Monthly Archives: May 2018

All the best advice we could find about getting a job in the UK as an international student

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Knowing how to get a job in the UK can be difficult, so here’s a selection of the best information I could find online:

Understand the types of opportunities available

  1. “[T]there are two main types of vacancy to consider: graduate schemes and direct entry. Graduate schemes are typically offered by companies that are looking to recruit a number of graduates each year into a range of areas, such as finance, IT, human resources and marketing. A graduate scheme will usually last between 18 months and two years….  Direct entry jobs are often with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that do not need to hire a significant number of graduates every year, although larger employers do advertise some entry-level jobs…these vacancies can crop up at any time of the year. An immediate start is normally required so you’ll need to wait until you finish your degree to apply for these jobs.” – Target Jobs

You can book an appointment at the Careers Network to discuss the types of opportunities available in your sector in more detail.

Understand the UK recruitment process

  1. “The UK application process. The application process for most employers is outlined on their websites. It usually involves completing an online application form and CV, or submitting a CV and cover letter. These should be tailored to every organisation – but if you’re applying for similar roles in the same sector it goes get easier to prepare for each application…  [Many] organisations then ask you to complete online aptitude tests.” – London School of Economics
  2. “What is the recruitment process in the UK? Most graduate employers design their own, individual recruitment processes to fit their prorities and the specifc skills they’re looking for; however, they all tend to feature similar steps. You can expect to complete a combination of the following:
    • online application form
    • CV and covering letter
    • psychometric tests
    • games-based assessments
    • telephone interview or video interview
    • assessment centre
    • technical interview”

-Target Jobs

You can book an appointment for help with any stage of this process, as well as accessing our Make Applications page for advice. You can also access our guidebook, How to excel in applications and interviews.

Careers Online is the university’s own vacancy system. On this we advertise over 7000 graduate jobs, placements, internships, part-time work and voluntary roles a year. https://lboro.targetconnect.net/student/home.html.

Other websites for graduate-level jobs include Prospects, Targetjobs, Guardian Jobs, Indeed. There are also websites specific to different sectors, you can find out more details by visiting the Careers Network page relevant to your department.

Sponsorship – if you are a Non-EEA student:

  1. “Check with the firm’s HR or graduate recruitment team -Before starting an application, pick up the phone and ask them about visa sponsorship. It might seem quite daunting, but it shows you’re proactive and it will give you a definite answer. You don’t want to waste time on a great application to a company that won’t consider you. If it’s a big company they’ll have a graduate recruitment team, and if not then ask for their HR team when you call.”

If you are applying for a role after your studies with a smaller company may not have sponsored an international student on a Tier 2 visa before, you can speak to them about doing a few months work experience after you graduate on the Tier 5 visa scheme. However, to later apply for a Tier 2 visa you would have to leave the country and do this from home.

Think how to stand out to employers

  1. “[T]he graduate market is at its healthiest in years and jobs are available in a variety of sectors. Competition for graduate jobs is fierce but candidates with the right qualifications, skills and experience stand a good chance of employment. Language skills are increasingly important, making many foreign nations desirable candidates.” – Prospects
  2. “Use your internationalisation to your advantage. Think about what sets you apart as an international graduate, says Ellen O’Brien, international careers adviser at the University of Birmingham. “You may have language or enhanced numeracy skills that home students don’t have.” – The Guardian
  3. “Really stand out – This might sound obvious, and it’s something every graduate has to demonstrate, but with there being fewer places for international students you do need to go that extra mile to stand out. Spend your time making the application tailored to the firm and the role, as well as highlighting how good you really are.” – Bright Network
  4. “Use being international to your advantage – Being an international student may mean you’re multi-lingual (a skill English students often lack) and have work experience in other cultures. This can set you apart on applications, so make sure you’re really highlighting this.” – Bright Network

You can visit our Develop skills and employability and Skills employers seek pages for more advice on developing your skills, as well as speaking to a member of the Careers Network.

We also have a PDF, Marketing yourself effectively to UK Employers which shows what employers are looking for and how to ‘market yourself’ accordingly.

Gaining work experience

  1. “It is becoming more and more important for students to gain some work experience. As well as helping you figure our what job you want to do when you graduate, it will make you more employable in the eyes of graduate recruiters…It may also be a good opportunity…to develop [your] English skills in a professional environment.” – TargetJobs
  2. “There are many summer, seasonal and temporary jobs on offer in the UK and the majority of these can be found in the tourism, hospitality and retail industries….Hotels, bars and restaurants require causal workers all year round…The retail sector also employs additional temporary staff to cover the busy Christmas period.” – Prospects
  3. “I had to make sure I was the most desirable candidate, so I volunteered in an after-school club and at a mental health hostel to make sure I had more experience than anyone else applying. My advice to others? Look for something you want to do but keep your options open. Apply for as many jobs and get as much experience as you possibly can.” – The Guardian

The Careers Network page for your school  will have links and advice about how to find experience relevant to your degree. You can also read our relevant PDFs – Preparing yourself for work during your studies, Preparing yourself for work after your studies – undergraduate students, and Preparing yourself for work after your studies – masters students.

