Looking for work experience this summer?

Exams have finally finished! After the sighs of relief and celebrations, the big question remains: what to do with all that free time between now and September? QM Projects may just have an answer for you.

QM Projects is a work experience scheme that places students into interesting projects within local charities. The goal is to offer you an opportunity to build your CV all the while helping out a charity in need of your skills. Projects last 3 months and although unpaid, are generally 1 day a week and flexible around your schedule (meaning you can fit that part-time job or free time in as well!). Travel expenses are covered too.

What’s on offer this summer?
Have a look at all of our current projects below. For full details about the project and how to apply, please click on the project title.

1. Communications Project Leader, StudentVoice: Assisting with the development and maintenance of the charity’s social networking and communications strategies.
2. Goverance Project Leader, Cardboard Citizens: Assisting with the review and upscale of the Cardboard Citizens’ current governance structure.
3. Gallery Assistant Project Leader, Bow Arts: Taking on a vareity tasks to support a new programme of summer art exhibitions, including answering the visitor questions and researching funding sources and future exhibitions.
4. Marketing & Events Project Leader, Benjamin Franklin House: Helping to plan and promote the annual Benjamin Franklin House Symposium put on in partnership with the British Library.
5. Website development Project Leader, St. Paul’s Way Medical Centre: Helping to manage the redevelopment, design and build of their website.
6. Health Advocacy Project Leader, St. Paul’s Way Medical Centre: Working with the current advocacy service at the practice to improve the understanding of patient needs. This includes helping patients communicate during consultations.
7. Cancer Screening Project Leader, St. Paul’s Way Medical Centre: Developing and implementing strategies to improve the practice’s uptake of cancer screenings (bowel, breast and cervical)
8. Sexual Health Screening Project Leader, St. Paul’s Way Medical Centre: Developing and implementing strategies to improve the uptake of sexual health screenings of the practice’s patients under age 25.
9. Community Health Project Leader, St. Paul’s Way Medical Centre: Helping to improve communications with the community regarding healthy lifestyle initiatives and collect relevant patient data around lifestyle.
10. Marketing Project Leader, Hackney Shares: Helping to create and implement a grass-roots marketing strategy targeting both businesses and residents in the local community.

Stay in the Loop!
Want to receive updates whenever a new QM Project comes available? Email your name, graduation year and email address to Lindsey at l.shirah@qmul.ac.uk.

How Social Media can help you get that job!

(Content taken from SOAS Careers Service)

Are you getting the most out of social media when it comes to looking for jobs? Whether you want to find out about new companies, explore different job roles, or market yourself to future employers, see our overview of how to make the most of the following online tools:

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a professional networking site, with over 100 million users. It is free to join and relatively easy to set up a profile. Unlike Facebook, it is a business orientated site, where companies and individuals build connections and network.  You do not have to already be in employment to join LinkedIn, in fact, there is a dedicated area relating to students.

You can use LinkedIn to:

• Market yourself. Put together a professional online ‘CV’ that demonstrates your skills and motivations. Ask past employers or tutors to endorse your work through recommendations. Employers look for potential candidates on LinkedIn and some recruiters search out candidates on the site so it is a good way of marketing your skills and experience.
• Find vacancies and get recruited. Employers are increasingly advertising jobs on LinkedIn so use it to find vacancies. There is an easy to use job search tool whereby you can get job alerts sent to you. Add as many of your skills as possible to your profile to ensure that you come up when recruiters search for candidates.
• Build up your network. Start by connecting with friends, family, other students on your course and people you have worked with or interned with in the past. Join your school and university alumni groups as this will contact you to hundreds more people. You can also invite people to join LinkedIn and connect with them.
• Use your network. Find out information about jobs, sectors and organisations by asking relevant people in your network. Use the connections you have to open up new connections, which may in turn lead to opportunities. Use LinkedIn networks to information interview, pose questions on group discussion pages and look at other people’s profiles to get a sense of how their careers have developed in particular industries.
• Engage with companies. Find organisations you are interested in and follow them, thereby getting up to date information on what the organisation is doing, its profile and whether it is hiring at the moment. Ask organisation contacts about culture of the organisation, what it’s like to work there and how they got their job.
• Join groups that are in the field you are interested in and link up to like-minded people, post questions and demonstrate to employers that you have an active interest in the field.

