Kent student Aleeya shares her advice for current final year students.

‘Being in your final year can be a very confusing time in your life. You are going through a bunch of emotions that include nervousness, uncertainty and questions about your ability when entering the working world.

‘With this blog post, I hope to be able to sympathise with what you are going through now, as a student myself, as well as give you enough information so that you can go out and receive the resources that can help you on your journey to success.

Focus on what you can do

‘With Covid-19 and the current situation that we are all in, it is important that you do not get discouraged. Moods can be overall low, but that does not mean that your self-worth should go down as well.

‘Applying for industrial placements and graduate schemes can be a great way to start thinking about your skills and experience.

‘From my personal experience, I went into many applications thinking that I was not qualified, the more time I spent on a specific application, the more and more I became discouraged. There can be a thought that it is something that has to be done for your future to be secure, but this feeling can be so weighing that it can cause you to lose sight of what you are good at.

‘My one piece of advice for this particular feeling is to look at the job specification and write down things that you think you can offer to the company before you even start your application. This can either help you feel confident with yourself before applying and thus make you do your best when you are applying, or you can see if there is anything that you can improve on in the field that you want to go into, thus preparing for when another listing appears.

Grow your skills

‘With finding things that you need to improve on, the TargetJobs site that the University works with gives a list of events that are happening throughout the term which can give you more information about the working world as well as expand your knowledge with the Study Plus sessions. With these you have a chance to ask questions to professionals working at the university.

Get advice

‘If you are a bit more unsure about your career path go to the Careers and Employability Service. Even though you may have heard this advice plenty of times, there is a reason. From my experience the Careers Service gives me that extra step that I needed to find industries that I am interested in and gives me things that I need to improve on. They also care enough to do some of the research with you in the background, so that when you go back to them for more insight they will be able to focus on your needs specifically. It can be daunting to talk to someone about something that you are unsure about yourself, but it will be incredibly helpful if you visit them once, just to check if you are on the right path, or just for some confirmation on if you are doing things right.

Don’t let your stress get out of control – get help first

‘Exam preparation as well as dissertation writing can be another thing that is causing many of us to stress. These feelings are valid, but there comes a point where these feelings can be changing our focus from things that are important. When these feelings get all consuming, it is important for you to reach out for help. Luckily, the university provides many services that can help you navigate these feelings. The most recommended one is the Student Wellbeing Service.

‘Before this post turns into a diatribe of my experiences and what I have learnt. The message that I want to convey is that we all can get through this, and when we do, we will be stronger than ever. Use the resources that are out there to put your mind at ease and remember you are not alone. The University is here to support you in your final year and beyond.’

In a year quite unlike any other…. we’re here to help you as you prepare for your final-year exams, assignments and dissertations, as well as helping you to choose the career path that’s right for you – whether you want to progress to postgraduate study or want to stand out in the jobs market.

If you are in your final year of study and need support with what to do next, don’t worry, help is at hand. We have professional teams of staff who are dedicated to helping you make the most of your time here at Kent and to help you reach your potential.

Information Services have teamed up with the Student Learning and Advisory Service and the Careers and Employability Service to offer a wide range of advice and support, from one-to-one appointments, skills development, careers events, presentations and workshops, digital resources, online guides and lots more.

More information

• Careers and Employability Service
  • career planning, job hunting and applications, postgraduate study, volunteering, employability points
• Information Services
  • subject support from our liaison librarians, library resource guides, research skills, digital library, software to help you study, exam help reading list, careers and employability reading list
• Student Learning and Advisory Service
  • one to one academic advice appointments, maths and stats clinics, online study guides and video tutorials, bespoke embedded study skills sessions and academic peer mentoring (APM) training.

Check out our Finalist webpages for more information, events and support in your final year.

If you are starting to apply for graduate jobs, one of the first things you need to do is update your CV! Creating a stand-out CV is crucial when getting through the initial stage of the recruitment process. You want to make sure your CV is concise, accurate and targeted. Look at a few of our key points below, to guide you when updating your CV.

