While the coronavirus pandemic has had a significant effect on the economy and job market, there are still many opportunities available for current students and graduates.
In the current climate it can be easy to be disheartened about your own job hunt, and so to help provide some reassurance and useful tips to help, the Careers & Employability team have created the #IGotHired blog featuring students and graduates talking about their current roles, and the things they have done to help achieve success in the recruitment process.
Head over to the blog to take a look at what graduates are doing now, as well as some of the interesting roles current students have taken on while at the University of Liverpool. Here are a selection of some of the student stories:
Oscar: Tutor at The Tutor Trust
Oscar works part-time with The Tutor Trust as a maths tutor in local secondary schools.
I work part-time for The Tutor Trust as a secondary maths tutor in local secondary schools, providing extra tuition for pupils who need some additional support but, being from disadvantaged backgrounds, would otherwise not receive it.
Practically, this means I go into schools (Coronavirus dependent) and working with small groups of up to three pupils at a time helping them work towards their GCSE maths qualification. I am able to fit the work in around my History & French degree. I also plan sessions ahead of time, liaise with school staff, and try to tutor in such a way that the pupils gain not only competence in maths but confidence too.
I found out about this opportunity in my first year through an email from the University’s career service advertising the opportunity; all the more reason for students like me to stay plugged in to the Careers and Employability network!
Jess: Operational Meteorologist at the Met Office
Jess studied Ocean Science at the University of Liverpool and graduated in 2018.
I’m currently working as an Operational Meteorologist at the Met Office. The job involves forecasting the weather, answering enquiries and producing products for different customers so they are aware of the weather and any particular hazards they may be interested in for their operations. At the moment I work in defence so am stationed at an RAF base and provide meteorological information for local operations as well as tasking all over the world, other people work with civil airports and with other, non-aviation customers who are interested in met.
I applied during my 3rd year at university. I was never completely sure what I wanted to do after my degree but having studied ocean science I wanted to do something related and some of the climate modules I found really interesting. I attended an assessment day first and then got invited for an interview.
The assessment day involved a written test (maths and physics based) and a group assessment in which we were given a task and had to demonstrate teamwork/ leadership in completing the task in a time frame. The interview involved me doing a short presentation as well as the usual interview questions.
The training took about a year total, with 6 months of training similar to university in the way we would have classes and exams at the met office college. Then 6 months on the job training where I was posted to an RAF base (different to the one I am at currently), after qualifying I worked there for a couple of months before moving to my current position.
Lexie: Intern at Mindless Mag
Lexie is a final year BA Hons Communication and Media student who undertook an internship with Mindless Mag last year.
Hi, my name is Lexie, from China. I am a final year student, and last March I joined the online fashion magazine Mindless Mag for a one-month internship.
Through taking part in the internship I gained lots of skills and knowledge which I could never have learned from a textbook! I was able to explore the relationship between fashion and important social issues, with my articles appearing on the official website.
I had the chance to use LinkedIn and WordPress. And I enhanced my digital storytelling ability. More importantly, I received lots of encouragement from staff and other interns. Because of this wonderful experience, I have become more confident, and I really appreciate that.
I found out about this opportunity because I responded to an email about an open lecture for those who are interested in an online fashion magazine. I have a great passion and interest in a fashion magazine career, thus, I definitely did not want to miss this opportunity.
I personally think that knowing how to sell yourself is extremely important. No one knows you better than you do – so you really need to put yourself out there and let others know your strengths. And one thing: never be afraid to ask questions. Asking questions is a process of finding out what is missing. By doing so, you will always have a chance to improve yourself and become better!
If you’re interested in sharing what you’ve been up to, email careers@liverpool.ac.uk to find out how you can get involved.