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Latest vacancies and job hunting tips 31st October 2011

If you have problems viewing this email you can find a web version at
http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/jobs/index.htm#emails 

Welcome to the vacancy and jobhunting emails from the University of Kent Careers and Employability Service.
You are now entitled to up to 3 years careers help from us after you graduate.

• I will send these emails about once a week to you usually on Mondays. If you don't want these emails, you can unsubscribe by visiting https://lists.kent.ac.uk/sympa or by mailing me. You can resubscribe or change your email address by mailing me bw@kent.ac.uk or filling in our Vacancy Email Form again. In March each year I ask you to let me know if you wish to keep getting the lists; those who don't reply are removed: you are of course still entitled to the 3 years help!
• You may have already had a copy of this particular list as we still send out to degree subject email lists until shortly after the end of term. Once your Kent email address stops working (usually in late July for undergraduates finishing this term), we will only send you this list. Until then we think it is better that you hear about opportunities twice rather than not at all!
• These emails are general in nature (I haven't the time to personalise them for each subject area!) but we do try to include something for everyone. Some people complain that these lists are dominated by business and computing jobs, but we can only put in vacancies that employers send to us!
  For competitive areas such as the media, most entry level jobs aren't advertised as these employers simply recruit from people who have sent in CVs, so you must apply speculatively for these areas. See http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sitesmedia.htm for a detailed explanation and how to do this
• If you have friends graduating from the University of Kent this year who haven't yet signed up for emails, the form to get these is at http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/contact.html
• If a link doesn't work, copy and paste it into the address box of your web browser (e.g. Firefox) and press the Enter/Return Key!
  
• Please give feedback on what you think of these emails and any suggestions for improvement at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HLW6HQY
• For specialist help email us using the form at http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/emailform.html
  For careers using your degree subject see http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/degreein.htm
  For routes in to many different careers see http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/workin.htm
• A careers adviser is on duty to help with queries between 10.30 am - 12.30 p.m. and 2.00 - 5.00 p.m. every weekday at Canterbury. You don't need to book an appointment to see the duty careers adviser but may need to wait a few minutes if there are several people waiting to be seen. Just ask at reception to see them. See http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/opening.htm for details. You can book a more formal interview by ringing 01227 823299. CAREERS SERVICE AT MEDWAY CAMPUS. See http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/medway.htm
  They are happy to help by email: medwaycareers@kent.ac.uk
  
• See CAREERS HELP FOR KENT GRADUATES  http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/servicesforgraduates.htm  for lots of jobhunting tips.

CONTENTS

• Careers Newsletter
• Questions and Answers
• Other Opportunities
• Vacancy Database

THOUGHTS OF THE WEEK

If you still haven't got a full time job one way to get fit, add to your CV, meet new friends and help the world is via environmental volunteering. Here are some of the local opportunities. For opportunities elsewhere in the UK and abroad see our environment careers page http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/Environment.htm - the employers and links tab.

• Wildwood Trust www.wildwoodtrust.org woodland discovery park between Canterbury & Herne Bay. Volunteers needed for: maintenance, gardening and DIY; conservation research, feeding and looking after the animals, shop work and customer care, education work with children. Most volunteers work one day a week but block placements are also available. You would start by shadowing the keepers, helping to clean and feed the animals, and with enclosure maintenance. Telephone Cali on 01227 712111 e-mail keepers@wildwoodtrust.org Research projects are available for students: animal behaviour and diet, woodland ecology or conservation projects.
• Blean Woods Nature Reserve www.naturegrid.org.uk/ng-html/blean/bl-blwo.html Less than a mile from the Canterbury campus. There are opportunities for voluntary work. Contact: RSPB, The Site Manager, 11 Garden Close, Rough Common, Canterbury, CT2 9BP. Tel. 01227 455972.
• Canterbury Environmental Education Centre www.naturegrid.org.uk/ceecnews/friends/friends.html at Broad Oak Reserve. Offer volunteering opportunities in research (recording the biodiversity of the reserve), Publishing, Conservation work (reed and scrub control, tree planting, hedge laying), teaching and leading visiting groups and fund raising.
• Howletts www.howletts.net local wild animal parks
• Kent Wildlife Trust www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk conservation work in Kent including West Blean Woods. Needs volunteers. Run excellent and cheap wildlife study days on, for example, small mammal and bat identification. Volunteers needed to check livestock at Blean Nature Reserve: Kent Wildlife Trust is using cattle, ponies  and goats to keep growth under control in West Blean and Thornden Woods near Canterbury. Training will be provided. For information on Blean volunteering ring 01227 719506. For volunteering at other Kent Wildlife Trust Sites
  contact Sue Morris, Volunteer Development Officer 01622 662012 sue.morris@kentwildlife.org
• Kentish Stour Countryside Project www.kentishstour.org.uk tel. 01233 813307
• Kent High Weald Project www.khwp.org.uk based in Tunbridge Wells small mammal and bat identification
• World Land Trust www.worldlandtrust.org international conservation organisation that takes direct action to save rainforest: they buy it, acre by acre. Patron is David Attenborough. Since its foundation in 1989 the World Land Trust has helped purchase and protect over 350,000 acres of threatened wildlife habitats. Has a very successful six-month internship programme which aims to equip recent graduates with the skills and experience needed for a career in conservation. From time to time other voluntary opportunities and paid vacancies are also available. See the Jobs and Internships page for more details.
• British Trust for Conservation Volunteers  www2.btcv.org.uk details of holidays and job opportunities – long term volunteer vacancies plus staff vacancies.  Also details of practical skills training and links to all kinds of local groups.

