Bespoke All-Age Careers Guidance and Coaching
  Dragon Career Associates
  • Home
  • About us
    • Privacy Policy
  • Blog
  • Contact us

Looking for a job? You should be on Twitter!!   An idiot's guide...

3/6/2014

1 Comment

 
Picture
Wouldn't it be great if you could be notified regularly about any vacancies that would appeal to you? If you could hear the latest news from the company that it would be your dream to work for? If you could find out about local news that might give you a heads-up about a company expanding, or moving into your area, indicating possible new jobs & therefore worthy of a speculative application?

Well you can via Twitter! It's simples!

If you can get your head around Facebook, you can easily deal with Twitter.

First, you don't have to tweet yourself. You can just "follow" the people/organisations that interest you. Getting "followed" is an accolade & will please those that you choose to follow - most will keep a record of their statistics & view their Twitter account followers as potential customers. They will be able to see your Twitter account name & will probably thank you for following them. You don't have to reply.

The tweets of those you follow will be saved to your "Home" page, so you don't have to be watching it every minute. But they can build up, especially if you follow a lot of people/organisations. If you're looking for a job, I'd advise you to make some time every day to go through them.

Who should you follow? Well, if you hold professional qualifications you should definitely follow your professional body. They may have a different account that tweets vacancy information. There will be other organisations that will tweet vacancy information for particular groups, for example Prospects will tweet about information relevant to graduates, Careers Wales information for those in Wales.

If you are interested in vacancies in South Wales, and the South West around Bristol, you should follow ME:
https://mobile.twitter.com/jayne_dragons. I tweet about careers information, interesting jobs, labour market information, links to relevant articles in the media, to inspire you to reach your goal.

If you click on the photo of the person or their twitter name, you will see whatever information they choose to share about themselves. Mine reads,

"Qualified Careers Guidance Practitioner & Coach: option choices; university courses; first job; career change. Accredited Morrisby Profile practitioner. South Wales, UK".

 You don't have to put anything for your own account, if you choose not to. But if you're going to be using the account for job search, you could put something like, "Psychology Graduate, interested in graduate opportunities in Bristol/ working with people/ uk wide" or whatever...

You will also see 3 pieces of information on each account:
                           - The number of tweets that person/organisation has made,
                           - The number of organisations/people that they are following
                           - The number of organisations/people that are following them
If you click on these numbers, you will see the details of those that are followers or being followed. This means that when you start following people, not only will they be notified by twitter, but others will be able to see that you're following them too. This is good if you want to make it known you're looking for a job!

It also means that if you want to explore other accounts to follow, you can look at who they are following, and follow that account yourself. Some people, like me, keep lists of people that they follow for specific purposes, and these lists can be private, or can be shared with others. For example, if you look at my account, you will see I have a public list of people/organisations that I follow for vacancies. You could go through that list and quickly follow those that would interest you too.

Setting up a Twitter account is easy:
https://mobile.twitter.com.

Why don't you get started today? Don't forget to follow me! @jayne_dragons!


Picture
1 Comment

 Intensive support & coaching to get that first job 

21/5/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
It is such a joy to me when a client achieves their goal! The news that has made me so happy is that one of the undergraduates that I've been working with has been offered a graduate job, on a 2 year graduate training programme, with great prospects for the future. She deserves every success too. Her Mum thanked me for my assistance, and told me that it really improved her confidence.

Well, that got me thinking. There are a whole bunch of young people who are either leaving school or university this summer, who would benefit from ongoing intensive support to get a job or training position.

Parents can do this, but I know from experience that being emotionally involved can hinder the process. Parents can be thought to be "nagging", or, if trying to give some space, "not interested". For some, it might be a long time since they have had to complete application forms or prepare a CV.

Although there is help out there for young people from different statutory and voluntary agencies, the trend is to get them to find out things for themselves & register for apprenticeships and job vacancies online. This is ok if they're motivated & full of confidence, but many need to be led and shown the way...

This summer I want to offer a personalised coaching service for a select group of school leavers/ graduates to help them get into their first position.

It will involve careers guidance on a one to one basis, as well as workshops to develop a CV, improve interview skills, & boost confidence. Regular meetings and/or telephone calls to talk about ongoing progress will be important, as will keeping parents involved/ informed as agreed between us.

Young people relate to coaching. They understand it through sports participation, where the aim is to improve performance to reach specific goals, whether as a beginner or an elite athlete. It will be important for their success that they are committed to working with me; I'm happy to discuss this at our initial meeting.