• Accuracy. Ensure your CV is accurate and consistent, in content, grammar and spelling. If your CV is littered with errors, it could cost you an interview!
• Concise. A UK CV should be no more than two A4 pages in length. However, if you are applying for work outside of the UK, check the country’s own requirements, as CV formats differ from country to country.
• Tailored. Make sure you target your CV to the specific job you are applying to. Review the job specification and take note of any key skills or values they are looking for, evidencing these, where possible. Directly align specific achievements on your CV with the specific challenges of the role, to make it easy to see why you would be a good candidate.
• Include your degree. Your degree should be at the top of your Education section, which includes your predicted or awarded grade. If your degree is related to the job, you could detail relevant modules, key projects, your dissertation title, and practical skills gained.
• Highlight any relevant experience. In your work experience section include your most relevant experience first. If you have undertaken a placement or internship whilst at university, remember to update your CV with these experiences. You could use an impact heading to distinguish relevant and non-relevant experience e.g., Marketing Experience.
• Include non-relevant work too! Employers want to know about your range of work experiences, and how you have developed your soft skills. Transferable skills such as teamwork and communication can be easily demonstrated through bar or retail work. However, if you have lots of experience, don’t feel you have to include everything, just include the most recent.
• Professional development section. If you have attended any insight days, completed additional courses, a virtual internship or took part in industry competitions, which are relevant to the role, you could highlight these here.
• Positions of responsibility section. If you have held a key role outside of your studies, such as involvement within a society (e.g., President or Events Officer) or a volunteering role – include these! They are great examples of extra-curricular activities, which can show some valuable skills including, leadership and collaborative working.
• Use positive language and action verbs. Try using words like organised, delivered, implemented, and exceeded, to start your sentences, rather than pro-nouns.
• Quantify your statements. Use facts, figures, and percentages, to give impact and build credibility to your statements. For example, ‘Reviewed 30 – 40 articles, per month’.

If you would like your CV reviewed, the Careers and Employability Service offer daily Quick Advice appointments, which are bookable online. Additionally, attend one of our ‘Creating a great CV’ workshops for more advice or visit our CV webpage for templates and further information.

As we come towards the end of a very different autumn term, everyone is in need of a well-deserved rest! If however, during the vacation period, you are looking to apply for graduate opportunities, below we have a few ways in which you can do this and how to prepare for the application process!

Graduate Schemes
If you are in your final year, you might be applying to graduate schemes. Graduate schemes are structured training programmes, providing you with responsibility early on, skills development and hands-on experience. Opportunities for 2021 start, are still available to apply to, but deadlines are coming up soon!

• Where to find graduate schemes? careers.kent.ac.uk, Prospects, Milkround, TARGETjobs, Times Top 100 Graduate Employers and Bright Network all advertise schemes!
• Access our Finding a graduate job workshop on Moodle: DP4450 for advice when applying
• Attend our skills workshops to prepare for the assessments (virtual assessment centres, application forms, interview workshops coming up!). Book online Target Connect

Graduate Jobs
It’s important to remember that graduate schemes aren’t the only option for graduates, and in fact only a small percentage go on to a graduate scheme. You can find graduate jobs in big and small / medium sized businesses, across all industries. Entry-level roles can be available all year round, so keep looking on job sites for opportunities as we head into the spring term.

• Where to find graduate jobs? Our Find a Job webpage has many useful job links.
• Tip! Ensure you CV is up to date before you start applying! You want to make sure your CV includes your degree, any relevant experience (internships / placements), as well as, any extra-curricular activities that you have undertaken whilst at university (e.g. societies, Ambassador and Student Rep roles, volunteering).

Preparing for the application process

If you are in the midst of going through the recruit process, you could be asked to undertake various assessments. These can range from psychometric tests, video interviews and assessment centres. To help you prepare and feel confident when completing these, we offer many opportunities to practice!

