Ways to make the most of your summer if you don’t have a job

Tempting as it is to lie in the back garden (if wet, in bed) reading a trash detective novel, jobless should not mean clueless. There are more productive ways to spend the next few weeks, none of which need interfere too much with your natural inclination towards rest and relaxation.

Mix and match from the following:

1. Volunteer.  Sounds almost too worthy?  Think triple whammy: benefit others, boost your CV and bask in a warm glow. If it meshes with your career aim, so much the better, but almost any sort of community activity appeals to recruiters. http://www.do-it.org.uk/  has all the links you’ll need.

2. Get ahead of the competition.  Deadlines are for the desperate.  Why not meet them well ahead of time? Neither new kids in town nor older hands are exempt.

Freshers: the application window for 2013 industry insight days is already wide open

Penultimate years: next summer starts NOW.  Investigate internships immediately.

Finalists: Autumn is the traditional season for job hunting – as if you won’t have enough on your hands by then.  So start now and feel suitably smug in September.

3. Pick up a placement:  ask around to see if you can wheedle some work experience. Your filing and tea making capacities might be tested to the limit, but grit your teeth and get on with it.  It ain’t what you do, it’s what you learn and observe on the way that counts.

4. Study: Local universities and colleges will be offering summer courses galore, so how about working on your web skills, embracing entrepreneurship or learning another lingo?

5. CV: dig out that dog-eared document and update and upgrade it.  If not now, when?

6. (Optional): Polish your halo.

Gill Sharp
Careers Consultant
QM Careers

Summertime blues – not got an internship or summer job yet?

Haven’t got an internship? Not volunteering with vipers in Venuezla, tigers in Tanzania, youngsters in Yarmouth?

Maybe the name of your vacation game is making money.

Are you worried that you’ve missed the boat? If so, here are some ideas to get you sailing again:

London Life
Endless opportunities for casual and short-term paid work in the Great Metropolis, some more interesting than others.  Use the web links below and /or go straight to individual websites of bars, stores, hospitals, local councils (etc.)

Culture Vultures
A few openings remain at museums and tourist sites.  Act with alacrity. In addition, festivals, music and drama events, performance projects could all do with a helping hand (yours).

High Society
Left off the list for Ascot, Wimbledon, Henley?  See some of the action and get paid too. Polish up your serving skills – strawberries, not aces – and apply. ASAP.

Rough And Rugged?
Summer camps and adventure holidays, in the UK and beyond, continue to look for outdoor types who can coach and care for clients.

Wave Me Goodbye
Resorts from the Balearics to Barry Island are hiring help.  Whether you’re a well-worn waiter or a would-be water babe, move as fast as you like.

Home Sweet Home
Returning to your nearest and dearest? Get the family to put out feelers, check local papers and do your research for you.  Now.

Olympics Ahoy
Thought it was just London?  Think again. Venues include Newcastle, Glasgow, Cardiff, Weymouth. North of Watford and south of Streatham, they’re raring to recruit!

The Usual Suspects
Wherever you are, a high street near you will have agencies with something to offer.  Get registered, get known, get in there.

Sites To See
www.careers.qmul.ac.uk
www.gradsintocareers.co.uk/
www.gumtree.com
www.e4s.co.uk
www.summer-jobs.co.uk
www.student-jobs.co.uk

All aboard and full steam ahead.

Gill Sharp
Careers Consultant QM  Careers

Start thinking about Summer jobs now!

As the bleak midwinter lingers over Mile End Rd, don’t forget that those hazy lazy crazy days of summer will soon roll round again. And when the academic year ends, most students – particularly those without vacation internships – need temporary jobs.  Believe it or not, NOW is the time to start researching and applying. So what’s out there?

The obvious answer is the Olympics and Paralympics which continue to recruit paid staff (although perhaps not for much longer).. …..

With sport still in mind, Wimbledon, Henley and other events hire seasonal staff.  So  do such varied attractions as Regents Park Open Air Theatre, BuckinghamPalace,  theScience Museum and – er – Chessington World of Adventure.

What else? Well, the knock-on effect of London 2012 means that major stores and shopping centres will be seeking additional staff more eagerly than ever.

Not staying in London?  Whether you want to be a surf instructor in Sidmouth, a gardener in Guernsey or a counsellor inConnecticut, these websites will give you the low-down:

www.anyworkanywhere.com
www.gumtree.com
www.seasonworkers.com
www.summer-jobs.co.uk

www.bunac.org and www.campamerica.co.uk arrange working holidays with accommodation and pocket money wages throughout theUSA

If you prefer a good book, “Summer Jobs Worldwide 2012” is indispensable.

Going back to your home town? Job possibilities may be more limited.  Think hard: which companies / organisations might have temporary work?  Contact them right away, as many holiday jobs are never openly marketed: they go to employees’ sons, daughters and neighbours, not to mention sisters, cousins and aunts.  Get in first! Use your own family and friends for inside information

Time is tight, so scramble through that small window of opportunity before it closes for ever.

Gill Sharp
QM Careers Consultant

Make the most of your summer

Graduate employers are advising students to use summer to gain work experience.  Summer is a time to relax after all those exams and deadlines but it is also a great chance to have more time to reflect on your career plans.

An internship is a great way to gain work experience, make links with employers and get a better idea about what you want to do.  However if you do not have an internship lined up it is not the end of the world!  Here are some summer alternatives.

