Hey,

Happy New Year..

Following on from my last blog that seems ages ago now, I have had the experience of a formal interview for a place on a company’s graduate geotechincs scheme. It was a useful experience, I had to travel to East Croydon for the interview however when I got there my interview was only 40 minutes.. One main aspect of the whole interview experience is that practice and understanding the company you applied for. I also had a mock interview with the careers service at University which was really helpful.

Since the interview I have networked with several members of another company, where I had the opportunity to go to an open evening in Leeds where I meet people with the same discipline as my chosen degree, which was extremely useful. I have also been to the Newcastle office also which is one of the offices that I have applied to.

So the point of this blog is networking within a company is useful as it shows how keen you are for the position that is advertised.

I’m now in full swing of the Faststream application. I’ve spent the last few weeks refreshing my memory on how to do basic maths – percentages, fractions and graphs have haunted my dreams! The biggest problem I had was trying to find a ‘quiet and relaxing’ place to complete the tests. My laptop wasn’t ‘compatible’ and the uni library was never quiet no matter what time of day or late night I went. But I managed to find a time and a place, and completed them, now I’m just waiting for the results.
I thought I would count my chickens and think positively that I would get through far enough to the assessment centre. So, I took the careers service up on their offer, and ‘had a go at an assessment centre’. It was really good, an intensive day – I needed a nice cold Diesel afterwards to make my head better! 😉 It gave me a good insight into what to expect, which I think for most of these things is the most difficult part. You fear the unknown. Although, I would still pee my pants when I eventually do get to an assessment centre, but in the words of Gary Barlow on X Factor, ‘if you weren’t nervous, there,d be something wrong; … inspirational!
The hardest part about pursuing a career in the public sector, is work experience… so I’m looking for experience around my area of interest; international relations; so I’ve taken up a volunteering project with the refugee service. It’s really interesting; lots of knowledgeable people and a great way to learn about new cultures and issues facing asylum seekers and refugees both in our country and their home country. Not only is it adding weight to my CV, but its also a chance for me to figure out if this is something I’m interested in and want to have a career in for the next 40 or so years! Always good to check beforehand!

Ok, it was turning it to a tale of woe, right? On a careering BSc rollercoaster to nowhere. Clearly there is a happy ending – I am presently studying MSc Engineering Geology, a painstakingly chosen degree programme this time.
With background in Earth Science, a geological focus of some kind seemed inevitable. And the whole ‘engineering’ bag? Well engineering is probably the most credible prefix imaginable in the current climate of science and technology! It provides a structured framework for continued study and career development, promoting hands-on skills and highly desirable technical knowledge = a degree with a directional future.

‘How did you manage to clear the horrendous financial rut?’ I hear you cry. Well I was accepted on to my present course with the condition of a departmental studentship from the Natural Environment Research Council. How on earth did I manage such a thing? Well, I just asked.

In the end it was actually that simple. If you are serious about further study and prepared to put your cards on the table there are many more funding opportunities out there than you realise, you just need to be determined in securing them. Bursaries are in place to help students pursuing courses which will provide valuable skills in employment or research environments. Be firm with your attributes and know your sources of support when you apply for further study.
Don’t ever be afraid to keep pursuing these opportunities. For me it made the ultimate difference between being able to pursue further study or not.

https://blogs.ncl.ac.uk/bl…_place_to_start

I’ve just started the first year of a part time MA which is part of my ‘plan’ to get the career of my dreams. Or a way to ‘pass the time’ amongst the application process.
I graduated 1 year ago from my undergraduate and decided to take a year out and get into the work place full time (I’d worked part time throughout my uni course) and get some experience in management along with paying off all the debt I’d racked up in my undergraduate!
I am pursuing a career with the government, and started the application process for the faststream. It’s long, painful, in depth and competitive. They want the best – there are a lot of talented people out there – so what makes my application different?
This is where I started from. They want people who can move up the ranks quickly and do well in management, how can I know I have that ability if I don’t even try? Whilst applying through the faststream (it starts in November, and finishes in April) I decided to work up the ranks in the financial service company I was working in.
I was out the race for the faststream by February -many quotes state its unlikely to get in the first time around, and feedback told me I was in the top 35% of candidates…
So here I am, still working my way up the ranks to prove my management capability, learning invaluable skills within the work place, and studying a masters in IPE, making contacts and working out what else I can do to make sure I’m in the top 25% of candidates the next time…

So, I have finally got round to writing this blog. I’ve been meaning to for a while, but you know what it’s like.

Anyway, career news. Unfortunately, not so much. I am a final year student of Chinese and Cultural Studies. I lived in China last year studying at a university in Beijing. I kind of assumed when I graduated I would be in high demand, because, of course, everyone is looking for people who can speak Chinese, right? Wrong. It appears that to be able to use my Chinese in a job, I am going to have to be fluent. And, unfortunately, that’s just not possible in a 4 year degree.

This is my current plan. I will take a job, any job in China and just spend every spare minute I have speaking Chinese, so that I can get somewhere near fluency. I’m thinking of doing a TEFL course this summer and then in September going to teach English in a small town in China. Somewhere where they don’t get many foreigners, a place where the children will point and laugh at my strange appearance. Perhaps after a year or two I’ll be in a position of usefulness to potential employers.

But, I’m continuing to apply for jobs in this country, the problem now is, I don’t actually know what I want to do. It’s kind of been “willy nilly” applications up ’til now, and I can’t take these constant rejections anymore! I think a trip to the careers service is in order…