Their manifesto calls for careers education at an earlier stage and a new qualification which assesses numeracy, literacy, ICT and foreign languages.  They are basically proposing a shift whereby education is as much about preparing for the workplace as it is about academic achievement.

You can download the BCC Skills and Employment Manifesto here:
http://www.britishchambers.org.uk/policy-maker/policy-reports-and-publications/the-bcc-skills-and-employment-manifesto.html

Last year, when my daughter was still at university, she took on 2 weeks unpaid work experience in digital marketing.  It wasn't the most exciting of jobs but she did it to the best of her ability.  Consequently, the company paid her to stay on longer.  (Incidentally, this work experience was obtained via a post on LinkedIn - a powerful platform for job seekers.)

This year, following completion of her degree, the same company offered her a permanent employment contract.  The work this year is more interesting, carries more responsibility and is giving her a good grounding in digital marketing, PPC and SEO.

Clear evidence that unpaid work experience can lead to paid employment!

All forms of work experience have value but it helps if you can gain "relevant" experience in the field that you ultimately wish to work in.  If you want to work in marketing, then try to get work experience in marketing.  Likewise, accounting and so forth.  Relevant experience will count for more. - not always but usually.

I'm not saying that car washing, leaflet dropping and other forms of casual work are worthless... they're not.  They demonstrate a sound work ethic which is highly sought after in the job market.  But if you can combine your work ethic with relevant experience, you will likely gain more relevant skills and knowledge and enjoy greater success.

Work experience can also include volunteering.  Whilst the latter is generally perceived as supporting worthwhile causes, most charities have accounting, marketing and administration functions so can still provide you with "relevant" skills.

Good luck!
 
Email me if you need help with your CV or any other aspect of your job search.

So you've graduated in the class of 2013... Well done!

What next?

If you don't have a job, an internship or work experience lined up, what should you do next?

Perhaps take a gap year?

If you didn't take a gap year before you started college or university, now might be a good time to do this.  However, it's crucial that you plan what you're going to do and that as well as being a great experience it will add value to your CV.   Here are just a few options:

Volunteering can be highly beneficial - not just as a worthwhile experience but also in terms of adding skills and experience to your CV.  Just Google "work experience" to find a host of possibilities both at home and abroad.  You could work in a remote support or teaching role, or perhaps work for a charity - volunteering your time to help the needy or less privileged, or just helping the wheels of their office run smoothly - possibly helping with bookkeeping, running charity events, raising awareness.

Whatever volunteering you opt for, it's best to ensure that it's relevant or that you'll gain valuable transferable skills.

If you find yourself twiddling your thumbs, what about learning some new skills - ideally vocational skills such as IT or copywriting?  Or you could apply for a full-blown vocational course such as a Marketing Diploma and perhaps combine this with part time or full time work too.

Notice I "independent travel".  Anyone can book package tours but it takes careful planning, research and self belief to travel independently.  You'll generally go off the beaten track and out of your comfort zone, all of which can add to your soft skills - initiative, research, adaptability, self-sufficiency, resilience, problem solving, team leadership, project management, risk analysis, etc.  You'll also meet with people of all cultures and enjoy diverse and memorable experiences.

Many years ago I travelled solo to Australia and New Zealand.  I obtained a "Working Holiday Visa" and was able to take temporary office and bar work to subsidise my travel costs.  I can still say today that it was the best year of my life and it made me much more confident than I'd previously been.

Who wants to work for free?  No-one I suspect - including me!  But work experience helps you acquire new skills and adds value to your CV and it often leads to paid work.  Do take care that you're not simply unpaid labour.  Choose your work experience carefully and try to agree a plan with the employer so you're sure of working with or shadowing different managers and growing your knowledge.

Or you could register with an employment agency and take on a succession of temporary roles that will give you some vocational experience and transferable skills for your CV.  Temporary jobs often transition into permanent roles.  If a company likes what they see, they'll likely make you an offer.  So, again, target the type of company or market that you'd like to work in.

Many students obtain a TEFL qualification to enable them to work overseas AND earn money at the same time.  Unlike independent travel, you'll probably spend most of your time in one location but you'll still have a fantastic experience while acquiring transferable skills such as team leadership, planning, motivating.

• Don't get off the roundabout - you might never get back on
• Don't waste your time taking "well-deserved R&R" - you'll miss the boat
• Don't chill out watching TV or catching up on 3 years' worth of missed sleep

Life's not a rehearsal  - you're future starts now.

And remember that learning is lifelong - it doesn't stop after your graduation ceremony.

I read an article this morning which has left me feeling a little incensed.  The article in The Telegraph (Education Section) discussed whether:

1) Employers should ignore internship experience because it may indicate that the candidate has been privileged, and

2) Employers should ignore graduates' degree classifications - again because it may suggest privilege or better educational opportunities. 