Build up your industry knowledge

Keep up to date with what is going on in different industries by reading news on their websites or industry journals.  Some newspaper broadsheets feature a different industry supplement each day of the working week.  You can read these for free in the university library and local public libraries.

You can attend industry courses and events.  Keep an eye on QM Careers Events Calendar and the adverts in the above publications.

Mentioning that you put yourself out there for events and to meet people can distinguish you from other applications you make in the future and also make yourself known to potential employers.  Being aware of what is going on in the working world can provide good ideas for when you are invited to ask interviewers a question at the end of the interview.

Get an insight into careers that interest you

After reading some job descriptions you could look into getting a practical insight into the work place.  You can ‘work shadow’ an employee in a relevant organisation for a few days.  You would spend time with the person to understand the work activities and practices involved in the role.

You can approach employers using your personal contacts or networking.  Some organisations offer career insight days during the spring and summer holidays but if not use the organisation’s website to find an appropriate departmental contact or call the HR department to ask for one.  You would then write to the organisation with a CV and application letter.  Remember you can book an appointment with Careers to go through it with an adviser.

Doing this shows initiative and can improve your CV by showing familiarity with the specific work place.

Practise, practise your skills

If you cannot arrange work shadowing in your preferred career areas you can still enhance your skills.  You can identify skills favoured in your preferred industry or more general workplace like negotiating with others, project management, problem-solving.

A part-time job shows that you have a responsible attitude to work, search for vacancies on JobOnline.  Volunteering can offer you valuable and challenging projects to work on and you can have a lot of fun whilst doing it, get some ideas from PROVIDE.  Entering competitions allows you to work on tasks set by employers, put together a proposal and make a tangible achievement.  Even if you don’t win you are showing a proactive and genuine interest.

It is a good idea to try to set and achieve a career-related goal during each of your summer breaks whilst at university.  So which ever year you are in, yes finalists too, visit Careers (WG3, Queens’ Building) to get started.

New campus jobs for QM students and graduates

JobOnline is advertising three new jobs for students and graduates on Mile End campus.

1. Customer Service Assistant
Are you available from June to September 2011?
Have you got previous experience in the service or hospitality industry and dealing with customer complaints?
If you answered yes to all the above apply now.

2. Residential Assistants
Are you a full-time QM student?
Would you like to live in halls from September 2011?
If it’s three nods, don’t delay, apply now.

3. Residential Support Advisors
Are you a recent graduate?
Are you willing to live in student residences and work some out of work hours?
This may be the job for you, apply now.

If the above are not quite what you are looking for, have another look at JobOnline,  as new and diverse vacancies are posted each day.

Remember QM Careers (WG3, Queens’ Building) is here to help all QM current students or GradClub members with job applications and anything else to support your career.

Jobs on campus – latest update!

 

 

Residential Services and Support will shortly be recruiting for the following positions:

Residential Support Advisors  (Full time positions)

Targeting customer focused individuals who will live in student residences and work with us to develop a high level of customer services at Residences Reception. Posts will be advertised externally and we welcome applications from those graduating from Queen Mary in 2011

Customer Service Assistants (Summer)

Formerly Conference Assistants, these roles, which are available from June 2011- September 2012, are residential positions open to QM students. The roles have changed from previous years to become more operational and will predominantly involve manual tasks such as cleaning, portering duties etc

Residential Assistants (term time only)

Formerly Residential Stewards, these roles offer opportunities for full time registered students at Queen Mary to assist us in supporting residents. These are paid positions which require the post holders to live in student residences

If you would like to receive details about any of the above positions as soon as they are advertised then please send your details by e mail to:

residential-support@qmul.ac.uk

 

Working, gap years and Summer jobs in the USA

Before you start making applications, it is important to find out about your visa status. You can ring The US Embassy helpline or visit their website: http://london.usembassy.gov/cons_new/visa/index.html

According to the US Embassy to get ahead in the USA job application process you need to get rid of ‘British modesty’  and be happy to explain your achievements and to get to the point! They expect that by 2018 there will be 34% more jobs for software engineers, 23.9% for management analysts and 10.3% for accountants / book keepers.

For advice and information about job opportunities abroad, including the USA, look at the jobs section on the new International Futures website.

Some short term and work placement schemes are listed below:

• BUNAC – offers a range of working holidays including a summer camp counselling programme, flexible work and travel programmes and volunteering/teaching placements.
• Camp America – arranges nine-week placements working at US summer (mainly countryside based) camps.
• Camp Counselors (CC USA) – arranges summer camp jobs, work and travel experiences, and volunteer opportunities.
• Cool Works – jobs in the USA, specialising in resorts, parks and camps. Includes internships and voluntary work (visas not provided).

• AgriVenture – places you with a host family for paid work on a farm or horticultural enterprise.
• American Work Experience – offers people aged 18 to 28 a variety of options to work and travel in the US for a four-month period during their summer holiday.
• Au Pair in America – matches au pairs with US host families.
• IST Plus – offers a variety of programmes in the USA, including Internship USA, Graduate Internship USA, Professional Career Training USA, Summer Work & Travel USA and Summer Camp USA.
• Mountbatten Internship Programme – offers 12 month internships and training programmes in New York.
• Student Conservation Association – the largest provider of conservation opportunities for young people in the USA.

America’s Career InfoNet provides occupation and industry information, salary data, education resources, self-assessment tools, and career guidance.