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For the first time our annual Employability Festival will be held online! This is a great opportunity for all University of Kent students from all campuses to gain insights and skills for their future careers.
EmpFest will feature events organised by the Careers & Employability Service; Academic Schools, Professional Services, Employers and Professional Organisations to offer presentations, skills workshops, guest speakers, discussion panels and industry experts.
The EmpFest programme is now available at: https://www.kent.ac.uk/ces/empfest/prg.html
EmpFest: 12 – 23 October Selection of events
Monday 12th
#EmpFest20 – South East Water: The use of psychometric testing in selection, recruitment and career development – 12pm
Join Organisational Development Advisor Millie Wilson online to learn about the use of psychometric testing in recruitment and career development. This session will cover how you can prepare to take a psychometric test, how we decide who is the best ‘fit’ for a role and how you can use feedback from psychometric testing in all areas of your life. You will leave this webinar with a set of free tools to learn more about yourself and what your results may look like.
#EmpFest20 – Student Circus: Job Search for International Students – 3pm
This session will include helping international students navigate the job market. We will cover the following:
• Our journey from intl students to Entrepreneurs in the UK
• What is the current job environment (economy, sector specific)
• Timelines to follow for visas
• Tier-2 employer screening (how to find the right employers)
• Options post Tier-4 expiry (apart from Tier 2, there are many options)
• Tips & Tricks (making sure students don’t trip over simple mistakes, employer feedback & easy ways to be noticed)
• Q&A at the end
Tuesday 13th
#EmpFest20 – Civil Service Fast Stream Application Process – 11am
The Fast Stream is the Civil Service’s flagship leadership development programme, developing graduates from diverse backgrounds who have the potential to become our future senior leaders. The 15 schemes provide a breadth of opportunity to contribute to the fast-paced work that makes a difference to society. Sign up now to find out more about the Fast Stream and the application process!
#EmpFest20 – CII: Careers and Opportunities in Insurance and Financial Planning – 12pm
Are you looking for a rewarding career utilising your degree? From cyber risk, helping people manage business and finances; risk including catastrophe, driverless cars and much more; Insurance and financial planning have significant influence in the economy and international reach – this could be your passport to success.
#EmpFest20 – Marsh & McLennan Overview – 2.30pm
Please join Marsh & McLennan for an overview of their opportunities and how to get ahead with your application! Risk, strategy, management consulting
Wednesday 14th
#EmpFest20 – Paragon Law: Securing work in the UK. Advice for EU and International students – 2pm
Paragon Law will provide visa and immigration updates for international and EU students looking to secure a graduate role or set up in business. They will provide an overview of the current situation and changes post December 2020.
#EmpFest20 – Careers in Accountancy Panel – 3pm
Are you thinking about a career in accountancy? It’s not all about numbers! Accountants are financial specialists at the heart of all areas of business. Hear from a panel of accountants and professional bodies, working in a range of areas from tax, audit and assurance, in small, mid-tier and top-tier firms. They’ll share their career backgrounds, qualification routes and tips for entering the career sector, with Q&A.
#EmpFest20 – Introduction to Frontline Graduate Programme – 3pm
Frontline is a social work charity working to ensure that all children in England have a safe and stable home, and that their life chances are not limited by their social or family circumstance. We create social change for these children and their families by developing excellent social work practice and leadership through our programmes and by building a movement of leaders in social work and broader society as part of our Fellowship. In order to achieve this, we aim to have 4,000 impactful fellows by 2025.
#EmpFest20 – The University of Law: Careers in Law for non-Law Students – 4pm
If you’re considering a law conversion course, we’ll talk you through the courses, what you’ll study and take you through the route to becoming a Solicitor or Barrister.
Thursday 15th
#EmpFest20 – Leyton UK: How to get the right job for you, and keep it – 10am
Antoni Peychev, Kent Law Alumnus and current Global Business and Digital Transformation Manager for an R&D Tax Consultancy, will be covering How to get the right job for you, and keep it!
Antoni has worked within a range of sectors, including Media, Banking, Legal, Publishing, Digital Consulting, R&D Tax Consulting, Data Science & AI, in roles such as, Journalist, Private Banker, Litigation Executive, Legal Product Specialist, Business Analyst, Project Manager and Lifelong Student and Mentor, building up a wealth of knowledge, which he is ready to share! If you are thinking What do I want to do once I graduate? What do I do if I don’t know? How do I go from student to a trusted professional? What if I have no talents? What if I work hard instead? How do I succeed in today’s fast-paced world? – then this session is for you! Let’s chat!
#EmpFest20 – School of Economics: Working in Finance – 6pm
Come and hear Economics graduates talk about their career paths to a graduate job in finance, how they secured their roles and what it is like to work in the financial sector. This will be followed by networking opportunities.