Twitter

Companies and organisations use Twitter to provide information about what they are doing as well as posting job vacancies. You don’t have to tweet yourself but doing so can demonstrate to employers that you are engaged and interested in the industry.

You can use Twitter to:

• Follow companies, people, organisations of interest and brands to get industry insight and keep up to date. Tweet questions and ask for information or advice, which can contribute to your online networking activities.
• Use # (hashtags) for a quick way of searching for particular roles. For example, search for #internship to bring up each tweet that has been tagged with that term. Ensure that your tweets are positive and informed so as to give potential employers a good impression.
• Follow jobsites to get the latest vacancies and follow QM Careers to keep up to date with career events and news.

Facebook

Whilst Facebook is not a business website, you may wish to use it for the following:

• Follow organisations that use Facebook for marketing, recruitment and updating information on their activities.
• There may be people in your Facebook network that work for organisations that you are interested in.  You could send them an email through Facebook asking them quick, informal questions to get a bit more information.
• QM Careers has a facebook page where we will post information on current jobs, information on careers events and careers related articles and links.

Blogs

Large organisations often have blogs written by their graduate trainees or interns which give insight into the company. Be aware that these are likely to have been vetted by the company themselves so may not present the most balanced information. Unofficial blogs can give more insight but keep an open mind when reading them.

You may wish to show future employers your writing skills, your interest in a subject area and your engagement with an industry through writing your own blog. This is especially useful for careers which require you to demonstrate strong writing skills e.g. journalism.

YouTube

YouTube is the second largest search engine and as such, is a good way to find out more information about companies and what it is like to work for them.  Larger companies often post information and advice on interviewing and assessment centres.  You can also use YouTube to get information from careers professionals on different aspects of job hunting and find ‘how to’ videos on setting up profiles, writing CV’s etc.  We have produced some short videos interviews of QM Graduates talking about their jobs., which are posted on our YouTube channel.

Thinking of taking a gap year after graduating?

Taking a “gap year” either for self-fulfilment or career development can reap rewards.  To make the most of it, make your time out count:

Why take a year out?
Going abroad provides a chance to broaden your horizons, discover new cultures, and is a great way to network and make new friends. Picking up a language and teaching English are also motivators for some. Remember taking a year out, is not just about travelling – you may want to stay in the UK to pursue your passion for music for example, or volunteer for a while.

What about my career?
Activities undertaken on a year out can boost skills sought by employers, and can give you space to work out what you would like to do in the longer term.

If you are undecided on what you want to do next, make sure you do some thinking before you go (or come and speak to one of QM’s Careers Consultants!). A gap year is a great opportunity to pick up some work experience in an area that interests you.  You’ll find it beneficial in the long run if you make a good plan for what you want to achieve in your year out  – from writing a blog to becoming a yoga instructor – doing something productive on your year out is likely to be more impressive to a future employer than simply travelling from A to B and absorbing the experience.  Finally, be conscious of application deadlines and interview periods – and arrange your year out around this.

For further information on taking a year out – including gap year opportunities, taking a gap year abroad, having a gap year in the UK,  funding advice and more, see the excellent Prospects gap year webpages.

Vicki Tipton
Careers Consultant QM Careers

Write the world – international development and journalism

Do you aspire to be a published journalist?
Are you interested in issues facing the developing world?
Do you want to write about such issues that are often neglected in the media?
Then enter the Guardian International Development Journalism Competition 2012.

How to enter
The competition has two strands.  One is for professional journalists and the other for amateurs including students.  The competition asks you to write a 650-1000 word article about any aspect of global poverty that you think needs more media attention.  Write your article and submit it by Thursday 3 May 2012.  For more information please see the competition website, Twitter and Facebook pages.

