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WHAT NEXT? Your career starts here With the University of Brighton Alumni Association and Careers Service

Hannah Wallace Information Communication Technology PGCE

Emily Brooke Product Design with Professional Experience BSc(Hons)

Dr Bhavik Patel Pharmaceutical and Chemical Sciences BSc(Hons)

Donna Moseley Education BA(Hons) and Primary Education PGCE Kelly Angood Illustration BA(Hons)

Anthony Kalume Communities, Engagement and Enterprise PGCert

Luke Fuller Television Production FdA Joe Capps-Jenner Project Management for Construction BSc(Hons)

Dr Gem Stapleton Computing PhD

CONGRATULATIONS Your hard work has paid off and you are now a lifelong member of the University of Brighton Alumni Association. You join a global network of over 150,000 alumni.

We want to continue to support you in your next steps after university and this booklet explains more about the ways in which we can help you.

Be proud of your achievement and make sure you add University of Brighton to your LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn is a powerful networking opportunity for professionals, so get connected with fellow alumni and industry experts, and join in the real-time discussions

about careers topics that matter to you. Check out our guide on enhancing your LinkedIn profile http://tinyurl.com/UoBLinkedIn. If you are considering returning for further study at the University of Brighton, don’t forget we offer a generous graduate discount of up to 15% off postgraduate courses. You may also be eligible for a Vice-Chancellor’s scholarship depending on your degree result.

Whatever you choose to do next, make sure you update your details so we can share opportunities, offers and news with you. http://tinyurl.com/uobupdate

LIFE AFTER UNIVERSITY

YOUR CHECKLIST

SORT YOUR FINANCES et professional G advice on: l Understanding your student loan repayment l P ostgraduate loans and banking l T ax and national insurance

SET DEADLINES Get organised: l S et realistic goals l Set a budget l Make

decisions on your next steps

FIND A JOB Get support on: l G raduate and local job sites l N etworking and social media l R egistering with agencies

KEEP IN TOUCH Contact the alumni association about: l A lumni benefits available to you l Sharing your stories l Updating

your information l Becoming

an alumni volunteer

PURSUE YOUR CAREER Explore your options about: l P lanning your summer work and beyond l F inalising your graduate CV l G raduate applications and interviews

LOOK AFTER YOUR WELLBEING Manage the transitional phase from student to employee: l B uild your confidence on our Transform Your Life course

Until September you can access our Active Student Service for Sussexbased volunteering – to help you develop your skills and add to your CV. http://tinyurl.com/bvolunteer Search https://do-it.org/ for volunteering opportunities near you.

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250+

GRADUATES WERE HELPED BY THE CAREERS SERVICE LAST YEAR

GET THE BEST START TO YOUR CAREER Boost your graduate potential by using the University of Brighton Careers Service.

It’s not just for students.

Graduates are welcomed and encouraged to make use of this service too.

The Careers Service has four main areas to help you successfully move from university to employment or other options.

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These areas are: l one-to-one support l employment opportunities l graduate internships l enterprise support.

This brochure explains what opportunities and support we can offer you once you have graduated.

DID YOU KNOW? We are one of the only universities in the UK which offers a free lifelong careers service to all of our graduates no matter when you may have graduated.

After seeing the Career Development Adviser, I have chosen a career path and I am completely dedicated to achieving my goal.

ONE-TO-ONE SUPPORT AND CAREERS GUIDANCE The Careers Service provides a supportive service for graduates.

TYPES OF QUESTIONS TO ASK A CAREER DEVELOPMENT ADVISER

You can discuss your individual plans and aspirations with us in a confidential setting, and explore your career options now that you are a graduate.

You can book an hour’s guidance meeting at a campus of your choosing.

Twilight appointments are also available for those who are unable to attend during a 9–5 working day.

Alternatively you can arrange a consultation by Skype, Lync or phone. http://tinyurl.com/ contactcareers

I learned how real business works and how to adapt to different cultures and their values.

Ula Al Rashd International Business BA(Hons) Marketing Specialist, TIE Kinetix

• How do I find a job?

• What type of roles do people with my degree go on to?

• I’m interested in a particular career – what companies can I apply to?

• What resources are available to help my job search?

• How does my CV look and is there anything I can do to improve it?

• How can I prepare for a job interview?

We also offer psychometric testing if you are uncertain about your career path.

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DEVELOPING YOUR SKILLS FOR A SUCCESSFUL FUTURE

WHAT DO EMPLOYERS WANT?

We want to help you enhance the skills, knowledge and confidence you need for a successful future. The Careers Service surveyed 500 local employers to find out what skills they wanted from Brighton graduates.

They said: • Communication • Self-management • Being enterprising • Ability to research.

Check in to the full matrix and identify your core skills here: http://tinyurl.com/ UoBskills During your studies, you will have had the chance to develop many transferable skills on this list. These services were designed to 04

prepare you prepare for the next steps after graduation.