• Practice psychometric tests and video interviews via Graduates First. Practice numerical, verbal, situational judgement, game-based and assessment exercises are free to use! Login on the Graduates First website
• Have your CV / Application reviewed by an Adviser. We have online appointments available during term time and the vacation period. Book a Quick Advice appointment
• Attend a virtual skills workshop to help you prepare for interviews, CVs and selection tests. Workshops are running until the 18 December!
• Book a practice interview with an Adviser, to help you with your interview technique, and receive feedback for self-development. Book a Practice Interview

If you are looking to gain some work experience, don’t let lockdown deter you! We have put together a few ways in which you can gain experience and develop your employability skills, many of which can be done remotely.

Volunteer

Volunteering is a rewarding way to gain experience and develop your employability skills. There are numerous charities and organisations looking for help, including remotely. A few of these include:

• NHS Responder Volunteers
• Canterbury and Herne Bay Volunteer Centre
• United Nations Volunteers
• Translators without Borders
• Zooniverse – research projects
• Be My Eyes
• TechSoup

You can also log your volunteering hours with the Kent Volunteering Scheme!

Virtual Internships

Virtual internships are flexible, online opportunities, where you can undertake remote experience. Many virtual internships exist in areas such as tech, marketing and social media roles. Some employers will give you project work to complete over a period of time, and you may have regular catch-ups with the employer.

Others are more flexible, allowing you to complete them in your own time, such as The Forage, which offers free open-access virtual internships. Great for building your commercial awareness! Opportunities include those in Law, Design, Tech, Investment Management, Banking and more!

Courses

There are lots of online courses you can explore, many of which are free. Whether that be something to complement your degree, or you want to learn something completely new, such as coding, a language or digital marketing. Find these on sites such as Coursera, The Open University and Future Learn.

We also offer free courses through Study Plus. We have a variety of online workshops, bookable online, covering a range of topics including: meditation, resilience, project management and photography!

You are not only learning something new, but having this on your CV will show your professional development outside of your degree.

View more resources for gaining experience, on our How to develop your skills at home guide.

You can also access the guide, plus all of our other resources and slides on our Moodle page: DP4450.

During lockdown, why not make the most of all the online Study Plus and Careers events? Develop your skills and meet others with similar interests.

Session include Photography, Editing and Proofreading and Resolving Conflict.

Wednesday 11 November 14.00-15.30 – Introduction to Project Management 

Projects are happening all around us and in the workplace it is likely that you will find yourself either involved in a project or managing one.

The aim of this course is to share some tools and approaches that will help you set-up and deliver your project successfully.

Saturday 14 November – 10.00-14.00 – Emergency First Aid 

An introduction to Emergency first aid. This will be a 4 hour event.
Please note we have limited spaces available so book soon to avoid missing out!

Do you need somewhere on campus to watch a lecture online? Want to join an online seminar but don’t have anywhere to go?

Whether you need a student PC or have your own laptop/device, there are plenty of study spaces on both campuses you can use as an alternative to the libraries.

Study Hubs

There are Study Hubs across the Canterbury campus with socially distanced PCs, laptop spaces and printers. View the Study Hubs map. View the Guide to Study Space and PCs on the Medway campus.

Teaching rooms and PC rooms

You can also use lecture theatres, seminar rooms and PC rooms while they are not being used for teaching. You can now view live room availability online:

• Find a free room on the Canterbury campus
• Find a free room on the Medway campus

If you are already outside a room and want to see if it’s available for you to use, scan the QR code outside the room and it will show you!

Students have told us that it can be hard to know how well their studies are going. We created Progress Profiles to give our students a clear understanding of their performance. We think it is important to have regular conversations about your studies with your Academic Adviser. Progress Profiles can help focus these conversations.

Your Progress Profile is now available via a web based platform. It’s a summary of your academic progress to date and it shows your attendance and attainment. Your Progress Profile can be accessed directly from the Student Guide.

Need help using Progress Profiles? Watch the video below for a detailed explanation of how Progress Profiles work and how you can make the most of them.

What do I do if I feel like I need some support?

We hope your Progress Profile will help you feel enabled to steer your studies. However, we recognise that in some cases it may make you feel like you need some support. Please do not feel like you need to work through this alone. We encourage you to speak to your Academic Adviser or to take a look at our student help webpages to see how you can access further support.