Your work experience………… · Linkedin: Sourcing opportunities and raising your profile Connecting with people - Building and utilising a network of contacts to source jobs

UCL CAREERS ESSENTIALS

1

Your work experience…………

– In 2/3’s:

what experience do you have

lined up/ hope to secure?

hopes

fears



MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR SUMMER INTERNSHIP/ WORK EXPERIENCE

DAVE CARTER

UCL Careers Consultant


Careers Essentials 2017/18Talks, workshops and eLearning

Search ‘UCL Careers Essentials’

10-title lunchtime talks including:Prepare for the fair: How to network with employers

An introduction to the graduate job market

Improve your CV

Better applications, cover letters and personal statements

Interview success

Find and fund a PhD

PhD applications

Your future and how to work towards it

Sourcing jobs and work experience

Considering a Masters

5-title workshops including:

Mock aptitude, etray and psychometric tests

Mock assessment centre

Linkedin: Sourcing opportunities and raising your profile

Connecting with people -Building and utilising a network of contacts to source jobs and work experience

MBTI: Personality profiling

6-module ‘eLearning’ course

Introduction to the graduate jobmarket

Your future and how to work towards it

Sourcing jobs and work experience

Planning for success – How to manage your job hunt

Effective CV, cover letter and applications

Interview success and applications

’


By the end of this session you’ll know…

The importance of work experience

What employers expect from their interns

5 ways to make the most of your opportunity:

What you can be doing now to prepare for your

internship

How to make the most of your experience during your

internship

How to capitalise after the placement is complete


Career Essentials: resources and recordings



Internships and placements advicewww.ucl.ac.uk/careers/opportunities/jobs/internships-and-placements


First of all….


The value of work experience

“Graduates with NO previous work

experience are likely to have little or no

chance of receiving a job offer for

graduate programme”

Source: Institute of Student Employers


The value of work experience

Source: Institute of Student Employers Summer survey 2017


But what if I’m not interested in largely COMMERCIAL

graduate schemes?

PolicyEditing

Marketing

Campaigning

Research

Project management

Sales

Producing

Planning

International Development

Media and broadcasting

Publishing and journalism

Creative Arts and Design

Cultural heritageGovernment and Policy

Environment

Performing Arts

RolesSectors


MANAGING

EXPECTATIONS:

UCL CAREERS ENGINEERING


Expectations: Mind the gap

INTERN:

• I want to learn as

much as I can;

• be doing

REALLY

interesting work;

• learning new

skills;

• have access to

the CEO and

senior clients

INTERN:

• What if they give

me stuff I don’t

know!

• can’t do!

• don’t understand!

• What if I just

can’t hack it?


Expectations: Mind the gap – 3P’s

EMPLOYER:

I’m hoping I’ve recruited

someone who

• is bright and reliable;

• can pick things up relatively

quickly;

• will try and fit in with the

way we do things;

Overall I’m looking for interns

who are: PROFESSIONAL

POSITIVE and PRO-ACTIVE


1. SET SOME

REALISTIC GOALS



What kind of intern do you want to be?


3 Steps for achieving your GOALS:

1. Decide what your GOAL is and make it SMART

2. Take a specific goal and break it down into

tangible and realistic steps

3. Take consistent and regular action towards

achieving them


My internship

GOALS

“

….gain some new hard/ soft

skills

…….see whether this kind of work

is something for me longer term

……gain some experience/

examples I can use on my CV and

future job applications

….see in practice what I’ve

learnt in principle


Example goals: ….

Non-SMART goal

• see whether this kind of work is something for me longer term

SMART goal – by 15th July

Try to understand more about what other staff in the organisation do so

I can get a broader perspective on roles within the organisation/ sector.

Specifically I will have:

• spoken to at least 5 staff to get perspectives on what other staff

roles encompass, their motivations, their career paths and any advice

they might have for me.

• have made notes that will help me reflect on what I’ve learnt.



MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR NEW ‘NETWORK’



The careers thinking scaler

• On a scale of 1 to 10 (strong clear focus),

how decided are you about the direction and

potential job roles you’re interested in?

