The Graduate Jobs Market: Some personal thoughts Cheltenham College Vince Pizzoni, Preng & Associates March 24th 2017

Getting a job today Leading employers value work experience (58% most popular attribute) among graduates more than the grades (16%) or the university (15%) they have been to (The Independent) Today, the average person changes jobs ten to fifteen times (with an average of 12 job changes) during his or her career (thebalance.com) Hiring managers are having trouble finding employees with the right soft skills for 59% of their open jobs (Business News Daily) The graduate hiring process can take several months longer today and will involve multiple steps compared to 20-30 years ago An updated and relevant CV is as critical today as it has been over many years Early interaction with specific recruitment agencies is important Degree Apprenticeships may suit some people Networking is critical; studies show that 70-80% of jobs are not advertised (theladders.com)

Getting a Placement Identifying opportunities CV Application Interview Follow up

CV The purpose of a CV is to get an interview Your chance to sell yourself Needs to show name, contact details, academic performance, work shadowing, work experience, internships, interests and achievements Keep to one page Neatly laid out No spelling errors/typos Check font type and size

Interviews Research and preparation Several types (phone, Skype, digital, psychometrics, face to face) Dress code Be on time Be clear and concise Positive body language Use STAR to respond Be prepared to ask questions Follow up

Interview-Types of Questions 1. Competency Based/Behavioural: Give me an example of when you motivated a sports team to achieve a win? 2. Fact Based: Why did you leave your last school? 3. CV Based: Talk me through your CV. 4. Motivation/Drive Based: What do you know about our company? 5. Strengths Based: What motivates you? What is something you are really proud of and why? 6. Situational / judgemental: If someone disagrees with you, what do you do?

Face-to-face Interview Research: Have you researched for the interview? Presentation: Are you dressed for an interview? Body Language: Be aware of your body language Read the body language of the interviewer Non-verbal behaviour (visual) 55 - 75% Face-to-face Interview Tones 20 - 30% Words 5 - 15%

The importance of body language

STAR technique for competency based interviews

The Work Placement First day-get there early Be polite to everyone you meet Dress code-wear appropriate clothes Time keeping-always be on-time Communication-listening, positive, open, honest Networking-get their business cards Social media-don’t use it Daily log-summarise who you met/what you did/what you achieved Work hard-don’t leave early and show willing to get involved Thank the manager and key staff-they will remember the ones who didn’t

Key Employability Skills Verbal and Written Communication Teamwork Business understanding Analysing and investigating Initiative and self motivation Planning and organising Flexibility Time management

Follow Up Write up a report and present at school Identify what you learnt, did well and could have done better Maintain contacts with key people you met to let them know how you are doing Think through what the placement means in terms of your future career and academic choices at school Talk this through with your parents and school staff Keep researching careers and look for your next placement

How to land a job within 6 months of graduation Get the best degree classification you can (blue chip employers) Do as much relevant work experience as possible Don’t forget non academic/extra-curricular interests can be important Get your CV started early and keep it “humming” Don’t forget a cover letter if needed Make full use of the Careers Centres at School and University Finding a job is like a military campaign so research and plan accordingly Network, network, network Sell yourself on social media (eg LinkedIn) and mind your manners

Acknowledgements Marchesschool.co.uk Carmelharrisonpr.com Internchina.com Mylastdart.com Proresumecenter.com Transmosis.com Hashtagcv.com Jantoo.com Fareedsiddiqui.com Leedstrinity.ac.uk GVI Service Learning Shutterstock.com Cheltenhamcollege.org