Finding the right job in a recession - Top Tip # 3

3. Apply early- make sure your application reaches employers as early as possible

Don’t leave sending applications off until the deadline - there is evidence that many employers are starting to look through applications as soon as they receive them and inviting good candidates for interview as early as possible. Places on large graduate employer schemes may be fewer this year and are likely to be filled early. Quite a lot have already closed.

However it’s not too late to consider applications to some of the medium sized and smaller employers. They may not advertise their vacancies as widely, so do your research using internet resources such as CDEC’s researching employers page. For sector specific information, check out our careers information pages, too.

If you are a first or second year hoping to get onto a scheme when you graduate, consider applying for an internship, as in difficult times employers tend to recruit a higher proportion directly from their internship schemes. Use our jobs database and other jobs sites are a good place to start. And use the careers information pages for particular career areas.

Hot Job!

Westgate Chambers in Lewes is looking for a self-motivated student, preferably of Law, to work as an assistant in their offices. The job is part-time for 10 hours per week and involves general office duties such as answering the phone, dealing with post and copying documents. This is an ideal opportunity to gain an insight into working in chambers, and get paid for it!
For further details and how to apply please see our website.

Young, gifted and female

If you are under 25, female and are thinking about setting up in business for yourself, take a look at What's Stopping You? It's a FREE one-day event designed to give you the support and resources you will need to make that big step. It will include seminars, expert advisers, and exhibition area and networking zone. The nearest one is taking place at the University of Chichester's Bognor Regis campus on 13 February 2009. Book your place now at www.youngwomensevents.co.uk/!

Who Are You? Careers Self-Analysis

It isn’t easy deciding what kind of career to pursue after graduating from university. What job will suit you, what industry will reflect your values and interests and how you will be able to use the skills and aptitudes you’ve developed are all questions that may need examining. At CDEC we have plenty of useful resources that can be used to look at what you want to do with your life both after and during your degree.

The first step is knowing who you are. We have many links to self-analysis tools on our website but if you prefer to work on paper we have a booklet with the same tools called Your Career Options which is available to take away from our Information Centre.
A particularly insightful tool is the Meyers Briggs Type Indicator you can find on Profiling for Success. To access the test you’ll need the following Client Code: myphe, Access Code: sussex, and Password: sussex050808. You cannot use a Hotmail email address for your results.

We also have a number of reference books on the subject of career development. Check out our Shelfari page for a full list which includes the classic “What Color is Your Parachute?”.

Bear in mind that the results you get from these resources are only as meaningful as what you use them for. If a test describes you in a way you don’t identify with, you don’t have to use it. Their purpose is to generate ideas to research further, not to label or pigeon-hole yourself.

Once you have some ideas, or if you are struggling to find any, you can discuss them with one of our advisers who can help you with the next steps of researching and applying. We hold 20 minute short careers interviews every weekday between 12:00 and 16:00 and on Wednesday evening between 17:00 and 19:00. We cannot make appointments in advance or by email so please call us after 10:00 on 01273 678429 for a same day drop in appointment. Alternatively, if you are unable to come in to CDEC, you can use our Careers Advice Online service. Please check our website for eligibility.

Virtual Fair - Studying in Australia and New Zealand

Study Options are holding a virtual fair this week until 30th January 2009 on their website. You can find out about the study opportunities in Australia and New Zealand, the education system, the courses, the universities and the application process. Check the site for a full list of chat sessions

Hot Job!

Artsadmin, based in London, is a unique producing organisation for contemporary artists working in theatre, dance, live art, visual arts, and mixed media. Applications are now open for their year long traineeship in project management for the arts. This has a bursary of £11,000.
For more information on how to apply please see our website

My Future Career Survey

My Future Career is a survey on student attitudes to graduate careers and employers which also works as a reflection tool that helps you structure your career. By participating in My Future Career, you get the Wetfeet Career Guide and entry into various competitions. The first twenty respondents from today will also receive a £5 Amazon voucher. Only current students are eligible to participate, click here for the survey

Finding the right job in a recession - Top Tip # 2

2. Get involved with extra curricular activities - clubs, societies, teams and extra curricular activities offer opportunities for developing skills

Last week’s article was all about the importance of developing skills that employers will value. When you graduate employers will want to know what you have done outside of your degree subject.

Getting involved in extra curricular activities such as clubs, societies, committees, sports teams, part- time paid or voluntary work will not only help you develop new skills such as negotiation or presentation but can also be good fun!

It may help you to identify what type of work you enjoy, build your confidence or be a way of meeting new people. USSU has a number of opportunities to volunteer, including becoming a student representative to represent the views of other students. Or you could set up a student project and apply for funding from CDEC as part of the eXperience Factor- student enterprise fund. Write for the Badger or volunteer in the community. For volunteering opportunities contact Project V or look at the CDEC's volunteering opportunities.

You also need to be able to articulate the skills you have gained through these activities. We’ve got some ideas about identifying and selling your skills gained from volunteering over to an employer. But these principles can be applied to other activities too.