Strong clear focus

Some concrete

options but undecided

Strong ideas of what I want and potential

options

Some idea of what I

want from a my next

step

Complete confusion

1 10


Case study – Information interviewing

MSc Sustainable development student interning in donor relations at major charity

Identified 5 staff before and during his 4-week internship to approach for a 30 minute cup of coffee/ informal conversation:

researched staff background from Linkedin/ company website

prepared specific questions to understand more about:

realities of the job role,

staff motivation,

staff development and career progression

routes in and advice

took notes and reflected on learning


In pairs, brainstorm 3 questions you might ask

someone over a cup of coffee to find out more

about what they ACTUALLY do?


Interviewing

the ‘job’

Asking the right questions?

Details of

the work• What does a typical day look like?

• What have been some of the highlights of your experience

so far?

• What aspects of the job do you enjoy? What do you enjoy

less?

• What are the biggest challenges?

• How did you decide that this role was for you?

• If you weren’t doing this particular type of role, what other

roles would you be drawn to?

• How is the industry changing – what will be some of the

growth areas in the sector over the next few years?


‘Information interviewing

questions’

Remember:

• People generally love talking

about themselves and what

they do!

• The best way to be interesting

to someone new is to be

interested!

• Do your homework

• You never know where a cup

of coffee might lead……..



STARTING OFF ON

THE RIGHT FOOT



Sit in the your supervisor’s shoes


Scenario 1: Meeting Your Manager

It’s your first day and first meeting with your line manager.

In pairs, think of 3 things you might want to know or

understand from your first meeting.


Questions for your first meeting

Role: What’s the purpose of the internship? Why is the project in place?

What will you be involved in?

How will what you do fit into the bigger picture?

Performance: How would they like you to work/ communicate?

Will you be having regular 1:1s with your manager?

Will you be attending team meetings?

Evaluation: How will you know whether or not you’re doing a good job?

Is there an appraisal or assessment?

If something goes wrong, overworked or underutilised - who do you

ask for support?

Motivation: Your personal GOALS

What do you want to achieve?

How can your supervisor support you in your objectives?


PLAYING THE

LONG GAME



After the Internship

1. Thank them for the opportunity (in person)

2. Stay in touch – Linkedin?

3. How will you reflect/ articulate your experiences

on a CV or in an interview?




Reflection

What did you feel you achieved? Was there

something that stood out for you?

What skills have you gained as a result of the

internship?

What did you learn about the suitability of this type

of work/ alternative job roles available in this area.


Competency Questions

Tell me about a time when you were

managing multiple projects with demanding

deadlines. How did you cope?

Situation

Task

ACTIONResult


Setting some goals: In pairs

What are the 2 things you most want to

have achieved by the end of the

internship and HOW specifically are you

going to do it?


My internship

GOALS

“

….gain some new hard/ soft

skills

…….see whether this kind of work

is something for me longer term

……gain some experience/

examples I can use on my CV and

future job applications

….see in practice what I’ve

learnt in principle


Questions?


Career Essentials: resources and recordings





MAKE THE MOST

OF UCL CAREERS



Current students:

CV/ Application coaching - 15 minutes (Mon – Fri) lunch/ early evening

Short guidance – 20 minutes (Mon – Fri)

Long guidance – 60 minutes on referral from short guidance

Interview coaching – 60 minutes (on condition ‘real’ employer interview)

Recent graduates:

Grad appointments – 30 minutes phone/ skype

CV/ Application coaching – 15 minutes – same service as for current students

Interview coaching – 60 minutes (on condition of ‘real’ employer interview)

Booking

Online: up to 7 days in advance: MyUCLCareers account

By phone: (call 020 3549 5900 after 9.30am)/ in person – Student Central/ 4th

floor.

1to1 coaching – all through the summer!


Struggling with deadlines

Take a step back

Analyse – what can happen now? Who/ what will this impact?

Is there a way of working out who has the greatest priority?

Who do you need to tell?

Be transparent!

If workload becomes too much, let you know manager know

immediately

What steps can you take to ensure it doesn’t happen again?

Documents

Your work experience………… · Linkedin: Sourcing opportunities and raising your profile Connecting with people - Building and utilising a network of contacts to source jobs