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