THE GRADUATE TOOLKIT

If you used the Graduate Toolkit to create your CV and portfolio while you were at university, don’t forget this is accessible to you and future employers for one year after you have finished your course. You can also export your records to another eportfolio service if you wish to do so.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN? Employability: a set of achievements, skills, understanding and personal attributes that mean you are more likely to gain employment and be successful in your chosen occupation.

Transferable skills: versatile skills that you learn in one environment but can use in different settings, for example, active listening, teamwork, planning and organising are all transferable skills.

FIVE REASONS TO CONTINUE YOUR STUDIES ‌

1 2 3 4 5

Extend your skills, knowledge and expertise.

Further improve your career prospects and earning potential. ake your career in a new T direction or specialise further.

Make a contribution to the knowledge in your field. ake advantage of Brighton T alumni discounts and scholarships.

We are dedicated to providing support to help you reach your goals beyond graduation, including helping you to gain further qualifications. Lots of postgraduate courses at Brighton offer flexible study options so you can combine work, life and study.

www.brighton.ac.uk/postgraduate 05

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES There are a number of ways we can help you find work once you have completed your course.

JOB VACANCIES

We can help you search for a job. Our online Vacancy Service advertises graduate jobs and internships. New opportunities are posted daily. We also link to hundreds of sites advertising jobs in different industries and locations. We can help you by looking at your job applications and CV, and advising you how to best promote your skills.

Register at www.brighton. ac.uk/careers/find-a-job to receive email alerts about new opportunities.

SANTANDER UNIVERSITIES INTERNSHIPS

Santander Universities provide funding for University of Brighton students and graduates to undertake paid internships in small to medium-sized organisations.

Find out more about current opportunities at the following link: http://tinyurl.com/ uobinternships

WHAT OUR INTERNSHIP EMPLOYERS SAY:

Being able to recruit interns is vital to us as a way to accessing good graduate employees. We would definitely hire an intern again.

Emily Kramers, National Numeracy

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WHAT OUR GRADUATES SAY:

My internship was an opportunity to gain an excellent understanding of a small community-based organisation and to develop insights in the sector and networks within it. The internship fitted perfectly with my goals and academic background.

Alexandra Kuzmina Public Administration MA Intern with the Whitehawk Inn

TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE

Each summer and autumn we run short employability courses to help graduates who are seeking work.

CAREERS FAIR Each autumn, the University of Brighton teams up with the University of Sussex to host the annual Careers Fair, which is open to all graduates (including those from other universities).

The event includes workshops, refreshments, competitions, giveaways and lots of recruiters. It is specifically designed to help you find a graduate job. You will get the opportunity to meet potential employers face-to-face, gain an insight into the labour market and learn more about selection procedures. It also provides an invaluable opportunity to practise your networking skills and make some potentially useful contacts.

The Careers Fair is suitable for: • Graduate schemes and full-time jobs • Graduates looking for overseas opportunities

• Finding out more about training and postgraduate courses.

If you are thinking of working for yourself, there will be guidance on entrepreneurship and starting your own business. http://tinyurl.com/bcareersfair We have excellent relationships with businesses and organisations locally, nationally and worldwide, covering many different industries and areas of work.

We can help you to: • find job vacancies • network with future employers • keep up to date with workplace and market trends • find out what you really need to get the job you want. www.brighton.ac.uk/ careers/events

The two-day courses are designed to boost confidence and sharpen their interview skills through: • Emotional intelligence awareness • Undertaking a personal audit • Developing your personal profile • CV review • Enhancing your online presence • Developing your ‘professional self’ • Interviews, theory and practice.

Keep an eye out for the courses in the quarterly ebulletins sent by the alumni association.

I got more out of these two days than I expected. The course was empowering on so many levels. I feel like a whole world of opportunities has just opened.

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LEARN WHILE YOU EARN A Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) is a collaboration which benefits graduates, businesses and academics. We have been placing graduates with innovative companies for over 40 years.

Graduates who work as a Knowledge Transfer Partnership Associate are able to work full time, applying their degree and delivering a real-world project while gaining excellent commercial experience. You will be responsible for owning and leading a challenging project that directly impacts the business. Most projects are two years in duration and you will be supported by academic and company supervisors.

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HOW CAN YOU BENEFIT FROM A KTP?

• Potential to gain a permanent job with an innovative company • You will have the opportunity to influence and deliver significant commercial outcomes • Opportunity to gain a professional qualification and/or higher degree at the same time as working • £2,000 per annum personal development budget • Boost your professional development and skills through leading and delivering a high-profile project for a company.

Opportunities are available with both the University of Brighton KTP Centre http://tinyurl.com/uobktp and nationwide http://ktp.innovateuk.org/.

Email ktpjobs@brighton. ac.uk for more information.

Working with the KTP proved to be a huge success exceeding our aspirations, and through this we have been able to provide fulltime employment to an exceptional graduate. We would fully recommend adoption of the KTP to others.

Jeff Henton, Rydon Construction

LOUISE VINCENT Business with Marketing BA(Hons) Parafix Tapes and Conversions Ltd Project aim: To innovate in sales and marketing by establishing a focused market growth plan based

FILIP JICINSKY Retail Marketing BSc(Hons) and MSc by Learning Objectives Rick Stein’s The Seafood Restaurant

on the company’s core competencies and sectorial customer needs.

Project duration: 2 years What are you doing now: Working as the Marketing Executive at Parafix Tapes and Conversions Ltd

Project aim: To define and implement a retail business strategy for e-commerce mail order, merchandising and management control, improving profitability, reducing costs, and providing a platform for future expansion.

Project duration: 2 years

KTP is a really good experience – you get to make changes in a company which can really make a difference. You are supported along the way and also have an opportunity to gain additional qualifications.

What are you doing now: Working as a Sales Operations Executive for Lidl Czech Republic

Fantastic, with excellent support from the company and university academics!

Two years of KTP is comparable to 5+ years’ experience in any other job.

DESTINATION OF LEAVERS FROM HIGHER EDUCAT ION (DLHE) SURVEY

Six months after you graduate we will contact you to find out what you are doing via the DLHE survey. This is part of a national survey conducted on behalf of the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) which all universities and HE institutions are required to do.

This information provides the government and universities with an accurate and upto-date picture of what graduates face after leaving university.

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Eligible graduates will be emailed a bespoke link and asked to fill in a form online or by telephone. The survey only takes a few minutes of your time and the information you provide is very important to us.

Data from the survey will be used for internal statistical analysis and management purposes as well as to build a picture of education and employment in the UK.

You can see how previous graduates responded here http://tinyurl.com/ bgradcareers

92.9%

OF OUR FULL-TIME, FIRST-DEGREE, UK GRADUATES ARE IN WORK AND/OR FURTHER STUDY. DLHE 2014–15

Please note that as we are required by HESA to achieve an 80% response rate, you may hear from us more than once to encourage you to complete the survey.

VOLUNTEERING X WITH STEM SUSSE

Nationally coordinated by STEMNET

STEM Sussex is committed to supporting and encouraging young people to actively engage with STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths subjects).

By becoming a STEM Ambassador you will be part of a national programme supporting and enthusing students with the STEM subjects as well as thinking about future careers and the importance of STEM in everyday life. With over 800 STEM Ambassadors in Sussex you will be part of a large network and can get involved in a variety of activities including

hands-on workshops, mentoring, subject talks and supporting large events such as the Big Bang Fair South East.

As a STEM Ambassador you can contribute to the local community, develop your communication skills and confidence.

All STEM Ambassadors receive free training, enhanced DBS and insurance. It’s a great addition to your CV and you don’t have to commit huge chunks of time.

Find out more: http://tinyurl.com/stemsx

Working closely with enthusiastic pupils as a STEM ambassador, watching their understanding and knowledge of an area of research grow, is a fantastic experience and always time well spent!

Dr Claire Marriott Learning and Teaching in Higher Education PGCert

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BECOME MORE ENTERPRISING Whether you have a great idea for a new business or product, or are just curious about entrepreneurship, we can help. We offer lots of free advice, specialist workshops and events to get your enterprise up and running.

SKILL UP AND STAND OUT

Enterprise skills such as negotiation and selling, financial planning and networking are all skills you can develop and use in any future role. These skills are more in demand than ever and by being resourceful, innovative and showing leadership you’re more likely to stand out from the crowd and have what graduate employers are looking for

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BEEPURPLE

Beepurple is the university’s entrepreneurship programme for students, graduates and staff who are interested in developing their enterprise skills and business ideas.

ENTERPRISE WORKSHOPS

Throughout the academic year, beepurple runs practical workshops to help you develop your enterprise skills, entrepreneurial thinking and to enhance your employability. At each session, you’ll meet likeminded people and have the opportunity to talk to recent graduates and local entrepreneurs who have set up businesses, social enterprises and charities.

Workshops are free and you can attend as many or as few sessions as you like. Most sessions are conveniently held at the end of the working day.

BUSINESS START-UP

If you dream of being your own boss and have an idea you would like to develop now, you can also access beepurple’s 1-to-1 business support, including idea development, help accessing finance, links to workspace and a network of business contacts.

Our intensive business startup course UltraViolet also runs annually and is open to graduates. The five-day course helps you develop your entrepreneurial skills and learn how to become self-employed.

International Event Management MSc graduate Faik Aktulga set up his business Wild Fangs with support from beepurple

ENTERPRISE AWARDS

Got a great idea for a product or service? Then enter our annual Enterprise Competition for students and alumni. It’s an award which aims to reward the most enterprising ideas for new products, services, and community projects in new or existing ventures. Winners not only receive a cash prize of over £2,000, but are provided with a full package of support to enable them to develop their ideas further, and turn them into reality.

Email beepurple@brighton. ac.uk to find out more about beepurple and the services we offer or visit http://tinyurl. com/benterprise.

The University of Brighton helped me build my dream job. During my MSc course, I took a module called Innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship. We talked a lot about ‘idea forming’, I use some of these techniques when making decisions for Wild Fangs.

Faik Aktulga Business Management with Marketing BA(Hons) and International Event Management MSc Director – Wild Fangs

I have met many interesting people through workshops who inspired me to start my own venture. The beepurple team have always been helpful, especially when I had an issue with my company trademark and the workshops helped me improve my all-round business skills and enabled me to find more customers.

Maria Fox Graphic Design BA(Hons) Founder – Maria Allen Boutique

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The university played a vital role in helping my fellow graduates and I get our first employment positions.

Hala Jawad Pharmacy MPharm

WHAT OUR GRADUATES SAY Brighton is perfect for creating entrepreneurs; as Brighton pushes you to voice your own opinions and focuses you towards learning about your passions.

Evan Mackrill Sports Product Design with Professional Experience BSc(Hons) Founder and CEO – Crown Hockey

The best part of being a Brighton Business School graduate is that you can venture into any sectors or position.

Farah Abu Hanipah Business Management BA(Hons) top-up Corporate Communications Senior Executive

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My time at Brighton really prepared me to conquer the challenges of a fastchanging and dynamic world.

Carmen Nibigira Travel Management BA(Hons) Regional Coordinator, East Africa Tourism Platform

As a health professional, if you are interested in working in international development emergencies, it’s critical to build your general skills in the NHS. Areas like paediatrics, neurology and trauma are of particular use. For physiotherapists I’d also recommend joining ADAPT, the network for physiotherapists in international health and development.

Peter Skelton Rehabilitation Science MSc Humanitarian Rehabilitation Advisor for UK Emergency Medical Team and Handicap International

My experience at the University of Brighton made me confident, ambitious, selfassured and passionate about addressing inequality.

Sarah Dickinson Social Science BA(Hons) Head of Equality Charters – Athena SWAN

As a mature student, I gained a lot of confidence in my own ability to develop new skills at an age when the majority of people are well into a set career path. My studies underpinned my career path and if I had studied at a different university, I doubt I’d be in my current role.

Wesley Ankrah Criminology and Sociology BA(Hons) Managing Director – Essential Living Future

GET YOUR FREE E-BOOK

Learn how to deliver pitch-perfect presentations confidently.

Download the free e-book, Get Your Public Speaking Mojo Back Forever, written by alumna and public speaking coach Julie Howell.

The book offers 50 fool-proof ways to become a confident public communicator. Go to http://tinyurl.com/UOBebook and use the code UOBFREE to download your complimentary copy while stocks last.

Make the most of your online alumni network They say ‘It’s not what you know, it’s who you know’ and when it comes to building your professional connections, nothing could be truer. Completed fully, LinkedIn is your professional portfolio online and it showcases your career history, your areas of expertise and your recommended strengths. Use it to your advantage and get connected with fellow professionals – and especially fellow Brighton alumni – who may help advance your career.

1. Create an effective profile on LinkedIn. Include a good quality, professional looking photo – it makes a big difference! Be relevant, concise and honest.

6. As you gain

experience, offer to share your knowledge or useful articles with newer alumni or students.

2. Add ‘University of Brighton’ to your education history. This automatically links you to the University of Brighton page where over 52,000 students and graduates are already connected. http://tinyurl.com/ BrightonLinkedIn

3. Explore the careers of more than 46,000 alumni by using the LinkedIn alumni search facility, filtering by profession, locality, company or skills.

5. Increase your network: join conversations, ask questions, seek opportunities to learn more or share information on the alumni page http://tinyurl.com/ LinkBtnAlumni

4. Is there someone in your industry or in a company with whom you would like to connect, learn from or exchange ideas with? Make a tactful approach and invite them to join a discussion.

MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR CAREERS SERVICE Get the best start to your future career and boost your graduate potential with opportunities and support from the University of Brighton Careers Service. careers@brighton.ac.uk 01273 642855 www.brighton.ac.uk/careers Be the first to discover jobs, opportunities and events – join us online University of Brighton Careers Service @uniofbrightoncs blogs.brighton.ac.uk/careers Keep in touch with your alumni association for the latest university and graduate news, offers and events: University of Brighton Alumni Association @brightonalumni blogs.brighton.ac.uk/alumni