Five things to do before The Guardian London Graduate Fair June 10, 2009
Posted by helencurry in careers fairs.Tags: careers, careers fair, careers fairs, fair, graduate recruitment, graduates, London, recruitment, The Guardian London Graduate Fair, tips
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- Check out what is going on. The fair runs over two days, 16th-17th June, and there’s more than just employer stands. There are talks from our careers advisers on the job market in various sectors (very useful at the moment), plenty of exhibitor presentations, as well as careers workshops. Check out the presentations programme so you can plan your visit to fit.
- Prepare yourself for some networking. Many people find networking intimidating, but the fair is all about making a connection with an employer and finding out more. Here are some examples of questions to ask well as links to further resources.
- Get your CV checked at your university careers service in advance of the fair. It is worth bringing a number of copies of your CV for employers who ask for them. These CVs should be the real deal – spell-checked, polished, and printed on good quality paper. You can get a CV check at the fair, but the queue does get very long (over 30 mins) and you don’t want to waste time standing around. It’s much easier to get it done beforehand!
- Research. You can see who is exhibiting at the fair here and who they are looking for. Do some research on the companies you are interested in beforehand so you can impress the employers with informed questions.
- Plan to get there early and get to the front of the queue so you can get the attention of employers first. It is easier to make an impression at the beginning, and the employers will still be ‘fresh’ – by the end of the day everyone gets tired from talking to so many people in a busy environment. Pre-register and you can get in an hour before everyone else.
There are many more tips in the recruitment fairs podcast from The Guardian.
Interview questions: real-life examples February 26, 2009
Posted by tcginfo in interviews.Tags: graduate, graduate recruitment, interview, Interviews, job interviews, questions
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As my previous posts on interview questions have proved very popular, I thought I’d just put up a short list of some websites where you can find real-life interview questions that candidates have reported being asked.
- eFinancialCareers.co.uk – interview questions for graduate programmes and internships in financial institutions
- WikiJob – covers major employers in a range of sectors. Check out both the employer pages and the forums where students report their experiences.
- Whatwilltheyask.co.uk – covers a range of sectors, with personal reports on specific jobs. There aren’t as many on here, but it is still useful if you can find just what you want.
- Prospects – the student forums are quite active, so it might be worth posting details of the interview you have coming up in the Applications and Interviews forum, and seeing what information or support people can offer.
All these sites are dependent on students sharing their experiences every year, so if you use them do submit your experiences to them afterwards. eFinancialCareers are even offering a draw for an iPod nano as an incentive
And just a word of caution, recruiters can change questions and indeed whole recruitment strategies without warning, so check the dates of these student reports, and use these as guidance rather than a definitive programme.
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Practice graduate recruitment selection tests February 24, 2009
Posted by helencurry in selection tests.Tags: ability, aptitude, aptitude tests, graduate, graduate recruitment, numeracy, personality test, Personality Testing, psychometric tests, selection, selection tests, tests
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To start with, I have to mention our excellent information sheet on psychometric tests available here. Prepared by a group of careers advisers, this leaflet provides the best introduction to different types of selection tests: aptitude, numeracy, verbal and personality tests. At the end of the sheet there is also a list of books to help you prepare and a few websites, so I definitely recommend you take a look at that first. This Prospects page also provides a good overview of the tests with examples.
In this post I just wanted to list a few more online practice tests and websites, to highlight the fact that there are plenty of opportunities for free practice.
The tests can be fun to do (well maybe the personality ones more than the rest…) and quite revealing, so even if you haven’t got any assessment centres lined up, they may help you with your career choices.
Multiple tests available
- SHL – practice numerical, verbal, personality, motivation and inductive reasoning tests, and online interviews. SHL are a major supplier of aptitude tests, so these ones are particularly good to practice. Complete a practice ability test by the 31st March 09 and as well as getting free feedback, you will be entered into a draw for a 120GB iPod!
- ASE – practice numerical, verbal, non-verbal, abstract, spatial and mechanical reasoning tests. Practice test no longer available – 18/05/09
- Kenexa – practice numerical, verbal and logical reasoning tests.
- Psychometric Success - practice numerical, verbal and abstract reasoning, spatial, technical and clerical aptitude tests. More information on different types of test is available on their website.
- TimesOnline - practice personality, verbal and numerical tests.
Numeracy
- Top Employers - Graduate Jobs Numeracy Game. Written by investment bankers, this test includes graphs, charts and data interpretation questions based on a pool of 200 questions.
- eFinancialCareers – numerical tests, similar to those used by investment banks. Optional timer to increase the pressure and simulate real test conditions.
Reasoning
- P&G Careers – Practice reasoning test for Procter & Gamble – available in a number of languages.
