1. The University of Kent Careers and Employability Service Biodiversity/Wildlife Placements & Creative Jobhunting
Bruce Woodcock
University of Kent
Careers and Employability Service
You can download a copy of this presentation at

2. Location of the Careers Service
Telephone:
Drop-in times (no appointment needed): to & 2 to 4 pm

3. Destinations of Kent Conservation and Wildlife Graduates

4. Sandwich Placements
Need to apply early in second year (e.g. some closing dates late October!)
Need to apply widely, not just to companies in Kent.
Placements page - lists placement sources and much more

5. Advantages of a Placement.
Gain lots of new skills: and have lots of evidence of these skills for final year applications.
Usually get higher degree class.
Gives you a chance to try out a career.
Gain greatly in self confidence and maturity.
Learn application and interview skills.
Some employers only recruit placement students.
May get a job offer for when you graduate
Much lower unemployment rate after graduation and usually in much better quality jobs.
Much better chance of becoming a scientist.
Helps applications for PhD places.
Can be well paid!

6. Sources of Placements Emails from School
Kent University Vacancy Database
Speculative CVs: use Environment careers page
Prospects

7. Creative Jobhunting
The BBC say a third of jobs are never advertised (others say 70-80%). Why?
Develop a LinkedIn profile
Do lots of research – will uncover placements others haven’t found, often with less competition
Do workshadowing and short unpaid internships – can lead to proper internships and will add to CV
KEW-NET – menoring from Kent Alumni

8. Sources of Environmental Jobs
Environment Post Major source of conservation vacancies. Reference copies are in File R4 in the Careers Service.
ENDS   Environmental Data Services has listings of jobs. Includes a Consultancy Directory.
The Guardian on Wednesdays.
Countryside Jobs Service
The Green Directory Ethical Careers Service  
Nature Magazine range of postgrad, PHD and postdoc positions.
Growing Careers vacancies in environment and conservation, nurseries and garden centres,
Environmental Recruitment Agencies
Environment Job
Ecological Recruitment Co.
Green Technical Resourcing
ADC Environment Recruitment
Many jobs in the environment are not advertised - organisations get enough CVs from people applying speculatively to be able to fill their vacancies from these. You need to network and be persistent. See CVs and Covering Letters and Creative Jobhunting to learn how to do this.

9. Biodiversity Careers Page

11. EXAMPLE CVs
Check you campus s regularly as I will send you many careers s Get voluntary experience for your CV: Kent Wildlife Trust conservation work in Kent including West Blean Woods. Needs volunteers. Run excellent and cheap wildlife study days on, for example, small mammal and bat identification

12. Other talks

13. BRUCE WOODCOCK
A Duty Careers Adviser is available for short (15 minute) consultations: MORNINGS (10.30 am pm) and AFTERNOONS (2 to 4 pm). Don’t need to book an appointment just ask at reception in the Careers Service (Keynes College Driveway)
If you need longer ring our reception on to make an appointment for interview with me.

14. Careers Employability Award on Moodle
Assessed by a range of quizzes and assignments
Will greatly improve your career planning and jobhunting skills, giving you strategies to make career choices and will increase your chances of getting a graduate level job.
Takes about 12 hours to complete
On completion you will get a University of Kent Careers Employability Award to add to your CV
Get 60 Kent Employability points for successful completion of the module.
DX_CEA

15. UNIVERSITY OF KENT CAREERS FAIR
Tuesday 4th November, Sports Hall, 12 pm – 3 pm A chance to talk informally to all sorts of recruiters offering graduate jobs, sandwich placements and summer internships. See for full details and a list of participating employers. Everybody welcome.

16. The University of Kent Careers and Employability Service
Bruce Woodcock
University of Kent
Careers and Employability Service
You can download a copy of this presentation at

18. BUNAC: Summer Camp USA www.bunac.org.uk
If you can’t get a relevant placement, do something that develops your teamworking/organising/ problem-solving skills:
BUNAC: Summer Camp USA
Thursday, 25th November, 12 pm Keynes LT5
Spend up to a year working and travelling in North America. For a summer of work, travel and culture, try BUNAC's Work America programme, where you can do anything from working in a theme park or a restaurant to arranging an internship with a world famous company.