Employability Skills Session 3 Employability resources

Introduction The GPNU Student Affairs and Employability Service Information Resources Our website includes resources for you Resources to help you –Check out careers options –Locate employer information –Find vacancies –Career counseling –Employment policies –Career planning & employment guidance

Student Affairs and Employability Service Where is it located? Room 201,Administrative Building, GPNU When is it open? Mondays to Fridays 08:00am – 12:00pm 15:00pm – 5:30pm Times vary during vacations and users are urged to telephone the service and enquire about opening times. How can you reach us?

Student Affairs and Employability Service What can it do for me? Careers Appointments Visit or phone to book an appointment. Career choice information through to practical help with CVs/Application forms/Interviews Careers Information - web and paper based Vacancies, occupations, employers, further study and more. Access to a wide range of reference materials including information for international students Software packages Help with career choices and accessing information databases

Student Affairs and Employability Service website:

The internet is now a well established resource for accessing careers information. A good starting point is the GPNU’s Student Affairs and Employability Service website: Click on careers events which gives details of our: year round careers fairs, employer visits, and career development programme, employment news, guidance lectures, etc. You can also use our employment guidance service for your information based queries and CV/Resume checking

Check out careers options Before you can begin to research possible careers options you need to have some idea of what you might be suited to. See session number 4 ‘Career matching – what career suits you?’ Also see the accompanying Employability resources word document for this session to help you identify some useful resources. Another practical way to gain greater insight into graduate occupations is to do some work experience. 创业园地 &nType=7http://xsc.gdin.edu.cn/job/m_List_view.asp?BName= 创业园地 &nType=7 has plenty of business guidance & information to offer practical ways to the graduates who want to set up their own business after graduation.

Check out careers options One website which is particularly useful for graduate careers is the employment guidance website, providing lots of practical skills to help you produce a CV, prepare for interviews, find work experience, and develop your skills to work with people. ?BName= 就业指导 &nType=5http://xsc.gdin.edu.cn/job/m_List_view.asp ?BName= 就业指导 &nType=5

Locate employer information You should begin by thinking about the type of employer you would like to work for; consider if it is appropriate for the type of career you would like to enter. Think about which sector you’d like to work in. Think about the size of the employer too and differences between these. Where would you like to work? Do you want to work in one of the major cities offering employment in China for example? - Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong and Chongqing? Or would you prefer somewhere smaller? Are you interested in being an entrepreneur? Your University Student Affairs & Employability/Careers Office The Employability resources word document in this session has detailed resources to help you identify employers in China and abroad

Finding vacancies There are a wide range of resources you can use to help you identify vacancies Remember, not all graduates begin their working lives in typical ‘graduate’ roles. Some of you may need to take some time to build up relevant ‘non-graduate’ level experience before you can progress into graduate level roles. Below are the types of resources you can use. Make use of the internet. All global organisations, government agencies and an increasing number of small and medium-sized enterprises have websites, usually with a ‘careers’ or ‘current vacancies’ section. Search engines can be used to locate employers and vacancies in specific countries. Also, click on Employability resources in this session’s accompanying Word files for a more comprehensive list of vacancy sources specific to China and abroad. Also check: –Newspapers: National, Regional and Local, –Professional organisation journals –By word of mouth/ networking –Social networking sites are becoming an increasingly common way for graduates to market themselves to employers and therefore uncover hidden job opportunities. Check these out in China

Investigate postgraduate study and funding Postgraduate study is becomingly an increasingly popular option; over the past few years there has been a steady increase in the numbers of undergraduates opting for postgraduate study in their home countries and overseas. There is also interest in part-time, self-financed courses. This means it is essential that you choose your course and explore funding sources carefully. Make sure you are doing this for the right reasons and consider the longer term career implications of your choice. Check out: –The Student Affairs & Employability Office in your university –Prospects website – click on Postgraduate studywww.prospects.ac.uk –International websites – Also see the Employability resources in this session’s accompanying Word document for a more comprehensive list of postgraduate study resources.

Explore alternative options There is increasing interest from Chinese graduates in self- employment; indeed the Government is encouraging this trend by its introduction of a range of schemes in a number of regional cities. Recent initiatives include the Shanghai Overseas Talent Centre, Know about Business and the China Britain Business Council. There is a lot of information available for those interested in starting up their own business. You need to consider your motivations for wanting to do this, if you have the type of personality which would suit this often challenging career and what resources you need to access to help you reach your goal. For some, taking a year out from work/study, working abroad, or working in the voluntary sector can enable you to explore a broader range of options. See the Employability resources word document in this session to find out more about these. For others, you may need to identify resources which will help you manage more personal issues such as a mature (older) student or perhaps a disability. Again see the Employability resources word document to find out more.