What you can win
At first, entries will be shortlisted to 40 and then the 16 best entries (eight amateur and eight professional) will be published online on the Guardian website.  Later the 16 finalists will be flown to Africa orAsia to research a new project.  This research will be published in two special Guardian newspaper supplements after the two winners are announced at a special award ceremony.

How this can help your career
A good record of relevant work experience is essential to getting a career in both journalism and international development.  As a writer, you will need to provide a portfolio of your written work and a portfolio which includes published work will be very highly regarded.  As a development worker, you will need to show your enthusiasm and knowledge of how the sector works and often this involves partnerships with bodies like the media.

Being a part of the research team in a new setting would allow you to enhance  useful skills for the workplace like communication, organisation and flexibility to name a few.

Even if you miss out on the final 16 it is a great way to practise your writing skills for either industry or making an entry shows a keen interest in news and current affairs.  Plus there are also media opportunities on campus you can get involved in.

Find out more about careers as a Newspaper journalist or International development worker and visit Careers in WG3 (Queens’ Building) for more advice.

Looking for Work This Summer?

If so, know that there is a wide range of opportunities available to help you gain new skills, as well as valuable work experience to make your CV shine. Whether it’s an internship or a volunteering position, summer or vacation work can play an important role in your career in a number of ways. Here’s how:

Why Do It?

• To gain work experience and improve your CV: many students have more free time during the summer, so vacation work is a great opportunity to fill in any gaps in your CV.
• To develop transferable skills: employers are looking for such skills as adaptability, teamwork and problem-solving, which you can gain by working in a shop or volunteering with a charity, for instance.
• To make informed career choices: by sampling a particular job or industry, you can find out what skills you have or what activities you enjoy, which can help you choose a career path tailored to your needs.
• To get an entry into certain sectors: for example, recruiters in the media or banking sector are typically looking for candidates with relevant work experience, while many graduate employers tend to recruit from their own intern pool. Alternatively, you can use your work experience to network and make contacts for later opportunities.

What’s Available

• Internships – work placements offered by companies often seeking to hire employees for permanent positions. They provide an insight into diverse industries and allow you to get firsthand experience of particular roles.
• Work Shadowing – observing the work and role of certain professionals to better understand the field. Work shadowing can land you a job offer if the employer is impressed with your performance and initiative.
• Temping – temporary placements are a great way to earn some extra cash or network with people from different fields. See The University of London Temp Agency website for more information.
• Working Abroad ­– not only can you get work experience, but you can also discover new cultures and even learn a new language to really stand out from the crowd. There are various career options abroad, one of the most popular being teaching English as a foreign language.
• Volunteering ­– tasks can be more diverse and less structured than with an internship, and they generally involve a greater degree of responsibility. Volunteering demonstrates commitment, initiative and social engagement – essential skills sought after by any employer!

These are just a few of the opportunities out there, so it’s worth doing some research to see what work experience schemes are available in your area of interest.

Where to Look

To find summer or vacation work placements, visit the websites of the organizations you’re interested in or contact them directly asking for information. The Prospects website is an excellent source of industry information, as well as vacancy listings.

JobOnline, our very own vacancy database, is an extremely useful tool for finding work experience. The current online vacancies run the gamut from summer placements with insurance companies, to technical internships within media corporations or temporary clerical and office-based positions with various institutions and firms. To apply for these and to access other work placements, visit JobOnline.

Raluca – Maria Chereji
2^nd Year French and Politics Student

Work or study in Europe

Eurograduate have launched the digital issue of Eurograduate 2012.

Eurograduate focuses on graduate recruitment and further study opportunities in Europe. This issue includes:

Working abroad

Women in the workplace

Industry information from Tourism to Automotive

Postgraduate courses

University profiles.

You can view the magazine online and save a copy.  For more information about working or studying abroad please see Prospects and visit Careers in WG3 in the Queens’ Building.

