London Graduate Fair

The next Guardian London Graduate Fair takes place on 16th and 17th June 2009 at the Business Design Centre. The fair is free to attend and more information can be found here

TARGETchances Banking Matters

There is a new TARGETchances event on 24th April 2009 at Bloomberg in London. A panel of industry experts drawn from the financial world will answer students' questions and concerns abround the subject 'What does the economic downturn mean for graduate recruitment in the financial sector? This event is open to first-year and second-year undergraduates, apply online to attend

Shell Step now open to Graduates

In a direct response to the challenging economic climate and the impact this is having on the availability of jobs for recent graduates, Shell have announced that they are broadening out the Shell Step programme to allow recent graduates to take part. For more information go to www.shellstep.org.uk

CIMA Global Business Challenge

The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants are running a Global Business Challenge giving students a chance to represent the UK at the final in Singapore. The competition is open to undergraduates and will consist of analysing, reporting and presenting on a CIMA case study. More information can be found online or at their event in the Economics department at Sussex on 28th April 2009.

Guardian Student Media Awards

The Guardian have launched this years Student Media Awards. Categories include student reporter of the year, feature writer of the year and critic of the year. More information, including details of how to enter, can be found here. Closing date is Friday 3rd July 2009.

Open day at Concordia

On Wednesday 1st April 2009 Concordia is having an open afternoon at their office on North Street, Portslade between 12 and 5pm. Pop in to have a chat about volunteering opportunities abroad with the staff and volunteers; this is a great opportunity to enquire about the new 2009 Summer Programme just released. Further information about Concordia and their projects can be found here

Projects Abroad Information Evening

Projects Abroad is running an information evening at BHASVIC, Dyke Road on Monday 30th March 2009, 6-8pm. It will give you the chance to talk to ex-volunteers about their experiences abroad. Check out their website for more information

GlaxoSmithKline Residential Chemistry Training Experience

GlaxoSmithKline is running a Residential Chemistry Training Experience from Sunday 6th - Friday 11th September 2009 in Stevenage. This is an opportunity to find out what the chemist does in the pharmaceutical industry. Participants spend at least two days in a laboratory receiving personalised tuition and they also receive training in CV writing, interviewing, and compiling and delivering presentations. The course is aimed at students about to enter their final year of study. The closing date for applications is Friday 12th June 2009. Download the application form

Careers in Middle East Recruitment Summit

There is a recruitment event for students and graduates who wish to work in the Middle East on 25th May 2009 in London. Applications are welcome from students and alumni with work authorisation for at least one Middle Eastern country and a fluency in Arabic. The deadline to apply to attend the summit is 30th April 2009, application forms and more information can be found online

Hot Job!

Claromentis, a small and successful Brighton-based intranet and web based solution provider, are looking for someone with a passion for IT support, and a natural ability to investigate and resolve support issues on a wide variety of platforms and subjects. This vacancy is initially a 3 to 6 month contract with a view to becoming permanent.
For more details please see our website.

Hot Job!

Are you familiar with Apache software; PHP and/or ASP.Net (VB / C#); MySQL? Then you could work from home designing Facebook applications. This is a 2 month project to which you should be able to commit at least 15 hours per week.
For more information please see our website

Easter Vacation Opening Times

Open
Mon 23rd March – Wed 8th April, Wed 15th April – Friday 17th April
weekdays only 2-5pm, Careers Adviser drop in sessions 2-4pm.
Call 01273 678429 from 10am for a same day drop in appointment.

Closed
Wednesday 1st April,
Thursday 9th – Tuesday 14th April

Finding the right job in a recession - Top Tip # 7

7. Keep up with current news

Things are changing fast in the current climate so make sure you keep up with news and developments in sectors you’re interested in. Use relevant RSS feeds, e.g Robert Peston’s blog or BBC business news, to bring the news to you. This will help you when it comes to interview time and you may be asked about your general awareness of issues and developments in the area you want to work in. Also it will help you tailor your career plans. Think about:

• How are organisations in different sectors being affected? The Times and the Guardian both have sector-specific news feeds
• What are the alternative routes in for graduates if numbers taken onto graduate schemes are being reduced? eFinancialCareers has lots of up-to-date advice, including thinking about FTSE companies if you can’t get into banking
• How can you develop the skills and experience which will get you your ideal job later on?
• Are there any other organisations which can offer help and advice e.g professional organisations such as the Chartered Insurance Institute or the Chartered Institute of Public Relations?

Use CDEC to talk through options with a careers adviser or our information pages to find links to useful websites with current news about different sectors and job opportunities.

IPA Summer School

IPA is running an annual competition to win a place at Summer School where successful students are given the opportunity to spend a summer in a leading direct marketing, digital or healthcare advertising agency. The competition comprises a survey and a short piece of creative writing and the deadline is 8th May 2009. More information and entry forms can be found here

Codeo Competition

Codeo is a coding competition for students in the Sussex area with a cash prize of £100 awarded to the winning individual or group entry. New challenges are posted at the start of each month and the deadline is always the 22nd. Head over to codeo.cogapp.com for more details and rules and for this month's challenge

Postgraduate Study in Australia

The University of New South Wales will be holding interviews for prospective postgraduates in London on Wednesday 25th March 2009, 9am - 1pm at Australia Centre, Strand, WC2B 4LA.

