We have a packed semester of activities and events planned for 2021. You can check out the full schedule here. Here are just five ways you can challenge yourself next year:
Embrace your leadership potential
We have 100 free student memberships for Queen’s students to the Institute of Directors worth £75 each. If you are serious about success, an IoD student membership can give you the competitive edge, with benefits including access to:
A guru panel of entrepreneurs and business leaders
Networking events
Internships and work placements
A peer-to-peer networking community
Direct – a magazine for board-level executives
Claim your free membership via the IOD site using the code QUB2021.
2. Channel your creativity
In the first of our bitesized session in 2021, you’ll learn to Think Creatively. This lunchtime session is about how we can use tools and techniques to increase our creativity.
3. Learn a new language
Would you like to complete a fully-funded language course through Queen’s Language Centre? The Global Opportunities Team are offering 50 students a free language course in Semester 2.
4. Explore study abroad options
Does the thought of studying in Australia or Canada appeal? Don’t miss our study abroad into session.
5. Develop your people skills
Our WORKING WITH CUSTOMERS AND CLIENTS workshop will give you an insight into what is required to be a great people person in the workplace.
The graduate job market looks a little different this year, but the era of remote working has paved the way for tech advances in the way companies recruit students. For starters, Queen’s Graduate Recruitment and Placement Fair is going digital this year allowing you to browse employers’ virtual stalls, watch company videos and find out what it might be like to work at a particular company – all from your laptop. Here, some recruiting companies who have flexed the way they recruit to meet the challenges of virtual recruiting.
1.Employer-led online skills sessions
Upskill on your laptop? Yes please.
Accessing training with experts from top companies is just a click of a button away. Take Deloitte who are running skills sessions online throughout Autumn. Available to watch live or on demand, topics covered include building confidence, research and communication – all skills that will stand you in good stead in the future.
Digital company experiences are going high tech at EY.
The digital world allows you to get under the skin of a company and get a feel for what it’s really like to work there. Take EY – they are running a Build Your EY Experience Week from 5-9 October. With a live welcome address from their partners, the week promises insight into the people, clients and culture that make the company unique.
Imagine creating a virtual avatar that can virtually walk around a company, meet the people who work there and take part in events. Sounds like the stuff of a sci-fi movie but PwC’s Virtual Park allows you to do just that.
There are more opportunities than ever to live chat potential bosses. At Queen’s Graduate Recruitment and Placement Fair, employers can filter candidates by their student profiles and invite candidates with the skills they are looking for into a live chat or video call. Make sure you stand out by completing your online profile in as much detail as possible.
Act now if you want to give yourself the best possible chance to propel your career forward.
Here are five things you need to do now:
Attend Gradfest2021
We are excited to host a six-week festival of live streamed events, interactive content and online resources. You will have the opportunity to connect with employers and to access support and advice as you graduate into an altered recruitment landscape. Whether you are in final year or not, you can enjoy employer insights, resilience coaching and alumni stories live to your Instagram feed.
DegreePlus is an employability award that allows you to gain recognition for extra-curricular activities you take part in outside your lectures. This could be leading clubs and societies, taking part in leadership programmes or volunteering in the community. You’ll get a certificate and will have something concrete to talk about in future interviews.
Explore the wealth of global opportunities available to you during your time at Queen’s, including study, work and volunteer abroad programmes. Start planning your epic summer 2021 now!
MyFuture is an essential careers portal you’ll use throughout your time at Queen’s to search and find jobs. Whether you are looking for a part time job to fit around your studies or a graduate scheme or placement, you can filter by your degree and skills to find the right job for you.
With many graduate jobs and schemes opening this month, you’ll need to get your CV in order. Similarly, if you are looking to gain work experience or even get a part-time job during your time at Queen’s. VMock is a virtual CV checker that gives you feedback on your CV in seconds! If you need extra help getting your CV in order, book a consultation with one of our careers consultants.
