Was I right to go to university?

Hi I'm Charlotte, a current editorial intern at TARGETjobs. I have recently read a research report by TARGETjobs’ parent company, GTI Media, which was sponsored by EY. It found many parents seem to think of university as the only route for their children, as only 1% said they know ‘a lot’ about university alternatives such as school leaver programmes. 

During my editorial internship at GTI Media, I have researched and drafted articles for TARGETjobs, which is a graduate careers site, and I have also researched and drafted articles for TARGETcareers, which is aimed at school leavers who are deciding whether they want to go to university or not. I have learned there are many options available to students who have completed their A levels and it has made me think about my decision to go to university: is a degree worth the price tag or are work experience and other ‘earn while you learn’ routes  more valuable in the current employment market? Here are my thoughts.

The benefits of working

I have developed many skills that I can take to a publishing workplace during my four month internship. GTI Media has offered me training in how to conduct editorial interviews, how to communicate with clients, and the basics of search engine optimisation and HTML. I have also learned what recruiters think when interviewing, which will help me with interview processes in the future. These are all great skills and examples to add to my CV.

The best part, for me, has been gaining an understanding about business in general. I’ve had part-time jobs before, but attending weekly meetings at GTI Media about the progress of publications and online content, for example, has given me a commercial awareness and exposed me to how a successful business operates. My experiences have led me consider a business career – something I would never have thought of before. 

The training I have been given has been invaluable. My communication skills have grown from emailing and calling clients as well as interviewing professionals and graduates. My persistence has been tested from not giving up when clients have been hard to get hold of. My writing skills have been developed from drafting articles aimed at different target audiences that are published online and in print. I have learned that I work best when I have many different projects to keep my mind busy, and that I am motivated by visual results, such as seeing articles I have drafted being uploaded online. Surely these examples and skills will appeal to recruiters, not what I think of Dante’s Inferno?

The benefits of university

I have learned a lot of life skills during two years at university that are invaluable for later life. Moving away from home to a new area has allowed me to come out of my comfort zone. It took me time to realise that I'm not going to get on with everyone I cross paths with. I have learned how to pay bills, how to deal with the council, and how to balance my academic studies, extracurricular activities, a part-time job and a social life. How would I have gained these experiences if I did not go to university?

Being an English literature and drama student, I have developed my analytical, research and writing skills from meetings with academics who are experts in their field. University has also given me the opportunity to get involved with extracurricular activities, such as production managing for a theatre company, which has allowed my organisation and management skills to grow. Would I ever have got involved with production managing without going to university? I doubt it.

In conclusion

I have not reached an answer to my original question – I believe there are many options available to students and that all are valuable for different reasons. I do not regret my decision to go to university, as I will have three years’ worth of great memories and friends, and have accepted I will start my working life with a lot of debt. However, I do think that being in the workplace (whether via an internship or apprenticeship) teaches you how to apply your skills in a professional, working environment. Everyone has different desires and needs – students need to explore the variety of routes available to make sure their decision is the best one to suit their aspirations and career. 

Article written by Charlotte Wharf, TARGETjobs Editorial Intern. Connect with Charlotte on LinkedIn. 

5 tips for making friends during freshers’ week

Hi I'm Charlotte, a current editorial intern at GTI Media (the parent company of TARGETjobs). The time has come where you are probably buying pots and pans, searching Facebook for your new flatmates and getting very excited at the prospect of going to university and freshers’ week. I'm going into my final year at university, so have been there, done that and got the t-shirt. I know meeting new people and moving away from home can be daunting, so check out my five top tips for making friends during freshers’ week.

1. Get involved.

During freshers’ week (or freshers’ fortnight, as many universities have) there are lots of events to get involved with, from nights out to poster sales. Go along to the events with course mates, flatmates or anyone else you have bumped into. There will be Facebook events where you can see the nights out that your Student Union has planned for your first week or two, so buy tickets. You don’t necessarily have to buy tickets for every night, but if you arrive and your entire flat is going out, you’ll probably want to go (trust me). Even if a night out isn't your thing, go along to the freshers’ fair, pots and pans sales, and explore campus – you’re bound to bump into other freshers or students.

2. Buy a doorstop.

Chances are you’ll be spending a lot of time with your flatmates, certainly in the first few weeks while you’re settling in. Buy a door stop! This welcoming gesture will mean your fellow flatmates can introduce themselves while you unpack and people are more likely to say hello and chat to you.

