Enterprise: Who we are

Are you interested in starting your own business, developing an existing idea or networking with other aspiring and established entrepreneurs?

Do you want to develop your employability skills?

The Enterprise team can help you achieve these goals whether you want to start a business or learn more about the process itself. If you have a creative idea or an existing business that you want to expand, we can provide you with the funding, mentoring and skills that you need to succeed.

We provide seed funding, an incubator programme, mentoring, enterprise boot camps, specialist workshops, free stalls at markets both on and off campus, pitching events and talks from local entrepreneurs. To sign up to any of our events visit https://careersandenterpriseevents.wordpress.com/

InQUBEate is Queen Mary’s 8 week start-up incubator programme, which has places for students to join in Semesters 1 and 2.  During the programme you will have weekly meetings with mentors from a range of industries, receive training on a range of topics including marketing and legal issues, meet like-minded students to share your ideas with, and pitch for funding to a panel of judges.

QProjects: Meaningful work experience in the charity sector

The great American writer and philosopher Elbert Hubbard once said, ‘the best preparation for good work tomorrow is to do good work today’.

In this day and age it seems his statement remains just as apt; the headlines and the employers continually stress upon us the importance of being as ‘job ready’ and ‘employable’ as possible upon graduation. And they tell us a crucial part of this lies in getting some work experience under our belts before our University days are out.

Sensible, indeed, but perhaps easier said than done. It’s not like we’re short of things to fill our days; lectures, reading, societies, essays, sports, more reading, socialising. Possibly also a few shifts at the local Sainsbury’s to keep us out of the red.

But how the heck does one manage to undertake work experience on top of all of this?

Introducing QProjects; challenging, meaningful and time-efficient work experience placements in local and national charities.

At 8 hours per week over 3 months, QProjects are designed to fit snugly around your studies. You’ll bag yourself an impressive piece of professional experience to boast about on your CV and get that all important ‘employability’ factor, without having to sacrifice your grades or your social life.

Moreover, it’s the chance to break out of the QMUL bubble for a few hours a week and put your highly valuable skills and expertise into practice to help the local community. Now, future employers will be impressed by that, surely.

In the last academic year, we placed 51 students into 30 different charities (mostly in East London), including MIND, Cystic Fibrosis Trust and NSPCC. Past QProject leaders have led marketing campaigns for museums, run focus groups with NHS patients, secured thousands of pounds of funding for small charities through writing bids and planned and delivered arts festivals. And many more.

How to succeed finding part-time work with QTemps

What is QTemps? QTemps is our on-campus recruitment service specifically for QMUL students and graduates, and is a great way of earning money whilst gaining meaningful work experience. Our part-time and one off jobs are mainly for students. As Queen Mary University is a London living wage employer we don’t work on any jobs that pay less than £9.40 per hour.

Where are the jobs located? Most of our roles are internal, working with different academic schools and departments, whilst others are in and around East London. Recently we’ve had a lot of tutoring roles with local schools, which pay around £14.00 per hour.

How many hours a week will I work? We get jobs that are anything from just 1 hour only to other roles that started in 2012 and are still going!

Sounds great, what’s the catch? The only thing to bear in mind is that we get a lot of applicants for our roles (sometimes over 200!), so it’s important to make sure your CV is up to date. To increase your chances of being successful, make sure the education section is updated to say you are studying at QMUL, as the service is specifically for students and graduates at QMUL!

Any other advice? READ THE ADVERT! If the advert says you have to be available every Wednesday, for example, please only apply if you are available, as you will not be successful otherwise.

What have other students said?

”I have gained huge amounts from my placements. It allowed me to build up workplace skills and knowledge while studying.” Christina Govier, BA Politics Student.

”QTemps makes it much easier to get in contact with companies and the recruitment process is very simple. It provides a great opportunity to gain valuable skills and improve your CV for future jobs.“ Rafael Alves Sa, MSc Software Engineering Student.

How do I apply? Start by updating your CV*, then upload it and register on our website: http://tempjobs.london.ac.uk/QueenMary/Login.asp

*Not written a CV before or struggling to update it? Book an appointment with one of our Careers Consultants by calling 020 7882 8533 and see our online resources for further information.

If I’m stuck who do I contact?

Contact Rachael Blundell, QTemps Recruitment Manager: qtemps@qmul.ac.uk

How and why to get work experience

So why is work experience so important?

• It means you can earn money during your studies
• You’ll gain skills valued by future employers (e.g. commercial awareness, initiative, team work)
• You can build relevant experience for your future career
• You’ll find out what an industry / job role is like in reality
• It helps to build your network / contacts

What can I do?

It can be challenging to find part-time work that is linked to your degree or the sector you would like to work in after graduation. Many students combine their part time job with some volunteering and work experience (e.g. internships and work shadowing) to earn money as well as gain valuable relevant work experience.

