your field.

This networking may be both formaland informal and can give you aninsight into the opportunitiesavailable and where to look for them.

Social media is another valuabletool in creating and developingnetworks. If you follow and interactwith professionals in your area ofinterest you will be able to find outwhat is going on in this area,demonstrate your interest andmotivation, showcase your skillsand keep up to date with jobopportunities.

FURTHER STUDY ANDACADEMIC CAREERS

Having taken your studiesto Master’s level, andsuccessfully completed aresearch project ordissertation, may havefired you with the desireto continue onto an MPhilor PhD. You should seekadvice from yourdissertation supervisor onthis option and yoursuitability for it.

Studying for a degree based entirelyon independent research is quitea different experience from followinga one-year taught Master’s courseand self-motivation anddetermination are just as importantas academic ability in achievingsuccess.

Finance is another important issueto consider: although there is morefunding for research than for taughtpostgraduate degrees, this does notmean that such funding will be easyto obtain! In addition, you need toapply early – usually in Autumn term– for funded research places.

The other question to consider iswhat a research degree will leadonto. An academic position isattractive to many postgraduatestudents, and a PhD is almostalways a formal requirement for this.

However, the job market for lecturersand contract researchers is highlycompetitive and it is increasingly rarefor postgraduates to obtain a positionas a lecturer immediately aftercompleting their PhD. More typicallythey will start out in a role such asTeaching Assistant, ResearchAssistant or Postdoctoral Fellow,often on a temporary contract, andmay continue in a series of thesecontracts for several years. Teachingposts in particular are likely to bepart-time and remunerated only onthe number of hours taught.Candidates for academic posts needto offer teaching experience,administrative/organisational skillsand a record of publications andconference presentations and shouldbe geographically mobile (includinginternationally) to give themselves thebest career opportunities.

A 2016 survey by Vitae found thatless than half of PhD graduates wereworking in higher education threeyears after completing their degree.

As well as further academic study,you may wish to consider study forprofessional or vocationalqualifications. In some careers, suchas teaching or law, these will beessential, even for Master’sgraduates. In others, such asjournalism or marketing, suchqualifications are not essential butmay be helpful in a competitive jobmarket. Employers in some careersectors may pay for thesequalifications, in which case you willusually study for them on a part-timebasis while working for that employer.



WHAT DOES THE CES OFFERPOSTGRADUATE STUDENTS?

Postgraduate students andresearchers can access allof the general facilitiesand services offered by theCES, such as:

Careers advice• A quick query advice serviceavailable every day forpreliminary careers advice, helpwith CVs and application forms

• Individual guidance interviews to provide in-depth advice andhelp with your career choice and planning

• A programme of talks andworkshops on a variety of topics,open to all interested students.These run throughout theacademic year, but don’t missthe annual Employability Festivalin Autumn Term, with over 100events.

Careers information• An extensive websitewww.kent.ac.uk/ces

• Booklets to help with careerplanning and preparation

• Information for special-interestgroups such as internationalstudents

Employer information• Employer directories, such as

The Times 100, outlining majoremployers recruiting graduates

• Vacancy database of jobs,internships and researchopportunities

• Help with applications, interviewsand psychometric tests

• Employer presentations • Annual Careers Fair

Services specifically forpostgraduatesWe also offer:• Dedicated web pages forpostgraduates and contractresearcherswww.kent.ac.uk/ces/student/postgraduate.html

• Information on the destinations of previous students in yoursubject area www.kent.ac.uk/ces/student/degree

• Advice on applications foracademic or research posts

Services specifically foryouSince all postgraduates areindividuals, and the structure andnature of their postgraduate studyalso varies widely, web-based andprint resources can only be ofpartial help in making careerdecisions and putting them intopractice. We hope that this bookletwill be a useful starting point for allpostgraduates in their careerplanning, but do follow it up bymaking use of the one-to-oneinformation, advice and guidancethat the Careers and EmployabilityService can offer you from an earlystage of your degree. It is not agood idea to put off any thoughtsabout careers until the day that youhand in your dissertation!


CAREER PLANNER FOR TAUGHTPOSTGRADUATES

Your Master’s year willpass very quickly so beginto investigate your optionsand plan for your futureas soon as you can. Manygraduate schemes andpostgraduate researchstudentships have earlydeadlines, so you mayhave to start makingapplications in first term.

Autumn TermTalk to a careers adviser. With somany potential career routesavailable it is sometimes difficult toknow where to start. Careersadvisers are available to talk overyour options and help you toresearch your career choices andmake decisions.