So, where does that leave the graduates who've worked really hard to gain a place at a good university and achieve a first-class degree?

Where does that leave work ethic? 

Where does it leave the fact that some people are - in reality - more intelligent and more employable than others?

The fact is, the world isn't, and never will be, a level playing field; it's a jungle.  But the same opportunities are out there for anyone who wants to get off their backsides and go after them.  I know people who've attended state schools and gone on to become lawyers.  And I know people who've had a private, aka 'privileged', education and gone on to achieve very little.

Success is a mindset.  It's about parents encouraging and supporting their kids.  It's about kids getting off backsides to seek out and make the most of every opportunity.  There's plenty of help out there for the under privileged.  Educational establishments should focus on referring kids to those resources and, if necessary, running classes for parents to educate them on the importance of supporting, stimulating and motivating their kids; leading by example. 

In terms of level playing fields, we need to be very careful about the message we send out and we should avoid at all costs undervaluing or resenting those who have worked hard to create a brighter future for themselves.

For those who'd like to read the article, here it is: Telegraph Article

by Barbara Patrick
Professional CV Writer and Career Coach
Compelling CVs
Reading Berkshire

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There's been a lot of debate in the media recently about UCAS personal statements, highlighting the disparity between the support that private school students receive when writing their UCAS statements, and the support (or lack of support) that state school students receive.

The research was commissioned by The Sutton Trust  and undertaken at the University of Manchester who compared UCAS Personal Statements of 309 applicants, all with identical grades.

Read the Times Higher Education article here

The gist of the article is that privately educated applicants apparently had statements that were well crafted and articulated, and they had better quality work experience that their "well placed" contacts had presumably facilitated for them.  Whereas state educated applicants had less well crafted statements, were less likely to have had help compiling them, had only experienced Saturday jobs, and had worse grammar and spelling than the "privileged" kids.

I'm not convinced - especially by the grammar element! These kids all had the same grades after all...

But is this really an issue of privilege?  The same information and advice is available to all - private and state school students, parents, teachers and careers advisors.

Why shouldn't - more importantly, why wouldn't - parents want to give their kids all the support they can?  This support should be forthcoming from parents regardless of wealth or education.

Private education is no longer the privilege of the wealthy.  I know lots of ordinary parents who are not big earners but who send their kids to private schools because they want their kids to have the best possible start in life and/or they feel that the state system is inadequate.  They want their kids to attend schools that maintain high standards both in teaching and in behaviour.  Schools where teaching staff are passionate about their subjects, are able to engage the children in learning, and can maintain discipline in the classroom.  Who wouldn't want that for their kids?

Conversely I know well-off people who've had to take their kids out of private school because of changes to their circumstances and some who are happy to use the state system where good state schools exists, eg Buckinghamshire and Berkshire.

On the subject of work experience, it's not solely down to "who you know".  Yes, there's a bit of that but it's often just about making the effort.  I secured 2 lots of work experience for an undergraduate earlier this year, just by tweeting.  How easy is that?  No favours.  No friends in high places.  Just a little effort.

Likewise I got fantastic work experience in a law firm some years ago for a GCSE student, just by picking up the phone and going through the solicitors on Yellow Pages.  Again, no favours, just a little effort.  This didn't involve privilege in any way, shape or form.  Anyone can access the yellow pages and start ringing around.

Yes, there will always be disparity and an element of privilege and I'm glad of it.  The world would be rather dull if we were all the same.  But this needn't impact on UCAS personal statements.

There is a wealth of information available about writing UCAS statements.  State educated kids and their parents and teachers all have access to the same information as the privately educated.  It's all on the UCAS website, on the internet generally, on individual university websites, in their prospectuses and in the libraries.  And I can tell you from personal experience, that kids and parents are totally bombarded with information from UCAS long before the application process starts.  There is absolutely no excuse for ignorance or for lack of preparation.

There's a typical example on our UCAS Personal Statements page of the sort of information that's freely available to all university applicants.  It's a short video that illustrates how to approach the UCAS statement and how to brainstorm your skills, achievements, motivations, etc.

Click this link to view the video: http://www.compellingcvs.co.uk/ucas-personal-statements.html

I disagree that good quality UCAS personal statements are the domain of the privileged few.  It's about effort and motivation and wanting your child to succeed (or, in the case of teachers, wanting your students to succeed).

On a final note, CompellingCVs provides support with UCAS Personal Statements for students from all walks of life and we'd be happy to help you or your child with their UCAS statement.

There was a big hullabaloo a while ago about the big supermarket chains exploiting work experience to create a pool of "slave labour".  Whether the criticisms were right or wrong, there is absolutely no doubt that work experience is a great opportunity for the young unemployed to acquire some new skills, gain self confidence and add to their employability.  OK, so shelf stacking may not be mentally taxing and it may not involve great skill, but is it really so bad?