Costs would be based on our regular prices, but will be arranged on an individual pro-rata basis.
See our prices here.

Do get in touch if you, or your son/daughter would like to be part of this select group this summer!


0 Comments

Choosing GCSE options in Year 8 or Year 9

11/3/2014

4 Comments

 
Picture
It seems that more & more schools are going down the route of choosing options in Year 8 which gives the students more time to work towards good grades. However, it does mean that they are committing themselves earlier to certain paths, especially as GCSEs are often required as a precursor for A level subjects. It is certainly something that has caused a lot of discussion on Mumsnet talk threads recently! Parents want to know where they can get information and advice. The answer to this will depend a great deal on where you are in the UK, and what public services provide.


Online, there are 2 general careers websites where you can find information on choosing options and careers:
  • National Careers Service
  • Careers Wales which I think is better

The important principle is to keep as many career routes open as possible, so choose a balanced range of subjects. If capable of coping with it, I would advise choosing triple science, as separate subjects. This means that if a  decision  to study a science subject at A level is made, the step up from GCSE won't be quite as difficult.

There is still some snob value about certain subjects being valued more than others, which becomes more prevalent at A level. The A level subjects which the elite Russell Group of universities value as being "facilitating" subjects are:
  • Mathematics and Further Mathematics
  • English Literature
  • Physics
  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Geography
  • History
  • Languages (Classical and Modern)  
To see the full "Informed Choices" document which gives details on which A levels to choose for different university courses, as well as info on GCSE choices, see
here.

As a Careers Adviser, I strongly advise allowing students to choose subjects that they enjoy, which fortunately are often the ones that they're best at. This would include allowing really academic students to choose subjects for pure pleasure - like Art, Graphics, Design and Technology (e.g. Resistant Materials, Graphic Design, Textiles, and Food Technology), Media Studies etc. Yes, the Russell Group may not value these subjects at A level, but at GCSE, it really isn't a big deal so long as they also have a strong range of traditional subjects alongside.
Sometimes the discussion is concerned about the amount of homework that would be involved in choosing more practical subjects, and whether this would be to the detriment of their other subjects. Personally, I think that education is about developing the whole person and if a student is interested in something, then it should be pursued. It may even develop a talent that they want to use later on.

I'm conscious that a lot of MumsNet discussions focus on the very academic and high aspiring pupils. For those who aren't, the same principle applies - they should go with the subjects that they enjoy and that they're best at. The subjects which are essential are English & Maths, with Science coming a close third. As for the rest, they could all lead on to Level 3 qualifications, either at school, college or in the workplace, and even on to Higher Education at university. Lots of graduates from red-brick or ex-poly universities go on to graduate jobs - not least because many of the degrees offered there are vocational and highly valued by many employers.

As an alternative to GCSEs, BTEC First Certificates have been offered in some schools. These are often very attractive to pupils with a wide range of abilities. They have interesting titles like, "Animal Care", "Child Care", "Engineering" and so on. They are all practical subjects, primarily assessed via coursework (although I believe that the new courses have an exam too), with hopefully some work experience as a part of the course. Although the recommendation is that these courses are for all pupils, not just those deemed "non academic", there is a health warning that I would give them. In my experience, the courses are often timetabled in school such that they may not fit with academic streams. In general, I think that the same comments apply as those I give (above) regarding choosing subjects for pleasure. A balance should be kept regarding the proportion of a timetable allotted to BTEC courses. If it is only equivalent to the time allotted to 1 GCSE in a students timetable, then even the most academic student could choose it as an option without it narrowing their options. If it is equivalent to 4 GCSEs in the student's timetable then there is less room for academic subjects.

If students or their parents would like advice on which would be good subjects for them, ask to see your school's Careers Adviser.
In Wales, Careers Wales will have a presence in most schools, although face-to-face guidance is only offered to those in most need. 
In England, responsibility for providing impartial careers guidance has fallen to the schools where, hopefully they will have employed a qualified professional.

If you're not satisfied with the service provided by the school, it is possible to see a Careers Adviser privately. Look at the professional register of the Career Development Institute (CDI) to find a qualified professional in your area. Even better, if you're in the South Wales/ South West, contact us!

Picture
The road to...
4 Comments

So parents don't understand apprenticeships... here's some information that may help!