Not sure where to start with career planning? Overwhelmed with options? We’ve streamlined your journey for you so you can easily see where you need to be and what you need to do to stand the best possible chance of propelling your career forward.
To help inform your career-planning journey, we’ve created a snapshot of the steps to success for every study stage. You can download the guide relevant to you to remind you of key events and milestone dates.
Our Careers website is a great place to start planning your career. Whether you have no plan, a vague plan or a firm career plan in mind, we’ll help you set and achieve short and long-term goals.
Don’t forget, the Careers service are here to support you, so if you have a question feel free to get in touch!
Queen’s Graduate Placement and Recruitment Fair is going virtual on 21 and 22 October 2020. And while that means no campus buzz and no free cupcakes (sob!), there are plenty of advantages to going digital. Here are just five of them.
It’s fast and easy to set up
Forgot dressing a stall with company branding, Graduateland, our event host platform, will do all your selling for you. Once you’ve registered via MyFuture, you can set up your online stall with just a few easy clicks, preloading videos, company details and FAQs.
2.You can pre-record the most relevant info
With the online presentation function, you can record a presentation for candidates to watch in real time. Beats talking yourself hoarse on a stand all day. What’s more, candidates can upvote each other’s questions so you can ensure you are answering the most important FAQs.
3. You can hone in on the right candidates
Using filters to sort candidates, you can read student profiles and invite the candidates with the skills you are looking for to engage in a live chat or video call. This is arguably a much more efficient and strategic way to engage with our students.
4. There are no queues
The logistics of a traditional fair dictate that only a certain number of students can get near you at any one time. With our virtual fair, an unlimited number of students can see your online stall. Candidates can even view your profile in advance of the event, along with your relevant job opportunities. What’s more, the number of representatives at your stall is also unlimited, meaning you can select the right representative to speak to a candidate.
5. It’s cost effective
You don’t need to spend money on branded pens to compete for attention. Our virtual event means you have a captive audience of top talent at your fingertips. This generation have grown up with tech and are digitally savvy, so it’s easier than ever to communicate and engage with candidates. Meanwhile you’ll save time on branding, travel and time out of office.
To register for Queen’s Graduate Placement and Recruitment Fair on 21 and 22 of October, visit MyFuture today.
From August 31, you can set up your online stall via the GraduateIreland platform.
Our alumni session gathered together four successful graduates who told Rachael Corridan about the career lessons they’ve learned since leaving Queen’s. Here is what they had to say.
“Every rejection is a learning experience”
Niall McLaughlin, kdb+ developer, AquaQ Analytics
“I studied Chemistry at Queen’s and obtained valuable skills such as analytical skills, great communication skills, problem solving and adapting to new challenges. After graduation, I spent some time working as a chef, this was extremely beneficial as it’s placed me in a high pressure environment where time, teamwork, efficiency and multitasking were all critical to the day to day tasks. These experiences have helped me grow as a person and I now feel fully equipped to handle anything life throws at me.
“Don’t put too much pressure on yourself; you will get there. I had a non-traditional route to a grad job, which taught me a lot of transferable skills. Take every rejection as a learning experience and learn to be the best version of yourself.”
“Develop your soft skills until you find the right job”
Jack McCloskey, Seagate
“I graduated Mechanical Engineering in 2019. On the back of my placement, I did an employer project with Seagate. After graduation, I developed soft skills through part-time jobs, volunteering, interview skills and travelling until a graduate job eventually came up. There are good and bad points about working in your placement company. You are familiar with the working environment, but you are straight in the deep in working with senior management.”
“Working as part of a team is so important”
Zachery Jordan, First Deriviatives
“Make the most of the transferable skills you have gained from part-time jobs; it’s so important to work as part of a team and be coherent in the ideas you are putting across.”
“Explore your options; squeeze every opportunity”
Michael Kelly, IBM London
“There will never be a graduating class like this one, but the world will not pass you by. Explore your opportunities. I missed the big four application deadlines as I was studying abroad, so I got a job in recruitment with a high basic salary, but it wasn’t the career for me. It served as a launchpad to where I am now. Squeeze as much out of any opportunity.”