Personality
- Keirsey temperament sorter - Personality test – the basic report is free, just note there is a scale of prices for more detailed results. The questions here are a similar style to the MBTI testing we do through University of London careers services. MBTI workshops for non-students are available through C2 Careers.
Computer programming
- Berger aptitude for programming test- sample questions
Many firms who use aptitude and psychometric tests will provide details and sample questions on their own recruitment sites, like Procter & Gamble above, so it is worth checking their website. If they don’t and you have been invited to an assessment centre, you could try emailing your contact there to see if they will tell you which tests are being used. They might not want to give too much information (sometimes recruiters prefer candidates to be unprepared so the tests are more ‘honest’), but it won’t do any harm to send a short, polite query. You can also check WikiJob to see if there is an entry for that company, as they often outline which tests have been used.
For more resources to help you prepare, including lots of relevant books, try browsing the Careers Tagged listings for psychometric and aptitude tests.
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recruitmentGetting a graduate job in the recession January 16, 2009
Posted by tcginfo in job hunting, applications and assessment.Tags: graduate employment, graduate recruitment, recession
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With the BBC reporting a 17% cut in graduate recruitment targets this year, you may be worrying about your prospects at the end of this year. Certainly the reported halving of recruitment in the financial sector is cause for concern.
This leaves you with a choice – apply to a different sector, or get ready to beat the competition.
Apply to a different sector
The public sector is often considered a safe place to work during a recession - the civil service remains a consistent employer of graduates. And there is always demand for doctors, nurses, teachers and administrators in the health and education sectors.
Not what you had in mind? You might be surprised what else you can find outside of The City. Aldi is offering a starting salary of 40,000 plus car! If you explore Industry and Retail sectors you can still find management and finance roles that will match your skills and interests. Although prospects in these sectors may be looking uncertain considering the recession, not all companies are suffering, Aldi can back up their offer with a 25% growth in sales.
Explore different sectors using summary guides like the TARGETjobs guides and Inside Careers guides, available free at your university careers service, and investigate the opportunities available at various employers’ websites.
Beat the competition
- Sharpen up your CV by getting it checked at your university careers service. You may find a change in layout will make you look more professional, or a different way of describing your previous jobs will bring out your responsibilities and skills. It is always useful to get a different perspective on your work.
- Boost your CV and employability by competing in business challenges.
- Improve your work experience by volunteering – your student union should have a volunteering society that can help you find local opportunities really easily, including short-term, even one-day projects.
- Research the company you are applying to. You must tailor your application approach to each company.
- If you are struggling with interviews and selection centres, you can try a practice interview with a careers adviser, or visit your careers service library for practice tests and advice books.
One book we recently bought that provides a good overview of the whole recruitment process is Get That Job! by Andy Gibb. It starts with the basics, choosing the right career for you, then carries you all the way through finding jobs, applying, interviewing, psychometric tests, assessment centres, 0ffers and feedback, and head-hunters. It is worth a look to help make sure you are competitive at every stage and know exactly what to expect.
But what’s it really like? October 15, 2008
Posted by tcginfo in careers guides, employers.Tags: career choice, career options, careers guides, careers information, companies, company information, company listings, graduate recruitment, graduate schemes
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The latest Inside Careers Guides have arrived. Each guide contains sections introducing that career, examples of recent graduates and career paths, information about qualifications, and lots of employer profiles. The guides will provide you with all the information to get you started in understanding and researching a career.
The following guides are available:
- Actuaries
- Banking, Securities & Investments
- Chartered Accountancy
- Chartered Patent Attorneys
- Chartered Tax Advisers
- Engineering & Technology
- General Management
- Information Technology
- Logistics & Transport Management
- Management Consultancy
- Pensions
- Purchasing & Supply Management
Pick up a free copy from your university careers service, or download a pdf version from their website.
* Inside Careers, in partnership with the UK’s leading professional bodies, publishes the most authoritative source of independent, in depth career information available to graduates. Research your chosen profession and find the latest graduate vacancies with the official career guides – http://www.insidecareers.co.uk
Pick up your 2009 graduate employer guides!! September 22, 2008
Posted by tcginfo in employers.Tags: graduate employment, graduate recruitment, careers guides, careers directories
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Get down to your college careers service and ask for the all new…
- The Times Top 100 graduate employers, 2008-2009 - concise, glossy summaries of the top 100 employers, includes details of starting salary, employers’ university presentations, application deadlines, and contact details.
- GET 2009: directory of graduate employment and training – more detailed directory packed with a wide range of useful information for students. Includes sections on finding a job, descriptions of careers, 150 employer profiles, and contact details for postgraduate courses and more graduate recruiters.
…best of all, they’re both free!