25/7/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture

There's generally a lot of confusion about apprenticeships amongst young people and their parents....... What exactly is an apprenticeship these days?  How does one find out about them? When do they start appearing? What are the entry requirements? Are the qualifications studied actually worth anything?

To make these questions even more perplexing, the terminology used to describe apprenticeships in England and in Wales is different. For those of us living on the borders, it is a good idea to know about both!

In general, apprenticeships are a formalised training contract that combine on the job training along with studying for work related qualifications. They are available in many career areas, not just the traditional craft/technical areas that have always been known about. Increasingly, new career areas are being added - e.g. there is a new apprenticeship route to qualify as a solicitor rather than via the usual Law Degree.

The qualification level studied varies from NVQ Level 2 (equivalent to GCSE level) to NVQ Level 3 (equivalent to A level standard) and on even higher to the equivalent of Higher Education qualifications. The minimum entry requirements to go on a Level 2 apprenticeship also varies, depending on the academic difficulty level of that particular career area, as well as the competition level likely to access that career, or employer. Hence to get a Level 2 Hairdressing Apprenticeship, it is possible that only a couple of GCSEs at grade C+ may be asked for; whereas to get into a Level 2 Electrical Engineering Apprenticeship, it is more likely that up to 5 GCSEs at grades C+ may be required, to also include specific subjects (such as English, Maths, Science preferably Physics, and sometimes Design & Technology - Resistant Materials). The specified subjects are usually required because they form the basis of knowledge to progress within that vocational area, and to cope with the NVQ or other vocational qualifications. The qualifications that are studied on an apprenticeship are those required by the employer, so by definition they are valued and are very transferable, both to other employers and to colleges. It is possible to transfer back into full time study afterwards, if a student has second thoughts for example about university study.

When and where are apprenticeships advertised?  
The larger companies with HR departments usually advertise early - between December and April. But smaller companies advertise when they know their requirements & budget, which could be any time of the year. Don't wait until you have taken your exams, or have your results to apply for apprenticeships - companies ask for "expected grades". Don't only apply for one apprenticeship - no matter how much you may want to work for a particular company, I have known great apprenticeship candidates lose out because they banked on one job.
IN WALES:
Apprenticeships are explained and advertised via the Careers Wales website; www.careerswales.com - see the Apprenticeship Matching Service. There are 3 different levels in Wales: 
                                        Foundation Apprenticeship, Apprenticeship, and Higher Apprenticeship.
IN ENGLAND:
Apprenticeships are explained via www.apprenticeships.org.uk. Once registered on the site, you can search & apply for vacancies. The website also allows you to save your searches & will email you when new vacancies that match your criteria are notified to the site. There are 3 levels of Apprenticeship in England: 
                                         Intermediate, Advanced, and Higher Apprenticeships.

Career Dragon's Top Tips:

  • Register with the relevant English/ Wales website (or both if you're on the border!) as soon as possible.
  • Apply for any apprenticeships that interest you, taking extreme care over the application form. This is the employers first impression of you: spelling mistakes and bad grammar will not get you an interview.
  • Prepare a CV that can be posted or left with potential employers. It has been estimated that over half of all vacancies are never advertised at all. Use any contacts you and your family/ friends have to network and put the word out for you.
  • Make sure that you know what you're applying for; about careers in that area, and as much as you can about the firm. Try and show that you have done this research in your application form/CV - it shows enthusiasm, commitment, and intelligence.
  • Have a back-up plan. Apprenticeships are VERY hard to get, so apply for a full-time course at college, or at school in case you're not lucky this year. You can continue to apply for apprenticeships whilst studying, or after your course next year.

0 Comments

    Archives

    December 2018
    February 2017
    August 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    March 2014
    December 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013

    Categories

    All
    A2 Levels
    A Level Choices
    A Levels
    A Level Subjects For Medicine
    A Level Subjects For Veterinary Science
    Application Forms
    Apprenticeships
    As Levels
    Btec Extended Diploma
    BTEC First Certificate/Diploma
    Careers Guidance
    Coaching
    Confidence Building
    Counselling
    Employment
    Employment After A Levels
    Further Maths A Level
    Gcses
    Graduate Jobs
    Guidance
    Level 3 Apprenticeships
    Level 3 Courses
    Mumsnet
    No Career Ideas
    Option Choices
    Options After A Levels
    Returning To Work
    Russell Group
    Soft A Level Subjects
    Ucas
    University Choice
    University Decisions
    Welsh Baccalaureate

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.