Newsletter

Whether you're a graduate or final year student looking for work, or an early year student looking for placements or internships, career fairs are a great place to start!

It's a chance for you to find out more about different professions and make an impression on prospective employers. But don't just turn up, hover around the stand and go home with a bag full of free pens. To really make the most out of careers events plan your time before you get there, make sure you talk to employers, make a good impression and follow up any conversations you have. They might just lead you to your perfect career!

To find out more about how to plan and prepare for careers events read our full Careers Fair Guide here .

You'll find loads of events going on during the month of October. Check out your University Careers Service to find out what's going on at your institution.

You can meet the Graduates Yorkshire team out and about this month on a tour of some of the regions career and recruitment fairs. We'll be joining a whole load of other regional and national employers and chatting to students and graduates alike about careers in Yorkshire.

Come along and meet us at:

• Hallam Fm Recruitment Fair 9th October, 10am till 4pm, Sheffield City Hall
  
• Hull University, 16^th October
• York University Finance Fair, 21^st October
• Huddersfield University, 22^nd October
• Sheffield University, 4^th & 5^th November

You should be able to find further details of the above fairs through the University Careers or other organisers website or by contacting them directly.

We'd love to see you there!

You'll find most formal graduate schemes will ask you to fill in an application form. They can often be quite long and time consuming and it's really easy to make silly mistakes. But mixing up the company you're applying for or not paying sufficient attention to spelling and grammar could land your application straight in the bin.

For all the time and effort they take, you really need to make sure every application counts. Diane Hartley, Graduate Scheme Manager at HBOS plc tells us some of the pit falls you need to watch out for.

"I've viewed thousands of applications in my time as Graduate Scheme Manager and each year we find that candidates fall down in similar ways. It seems a shame that candidates are taking time and effort on applications and not making it past the first stage because of some silly mistake. Here are some really common mistakes you need to watch out for.

"Use your word limit. If a question lets you have up to 350 words as an answer, 49 really won't do. To stand out from the crowd you really need to sell yourself. So tell us more about you.

"Make sure you answer the question being asked and don't go off on a tangent.

"Take care with spelling and grammar. Inappropriate use of CAPITALS, txt talk, spelling mitsakes or having a lack of punctuation won't do you any favours.

"Check, check and then check again and if you're still not sure get someone you trust to look at it for you. A fresh pair of eyes will see mistakes that you've missed.

"We know copy and pasting from other applications goes on but please spend some time making sure you're referring to our company and not someone else's. It's one mistake that will find your application straight in the bin.

"All these tips might seem pretty obvious but at least 75% of the applications we've declined have been on this basis. Spending a little more time on your application may get you through to the next stage. Who knows, it might be that extra 30 minutes that gets you the career you've always dreamed of.

"If you're looking to apply for a HBOS graduate scheme I can assure you it's business as usual and with the Lloyds TSB merger it's going to be an interesting time. Anyone who joins us will have great opportunities and challenges - especially in the current market."

Find out more about the HBOS graduate scheme here. For more hints and tips on making applications and writing CV's visit our Application Advice section.

There's loads of reasons why Yorkshire's great. The places, the people and the atmosphere are all unique to the county and a great attraction to students and graduates alike. You'll find the cost of living far cheaper in Yorkshire than it is down South which is just one reason why settling in the county is a great choice for today's graduate. With a whole load of new job seekers fresh out of University and looking to start their careers we asked two graduates working in Yorkshire to tell us why they chose to settle here.

Andrew Downs joined Hallmark Cards' graduate scheme after applying for the role through Graduates Yorkshire's online service. He's been with the company for two months and currently lives in Leeds.

"Having lived in London for the past twelve months Yorkshire is a breath of fresh air, literally!" says Andrew. "It's not as busy, you can get around a lot easier and it's cheaper. Leeds is a great up and coming city with loads of potential. The countryside's not too far away too, should you want to escape the bright lights of the city.

Jenna Silke joined Hallmark in September and also lives in Leeds.