Friday 16th
#EmpFest20 – Step into working with offenders – 4pm
Meet Olivia Ross who graduated with a degree in Criminal Justice and Criminology earlier this year. She now works as an offender resettlement worker for Penrose, helping offenders find housing, employment and support including mental health services on their release. In this session she will talk about how she got her job and her experiences so far. This will be followed by a question and answer session.
….. WEEK 2 ……
Monday 19th
#EmpFest20 – Unlocked Graduates: Alternative Careers: Career in Criminal Justice – 1pm
Want a graduate job that makes a difference? Unlocked Graduates aims to change the prison system through rehabilitation. Our participants work on the front line to impact society every day with their outstanding work. Find out how YOU could be part of the movement by tuning in to this presentation!
#EmpFest20 – APM: Project Management Insight – 2.30pm
An insight into project management from a project professional, Daniel Pollitt. Find out more about the Association for Project Management, the professional body that represents the profession and Daniel’s experiences so far.
#EmpFest20 – Bright Network: Tackling Virtual assessment centres – 4pm
Assessment centres can be daunting, especially if you’ve never attended one before and with the shift to a more digitally focused world, recruiters are also moving to digital platforms to assess their candidates. Our careers experts Jake and Shelly are here to give you their top insights on how to successfully navigate the different tasks you’ll face during virtual assessment centres. In this session you’ll gain the key skills to tackle these tasks confidently, learn how to maintain professionalism and impress firms (virtually!), as well as boost your overall employability.
Tuesday 20th
Virtual Careers Fair, 10am – 4pm
Wednesday 21st
#EmpFest20 – SSPSSR: Year in Professional Practice (Placement) – 12.00
This session is to introduce students to the Year in professional practice. It aims to equip students with all the information they require to help them make an informed decision about undertaking a placement year and the support available to them.
#EmpFest20 – School of Politics: Alumni Careers Panel – 2pm
A panel of Kent Politics Alumni will talk about their careers followed by a Q&A session with students.
#EmpFest20 – The University of Law: Solicitor Series – 4pm
Our Solicitor Series workshop will help you stand out in Vacation Scheme and Training Contract applications. We’ll cover questions including, what type of firm is right for me? What type of Law would I enjoy practising? And What types of tasks would I expect as a trainee Solicitor?
Thursday 22nd
#EmpFest20 – L’Oreal Virtual skills session – 11am
In this event we will cover information about L’Oreal as a company and an employer, how the current climate has affected the wider business as a whole and everything in regards to what employers look for at Assessment Centre’s and how you can stand out from the crowd.
#EmpFest20 – Uptree: Interview skills – 12pm
Interactive workshop for all students who want to develop their employability skills, particularly for an interview. We will look at interview technique and how to sell yourself to an employer, applicable to all industry types. Uptree partner with a wide range of different companies to give you the most up-to-date career information. Join this event to hear about upcoming opportunities and events from top companies such as PwC, Clifford Chance, IBM and GSK.
#EmpFest20 – Bank of England: Virtual Assessment Centre Skills Session – 1pm
This skills session will cover all of the skills required from an ideal candidate applying to any of the Bank of England Future Talent programmes. We will be running through a typical application process and any hints and tips for completing a virtual assessment centre. https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/careers/early-careers/our-programmes
#EmpFest20 – Marketing and Business Alumni give their experiences – 6pm
Hear from four Marketing or Business Alumni who graduated in 2019 about their experiences in the following work places:
Harvard Communications – Marketing Executive for the technology and media industry https://www.harvard.co.uk/
Nomad Foods – Europe’s largest Frozen food company – Consumer Insights analyst role https://www.nomadfoods.com/careers/
L’Oréal Paris – 6 month internship
Ogilvy – who work with one in five of the UK’s top 100 brands – Brand Strategist and Planner – https://ogilvy.co.uk/have-career
23rd October
#EmpFest20 – FDM: Top tips for virtual and video interviews – 12pm
With more and more businesses utilising online platforms to conduct interviews, we have created a session with helpful tips to help with your success!
In this session we will cover the FDM onboarding process, what a strength based interview is and what it looks like and how to prepare for a virtual/video interview, this will be followed by a Q&A to answer any questions you may have.
#EmpFest20 – Step into social and market research – 12pm
Meet Hollie Gibson who graduated last year with a masters in Sociology. She now works for BMG, a social and market research agency that predominantly works with public sector clients. Her role as Graduate Research Executive involves assisting with all elements of research, including fieldwork, analysis and report writing. Her aim is to uncover the story behind data! In this session she will talk about how she got her job and her experiences so far. This will be followed by a question and answer session.
#EmpFest20 – Selection tests – 3pm
Often referred to as Psychometric tests, graduate recruiters often use verbal/numerical/logical reasoning, situational judgement, personality and game-based tests as part of their selection process. Find out more about these tests and to learn about Graduates First, an online facility where Kent students can practise them.