Teaching English as a foreign language – find out more…

Whether you have a passion for teaching or want to travel abroad to discover new cultures, teaching English as a foreign language might be the perfect career choice for you. Since fluency in English is the main essential requirement for the job, why not think about kick-starting your career in an original way to really stand out from the crowd?

What Is It?
Teaching English means a bit more than just classroom experience. It involves a particular methodology designed for and targeted at a specific audience. If the plethora of acronyms in teaching confuses you, here’s a helpful guide:

• ELT – English Language Teaching; a widely-used teacher-centred term describing the overall teaching practice and methodology
• TEFL – Teaching English as a Foreign Language; refers to teaching adults or children whose first language is not English but who choose to learn it for various purposes
• TESOL – Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages; often involves the same thing as TEFL but also describes teaching English to non-English speakers living in an English-speaking country
• TESL – Teaching English as a Second Language; teaching in countries where English has the official status of a second language. The term TEAL (Teaching English as an Additional Language) can also be used in this context.
• ESP – English for Specific Purposes, such as for business, tourism, the banking sector etc.
• EAP – English for Academic Purposes; refers to academic teaching for university study. Many such courses are run by the British Council.

Why Do It?
Teaching English abroad is a fantastic way to get the firsthand teaching experience necessary for a career in education, while the accreditations you will obtain can add to your CV and maximize your chances of getting a job.

Even if you don’t want to become a teacher, teaching English abroad can be extremely useful regardless of your career plans. You can gain valuable transferable skills such as project management or learning a new language, as well as work experience to get your foot in the door of the tough job market.

Before You Start
While the main requirement is proficiency in both written and spoken English, you might need to have additional qualifications depending on what you’re interested in. Think about who and where you would like to teach, whether you want a long-term engagement or just a summer placement, and what sort of skills you would like to develop. Also consider the financial aspects, e.g. paid work or volunteering, or the living costs and employment legislation of you chosen country.

Training
Once you’ve decided what you want to do, start looking at the relevant requirements and courses available for teaching English abroad. Here are some options:

• TEFL courses – offered by TEFL England, these courses vary from a basic 20-hour initial introduction to a complex 130-hour course preparing you for all aspects of teaching.
• CELT – Certificate in English Language Teaching, a 120-130 hour course validated by either University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations or Trinity College London. It is one of the most popular options for teaching English abroad.
• CELTA – Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults offered by University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations at more than 280 centres worldwide. Very useful for teaching English overseas.
• certTESOL – Certificate for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages provided by Trinity College London, another principal training course of a minimum 130 hours on a weekly basis.
• TKT – Teaching Knowledge Test by the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations. Refers to teaching English to speakers of other languages and it is generally more accessible than CELTA.
• certTEFL – Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language, aimed mainly at teachers whose first language is not English. This course is offered by International House.
• DELTA – The Cambridge Diploma in English Language Teaching to Adults aimed at experienced English language teachers.
• DipTESOL – The Trinity College London equivalent for the experienced English teachers diploma.

Although different companies expect different qualifications, most employers tend to favour courses of a minimum 100 hours ELT/TESOL input, especially for people looking for long-term commitments.

If you’re interested in short-term work or want less intensive training, look into distance learning, an option offered by some TESOL/TEFL centres. Though such courses are generally shorter and cheaper than others, they are not as widely recognized as longer courses. For more information about the types of courses available, see i-to-i TEFL Courses or English Language Centre (CIC).

What Next?
After completing a training course, you can start looking for jobs and work on your application. TEFL England provides a free job placement scheme for people enrolled on TEFL courses for vacancies across the globe, which is useful for finding both long-term and short-term opportunities. The British Council is also running its own recruitment scheme for TEFL teachers. Visit their website for more details on the programme, and on TEFL in general.

You can also have a look at the Prospects website for more information about the teaching industry, as well as for a list of vacancy sources.

