Drama, music, sport, debating, Young Enterprise et al all offer so much opportunity to show individual skills and team cohesion, both facets that employers will very much love to see in any prospective employee. These activities also create unforgettable, dramatic moments like the tension in the penalty flicks our U16 Hockey girls experienced earlier this week in the super win over King’s High… until that decisive moment of victory above!
ISSUE 9 – Friday 15 February 2019
CV CHALLENGE
40 of our Y11/ 5th Year students entered this year’s CV Challenge, although over 10% of these were submitted after the deadline, including arguably the best submission, which was sent in via a friend and missed the cut!
We always say the best CV and Covering Letter will be a pairing that is targeted to the role being applied and has an immediate marketing punch. This paperwork is a professional marketing brochure and we are pleased to report this year’s candidates offered excellent prose, almost without exception.
The better entries were clearly targeted to the ‘job’ on offer, and punchy 1 or 2 page chronological CVs – with impressive design and jaw-dropping qualifications, voluntary work, part-time work and achievements – stood out. Correctly addressed, quality A4 envelopes and 100gm+ paper also impressed us.
Students had the opportunity to see where their entry could be improved or stood out in comparison with the rest, but we wonder why fewer than half of the candidates remembered to pick up the individually ‘marked’ entries before school’s deadline for scholarship applications! An opportunity missed to add a ‘gold’ overlay?
Design/ Creativity: Crystal, Oliver, Ria, Sam B.
Envelope: Georgia, Namuun, Paige.
Initiative: Rishi.
Paper: Emma, Jonathan, Paige.
WHAT IS YOUR BRAND?
Many advisers say you cannot really search for a career path until you understand your own strengths and abilities.
Aston University has developed a very straightforward set of questions to aid students in this task:
What Is Your Current Brand? Use 3 words friends or teachers would use to describe you.
What would you like your brand to be? Use 3 words you would like people to use to describe you.
Do Your Brands Align?
What can you do to change your personal brand?
What skills do you need to develop?
What work experience do you need to do to develop your brand and employability skills?
18 REASONS WHY… UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER
brand assistant Rachael kindly identified her 18 highlights of being a (Psychology) student at the University of Manchester.
1 Student Lifestyle – The city of Manchester offers so much opportunity to have a brilliant time, whatever your interests and talents! The student vibe is fun and trendy. Withington, Fallowfield and Didsbury all offer great Year 2 and 3 student housing.
2
Excellent Careers Service – Regular Careers Fairs, excellent email contact and often embedded into courses. Have a look at http://www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/ to see what this service offers.
3 Highly Rated by Employers – Excellent destinations for graduates nationally and internationally.
4 Experienced Lecturers – In the Psychology department – and clearly many others – it’s no surprise there was an impressive range of experts in many different areas of the subject.
5 Pleasing Variety of Assessment and Learning Styles – A mix of formally referenced essays, examinations (multiple choice or extended writing), lab reports, presentations and academic posters was used to assess knowledge gained from seminars, full lectures or lab work.
6 Campus Vibe – Lots of hidden cafés and bars on campus: e.g. Manchester Museum, Kro Bar, the Student Union. So many quirky libraries areas too, as well as the outstanding modern library, the Alan Gilbert Learning Commons, known by students as the ‘Ali G’… ‘a cross between a library and Charlie and the Chocolate Family’.
7 Northern Quarter – So many cool shops and bars in this area in town. Depending on what you want from a city experience, Salford Quays (media, culture), the Emirates/ Old Trafford (football), Chinatown (food), Deansgate Locks, Canal Street (nightlife) et al also offer so much opportunity for a great few years as a student. Ice Shack is a great vegan café in Withington too.
8 Flexible Courses – The chance in Year 2/3 to choose modules outside your main subject.
9 Fallowfield! – The best student halls in Year 1! Near so many takeaways, ‘Spoons, Sainsbury’s, Nando’s…and on the route to uni! Rumoured to be being rebuilt – long overdue, but will it be the same?!!
10 The Magic Bus! - £1.50 per journey – bus down Oxford Road goes direct to the pedestrianised university area.
11 Fellow Students –Manchester students are such a refreshing, diverse range and you will make friends for life!
12 Personal Tutor – Always hugely supportive.
13 Student Services – Excellent attention to student welfare, inc. mental health support.
14 Architecture – Lovely mix of imposing, impressive traditional buildings and dynamic new builds!
15 My Manchester News/ Blackboard – Great way to catch student news/ VLE to replay or catch up with lectures.
16 Cycle Lanes – Easy to ‘bike’ your way to uni, according to friends.
17 The Friendship Inn – Huge part of the Year 2 and 3 social life!
18 ‘Love For The Streets’ – Amazing social enterprise co-founded by Bablake alumnus Jonah Ogbuneke, offering the homeless in Manchester hope for a safer, healthier, better future.
For more information on the University of Manchester, see www.manchester.ac.uk or @officialuom.
OPEN DAYS – 21/22 June, 28 September, 12 October 2019
To see the full issue, please use the following link: http://online.fliphtml5.com/gwgh/nffe/.
Bablake Careers Department FOOTNOTE: Day 1 looks very intriguing and very good value.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED EVENT – 4THS and ABOVE
Crucial information from employers and universities re Post 16 and Post 18 Options
Pre-Register for Saturday 2nd March 2019
TALKING POINTS
MOOC OF THE FORTNIGHT (9)
‘Explore Filmmaking’
Learn from award-winning filmmakers about how films go from script to screen. Would suit a budding film-maker or any interested film fan.
Week 1 - Introduction: how does a film get from script to screen?
Week 2 - Storytelling: what’s the difference between plot and theme?
Week 3 - Decisions: how to choose budget, schedule, location and kit
Week 4 - The Scene: how does a director make choices on set?
Week 5 - Time and Space: how does editing affect meaning?
Week 6 - Sound and Music: what is the impact of a film’s soundtrack?
www.futurelearn.com//courses/explorefilmmaking
Course developed by the National Film and Television School.
RECOMMENDED READING
SPRING TERM CAREERS FORUMS
(10) Thursday 28 February: Harper Adams University – presentation on courses available. (1pm)
(11) Friday 8 March: Juliet Hodges –‘Working for Bupa Behavioural Insights/ studying Psychology at the University of York. (1pm)
(12) Tuesday 12 March: LIFE
CHOICES (L6th) – Aston University presentation on ‘Degree Apprenticeships’.
(13) Thursday 21 March: World University Fair. (1pm)
Legal Week:
a - (14) Tuesday 26 March: Leicester Law School. (1pm)
b - (15) Thursday 28 March: University of Law. (1pm)
Plus…
Tuesday 26 February: LIFE CHOICES (L6th) – What Happens Next?! (Bablake Careers)
‘BUSINESS FOR PUNKS’
James Watts
“Put everything on the line for what you believe in. Ignore advice! Break all the rules – the BrewDog way!”
BrewDog has forged a whole new approach to business and, in this book, co-founder James Watt bottles the essence of this success. It is pitched as an anarchic, indispensable guide to thriving on your own terms… which, of course, is why we really like it!
CAREERS FORUM (9)
Thank you to former pupil Peter Sidwell for giving an excellent insight into life at PwC and the various entry levels.
