Christina Keiller is the Business School's Careers Counsellor. Students can speak confidentially with Christina to discuss their plans, come up with ideas, have their CV reviewed and prepare for interviews. Careers advice and information can also be found on the careers website.
Christina works closely with course tutors to ensure that employability is included within academic study.
We asked Christina to share her tips for career success.
Many students aren't sure what they want to do after university. How can they prepare for the job market?
The best thing to do is start thinking about it from the outset. You can start with self assessment - considering who you are, what you enjoy and what you might want from a career. Then it can be a good idea to research career options, for example by using the prospects website, attend fairs, conferences and forums.
We have the Finance and Accountancy Careers Forum on 19 February 2013 and this is an ideal opportunity to find out more about careers in these sectors. There is also the Careers Fair on November 7 2013 where there will be a huge number of employers to network with.
Work experience, work shadowing and volunteering are all excellent ways of researching and finding out more about careers.
It can be a good idea to make a visit to the work placements office, contact alumni to see if they might have someone on their database you can work shadow, or you can contact Active Student, who offers volunteering opportunities, including some related to business.
Once you have more information about your career options and an idea about what is important to you, you might find that you are in a position to make a decision about your next steps, though sometimes it is helpful to talk it though with a careers counsellor who is completely impartial. It can be a good idea to make a short and long term action plan to keep you focused. I am here to assist at any point if you need it, though you might also find the career planning tools on the careers website useful.
What are your tips for writing a winning CV and covering letter?
What many students and graduates forget is that both your CV and covering letter are marketing material to an employer. It is not your life story or just a list of what you have been up to until now.
In the covering letter you need to demonstrate to the employer that you are a serious candidate, that you are committed to the organisation and you do this best by showing the employer that you have researched what they do - and not just telling the employer what it says on their website!
Your covering letter is also your opportunity to tell the employer how you can add value to their organisation - and why they should look at your CV. When writing your CV, I find it helpful to put myself in the employer's shoes: What would they like to know? What is important to them? What might make them interested in me? It is fair to say that a well laid out CV with a professional finish which clearly demonstrates skills and abilities relevant to the employer's sector stands a good chance of being of interest.
How can I identify which skills I need to develop?
Some skills are specific to your sector and perhaps technical, and here it is worth using your course content, sector information and lecturers as a guide. Other skills employers want are what we call 'employability skills' such as self assessment, communication skills, research and enterprise skills. You can use your professional network to guide you and you are welcome to discuss your skills development with me. The careers service also runs a complete employability skills programme to help you develop these skills - I find that many students gain much confidence from taking part.
How can you prepare for career success while studying at university?
These days a degree is not enough - not even a good one! You need to supplement your degree developing your employability skills through networking, work shadowing, volunteering, part-time work or other activities which will strengthen your chances of success on the job market.
You can make a one-to-one appointment with a Christina Keiller to confidentially discuss anything relating to your career plans.
Email: careers@brighton.ac.uk