AUTUMN TERM CAREERS EVENTS

Our programme of University of Kent careers events for this term is now on line at:

http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/casevents.htm

UNIVERSITY OF KENT CAREERS AND RECRUITMENT FAIR 2011
Thursday 3rd November Eliot Great Hall, 2:00pm – 5:00pm
A chance to talk informally to all sorts of recruiters offering graduate jobs, sandwich placements and summer internships
http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/fair.htm

Careers Newsletter.

Our latest Newsletter is now online at http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/jobs/index.htm#NEWSLETTERS
It contains information on events such as on campus events, off campus: national events, bursary and scholarship programmes, awards schemes, competitions, surveys and other items of note.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

> My portfolio is bad and needs improving
Our portfolio page should be of help here http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/cv/portfolios.htm

> I would greatly appreciate links or a site that might help me in finding short term courses in the media
The best places to find short term courses are
Hot Courses www.hotcourses.com database of all types of courses in the UK. Type in your postcode to find course near you.
And SkillSet http://www.skillset.org/ is brilliant for media courses and opportunities

> I've heard a lot about networking to find jobs, how do I do it?
See our Creative Jobhunting page http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sk/CJ.htm

> my maths skills need up dating.
See http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/tests/mathstest.htm

If your maths is a bit rusty, an excellent place to brush up your skills is the BBC Skillswise web site www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise

• Looking for a job in the North East www.ncl.ac.uk/careers/about/eligibility.php advice from the University of Newcastle Careers Service. Offer a full service to graduates of other universities outside Tyne & Wear, who want to live and work in the North East.
  
• Graduates for Growth www.graduatesforgrowth.org.uk/graduates/index.htm opportunities in the North-East
• Graduate Link www.graduatelink.com promotes graduate jobs and careers in the Yorkshire and Humber region
• Graduates Yorkshire www.graduatesyorkshire.co.uk Working in partnership with the region's University Careers Services, we are the only graduate recruitment service dedicated to Yorkshire.
  

> Can I study web design and arts management as a combination?
Probably not as a single course, but you may be able to do two part-time or distance courses. Anyway  a single course covering both of these would be too dilute to be of much value.

Teach yourself web design to start with - you can learn Javascript and HTML for free even on a very old PC - all you need is a web browser and Notepad
and there are lots of books on this in any library. Much publishing is now web-based. You can learn simple web design using Notepad (a free text editor which is part of MS Windows: Start/Programs/Accessories/Notepad should get you to it). There are many tutorials on-line: for example www.davesite.com/webstation/html. You can also download a 30 day free trial of Dreamweaver (the web design package used by many professionals) from www.adobe.com/downloads/?PID=2294914 Most libraries will have "web design for beginners" type books you can borrow.

See http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sk/computing-skills.htm

> Usually graduates choose their personal tutor as a referee, but I have never met mine. It therefore seems inappropriate to ask my personal tutor. Instead I have emailed a past lecturer to ask whether they would provide references for me, but several weeks have past with no reply. Is it worth asking this lecturer again? What other options I have for references.
As you say, normally your tutor would provide the reference, but any lecturer who taught you could act as your referee, but if they are not your tutor you have to ask their permission. The lecturer may have been on holiday. Try emailing her again, and if this doesn't work try ringing her. Ask the university switchboard 01227 764000 to put you through to them. If still no luck, try another lecturer or speak to your departmental administrators to get their advice on who to use. It doesn't matter greatly if the lecturer doesn't know you well as their main job is to validate your results.

Normally you would also supply a personal reference (usually an employer) who can talk about your personal qualities.