3. Join societies and clubs.

Clubs, societies and extracurricular activities are a great way to meet people who have similar interests to you. Whether you are a football fanatic, you love cocktails, or you are obsessed with Harry Potter, there will probably be a club or society that you can join. Go along to the freshers’ fair and sign up for everything that interests you, as many clubs and societies will have taster sessions.

The clubs and societies you join in your first year can really help your CV. Check out TARGETjobs’ article on how to gain work experience from extracurricular activities. 

4. Smile.

It may sound obvious, but smiling will make you seem much more approachable! Smile and talk to everyone – you never know, these people could be your life-long friends.

5. Relax and be yourself.

You’ll meet lots of people during the first few weeks at university – some will be shy, some will be confident, and some will rarely venture out of their room. Just remember: everyone is in the same boat. Most of you have moved away from home and are probably in a new area. Be yourself, don’t worry and be confident that you will make friends. It’s true what they say: university really is some of the best years of your life!

Article written by Charlotte Wharf, TARGETjobs Editorial Intern. Connect with Charlotte on LinkedIn. 

Parents fill in ‘guidance gap’ over career advice for school-leavers

• 53% of parents felt they were the biggest influence on their children’s post A-Level education and career choices – more than their child’s friends and careers advisers

• 79% of parents felt that their child did not have a clear idea of what they wanted to do after finishing education

• Over three quarters of parents felt that extra-curricular activities were just as important as academic activity

LONDON, 11 August 2015: With A-Level results released this week, over half of parents say they will have the biggest influence over their child’s next steps, but most aren’t fully aware of the non-university options available, reveals new research from graduate recruitment company, GTI Media, and professional services firm, EY.

The YouGov survey of 1,018 parents looked at their role in giving careers guidance; their attitude towards schools; and whether young people are adequately prepared for the workplace.

When asked to rank who had the biggest influence over their children’s education and career decisions, the majority of parents - 53% - felt they had the biggest influence. This was followed by teachers on 23% and their children’s friends on 23%. Careers advisers were ranked in fourth place with 21%. However more than half of parents (64%) recognised that they needed better information and called for more resources to help them to support their children at this important juncture.

In addition to this, only 1% of parents said they knew ‘a lot’ about school leaver programmes; only 6% knew of ‘vocational further education courses’; and only 9% were fully aware of 'apprenticeships or higher apprenticeship programmes’.

Maggie Stilwell, Managing Partner for Talent at EY, comments: “The survey results suggest that there is a ‘guidance gap’ between what parents expect their role to be and the knowledge they have at their disposal."

“While parents are aware of their influential position over such an important decision, they are looking to be better armed with resources to help ensure they are able to give the best advice possible. In the absence of information and awareness about alternative career routes, such as an apprenticeships or school-leaver schemes, university can often become the default option.”

University continues to be promoted as favoured career route

The survey also looked at the perception of careers advice that young people received. Of those surveyed, 25% of parents were not aware of any career advice given to their child at school, and over half (51%) stated their child had received ‘some but not enough’. In addition to this, over three quarters (79%) of parents felt that their child didn’t have a clear idea of what to do after leaving school or college.

According to the survey, university continues to be the most promoted career route by schools with 37% of parents stating that their child’s school ‘promotes the university route as the best route to take’.

Matt Dacey, Director of Products and Services at GTI Media, added: “The research highlights the extent to which parents and schools still see university as a default route for young people. Employers are having difficulty in promoting alternatives to university, particularly at a time when professions from accountancy and financial services through to engineering are looking to increase their school leaver intake through the creation of exciting new alternatives. The need to engage and support parents with information about these would seem more important than ever.”

Maggie comments: “Regardless of whether students ultimately opt for university, a school leaver scheme, apprenticeship or another route entirely, it’s important that they are able to make well informed choices about their career path. This requires parents, schools and employers to work together to fill the current perceived guidance gap."

Parents concerned by employability skills

Like many employers, parents recognise the importance of work experience and other extra-curricular activities as a means of young people developing skills that will later benefit them in the workplace. Over three quarter of parents (76%) stated that ‘what their child does outside school is as important to their development as formal education’.

Despite this, only 39% of parents’ surveyed said their children had a paid part-time job or worked as a volunteer.

Maggie comments: “As the competition for talent increases, it is ever more important for school-leavers to have developed key life skills such as communication and collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving. These are some of the strengths that we look for as part of our recruitment processes."

"This doesn't have to mean a month-long internship though, or a gap year in Tibet. These are skills that can be honed at a Saturday job in a supermarket or even on the school football or netball team."

Download the full report from the GTI Media website. 

Read more here. 

