Careers Newsletter – Spring Weeks 3 and 4: Alumni Mentoring Scheme, Assessment Centres, Graduate Recruitmen​t plus lots more

/ Hilary Neary

In this issue:

  1. Assessment Centre Day – 29 January (Wednesday, Week 4), Ron Cooke Hub
  2. Don’t miss your chance to apply for the spring term Alumni Mentoring Scheme
  3. Spring into Action
  4. Do It! Community Placements – Apply by 13 February
  5. Do It! Applications for Summer YSIS placements are OPEN
  6. YSIS Plus workshops weeks 3 & 4: “Promoting Positive behaviour” and “Planning Lessons”
  7. £1000 Grants to help turn ideas into reality!
  8. Graduate recruitment is not all about the big companies
  9. Great with Disability – new support website
  10. Careers Events in Weeks 3 & 4
  11. Paid term time work – internships with the Student Internship Bureau
  12. York Award Deadline Reminder – 24 January, 5pm
  13. Working in Education Event Reminder – 21 January
  14. Last Chance! International Study Centres this summer in China and South Africa
  15. My Career Map survey from Universum
  16. Caught our eye this week

… and more

1. Assessment Centre Day – 29 January (Wednesday, Week 4), Ron Cooke Hub, Heslington East, 1.20pm – 5.00pm

Are you preparing for an assessment centre, or planning on applying for a graduate job or internship scheme next academic year?

This is your chance to put questions to a panel of graduate recruiters then try the tasks and activities that an assessment centre can present to applicants.   During the afternoon you will have the opportunity to sign up for two of four taster sessions – places will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis to 130 students. Taster sessions may include psychometric testing, group exercise, group presentation, case study and role play. You can read about what happened at our Autumn term event here.

You don’t need to sign up – just come along to take part – this event is open to everyone. Full details about the session, participants and the activities can be found on Careers Gateway. Keep up to date with the latest news about the event on our Facebook Page  (It’s not essential but you can register your interest by clicking “going” on this page which will give us an idea of numbers)

2. Don’t miss your chance to apply for the spring term Alumni Mentoring Scheme (AMS)!

This is a fantastic opportunity for current students to develop your career planning with the help of an experienced mentor drawn from the University’s extensive alumni network.

Go to the AMS webpage for more information about the scheme and how to apply. The deadline is Tuesday 21 January (Week 3)   If you want to apply, please ensure you are available to attend the AMS Briefing session 15.00 – 16.00 Wednesday 29 January (Week 4)

All applicants will be informed whether we have been able to successfully match you with a mentor and invite you to the AMS briefing by Monday 27 January (Week 8).  IF you have any questions please contact us careers@york.ac.uk

3. Spring into Action –

Our Spring into Action campaign is now underway for this term to encourage you to make the most of the opportunities available to you at York. Lots of graduates tell us that the activities they took part in alongside their academic courses have been instrumental to their success in the graduate job market – whether this has been volunteering, sports, involvement in clubs and societies, part time work or internships – all can help you stand out from the crowd and give you the skills graduate employers are looking for alongside your academic ability. Keep a look out for our brand managers around campus – they could have some treats for you later this term!

4. Do it! Community Placements – Apply by 13 February

Looking for a regular volunteer role? Interested in heritage, environment, charities or with young people? York Students in Communities is offering a range of exciting individual volunteering opportunities most to start in April 2014 with organisations including York Museums Trust, SNAPPY and Friends of St Nicks Field. To find out more and to apply visit: www.york.ac.uk/careers/communities/doit

The deadline for applications is Midnight, Thursday Week 6 (13 February)

5. Do it! Applications for Summer YSIS placements are OPEN

A YSIS placement provides students with the opportunity to volunteer in schools for a 10-week placement of half a day each week. Applications are open until Monday Week 5, visit the Do it! webpages to find out more and apply. If you’re not sure what’s involved, why not attend an Introduction to YSIS session in week 4 to find out more.

6. YSIS Plus workshops Weeks 3 & 4 : “Promoting Positive Behaviour” and “Planning Lessons”

Do you want to gain more knowledge about the educational system? Are you interested in working in the education sector or becoming a teacher? Learn about Promoting Positive Behaviour on Wednesday Week 3 (4 pm, P/T/005) and Planning Lessons on Wednesday Week 4 (4 pm, P/T/006). Download the programme for the rest of term.