See also Choosing and using referees http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/referees.htm

OTHER OPPORTUNITIES AND INFORMATION

Graduate Talent Pool

is a new service that matches graduates with internship opportunities. It is a partnership between Government and employers, designed to help new and recent graduates gain real work experience. On this site you can search and apply for internship vacancies posted by employers. Getting an internship through Graduate Talent Pool is one way of building on the skills you gained at university. It can also give you real life work experience, let you try your hand at a possible career, and prove yourself to a potential employer. All 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 Graduates from UK universities are eligible to apply for Graduate Talent Pool internships if they are from countries within the European Economic Area (EEA) (which includes all EU countries plus Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway) or Switzerland.
http://graduatetalentpool.direct.gov.uk

GradsKent www.GradsKent.com

We are a free service to the graduates of Kent and we aim to promote graduates as an essential resource to local businesses.  We are looking for graduates to register on the site and upload their CV's so they can either apply for the jobs online or be matched by our internal team for suitable graduate level roles.
"We've had a lot of web development and IT roles come up recently, including a really great position as an Email Developer with Holiday Extras, who are a Times Top 100 Employer based in Hythe."

Prospects International Graduate Jobs www.prospects.ac.uk/international_graduate_jobs.htm opportunities with employers in many job sectors. Plus how to write a good CV and covering letter; example CV for many countries; tips on how to improve interview skills.

Gradcracker: Computing, Engineering & Science Vacancies, but also now many others including banking! www.gradcracker.com

If you are still unemployed or in a dead end job see

http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sk/copingWithRejection.htm#support
for lots of ideas on what you can do to improve your situation.

Vacancy Database

Please note that we now have a new vacancy system in place to list vacancies for graduates, placement students and interns notified to the University of Kent Careers and Employability Service. The new web address is http://kent.prospects.ac.uk  - please update your bookmarks.

Our vacancy database http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/jobs/index.htm has over 300 vacancies many from EMPLOYERS PARTICULARLY LOOKING FOR KENT GRADUATES. The vacancy database also has postgraduate study and work experience placements sections, with some very interesting opportunities. You will probably be getting vacancy emails from a number of sources (this is very wise), but please don't ignore these emails. Some of the advertised jobs are specifically aimed at Kent graduates, often by employers who are themselves graduates from Kent, or have recruited a Kent graduate and have been impressed by them, so often competition for vacancies in our vacancy database is often much lower!

What are Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) Schemes?

• KTP www.ktponline.org.uk is a government-funded scheme that places graduates in Small and Medium Sized Organisations to work on knowledge transfer projects central to the needs of the company.
• As well as salaried employment, graduates receive support to study for a higher degree and to gain a management qualification.
• There are many KTP schemes in our vacancy database http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/jobs/index.htm look for (KTP) in the vacancy title!
• Vacancies arise throughout the year in a wide range of employers and locations and projects last between 12 to 36 months.
• KTPs can help to enhance your career prospects by providing you with an opportunity to manage a challenging project, central to an organisation's strategic development and long-term growth.
• Most (but not all) vacancies are for graduates in science, engineering, IT and business-related subjects. You need to be qualified to an upper 2nd class degree or better.
• Around 62% of KTP Associates are employed by the host company when the project ends.

Graduate vacancies

Thanks to "improvements" to the Prospects.Net system we use for our vacancies, we can no longer give you a link you can click on to go directly to the vacancy. So please login to the system and search for vacancies below that you are interested in on http://kent.prospects.ac.uk

Get the very latest vacancies and job-hunting updates from Twitter - follow us @kentunicas
The University of Kent Careers and Employability Service is also on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=10050894883&ref=mf

Bruce Woodcock
Careers and Employability Service,
University of Kent, Canterbury,
Kent CT2 7ND
Tel: 01227 764000 ext. 7594
Email: B.E.Woodcock@kent.ac.uk
www.kent.ac.uk/careers

Any advice or information contained in this email is supplied in good faith and is accurate to the best of our knowledge and belief. However, the Careers and Employability Service (CES) has no responsibility or liability with respect to any loss or damage that may arise from the advice or information or the use of it. This email may contain links to websites that are not under the control of the CAS or the University of Kent. The CAS has no control over and will accept no responsibility or liability for the material on other websites.

© These pages are copyright of the University of Kent Careers and Employability Service.
The information and advice given in these pages is primarily for the benefit of University of Kent students and graduates.
You are most welcome to link to these pages but should not use content in other ways without our permission.
Page maintained by Bruce Woodcock Please email me if you wish to make any suggestions which would improve our services.