Placements , Graduate Jobs and Careers

1. Placements , Graduate Jobs and Careers November 2007 David.j.mackay@strath.ac.uk Room 504.D 0141 548 2834

2. Purpose and Objectives • Purpose – To discuss placements and careers on a general level and outline the approach which will be offered by DMEM to help students • Objectives – • Describe process • Explain what students need to do • Outline upcoming workshops and services • Answer questions and describe next steps • Standards • Questions at anytime – can ask anything • Open, honest communication • This should apply to students of any level looking to get a job or placement

3. Where does this info come from? • DMEM Student (5 year MEng Dipl.Man student) • Placement student (worked for Weir Pumps, Unilever, Polaroid, Diageo) • Corporate Employee – worked for Procter and Gamble • Corporate Employer – interviewed and hired graduates and technical staff for Procter and Gamble • Professional Recruiter –worked for Nigel Wright in automotive and aerospace operations recruitment for a year • Placement co-ordinator – started in May and scrambled through a few placements!

4. Quick Questions…. • Who knows what they want to do in their career? • Who knows what company they want to work for? • Who knows what job they wish to do first off? • Many people do not know what they want to do…. That is OK!

5. Where do you start? Career Planning CV + Cover Letter • What do you want to do? • What kind of person are you? • What have you done and why did you do it? Ideal Job or placement Interview Preparation Effectively Answer Three (and a half) Key Questions

6. Good Careers Planning • Use your time efficiently • Identify the right opportunities • Be able to articulate your plans to a potential employer (gives them confidence) • Make the right choices to ensure that you start your career in the right way

7. Good CV/Covering Letter • No waffle – all relevant data • Offers substantiation (very often quantitative) and explanations of claims • Gives the reviewer all they need at a scan read • Acts as a script for interview • Should get you an interview for jobs where you meet the specification requirements

8. Interview Preparation • Makes the process as easy as possible • Maximises the time in interview when you are communicating relevant information which builds your case • Maximises your ability to answer ANY question which is asked of you (and anticipates likely questions) • Prepares relevant & INSIGHTFUL questions for you to ask which enhance your case • Leaves the interviewers with the most accurate and impressive perception of you

9. The Process…. PLACEMENTS CAREER RECRUITMENT Generic DMEM Student Faceless Employer

10. Recruitment Application 1st Interview 2nd Interview Testing Offer / Negotiation For each step:- What you do How you do it Will determine whether or not you progress through the process

11. Substance Style • Degree • University • Experience • Interests • School Results • Ambitions • Personal Characteristics…. • Presentation • Format • Wording • Images What you do… e.g. Application

12. How you do it…. Application 1st Interview 2nd Interview Testing Offer / Negotiation No Go No Go No Go No Go No Go Go Go Go Go Go 100 10 6 3 1 No Go No Go No Go No Go No Go Effectively and efficiently complete each step in line with company expectations and the requirements of the role. CONTEXT IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT

13. You Can Miss and Still Hit the Mark… • Recruitment is a two way process • You can say NO to a company! • Exposure to the process makes you more effective; failed applications improve your chances of getting the next one

14. Do you want the good news or the bad news….? • Good News! • University of Strathclyde in top 30 in the UK • Faculty of Engineering in top 10 in UK • Very highly regarded with employers • DMEM very strong – well accredited • You are coming from a position of strength • Bad News! • Internal competition is fierce • External competition is equally fierce • Hundreds of avenues to explore – too many options! • You are about to enter a very confused and confusing marketplace where there are hundreds of thousands of competitors By being smart, you can maximise your chances of finding the placement or career you want

15. Maximise the right opportunities • University • Academics • Projects • Placements • Careers • Student • Individuals • Courses • Committees • Organisations • Organisations • Private • Public • SME • Corporation

16. How can we help?

17. Workshops • You CAN learn how to complete the steps in the process in an effective and efficient manner • A series of workshops will happen over the next few weeks to show you how to really do it • They will be mainly practical exercise based • All workshops are given on the Friday 1-2pm and then repeated the following Tuesday 2-3pm, both in the studio • Topics • 23rd November – Career Planning • 30th November – CVs, covering letters and applications • 7th December – Interview and Workshop Preparations • 14th December – Doing Interviews

18. Ayo Technology • Careers Enquiries – careers@dmem.strath.ac.uk • Placement Enquiries – placements@dmem.strath.ac.uk • E-mail to request individual careers planning, c.v. preparation and giving successful interviews coaching • DMEM website:- • http://www.strath.ac.uk/dmem/currentstudents/ • Guides – “How to”s to go with the workshops • Information – links to key sources of information • Latest Opportunities – any opportunities flagged to the department will be posted here • Weekly E-mails: - careers and placements to all DMEM students

19. Being Proactive • For the Present • If a student submits a c.v., covering letter and profile of preferred job I will be able to respond quickly to company requests for candidates or even proactively seek out companies looking for students. • I will not sift applicants – all details will be passed onto the company • For the Future • Build a network with graduates so that in future they can easily recruit DMEM students into their business and/or find new positions through the department

20. Placements • Any student can do an industrial placement • Any student who has finished two years of study can sign up to gain 20 credits for an industrial placement • Students can do this twice (i.e. you can get 40 credits from industrial placements for your degree) • The placement needs signed off in advance but does NOT have to be arranged by the department • If in doubt ASK! • Will run a separate workshop on placements before the end of semester (e-mail communication to set-up) • Will cover foreign placement opportunities through IAESTE

21. What next…. • Take control yourself – don’t be a victim or a passenger • Use the University resources • Use all of your own contacts and resources • Get a career vision, cv and covering letter together • Invest time in the process – it will pay off if you research employers and opportunities • To Recap from DMEM:- • Come to the workshops • Download the “How to” guides (available from next week) • Read the e-mails • Submit your details for the database

22. Discussion Time!