CAREER PLANNING FOR ... the undecided
Any time from now until June: Use the Careers Advisory Service for help with finding out about careers and employers. The following may be good starting points:
Prospects Planner Computer Guidance System www.prospects.ac.uk/links/Pplanner
AGCAS booklet "Your Degree - What Next?"
www.prospects.ac.uk/links/YourDegree
Options Sheet "Options with your Law Degree" www.prospects.ac.uk/links/LawDeg
Our “Choosing a Career” booklet or web pages www.kent.ac.uk/careers/Choosing/ChoosingCareer.htm
Careers booklet, "Careers for Law Graduates Outside the Legal Profession"
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/pdf/lawalternatives.pdf
Careers Library file 043 – “What Can I Do With My Law Degree?”
Ask at the Reception Desk for copies of any of the above material, or for general help and advice During the summer vacation: Research into careers and employers Try and get vacation work - this may help to give you an insight into different careers but any type of work experience, paid or voluntary, is of interest to potential employers If you will be away from Kent during the vacation, you may be allowed to use your local university's careers service for information. September/October Sign up for our various talks and workshops in Autumn term Register on sites such as www.kent.ac.uk/careers/jobs/index.htm, www.prospects.ac.uk and www.get.hobsons.co.uk to receive vacancy information Use the Careers Information Room and CAS website for the most up-to-date information on employers recruiting graduates and on postgraduate courses
Be aware of early closing dates for graduate recruitment schemes – end of November for the Civil Service Fast-Stream and Mars, to name just two examples from last year. Many employers have December closing dates. Throughout your final year Continue to use the Careers Advisory Service and to monitor relevant resources for graduate vacancies. These may include: University of Kent Careers Vacancy Database www.kent.ac.uk/careers/jobs/index.htm Prospects Directory www.prospects.ac.uk/links/CoProfiles The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers www.Top100GraduateEmployers.com Hobsons Graduate Career Directory and Casebooks www.get.hobsons.co.uk the national and/or local press www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sitespub.htm
After you graduate: Don't despair if you haven't found a job at the time you graduate. Many employers do not recruit graduates until they are immediately available to start work, and the job market for graduates is active all the year round, but particularly during the summer vacation. Before you leave the University, complete our graduate registration form (available online or from the CAS) so that we can keep you up to date with information on employers and vacancies Use the Summer Recruitment Fairs held at various universities during June and July to make contact with major graduate recruiters with vacancies still available. If you have moved away from Kent, check if you can use your local university careers service as a "Mutual Aid" graduate Scan national and local newspapers for recruitment advertising. Make speculative applications to employers of interest to you who may not have advertised vacancies Consider using recruitment agencies - a number have specialist sections handling graduate vacancies
Jenny Keaveney Careers Advisory Service University of Kent September 2008 www.kent.ac.uk/careers/