The University of Kent Careers & Employability Service COMPUTING CAREERS You can download a copy of this presentation at

TOP BUSINESS SKILLS Source: Microsoft 1. Team working and interpersonal skills 2. Initiative 3. Analysing and problem solving 4. Verbal communication 5. Personal planning and organising 6. Flexibility 7. IT skills Teamworking skills ….

Survey of Skills required by IT Employers 1. Communication: oral and written 2. Technical aptitude 3. Career motivation 4. Analytical skills 5. Business Awareness 6. Numeracy 7. Technical Knowledge 8. Team-working 9. Problem solving 10. Leadership Communication skills come top of the list. Technical aptitude comes before technical knowledge - it's more important to be able to learn a new language quickly from scratch, than to know a particular language.

CORE SKILLS REQUIRED BY MAJOR IT JOBS Teamworking is required for ALL jobs! PROGRAMMER, SOFTWARE ENGINEER  analytical and logical reasoning  good technical knowledge  attention to detail  problem-solving  work to deadlines  determination SYSTEMS ANALYST, CONSULTANT  business awareness  persuasiveness  handling clients  project management  written communication skills  oral communication skills  creative problem-solving

Consultancies Recruit IT consultants, systems analysts, systems designers, project managers, sales staff Major recruiters of new graduates. Lots of client contact so interpersonal and business skills important. Project based work - move to a new project every few months so constantly learning new skills, but can be a bit unsettling. Focus on "whole solutions" rather than just consultancy Often international so opportunities to work abroad. Cap Gemini, Accenture, CGI, IBM, PA Consulting, Fujitsu

Other jobs Web design/development Network engineer Digital marketing Sales support Games developer IT Teacher

APPLYING FOR JOBS Most companies now use on-line application forms – see Apply now for these! You will need a CV for smaller organisations – see

COMPUTING CVS List relevant modules (plus marks if good!) Projects – especially if relevant Programming languages/operating systems/major applications Soft skills – evidence of teamwork, project management, problem solving etc.

Careers Web Pages Computer Science careers page Practice Computing Interview Applications and Interviews (includes assessment centres and psychometric tests etc.)

Videos APPLICATIONS INTERVIEWS – now on-line ON-LINE APPLICATIONS SELECTION CENTRES

Careers Talks and Presentations TODAY (after this talk!) NCC Group: IT Security Professionals 2- 3 pm, KLT6Do you have what it takes to be the next generation security professional? At NCC Group we are always on the lookout for the very best graduate talent. We have the largest penetration testing team of its type in the world, and graduates play a key role within it bringing new insight and energy. The presentation will focus on the content of the Graduate programme and the chance to meet security testers and consultants that have successfully come through the training and are now fully employed in our team. All students welcome but particularly of interest to Computing students. TOMORROW (Thursday) Graduate Opportunities with Fujitsu. 12 pm to 1 pm KLT5.This presentation from Fujitsu will provide information on current Graduate opportunities, ideal for final year students studying IT and Business topics. Fujitsu will be represented by their Defence & National Security sector of the business; demonstrating what the Graduate scheme in Fujitsu entails, and explaining our vision of the future – a human centric intelligent society. Sign up to attend athttp://kent.prospects.ac.ukhttp://kent.prospects.ac.uk

IBM Mentoring – a few places still left Between January and April 2015, IBM will be working with students at the University of Kent, mentoring first-year students looking to do a placement as part of their degree and second year students who will be applying for employment in their final year. You can be studying for any degree subject and don't need to have advanced computing skills. There are a limited number of places available. For more information Bruce Woodcock. To apply, send a copy of your CV and answer in not more than 200 words the following question by Monday 19th January, "How would you benefit from having an IBM mentor and why should you be selected for this scheme rather than other students who apply". The students with the best answers will be selected to take part in the scheme. FULL DETAILS ARE AT

Vacancy Sources  Kent Jobs Database  Prospects Web  Recruitment Fairs  Directories e.g. Target IT  Recruitment Agencies  Speculative CVs to IT Employers

ACTION PLAN  Pick up a directory of employers  I you vacancies every Monday  Apply early for jobs in large companies  Apply for postgraduate study around January  We will help you for 3 years after graduation.

Location of the Careers Service Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays including vacations. Duty adviser available – and 2 – 4 every day Careers Web Site

Moodle Careers Employability Award

Bruce Woodcock - for enquires that I can answer

The University of Kent Careers & Employability Service COMPUTING CAREERS You can download a copy of this presentation at