YSIS Plus workshops are run by education experts from the Local Authority and Teach First throughout the Spring term. Find out about current practice and learn useful techniques on a variety of topics, including behaviour, special educational needs, lesson planning, and supporting pupils with English as a second language. You can attend any workshop of choice, and you don’t need to have been previously involved with YSIS.

7. £1000 grants to help turn ideas into reality!

Do you have an idea for a new product or service? Students and recent graduates can apply to the University for funding to assist with the development of ideas that have commercial potential and/or would bring benefits to society.

The University’s Proof of Concept and Social Enterprise funds both offer awards of up to £1000, toegther with the chance to apply for further funding as the concept progresses. The application deadline for both funds is Friday 31st January (week 4). Individuals or small teams can apply.

Additional guidance is provided by Careers and external business development professionals, free of charge. Information about these and other enterprise funding, events and competitions, can be found on the Enterprise pages of the Careers website.

 

8. Graduate recruitment is not all about the big companies

It’s often the big companies that make the headlines and it’s easy to feel under pressure to secure a job with one of the largest employers, but NUS has recently (summer 2013) been surveying students about their views on working for smaller businesses – with some interesting results.  The vast majority of students surveyed (89%) were very willing or willing to consider starting their career with a small employer; students recognise that in a smaller company they will stand out more, may be given early responsibility, and can develop more quickly than in a large organisation.  Careers is working closely with local businesses to offer paid internships – an ideal way to prove yourself and gain valuable work experience as well as getting the inside view of what it’s like to work in a smaller company.  Find out more from the Student Internship Bureau web pages.

9. Great with Disability – new support website

If you have a disability or long term health condition you might be concerned about how it will impact on your chances of success in graduate recruitment.  The great with disability website provides answers to some of the questions you might have about disclosing your disability, and has information about applying for jobs, preparing for interviews, requesting adjustments and much more. It also provides a discussion forum so you can engage with others in a similar position to you for advice and support.  Check out the website now.

10.  Careers Events in Weeks 3 & 4

Further information including location details can be found on Careers Gateway

21 January:

  • Your Online Brand
  • CV Basics
  • Working in Education – Careers with Children and Young People

22 January:

  • Professional Services in the Public Sector
  • YSIS Plus – Promoting Positive Behaviour

23 January:

  • Non-academic careers – CVs and applications

27 January:

  • Introduction to York Students in Schools

28 January:

  • Interview Basics
  • Numbers for the World of Work
  • New York Bar presentation by BARBRI International. Aimed at Law students interested in gaining the Attorney-at-Law qualification.

29 January:

  • Assessment Centre Activity Day
  • YSIS Plus – Planning Lessons

30 January:

  • Introduction to York Students in Schools
  • Perfect Presentations

11. Paid term time work – internships with the Student Internship Bureau

Looking for paid term time work? Thought about a project-based internship that will boost your employability at the same time? The Student Internship Bureau are advertising vacancies now! To apply to any of our internships log onto Careers Gateway and search for “Student Internship Bureau“. Also keep up to date with the latest SIB news and vacancies by following us on the SIB Facebook page.

12. York Award Deadline Reminder

The deadline for getting your York Award application in, is Friday 24th January at 5pm. Don’t forget that you must hand in a paper copy of the application form to the staff in Careers before the deadline.

If you need to talk to anyone about the York Award you can book a Careers Information Appointment via Careers Gateway. You can also find lots more information about the York Award assessment process  and an explanation of the points structure on the York Award webpage.

13. Working in Education – Careers with Children and Young People

21 January, 4.00pm-6.00pm

This event will bring together training providers and people working in a range of roles covering teaching, educational research, heritage education, voluntary organisations and children and families support. If you are considering a career working with children and young people, come along to this event to find out about the breadth of career paths available.

Find out more and download a programme for the event on the Careers website.

14. Last Chance! International Study Centres this summer in China and South Africa:

Further information can be found at www.york.ac.uk/internationalstudycentre
Apply via e:vision by 24 January at 12 noon.

15. My Career Map survey from Universum

Discover which employers are best for you and win prizes too at https://start.wetfeet.com/survey/ukss/york . Survey closes on 7th March 2014.

16. Caught our eye this week

http://students.linkedin.com/   Learn how LinkedIn can help you find a job

17. Information about Careers: