The time has come that many of us have to face; talking about employability and future job prospects. Whether you a first, second or final year student, going to talks on employability are fantastic. In first year I went to a day full of talks from agencies and organisations. I am so glad I went as now I volunteer for one of the organisations I heard about two years ago, so now in my final year I definitely have to go.
The end of October-November is when the university puts great effort in providing students with various helpful events. The next two weeks will see the Employability Festival! The event will be from Monday 26th October- Wednesday 6th November. You can find a list of the programmes at https://www.kent.ac.uk/ces/empfest/index.html
A few broad and valuable events worth checking out are:
- MASTERING CV’S AND APPLICATIONS (26th October)
- WORK AND STUDY ABROAD FAIR (27th October)
- ‘IN THE CLASSROOM’ MODULES (28th October)
- JOB SHOP RECRUITMENT FAIR (29th October)
- FOCUS ON WHAT MATTERS AND GAIN CONFIDENCE (29th October)
- WHAT IS A STUDENT AMBASSADOR (30th October)
- UNEXPECTED CAREERS (2nd November)
- CAREERS FAIR (3rd November)
- KENT OPPORTUNITIES FAIR (5th November)
The Careers Fair is one of the main events where 130 employers will be in the Sports Centre-Canterbury, mostly recruiting students from any degree. Make sure to go and chat with them about opportunities – both paid and voluntary and graduate vacancies. A few employers attending are: Halifax, British Airways, BAE Systems, The Royal Air Force, Kent Police, Teach First, Kent Wildlife Trust and many other universities.
Top tip: Remember to contact your School’s employability officers for specific events also!
Get involved!
- Become a course rep! This will not only stand out on your CV but also give you valuable transferrable skills! Contact your School Rep and there may be positions still available!
- Become a student ambassador!
- Use the UELT and SLAS. They have workshops throughout the term from presentation skills to planning a dissertation. These can help you gain skills that will give your more confidence when applying for jobs and in general university academia!
- Join a Kent Extra course! It is a fantastic resource to expand your student experience by offering learning opportunities that are outside of a degree e.g. ‘A Tweet is Forever’ and ‘A History of Anthropological Theory’.
Make sure to make the most of these next two weeks and talk to as many people as you can!