From Campus to Careers

This episode of the workshop mini-series covers a commonly misunderstood topic - cover letters. We discuss what a cover letter is, what it should look like and how and when it should be used. We also discuss speculative cover letters and what advantages these can have in the hidden jobs market. To find more advice on cover letters, please visit our website. 

In the first episode of our workshop mini-series, we take a deep dive into the world of CVs. Starting with the basics, we discuss what a CV is and why it's important to have one. We also chat about the various types of CVs, as well as best practices around creating your own CV for a particular role, employer or industry. For more advice on CVs, visit our website. 

In this episode, we are joined by a special guest from the Leonard Cheshire Change100 scheme, who shares some valuable insights on how best to approach sharing your disability with an employer. We also chat about the Change100 scheme and how their internship opportunities can be of great benefit to students and graduates.Links mentioned in the episode:Change100 InternshipsFind Charlie on LinkedIn

Joining us on today's episode is our very own careers consultant, Samira. Together, we quizzed our special guest, Josh on how students should approach engaging with employers at virtual events. Josh works in the early talent recruitment team at GlaxoSmithKline and offers up some invaluable insights on how best to impress employers at virtual careers fairs and workshops.Chat with Josh or one of his team from GSK at our upcoming virtual careers fair. Book your place on Aston Futures! 

We're back for the new academic year! This episode is perfect for any first year students just starting their journey at Aston. During the episode, we chat about all things Careers and Placements, as well as doing some myth-busting of common perceptions around careers.All of the links to resources we mention in the episode can be found here:Careers and Placements websiteOnline ToolsResource LibraryCareers and Placements blog 

In this episode, we're joined by Aston Alumni, Panashe Kativu. She helps unpack what a career in research really looks like, talking about some of the challenges it presents, as well as the parts of it she loves. If you're thinking about exploring research as an option after you graduate, make sure you give this episode a listen.Find Panashe on LinkedIn

In this episode, we're joined by Aston Alumni, Adil Delwar.Adil helps unpack what a career as an entrepreneur really looks like, talking about some of the challenges it presents, as well as parts of it he loves. If you're thinking about exploring starting your own business, this episode is a must-listen! Find Adil on LinkedInFind out about Palm Life

In this episode, we're joined by Aston Alumni, Pakhi Sharma. She helps unpack what a career as a business analyst really looks like, talking about some of the challenges the role presents, as well as parts of the role she loves. If you're thinking about exploring a graduate role in business analysis, make sure you give this episode a listen.Find Pakhi on Linkedin

In this episode, we're joined by Aston Alumni, Aaisha Begum. She helps unpack what a career in consultancy really looks like, talking about some of the challenges the role presents, as well as parts of the role she loves. If you're thinking about exploring a graduate role in consultancy, make sure you give this episode a listen.Find Aaisha Begum on LinkedIn

We're joined by current placement student, Jack McLarney to talk about all things placements. Jack landed his placement with Traffic Group Signals just before the coronavirus pandemic hit and has been working both on-site and from home since starting his role. He talks about some of the challenges he faced finding a placement, as well as the value of the placement year and all of the advantages it has to offer.Show notes:Aston Futureshttps://astonfutures.aston.ac.uk/How to contact the Placement CoordinatorsBook an appointment on Aston Futures, or email your College Placements Teambssplacements@aston.ac.ukepsplacements@aston.ac.ukhlsplacements@aston.ac.uk

On this episode, we're joined by Lucy Holder, staff member, baker and most importantly, owner of Lulu's Bakes. By day, Lucy works with the Careers and Placements team as the Placement Preparation Manager so some of you may be familiar with her already. However, what you may not know is Lucy also runs her own business selling delicious baked goods. Lucy chats about her journey from casual baker at university to building her own business and brand through social media. We talk about her favourite bakes, including a hot take on her very own cookie recipe. We also chat about the many challenges she's faced over the years and what she's done to overcome them. If you're interested in learning about running your own business, cake, or both - this is a must-listen! Show notes:Lulu’s Bakes on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lulus.bakes/ Lulu’s Bakes on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lulus.bakes1 Support from BSEEN: https://b-seen.biz/students-and-graduates/To speak to the Placement Coordinators, you can book an appointment on Aston Futures (https://astonfutures.aston.ac.uk/), or email your college email address:bssplacements@aston.ac.uk epsplacements@aston.ac.uk hlsplacements@aston.ac.uk

This episode we're joined by Howard Duffy, Enterprise Consultant with BSEEN and Aston Enterprise. Howard talks us through just some of the opportunities students and graduates of Aston University have to develop their entrepreneurial skills, including the opportunity to start your own business with the BSEEN programme. We talk about some of the success stories to come through Aston Enterprise, and some of the challenges the service has faced and overcame in the midst of the pandemic. If you're interested in developing your enterprise skills and perhaps have an idea for your very own business, this is a must-listen!Show notes:Aston Enterprise WebsiteFind them on FacebookFind them on InstagramFind them on TwitterFind them on LinkedInFind them on YouTube

On this episode we're joined by placement student, Meha Bhindi to chat about how she's finding her first few months on placement. Meha discusses the work from home experience and reflects on the value of doing a placement as an optional placement student.Show notes:Aston Futures https://astonfutures.aston.ac.uk/ Online tools https://www2.aston.ac.uk/careers/cv/psychometric-testing-and-assessment-centres/resource-libraryHow to contact the Placement CoordinatorsBook an appointment on Aston Futures, or email your College Placements Teambssplacements@aston.ac.ukepsplacements@aston.ac.ukhlsplacements@aston.ac.uk 

In this episode, we're joined by First year Careers Coordinator, Emily Cunningham and Jobshop and Volunteering Services Manager, Cathy Laird to discuss all things work experience, focusing particularly on the virtual kind. This growing area of opportunity is new to many students, with Covid-19 leading businesses to take their recruitment into the virtual world. We chat about what virtual work experience is, how you can find it and how you can best prepare for working in a remote setting. 

Join us for a chat with recent Aston graduate, Jordan Smith. He fills us in on how things are going with his graduate job, what happened when he applied early for his placement and graduate role, how he tracked his applications to stay organised, what advice he would give to students, and much more!

On this episode, we're joined by Aston graduate Alix Twiggs to discuss all things study abroad. Alix chose to take the study abroad option for her placement year at Aston and discusses some of the challenges she faced as well as some of her favourite moments from her time in Valencia. If you're considering using the placement year to take a year abroad to study, this is a must-listen!Show notes:Link to Aston Futures

We're joined by Hollie from the Placements Preparation Team this episode to discuss all things placements. We chat about the things you should be doing at the start of second-year to get ahead, and discuss the many placement options available. This is a must-listen for all you second and first-year Aston students!

As we start the academic year with 'the new normal', virtual careers events have become an essential way for employers to engage with students. For many students, this is a new challenge and may seem quite daunting. To help you, we've sat down to discuss some tips and advice on how best to prepare to engage with employers at these events.

This one is aimed at our returning students who will be searching for a placement, graduate or further study opportunity this year. It's vital to make the first few weeks back at university count as we discuss some useful tips and advice to ensure you get a head start on your employability. 

This episode of From Campus to Careers focuses on the people and the teams behind Careers and Placements. We'll meet staff from across the department to chat about who they are, what they do, and how you can access their support as an Aston University student.