Five top tips for de-stressing your results day

Hi I’m Lizzie, a current editorial intern at GTI Media (the parent company of TARGETjobs). The big day that thousands of students across the UK have been anxiously waiting for is nearly upon us, A Level results day! Everyone knows that getting your exam results can be a pretty terrifying experience – but there are steps you can take to prepare for any outcome, and make results day far less stressful! Here are our five top tips for de-stressing your results day. 

1. Get distracted and stress-free.

Make yourself a cup of tea: everyone in Britain knows this is the number one way to deal with any situation, ever. Other good ways of relieving stress include: having a mini dance party to yourself, doing something fitness-related, or watching something funny – particularly stand-up comedy as the jokes are regular and continuous. The more you smile the less stressed you’ll feel.

2. Try to get a good night’s sleep.

Falling asleep can be a very hard thing to manage if you’re stressed out over exam results. But, if you stay up all night worrying, you’re going to be overly tired and maybe a little more emotional the next day – which is not a good idea! Try to get to bed early and fall asleep before you get caught up in your thoughts and worries. Listening to relaxing music can help you do this.

3. Back-ups are OK!

It’s really hard to gauge how exams go and what sort of marks to expect. Chances are, you will have prepared properly for your exams, and so are in with a good chance of getting the results you want. However, if the worst comes to the worst, retakes or going through clearing are not the end of the world! If you think that you might have to go through clearing, research before your results come out which courses different universities offer for this; remember that you are not limited to only the subject you originally applied for. Also, always phone universities yourself – they’ll want to speak to you, not your parents!

4. Your options are wide open.

No matter what grades you get, you will find employment after graduation in your field if you do your research and gain enough of the right skills from work experience or internships. A part-time job can help you long-term too. Even if you don’t walk away with high marks, you can still take the necessary steps to make yourself employable in every other way possible, so you’ll be OK.

5. Accept that worrying won’t change anything.

This one is probably the hardest to do, but it’s also the most important. The fact is, your exams have already been taken, and your essays have already been handed in. There’s nothing you can do at this point to change the marks that you’re going to be given, so stressing yourself out over them is pointless. Just know that you did the best you could at the time, regardless of any outside circumstances. If it comes to it, there are loads of different ways of making up for lost marks to employers. But try to keep your chin up, because you’re going to be absolutely fine.

Good luck!

Article written by Lizzie Akass, TARGETjobs Editorial Intern. Connect with Lizzie on LinkedIn. 

An intern’s guide to finding work experience and internships

Hi I’m Lizzie, a current editorial intern at GTI Media (the parent company of TARGETjobs). I know that finding the right work experience, internship or placement when you're a student can be tricky, so here are a few tips and tricks that I’ve learned from my own application process for anyone needing a little help!

Use your university’s careers and employability service

My university was my main resource to find work experience opportunities. It’s how I found a work shadowing day at GTI Media, which led to me getting a summer internship in its editorial department. Your university’s careers and employability centre should advertise placement, internship, work experience and work shadowing opportunities – so keep up to date with what’s advertised on their website and in their e-mails. Also, keep going to the careers advice centre’s talks and presentations; I went to a few presentations by our careers advice team and found them really helpful. The people I spoke to continued to e-mail me with ideas and advice afterwards, and even offered to conduct a practice interview with me when I told them I got an internship interview at GTI Media. Unfortunately I couldn’t take this opportunity due to a lack of time with essay deadlines, but in hindsight I think it would have been really helpful as it was very different to interviews for my previous jobs.

Use what’s available online

You need to do thorough research on job descriptions, companies, and vacancies. There is an entire section of the TARGETjobs website giving advice on internships and advertising available opportunities and openings. There are also plenty of companies and organisations that use social media to advertise openings in specific fields. Alternatively, if you have any particular companies in mind see if they advertise any work experience or placement opportunities themselves, or if you’ll need to contact them directly to find out if they do.

Choosing where to apply

Stay open minded when making this decision, as any experience you get in your field will give you valuable skills and experience, give you a great insight into a potential career, help you make networking contacts, and be good to put on your CV. Internships and placements are brilliant if you have a clearer idea of what area of work you’d like to go into, but if you’re unsure then short term work experience and work shadowing days are perfect. They’re a great way to get insight into fields that you’re thinking about, plus whilst you’re there you can speak to people in various sectors to learn about different roles that you could potentially look into in the future.

For a break down of all the experience opportunities available to you, look no further than TARGETjobs! 

Article written by Lizzie Akass, TARGETjobs Editorial Intern. Connect with Lizzie on LinkedIn.