Get the Careers EmployabilityAward. This will enhance youremployability skills and greatlyincrease your chances of getting agraduate job. It uses quizzes andshort assignments delivered entirelyonline via Moodle and can becompleted in your own time, oncampus or from home.www.kent.ac.uk/ces/student/careersmoodle.html

Register for the Global Skills AwardProgramme, designed to broadenyour understanding of global issuesand current affairs as well as todevelop personal skills which willenhance your employability.All students registered for a taughtMaster’s Degree are eligible to applyfor a (free!) place. The Programmewill give you the opportunity tobroaden your experience, gainimportant skills whilst you arestudying, and to meet and networkwith students from a wide variety ofbackgrounds and disciplines.For more details, and to register, goto www.kent.ac.uk/graduateschool/skills/programmes/gsa.html

Set up a profile on LinkedIn. Ourweb page on using social media inyour job hunting will help you to putyourself over to your bestadvantagewww.kent.ac.uk/ces/student/findajob.html?tab=using-social-media

Start to write or update your CV.Make sure it is focused on thecareer areas that interest you. Getfeedback from a careers oremployability adviser.

Find out about and apply forgraduate jobs. Many largeemployers will recruit early this termfor graduate schemes starting in

the autumn after you graduate.Watch out for especially earlydeadlines, such as those for the CivilService Fast Stream, advertisingagencies and investment banks, anddon’t leave your applications until thelast minute. You can find links to keygraduate recruitment websites atwww.kent.ac.uk/ces/student/findajob.html?tab=find-employers

Practise taking psychometric,aptitude, numeracy and personalitytests. Many large graduate recruitersuse these and practising in advancecan help you to improve your results.The CES offers free practice tests atwww.graduatesfirst.com/cp/kent/login.aspx

Attend careers and employabilityevents run by the CES or by yourAcademic School. These can bea great source of information anda way to build your network bymeeting potential employers faceto face. Don’t miss the EmployabilityFestival and Careers Fair in earlyNovember.www.kent.ac.uk/ces/events/index.html

Research further study if you hopeto find a PhD with funding. Look atpossible research topics and beginmaking informal enquiries topotential supervisors. See theresources on page 19 and ourfurther study pageswww.kent.ac.uk/ces/student/furtherstudy.html


Spring TermEven though lots of recruitmentactivity takes place in early autumn,graduate jobs and courses will beadvertised throughout the year – it’snot too late to keep applying.

Attend assessment centres and jobinterviews. Set aside time toprepare. Use the CES resources oninterviews and assessment centres.Careers and employability adviserscan help you to prepare andpractise for interviews.

Keep looking and applying for jobs.This includes graduate schemesand jobs with smaller employers.Entry level graduate jobs can beadvertised at any time of year,typically two or three months beforethe start date. Keep checkingthroughout the year – and after yougraduate.

Make speculative applications.This means actively seekingopportunities – especially whenvacancies are not being advertised.In many popular areas, such as themedia, the arts and heritage sectorsor advertising, entry-level jobs arerarely advertised as employers canfill the few such jobs that arise fromspeculative applications.

Making speculative applications is agreat way to prove your drive andinitiative to potential employers.www.kent.ac.uk/ces/student/creativejobhunt.html

Use Kent Mentoring Scheme to findKent alumni and other people whocan help and support you in yourcareer. www.kent.ac.uk/ces/student/mentoring.html

Go to summer recruitment fairs.These are large events with manyemployers hosting stands. You cantalk to the recruiters and discuss theopportunities they offer graduatesand postgraduates. Find details offairs around the UK atwww.prospects.ac.uk/events.htm

Register with some appropriaterecruitment agencies. Reputableagencies should be registered withthe Recruitment & EmploymentConfederation www.rec.uk.comSee also our pages on recruitmentagencieswww.kent.ac.uk/careers/recruit.htm

Maintain your network. Keep themupdated. Let everyone (includingsocial contacts) know theopportunities you’re consideringand how your job search is going.

Do you need to rethink yourstrategy? If you’ve been applyingbut haven’t been getting manyinterviews, your applications maynot be you doing justice. If you havebeen getting to interview but notgetting job offers, your techniquemay be letting you down. TheCareers and Employability Servicemay be able to help you make yourapplications more effective, improveyour interview technique or suggestcareer areas where your skills andpersonal qualities will be morerelevant.

Keep in touch! The Careers andEmployability Service is open duringthe summer vacation, so you cancontinue to use us while you areworking on your dissertation and forup to three years after you graduate.

VISIT USONLINE

The Careers and Employability ServiceUniversity of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7ND T: +44 (0)1227 823299 E: [email protected] www.kent.ac.uk/ces

www.kent.ac.uk/ces

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career planning guide for taught postgraduates plan… · planning your career is to think about...

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