If you’re unsure about what sort of experience would be most relevant, or how to present it on your CV, come along and talk to a careers adviser. Call in or phone after 10 am on 01273 678429 to book for our daily drop-in sessions between 12-4pm (and 5-7pm on Wednesdays).

Pearson Diversity Summer Internship Programme

Pearson are running an open day 'Getting into Pearson' for students and graduates who are eligible to find out more about the programme. The Summer Internship Programme is open to graduates and final year undergraduates from ethnic minority backgrounds. The open day will take place on Wednesday 4th March 2009 6-8pm at Pearson Plc, 10th Floor, 80 Strand, London, WC2R 0RL. To attend send an email to dele.fatunla@pearson.com with your name, year of study and university in the body of the email with ‘Getting into Pearson’ in the subject heading by February 20th 2009. More information about the programme can be found here

Train to Teach at Brighton

The University of Brighton are holding a Train to Teach open evening on Wednesday 11th February from 4.30 - 7pm at Mayfield House on their Falmer Campus. Details of which courses are being covered and a booking form can be found online

Open University Postgraduate Advice Day

The Open University have arranged a Postgraduate Advice Day for prospective students to talk to tutors, advisers and other postgraduate students so that they can hear about the available programmes at first hand. The Postgraduate Advice Day will take place on Saturday 7 February 2009 - 10am to 1pm, at Open University in the South East, St James's House, 150 London Road, East Grinstead, West Sussex, RH19 1HG

Windsor Fellowship Leadership Programme

The deadline for applications to the Windsor Fellowship Leadership Programme has been extended to 18th February 2009. Windsor Fellowship offers undergraduates from Black and Asian Minority Ethnic Communities unparalleled development opportunities through its two-year Leadership Programme for Undergraduates (LPU). Details and an application form can be found here

Scholarships to Study in Germany

The British Chamber of Commerce in Germany Foundation offers scholarships to study or research in Germany. You must be a UK citizen, under 30 and apply between 1st May and 30th June. And they were short of British applicants last year! Find out more, and download the application form, at www.bccg.de/Foundation/1_foundation_en.html

Management and Finance Open Day at Sussex

Interested in a career in the dynamic world of management and finance? If
so, the University of Sussex offers a range of masters programmes that
will help you fulfil your potential.

To find out more and to book a place at the Open Day on 11 March visit:

www.sussex.ac.uk/Units/spru/bams/pg
Email: opendaymanagement@sussex.ac.uk

New Year, New You?

Maybe it's that time of the year when you start thinking about these things. A student came in the other day asking about art courses in Brighton. Short or evening courses while she continues her science degree. My first thought was 'how will you find time to fit that in'? Then, 'why not'? Doing something that interests or inspires you can kickstart your life in lots of different ways. And help motivate you when you get bogged down in your degree.

CCE has some practical arts courses (amongst lots of other things), or there's Brighton University's arthouse, offering saturday and evening classes. Phoenix Brighton and Evolution Arts & Natural Health both offer a variety of courses, too.

If you are looking for something different, try hotcourses.com or Floodlight Brighton for more inspiration

Postgraduate Open Day at Sussex

The Sussex postgraduate open day will give you a great idea of the taught and research opportunities available here. Meet academics and current students. And find out about funding your further study.

It takes place in Bramber House on Wednesday 28 January 2009 (11.30 - 2.00). Find out more, and register to attend, at www.sussex.ac.uk/Units/pgrad/open-days/

Hot Job!

AVERT, an HIV/AIDS charity in Horsham, are recruiting for a full-time Information Officer to update their website. No technical knowledge is required only experience of searching the web and an interest in their work.

For more information see our website

Finding the right job in a recession - Top Tip # 1

1. Develop employability skills – team work, communication, problem solving

In an increasingly competitive environment it will become even more important to demonstrate to future employers that you have the skills, talents or abilities they value. For employers, it’s not just what you know, but what you can do with your knowledge that counts.

So what skills do you already have ? A good place to start is to identify your skills and where the gaps are. There is a Skills checklist which you can download from the CDEC website or you can pick up the leaflet entitled Your Career Options from the CDEC Information Centre.

Once you know what areas you want to develop, how do you go about it? You will be developing key skills within your studies, such as research, analysis and communication. Check our careers with your degree pages for more subject-specific ideas. However, looking for opportunities to get involved in other activities such as part time work, volunteering, clubs, societies, teams and other extra curricular activity will give you valuable experience in other areas such as team work, commercial awareness and problem solving. And this will look good on your CV.

Think about the sector you’re interested in and the skills valued e.g experience of working with children is key if you want to be a teacher, or commercial awareness if you want to work in business. If you’re a final year student and think you may have skill gaps, focus on initial jobs which will give you the opportunity to build and strengthen the skills you need before applying for the position you’d ideally like. CDEC can help you decide what opportunities are suited to your skills, knowledge and interests. Call 01273 678429 after 10am to make an appointment with an adviser on the day you want to see someone. Or use our online e-guidance system if you can’t get in, or have recently graduated from Sussex.