For a wide range of part-time, internship and work experience vacancies visit the Careers & Enterprise Centre’s job board: QM Job Online.

Roles on campus and in the local area

There are many part-time opportunities on campus, from Student Ambassadors and Library Shelvers, to residential, café, and bar staff. See the work experience hub to explore the variety of ways (paid and voluntary) you can develop your experience on campus. For jobs within the Student’s Union see: www.qmsu.org/jobs/

Events, events & more events!

Once again, we have a busy programme of events this autumn term! Events are free to attend for QMUL students and are the perfect opportunity for you to meet with employers who are looking to recruit students just like you. We’ve got a range of careers information fairs, employer presentations, skills sessions, workshops and much more to look forward to.
Last year, over 2000 students attended more than 270 events on campus. We worked with a huge range of employers including: Teach First, Bloomberg, Civil Service, Morgan Stanley, Santander, Citi, Deloitte, EDF, HM Treasury, PwC, J.P Morgan, IBM and many more!

Read more about last year’s highlights here.

What’s coming up?

See our website for all our upcoming events – updated regularly!
www.careers.qmul.ac.uk/events

* Save the date!* Coming up soon, we have our Focus on Finance (3rd-14th Oct) and Focus on Technology (17th-21st Oct) events:

Focus on Finance is our programme of events designed to showcase the range of areas in the finance sector you can work in. Over 40 employers will be visiting the campus to
showcase their opportunities to QMUL students and give you a unique insight into their work. From Accounting to Investment Banking and beyond this is your opportunity to find out more about the sector, and network with your potential future employer. Look out for the Business & Finance Fair on 11th October, as well as workshops and presentations from Barclays and PwC amongst others.

Focus on Technology is our programme of events which explore the range of areas you can pursue in the technology sector. Events include an applications masterclass from IBM, and a ‘what employers want’ workshop delivered by Accenture. The Technology Fair on 20th October is designed to demonstrate the range of opportunities available in this growing sector, from placements and internships to graduate roles. We’ll be welcoming top employers to campus, including Amazon, Bloomberg and Deloitte amongst others.

* Keep an eye on the Events page for registration details, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates on these events *

Why get involved?

• Demonstrating on your CV/application or interview that you regularly attend relevant events is a great way to make you stand out. It shows enthusiasm and drive, and that you have researched your career ideas.
• You can discover the realities of working in a particular role, organisation or industry.
• Enhance your commercial awareness by getting the latest information about what’s happening in the company and industry.
• Networking opportunities! Making contacts is a useful way of getting information and asking questions – not just from the speakers, but also other participants. They may be able to help you with information, advice or even work experience opportunities in the future.

Careers & Enterprise: Who we are

It’s the start of a new term – welcome back to all our returning students, and a big welcome to everyone who’s just joined QMUL! We hope you’re settling in well. You might have already got your student ID card, enrolled in all your classes, been to fresher’s fair (hope you got lots of good freebies!) … and you’ve now found your way to Careers & Enterprise. So we thought we’d tell you a little bit about what we do and how we can help you during your time here.

Whether you need help finding a part-time job, writing a CV or cover letter, or preparing for a graduate scheme, we can help.

Where are we?

The Careers & Enterprise Centre is based in the Queens’ building (pic on left) on the Mile End campus, which is number 19 on this campus map.

We’re in room WG3, on the ground floor, near the Octagon and the Student Enquiry Office (where you’ve probably been already to pick up your ID!). Head to the corridor on the left-hand side and follow the signs.

What can we do for you?

We help QMUL students and recent graduates (up to 2 years after you graduate) in practically everything to do with their careers, from writing a CV to exploring your options after graduation. A career might seem a long way off if you’ve just joined us, but whatever stage you’re at on your QMUL journey, come and see us! Even if you’ve never even thought about life after university, we’re here to help you …

 

Appointments with Careers Consultants

We offer 20 minute 1-2-1 appointments with a Careers Consultant, either in the Careers & Enterprise Centre or your department. Appointments can cover any careers query, including: CV & application feedback, finding and applying for jobs, or deciding what to do after graduation.

Job hunting

Whether you’re looking for part-time work or a full-time role after graduation, take a look at our jobs board, Job Online: www.careers.qmul.ac.uk/jobs. This is updated regularly and

Ultimate Careers Guide 2017

Whether you’re looking to boost your CV with an internship, find a part-time job during your studies, develop work-related skills or identify your dream career, The Ultimate Careers Guide is here to help. 

Written by the staff at Careers departments across the University of London, the guide is piled high with tips and advice, including: 

• Career terms explained
  
• 10 ways to get experience – and get noticed
• Advice for international students
• Is further study right for you?
• Job-hunting tactics
• Developing commercial awareness
• Effective networking
• Creating the ideal CV
• Starting your business

And much more!

Copies are available in the Careers & Enterprise Centre, so come and pick up yours today!