1. NEWSLETTER
SEPTEMBER 2012
The Careers Team would like to wish all University of
Gloucestershire students a successful start to the
academic year!
Services for you and how they can
In this issue:
be accessed
 Our services
 New for this year The Careers team offers individual advice and
 Careers Advice for Final Year guidance to students on all aspects of career planning
Students
to help ensure a smooth transition from
 University of
Gloucestershire undergraduate study into further study or the world
Employability Award of work. We encourage students to come and make
 Coming events use of the Careers Centre at any stage of their studies
 Competitions and appointments are available daily (Mon - Fri). We
 Did you know...?
also offer a very popular online guidance service,
‘Advice by email’, where students can email our
Careers Consultants.
We organise various workshops, presentations by employers and fairs. You will find details
of these in future issues of the newsletter, on the Careers website, on Current Students
Pages and you can also see our posters around the campuses.
If you’d like to get in touch with us, just:
 Come in and see us at FCH (Clegg Building)
 Call on 01242 714795
 Use Live Help Online
 You can find us on Facebook and Twitter It has been a busy
summer for the Careers Team...
First, we were joined by Rita Szilasi, who some
of you might have met over the past few
months and who is already very knowledgeable
and helpful, you will see it for yourself! A very
warm welcome to Rita from the Careers Team!
Then, the Careers acquired a newly built office
in the Student Services Hub. The address is the
same – Ground Floor, Clegg Building, FCH.

2. Final Year students – it’s time to get
National Poetry Competition planning!
Established in 1978, the Poetry  Start looking for a job from September – many
Society’s National Poetry employers begin their recruitment process now and have
Competition is one of the world’s early closing dates. You will be able to collect free employer
most prestigious poetry contests. directories such as the Prospects Directory and GET
The judges this year are Vicki Feaver,
(Directory of Graduate Employment and Training) from the
W.N. Herbert and Nick Laird.
Careers Centre in October. Don’t forget that many
Winners include both established
and emerging poets, and for many employers will attend graduate recruitment fairs in October
the prize has proved an important and November, so
career milestone. grab your chance to
meet them face-to -
If you win, your work will be
face. Usually the
published in the Poetry Review
international journal. In addition, career fairs offer
there are monetary prizes of: free entry if you
£5,000 for the overall winner, pre-register. We will keep you updated on the dates and
£2,000 for the second, £1,000 for venues vie the newsletter, Facebook and our website.
the third, with seven
 Think about taking on part-time work and
commendations of £100. The
deadline is 31 October. Enter online volunteering – especially those opportunities which will help
or download an entry form at: you gain relevant experience and develop skills needed in
http://www.poetrysociety.org.uk/co your future career.
ntent/competitions/npc/
 You may benefit from some work experience or
work shadowing- both are great ways to find out what’s
happening in the workplace and really useful for networking and making contacts.
 Check out student societies as these can also enhance your skills and experiences.
 If you are thinking about postgraduate study, now is the time to start making applications.
You apply direct to universities for most courses and there is usually no closing date. Some
courses however, such as the PGCE (for teacher training) use a centralised application
system and DO have closing dates, so it’s definitely worth checking these out in plenty of
time.
 And finally – don’t panic! The Careers Team is on hand to advise you on your plans and help
you make the right decisions. We are also happy to support you for up to three years after
you graduate – visit our website for details of how to get in touch.
Did you know...? that Boots, the Nottingham pharmaceutical and retail group, recruited the
greatest number of UK graduates in 2009-10 with more than 520 graduates placed in its various
divisions....to find out more about their graduate recruitment schemes, visit: Boots Jobs

3. Employability Award – come and claim it!
Gaining the University of Gloucestershire Employability Award will signal to graduate employers that
you are someone who is keen to explore your potential, develop your skills, take on responsibility,
contribute to an endeavour and reach your personal goals – so it makes a great addition to your CV
and will be something to highlight in job application forms.
Do you:
 Volunteer
 Do a part-time job while studying or/and during vacations
 Participate in an SU Club or Society
 Help an academic with a research project
 Contribute to cultural or sustainability events
 Take part in enterprise activities
 Undertake a short-term internship?
If yes:
 Your achievements could be officially recognised by the University
 And you could add a University of Gloucestershire Employability Award to your CV…..
You can start working towards an Employability Award at any point in your studies. We ask you to
provide evidence of what you have achieved in a Personal Statement of Achievement – in which
you record what you have done, assess the impact your achievements have had on you and others
and analyse the skills you have used and developed to achieve your goals.
To find out what you need to do to apply for an award, please visit the Careers website.
Popular resources
 Destinations® - contains all the resources you need to plan your career, including videos,
interactive tools, downloads and answers to frequently asked careers questions.
 Job hunting useful links – here you can download our useful guides on job hunting and
applications, vacancies websites by sector and watch videos
 UGO – the new place to go for student and graduate opportunities, only for the University of
Gloucestershire
 Gradsouthwest – for other regional opportunities
 Prospects - the official graduate careers website packed with information about jobs,
sectors, postgraduate study and more

4. Coming Events
 Ethnic Diversity Fair – Wednesday 10 October, Manchester. This information and job fair is
specifically for black and Asian final year students and graduates who are looking for jobs in
2012
 The London Graduate Fair – Tuesday 16 October, Business Design Centre
 The Finance, Business and Management Fair – Thursday 18 October, Manchester. Over 80
top recruiters from finance, business and management fields will promote their graduate
training schemes, vacation placements and work experience opportunities in areas
including: accountancy, Investment and retail banking, consultancy, general management.
Professional training bodies and business schools will also exhibit.
 Autumn Graduate Fair –Thursday 25 October,
ExCel London - Exhibitors will be offering
internships, employment, training programmes,
postgraduate study options and gap year
alternatives, and all for free.
Employers’ Directories
TARGET jobs GET Directory How to get hired! FREE
Just in! This guide has profiles of UK employers and their
graduate opportunities, information about various cities,
including average salaries and letting costs, tips on how to
choose the right job and pass the application process.
The 2013 version is now available FREE to take away in our
Careers Information room at FCH! Just come in and collect
one.
Soon we will have more of the 2013 editions of other
Employers’ Directories – Prospects, the Guardian UK 300, and
the Times Top 100 Graduate Employers – all free to our
students!
Your online presence
"It’s natural for potential employers to vet candidates by whatever means
possible, especially in today’s hyper competitive job market." Sarah
Coughtrie, DMJ Recruitment (September, 2012)
There is a fantastic free online tool to assess your online identity:
Online ID Calculator
Find out about yourself and reflect on how you can improve your digital
footprint!