We Can Help!
Whether you’re confused about choosing the right course or need help with your application, our team of career consultants can offer you guidance and support with your career. Just give us a call on 020 7882 8533 or drop by our office in room WG3 in the Queen’s Building to book an appointment or look through the resources in our Information library.

Raluca – Maria Chereji
2^nd Year French and Politics student

Do you want to work in the media: journalism, TV or radio?

If that is your career ambition then you will be expected to have a good amount of work experience whilst you are still a student.  The great news is that QM offers you loads of ways to get involved. Here are a range of opportunities:

Journalism

• QMessenger, the newspaper (current editor: Caz Parra and next year’s editor: Sean Richardson, people should email editor@qmessenger.co.uk)
• CUB, the magazine (current editor: Tom Stevenson and next year’s editor: Anna Matheson, people should email editor@cubmagazine.co.uk)
• London Student – email editor@london-student.net
• The Angle – email babs.williams@newturn.org.uk
• Elephant – email matthew@teekay.me
• Zine Mary – the guy who does this is called Robert Pritchard but I don’t have an email for him
• QMSci – email editor@qmsci.com
• QMessenger.co.uk, website (current editor: Alex Penn and next year’s editor: not yet decided, people should email editor@qmediaonline.co.uk).

TV/Radio

• Quest, the radio station (current station manager: Maria Sowter and next year’s station manager: Chris Smith, people should email maria@questradio.co.uk)
• QMTV, television station (current station manager: N/A and next year’s station manager: Ozzy Amir, people should email drama@qm-tv.co.uk).

And if nothing here floats your boat then why not set something up! Schools often have retention funds that don’t get spent, there are theWestfieldand Prospect funds as well as other sources of external funding.

Abi Sharma

Going digital – The future of working in marketing…

Are you interested in working in marketing? Marketing has moved far beyond billboards, magazine ads and radio and television commercials. Like everything else the marketing industry is getting increasingly digital and data-driven.  Marketing is all about finding the target audience and increasingly, like you reading this now,  marketing has moved online. Advertisements can be found cleverly woven into blogs, social media sites, emails and text messages.

What does this mean for your future jobs?
As marketing becomes more and more focused on digital content, the marketing industry is looking to recruit people who have experience and a clear understanding of the potential of digital marketing. Being able to understand and target your particular demographic via Facebook, blogs, and Google searches is now a crucial skill for many marketing roles. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is a fancy name for where your website ranks in Google searches. Companies of all sizes are spending a lot of money to ensure their website ranks high and grabs visitors.

Digital marketing also gives marketers endless data to analyse and use in order to target their key audiences. Google Analytics for example,  can tell a business who looks at their website, what they looked at, for how long and when (among many other details). Marketers use these details to target their campaigns like never before.

How do I get digital marketing experience?
The plus side of digital marketing is it’s not just for the big brand names. Companies of all sizes are using Google Adwords or Facebook ad campaigns to get their businesses recognised. Google Analytics is free for any website. Any organisation or person can create a Facebook, Twitter or blog. Employers will be impressed if you’ve done any online marketing for clubs, societies or events. If you are working part-time at a shop or restaurant you can always ask them if you can help with their social media or website.

QM Projects is a new scheme that sources work experience at local charities. They are currently recruiting for a Project Leader to help a charity with their online marketing for a few hours a week for the next few months. If you are interested in this opportunities or other marketing work experience, email your CV to l.shirah@qmul.ac.uk.

Looking for some work experience – create your own opportunities

Creating initiatives yourself that build on your talents and interests is a great alternative to spending hours trying to get ‘formal’ work experience. By doing your own thing, you’ll get valuable experience, have fun as you do it and may get away without having to compose a CV or application form!

Tempted to blog, start an e-business or create a new initiative on campus? Go for it.

Employers from all sectors look for confidence, initiative, fresh-ideas and motivation in the graduates they recruit, so setting up something now could well lead to a much sought after place on a graduate scheme with a major company. That’s unless the benefits of being your own boss become too good to leave behind…

Take a look at the article Create your own opportunities from The Careers Service Guide London 2012.