1. The University of Kent Careers & Employability Service COMPUTING CAREERS You can download a copy of this presentation at www.kent.ac.uk/careers/slides.htm

3. 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 ….

4. 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.

5. 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

6. 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

7. Other jobs Web design/development Network engineer Digital marketing Sales support Games developer IT Teacher www.kent.ac.uk/careers/workin.htm

8. APPLYING FOR JOBS Most companies now use on-line application forms – see www.kent.ac.uk/careers/applicn.htm www.kent.ac.uk/careers/applicn.htm Apply now for these! You will need a CV for smaller organisations – see www.kent.ac.uk/careers/cv/cvexamples.htm www.kent.ac.uk/careers/cv/cvexamples.htm

9. Application Process The smaller company process is much simpler and you can apply much later (often after final exams) but salaries are usually lower and they offer less training and less chance to specialise.

10. 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. www.kent.ac.uk/careers/cv/cvexamples.htm

11. Careers Web Pages Computer Science careers page www.kent.ac.uk/careers/computersci.htm Practice Computing Interview www.kent.ac.uk/careers/interviews/ivcomputing.htm Applications and Interviews (includes assessment centres and psychometric tests etc.) www.kent.ac.uk/careers/applicn.htm

12. Videos APPLICATIONS INTERVIEWS – now on-line ON-LINE APPLICATIONS SELECTION CENTRES www.kent.ac.uk/careers/IntVid.htm

13. Vacancy Sources  Kent Jobs Database www.kent.ac.uk/ces/vacancies.html www.kent.ac.uk/ces/vacancies.html  Prospects Web www.prospects.ac.uk www.prospects.ac.uk  Recruitment Fairs  Directories e.g. Target IT  Recruitment Agencies  Speculative CVs to IT Employers

14. ACTION PLAN  Pick up a directory of employers  I email 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.

15. www.kent.ac.uk/careerswww.kent.ac.uk/careers Telephone: 01227 823299 Email: careerhelp@kent.ac.uk Opening hours: Monday to Friday 9 to 5 including vacations Drop-in times (no appointment needed: 15 minutes): 10.30 to 12.30 and 2 to 4 pm Help given for up to 3 years after graduation Weekly careers emails every Monday afternooncareerhelp@kent.ac.uk

16. Careers Employability Award on Moodle Half the unemployment rate for students completing the award www.kent.ac.uk/careers/moodle.htm www.kent.ac.uk/careers/moodle.htm DP2650 Email bw@kent.ac.uk if you have problems enrollingbw@kent.ac.uk

17. The University of Kent Careers & Employability Service COMPUTING CAREERS You can download a copy of this presentation at www.kent.ac.uk/careers/slides.htm