“You don’t just graduate and get picked up by an employer, you have to be proactive; I opened myself to more graduate opportunities by looking in London. Take time to explore your options and find something you love. Throw yourself into everything you are asked to do in the workplace, even if a project doesn’t feel exciting, look at what you can learn from it.”
Nightmare interviews are pretty common – just ask these hilarious Twitter users who shared their experiences online after Twitter user Harriet Williamson asked her followers to recount their worst recruitment stories. Thankfully, recordings of our live Gradfest2020 sessions on acing online interviews and assessment centres are available to watch when you need them so you can avoid similar mistakes.
I went to an interview really hungover, when the interviewer came to meet me and show me to the room, she held out her hand guiding the way. In my hungover state, I stood up and held her hand! Both of us were too embarrassed to let go so walked to the interview room hand in hand.
I walked up the stairs to the very top and met the woman. I thought she was gesturing to the door ahead of her so I walked over, opening it and went inside. It was a storage cupboard. She stood there and watched.
Ahead of our online Career Networking Evening on June 22 at 6pm – 7.20pm, we look at four ways our alumni network can help you navigate the global job market.
1. Our alum understand what makes big bosses tick
You have probably seen the term ‘commercial awareness’ in job descriptions, but what does it mean? And how do you acquire it? This skill is all about knowing what makes an organisation or industry tick. If you can show a prospective employer that you understand what they want to achieve and the challenges they are facing in the marketplace, you’ll impress.
Alumni in industry can help you read the room in an industry or organisation and get a handle on organisational goals. Take Queen’s Psychology Graduate Tessa Breslin. In her role as Managing Director and Head of Americas at YSC Consulting, Tessa partners with leaders and organisations around the world to enable them to direct their drive and create transformational change.
Tessa will be joining our Networking event live from New York, so you’ll have the opportunity to get an insight into what drives the leadership of some of the major blue chip client companies she has worked with.
2 You’ll benefit from their connections
Growing your professional network is a great way to advance your career, industry knowledge and confidence. As a Queen’s graduate, you can draw on the experience and connections of our network of more than 200,000 alumni around the world. Each of those alum will in turn have built up a contacts book of trusted friends, colleagues and clients.
Since Fergus Boyd left Queen’s with a BSc and PhD in Electronic Engineering, he has worked as VP/IT Director for five-star boutique luxury hotel brand Red Carnation, and VP Digital & IT for millennial hotel chain YOTEL. Prior to that, he held senior IT and digital roles in British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, which both involved leading mobile and digital initiatives and delivering innovation programmes. He is now Chief Technical Officer at MindSauce, a start-up that aims to become the world’s leading platform for global micro-consulting.
He brings to our Networking event, a unique perspective on the shift towards remote working as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
3. They know what employers are looking for
Who better than a recruiter to get an insight track on what employers are looking for? Jordan Hendricks is a Recruitment Executive at First Derivative, a software and services company.
With a Master’s in Business Administration (International MBA) from Queen’s and significant global PR and marketing experience, Jordan is well placed to advice graduates on the recruitment landscape and the impact of COVID-19 on the future of hiring. She joins our networking evening to discuss the long and short term impact of the COVID-19 crisis.
4. They can offer a world view
Our alumni span the globe and their combined knowledge and connections ripple across the international job market. Since leaving Queen’s with a PhD in Analytical Chemistry, Binod Maitin gained significant experience as a Senior Vice President & Chief Technology Officer at Diageo (United Spirits) and as Head of Analytical Research at the Shriram Institute For Industrial Research. He is now an Independent Technical Consultant at FlavorActiV and Chief Technology Officer at Trillium Beverages Pvt.Ltd. He joins our networking event from India to offer insight on his own personal career journey and the evolving global labour market.