Ten top tips for graduate job seekers in a recession

1. Develop employability skills – team work, communication, problem solving
2. Get involved with extra curricular activities- clubs, societies, teams and extra curricular activities offer opportunities for developing skills
3. Apply early- make sure your application reaches employers as early as possible
4. Focus on quality not quantity- expect on line applications to face extra scrutiny; prepare good quality applications in an increasingly competitive market
5. Network- use your contacts to find out about opportunities that may not be advertised; meet employers at events
6. Research your options –ensure you have a Plan B and C and be adaptable. Make sure you know what the employers in the sector you want to work in are looking for.
7. Keep up with current news and developments in sectors most affected by recession - e.g investment banking, property and where there is still demand e.g energy sector, engineering, information technology, sales. Link into RSS feeds e.g from Robert Peston’s blog or BBC news.
8. Use the careers service - review your options, find out about sources of vacancies, put together a cv, practice interview skills, attend a workshop
9. Consider working outside the UK- e.g international company head offices, regions where the recession is having less of an impact e.g Middle East
10. Look after yourself- manage stress by taking regular exercise, try to eat a healthy, balanced diet, reduce alcohol consumption and learn how to relax. Keep positive - things will get better at some point, recessions typically tend to last for 12 -18 months

Each week we will look a bit more in depth at each of the tips, to get you ready for the jobs that are still out there.

This week: Develop employability skills

Message from the Director of CDEC, Linda Buckham

With the Prime Minister hosting a jobs summit on Monday 12th January 2009 many undergraduates are asking us how worried should they be about job prospects as the recession takes hold. If you believed everything you read in the national and local press you might consider there was no point in doing anything to find opportunities in 2009, but let’s face it the press like bad news! Whilst there is no doubt that competition for both part time and full time jobs will increase, speaking to employers at a conference I attended last week the goalposts seemed to shift depending on which employer I spoke to. Some major graduate recruiters appear to have just about filled all jobs whilst others continue to have vacancies for finalists.

What has your experience been?

At CDEC we can help you to be proactive about your future; we can provide information on different types of works and sources of vacancies, advice about your CV, interview preparation, developing your skills and exploring options for further study or training. We run an events programme of workshops and briefings and our website contains lots of useful links.

We will share ideas and inspiration with you in the Message. You can sign up to receive news updates by RSS feed or a monthly newsletter by e-mail. Each week this term we will include tips and tell you about the positive news, who is recruiting and where the opportunities and jobs are. We will also be establishing a display board with articles and information in the CDEC Information Centre.

This week’s focus is on developing employability skills

eXperience Factor - workshadowing vacancies LIVE!

CDEC's workshadowing placements are now live at www.sussex.ac.uk/cdec/workshadowing.php. It's your chance to spend a day with someone who’s in a career that interests you. Initially, it is open to 2nd Year/Penultimate Year undergraduates only. You can apply for up to 2 opportunities and the deadline is 5th February 2009

BCS/ Women in Technology Event

BCS and womenintechnology.co.uk are holding a one day recruitment, career development and networking event on Tuesday 3rd February 2009 for women working in or interested in the IT industry. The event is free to attend as is being held at Savoy Place in central London. Further information and a full list of the day's events can be found online

City Solicitor's Educational Trust Summer School

The CSET summer school offers students the opportunity to take part in skills sessions on practical law, commercial awareness, teamwork and interview and application skills. Attendees will get the chance to work with solicitors from top law firms, participate in case studies and debating exercises and will receive £100 upon completion of the course. There are 100 places on both of the six day courses starting Monday 13th July and Monday 27th July 2009. To find out more and apply go here, applications are open until 13th March 2009. The summer school is open to first year law students and second year students of other subjects.

Camp America Recruitment Fairs

Camp America are running three recruitment fairs to give students the opportunity to consider the camps and roles on offer and potentially get hired on the spot. Past participants will be available to answer questions and if you don't find a job on the day you can book an interview for another time. The London recruitment fair takes place on Saturday 31st January 2009 from 12:00 at Kensington Town Hall, Hornton Street, W8 7NX. Information on the Manchester and Edinburgh fairs can be found here

Guardian Postgraduate Study and Training Fair

The Careers Group and The Guardian are running a Postgraduate Study and Training Fair and an MBA fair in London on Wednesday 21st January 2009. The fairs are free to attend but pre-registration is recommended. To register and for more information go to www.careers.lon.ac.uk/postgrad/ and www.careers.lon.ac.uk/mba/

Free Courses for Lone Parents

Women's wisdom and working links are providing Empower courses to lone parents in Brighton and Hove. These are open to both men and women. The courses involve four modules on self-analysis, how to make changes and recognise opportunities (including with career planning). The courses take place over 4 weeks starting 13th January 2009 at Patcham Community Centre, 8th January 2009 at Moulsecombe Community Leisure Centre and 7th January 2009 at South Portslade Community Centre. All run 10am - 2pm. Contact women's wisdom on 0800 7818597 or at enquiries@womenswisdom.co.uk to book a place. Refreshments are provided and reasonable travel and childcare costs will be subsidised