Some of the websites you can use to find part-time work at Lboro include:

Loughborough Student Union – https://www.lsu.co.uk/yourunion/jobs/

Main university website – https://vacancies.lboro.ac.uk/

Careers Online – Careers Online – https://lboro.targetconnect.net/student/home.html

You can also gain voluntary experience by getting involved with LSU Action or with external organisations by visiting www.do-it.org

Networking

  1. “Network your way into a job. Use your university careers service, and go to international student-focused careers fairs and introduce yourself. “Use alumni networks to contact past graduates from your country who are now working in the UK,” says David Gee, global employability manager at the University of the West of England.” – The Guardian

The Careers Network have several activities and resources to help you with networking:

And of course, you can always book an appointment for help getting started with networking.

Finally…

You can also read Graduate Profiles of previous international students at Lboro to find out how they achieved their career aims and their advice. These can found found by scrolling down on this page.

I hope you found this useful, and of course don’t hesitate to get in contact if you have any questions you would like to discuss.

Christian Jameson-Warren – Employability Development Officer for international students

Steps to help you change careers

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Deciding to pursue a new career direction can be daunting, so the following steps can help you take the right actions to achieve your goal.

1) Be clear about why you want to work in a different sector.

It’s important to take time to reflect on your decisions, for example: why do you want to not work in the same sector you have before? What skills do you want to use? What business challenges/outcomes do you want to work with and why? Will your chosen new career direction give you what you want?

It is worth having a Careers Consultation to discuss your choice in more detail, and being clear about your new direction is essential.

2) Clearly articulate to employers why you want to change careers

Once you know why you want to change, put it together in a clear and concise explanation for applications and interviews. This will help employers feel more confident about you and your application. For example:

I previously worked in A, and what I really liked doing was B so am I currently studying C to start a career in D.

3) Conduct informational interviews and find a mentor

Informational interviews involve contacting people in a job that interest you to ask them a few questions about working in that role. It is not the same about asking for a job, but will give you invaluable information to understand more about what’s involved and what skills/experience employers value. More information can be found here. 

A mentor can guide you in starting and progressing within a new sector. Tools like Lboro Connect can be used to find a mentor.

4) Understand what employers are looking for, identify your transferable skills and make a plan

In addition to the above steps, reading job profiles and adverts will help you understand what employers really value. From here, identify what transferable skills/experience you have and make a plan to develop the skills you are missing. This could include taking professional courses on Lynda.com, shadowing employers, voluntary work and so on.

5) Demonstrate your commercial awareness

This will be covered more in a later article, but in summary commercial awareness is understanding how business works. When changing career sectors it is advantageous to show employers you understand how their business/sector works, as it shows that you can add value to their organisation and will help with answering interview questions. This includes, but not limited to:

  • Understanding a business, what they offer customers and the sector
  • PEST (political, economic, socio-cultural and technological) and SWOT analysis of a business to understand the opportunities, challenges and threats
  • Understand who their customers and competitors are

6) Make your transferable skills and experience clear to employers

You may see how your skills are relevant, but an employer unfamiliar with your previous work may not so easily. For instance, on CVs and applications you won’t have to write down every task you’ve done, instead explicitly highlight what is transferable. One technique for writing about your work history is to think of a challenge you overcame/target you achieved and how you achieved this. For example –

  • Upsold to customers during quieter periods to ensure sales targets were still met
  • Maintained a high level of customer service in a fast-paced environment through effective planning and delegation

7) Communicate your ‘personal brand’ and manage your online presence

Take time to think about how you want people to perceive you, and try to write a 1 or 2 line summary that includes your relevant transferable experience/attributes/skills and job goals. For example:

I am a [adjective] [job title] with [year’s experience] in [sector/industry]  specialising in [theme/purpose]. Currently seeking [type of role] where I can [impact] for [type of clients]

This can be used when introducing yourself to new people in a professional context, as well on social media such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Weibo etc. Make sure that your professional social media profiles are consistent with the image you want to portray, e.g. writing about your previous experience in way that’s targeted to the job you want. This is important as potential contacts and employers may look you up, so you want to give the impression you are serious about the change of career direction.

8) Identify any other barriers stopping you

For example, you might be experiencing a fear of rejection or a worry that you’ll get the job but not be good enough at it. Which leads onto the next point –

9) Get help from Careers Network and respond positively to set backs

You can book a Careers Consultation to discuss moving into a new job, including strategies to overcome challenges, help with applications and interviews, and so on.

It is possible that you will have some setbacks (such as rejections), but getting support from the Careers Network can help you overcome these.

Christian Jameson-Warren – Employability Development Officer for international students