"It's fantastic for restaurants, bars and clubs and there's a great live music scene," says Jenna. "The shopping's great too with a good mix of both high-street stores and vintage shopping. You can have any type of lifestyle you want in Yorkshire because the region is so diverse. I like to go out to restaurants and bars at the weekends and to live gigs.

"Yorkshire's full of tradition and is a really fun place to be, firstly because there is so much to do and secondly because of the great people. Everyone's really friendly, hard working and down to earth. I'm originally from Manchester and have been made very welcome!

"Commercially, Yorkshire has a lot to offer. There's a wide range of industries with head offices here such as ASDA and Hallmark so there's a lot of potential if you're seeking work."

More information about living and working in Yorkshire can be found here or read more case studies from graduates working in the region here. For more information on graduate opportunities at Hallmark Cards, including their Graduate Programme, visit their website www.hallmark.co.uk or keep an eye on the Graduates Yorkshire website throughout October.

If you thought that graduate careers in the NHS were all about healthcare then think again.

You'll find over 300 careers on offer in areas including Healthcare, Finance, HR, Communications & PR, Construction & Surveying, Purchasing and General Management.

NHS Yorkshire and Humber is one of the largest organisations in the region and one of its biggest employers. It stands to reason that there must be a whole load of hardworking folk in roles across the board helping to keep everything running smoothly.

Its everyday running relies on people in all areas of the organisation involved in the management and support of healthcare activities and communications. Managing budgets, raising funds and public awareness and handling the general maintenance and development of NHS buildings.

There are few careers that are as rewarding as one in the NHS. But the feel good factor is not the only benefit! They can offer loads of support and training, opportunities for further study, a generous holiday and benefits package, structured pay progression and flexible working.

Check out the range of NHS opportunities advertised at Graduates Yorkshire now here.

Graduates Yorkshire is happy to support the Creative Careers fair, Great Victoria Hotel, Bridge Street, Bradford on 22nd October.

It’s a one-day event for anyone interested in working in the creative industries. Two Bradford-based creative and media organisations, Artworks and bmedi@, have joined forces to stage the event to promote the opportunities offered by one of the fastest growing sectors in the UK.

There’ll be a range of stands offering advice, information and opportunities, including:

• Local and regional businesses representing the arts, media, design, film and music sectors
• Further education
• Higher education
• Training providers
• Enterprise support agencies

There’s also a programme of seminars for students on the day.

Find out more by visiting www.artworksbradford.org.uk

A new study has found competition for graduate jobs is tough with not enough graduate level jobs for everyone leaving our universities. There are around 10.1m graduates in the UK but only about 9m graduate-level jobs according to research from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). This means that you'll need to be extra savvy in your job hunting to make sure you stay ahead of the competition.

Richard Lambert, director general of the CBI, said more graduates need to show they can "get out of bed in morning" and highlighted the need for "people skills" which he thinks a lot of today's graduates lack. Essential skills such as communication, language, team working and time management are all essential skills to get on in business and skills you need to be showcasing to potential employers.

Having some evidence of basic office and team-working skills on your CV could be exactly the kind of experience you need to prove you not only have the knowledge to do the job but you can apply it too!

Found out more about writing your CV and gaining voluntary and work experience in our Application Advice section.

You might remember that in our last newsletter we gave you the opportunity to win a Nintendo Wii in our online survey. Loads of you joined in and we're happy to announce the winners as follows:

1^st Prize winner: Gemma Stephens wins a Nintendo Wii & Wii Sports
2^nd Prize winner: Bilal Sheikh wins £75 Amazon Vouchers
3^rd Prize Winner: Corinne Bateman wins £25 Amazon Vouchers

Congratulations!

If you've ever bumped into the Graduates Yorkshire Team out and about we're sure you'll have admired our T-shirts. Wherever we go people always ask us where we got them from and if they can get one too! Well now you can.

Priced at a bargain £12 + p&p our t-shirts are top quality and come in a range of colours and styles. Find out how you can get your hands on one here.