To book an interview contact Kathleen Devereaux, by email kathleen.devereaux@austrade.gov.au or phone (020) 7632 0003, with the following details: Your preferred interview time, preferred subject area and preferred study level (eg BA, MA, PhD). More information on the courses offered can be found here

Journalist Works Taster Session

Brighton Journalist Works are running their next free taster session on Friday 27th March 2009 at The Argus. The three hour seminar is designed to help people decide whether a career in journalism is right for them and also includes a tour of the newsroom and picture desk at The Argus. Apply for a place online

HRLA Bursary Award

The Human Rights Lawyers Association will provide around 5 awards from a maximum annual bursary fund of £5,000. This is to assist law students and recent graduates in undertaking internships, work placements and other unpaid or poorly paid work in human rights law. The deadline to apply is 1st April 2009 and more information on the bursaries can be found online.

Stress Management Programme

The Psychological and Counselling Services are offering free 4 week stress management programmes in the Summer term. The Programme is open to all students who attend an introductory session at 3.30 pm on Wednesday 22nd April 2009. Book a place by emailing counsellingreception@sussex.ac.uk

Hot Job!

Lawspeed, a legal based business consultancy that services the recruitment industry, are looking for enthusiastic law graduates, including those graduating this year, to work as Trainee Legal Consultants in their Hove offices.
If you are interested in using your legal knowledge in new and exciting ways within a challenging commercial environment visit our website for more information.

Royal Statistical Society Future Prospects Fair

The Royal Statistical Society is running a fair on Wednesday 11 March 2009 11.00-16.00 at their premises at 12 Errol Street, London, EC1Y 8LX. The fair is free and is aimed at undergraduate and postgraduate students studying mathematics and statistics, also those studying physical, life, and social sciences or engineering. There are talks and research/ employer stands focused on new developments and future employment opportunities for statisticians in the sciences. You can book a place for the fair online

Web Review: Wiki Job

WikiJob.co.uk
Wiki Job's subtitle is Interview Success and it certainly has enough information to inspire confidence. Its main asset is the interview questions. These cover a plethora of companies, organisations and public authorities and there are sample questions and tips for every stage of interview including phone interviews and assessment centres.

The fact that it's a Wiki can be both good and bad. There are some areas that are a little lacking, but where there is involvement by users it seems to be very beneficial with students giving up to date info on their experiences at interview. The editors seem to keep a careful eye on the content so you can feel fairly confident that what you read will be true and relevant. A small degree of caution is always advised when using wikis but as the main thing is to prepare for your interview as thoroughly as possible, Wiki Job is a great resource to help with that.

Do remember that you can arrange to have a mock interview at CDEC as well. Give us a call on 01273 678429 with as much notice as possible and one of our advisers will help you practice your interview techinique.

Another useful site for interview preparation is CDEC's own Preparing for Interviews which is also available as a takeaway booklet in our Information Centre. Also check out Be my Interviewer which has interactive videos with professionals (and TV names) to help you practice.

Future Vision 09

Future Vision 09 is an awards scheme to find ideas for better places to live, work and play. Participating students could win £1000, work placements and a chance to present their ideas to industry. Closing date is 30th April 2009, see www.futurevisionaward.com for more details.

Brighton University PG Study Open Evening

The Computing, Mathematical and Information Sciences department at the University of Brighton are running an open evening on Monday 9th March 2009 between 3 and 7pm. This is a chance to speak to staff and students about courses like Computer Science, Information Management, and Creative Media. Information on all courses covered and online booking can be found here

Procter & Gamble Summer Internships

P&G are offering 10-12 week internships this Summer in the UK and Western Europe. The internships are avalable in their Marketing, Finance and Accounting, Information and Decision Solutions and other business functions. Successful internships will result in full time job offers so this is a must if you want to work for P&G after graduating. The deadline for applications is 31st March 2009 and you can find more information, including project examples and testimonies on their website

Finding the right job in a recession - Top Tip # 6

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.

One of our advisers saw someone the other day who had applied for a placement at the BBC. They didn’t get it, but refused to look at any of the other media and television opportunities available. They intended to work for the BBC, so only the BBC would do. Nothing the adviser could say made any difference. It’s not our job to crush people’s dreams. Who knows? They may get their ideal job at the BBC at the first attempt. But the odds are against it. And there’s more than one way to achieve your dream.

Having a Plan B (or Plan C) is not admitting defeat. It’s about creative thinking. Being adaptable and identifying more than one way of getting into the area you want to work in is more likely to lead to success.

On the other hand, it’s not about thinking any job will do, either. It’s best to have some sense of direction. You are more likely to be successful if you identify an area which you are interested in and suited to. Try doing some self awareness work using online tools such as Prospects Planner or Profiling for Success* and come and talk to a careers adviser. You don’t necessarily need to focus on one area. Once you have identified some areas which interest you find out which key skills and experience are valued by the employers in that sector. Some sectors place most value on work experience, for others you may need to do some professional training.

Above all, do your research. Use our careers information section to get you started. Keep your options open, without being too vague. Focus, without being too prescriptive. This is advice we would give to people in any economic climate. But in tougher times, it pays to be completely on your game. Follow your dream, but be flexible and try to think of all the ways you might get there.

* You will need to enter various codes/passwords for this. See our Psychometric tests page