Career Zone Podcast

Global Leaders in action: Student experiences and stories that inspire

This week Zuzanna Radecka, Partnerships and Global Employability Officer, is joined by students Hannah and Josh, to discuss their experience of taking part in the EAIE Conference. Hannah and Josh share how they have applied the skills they developed from their Global Leaders Experience to real life situations, how their experience has influenced their career aspirations and provide advice to students considering applying for a Global Leaders Experience.

The Global Leaders Experience is a unique opportunity to develop your intercultural skills as part of a short, outbound mobility experience. Typically a week in duration and covering themes such as sustainability, human rights and digital heritage, you will travel to a significant city or location outside of the UK and be immersed in the local environment, presented with real-world challenges and work closely with a diverse range of other students and professionals.

Understanding Commercial Awareness

In this week’s podcast, we consider commercial awareness in your job search and future career: what is it, why employers value it and how it can benefit you. Rachel Sloan, Employability and Career Consultant, explores how you can improve yours and how your commercial awareness will be assessed when you are applying for jobs. 

Useful Links:

• Explore sectors and opportunities on the Career Zone website. 
• Use the University Library Guides to find company information. 
• Access Industry Reports on My Career Zone Digital. 
• Find out more about the range of employability schemes available to Exeter students. 
• Forage provides access to virtual work experience programmes with some of the world’s leading companies. 
• For more advice on finding internships and work experience and finding a part time job, sign up for an advice session on Handshake. 
• Use Glassdoor to discover what an employer is really like through reviews and ratings from people who have worked for them. 
• The Student Room has forums where students discuss work in different industries and sectors. 
• Use you Exeter email address to register and explore Employer Job Guides on Graduates First. 

This episode was written by Melissa Benson and recorded by Rachel Sloan.

Law Mini-Series: Getting a placement and a training contract with no family background in Law: In conversation with Molly Miles, Fourth Year LLB with Professional Placement student.

In this episode Tess Read, Employability and Career Consultant, talks to undergraduate Molly Miles, on her experience of getting a placement and a training contract. Molly shares her experience of how she found a placement just by speculative asking, how much she enjoyed her year, and how it led to that prized goal - a fully funded training contract.

In addition to this episode you can find more information to help with career planning here; University of Exeter Career Zone , My Career Zone Digital , Law and legal services: Information for Law and Non-Law Students , Employability for Law Students and The Law School.  

Other links:

If you're a current Exeter student, you can book onto a Time and Stress Management session via Handshake. 

How can upReach help you?

Kate Foster, Employability and Career Consultant, is joined by recent alumni Evie to discuss upReach, a social mobility charity that partners with the Career Zone to support students in receipt of the Access to Exeter bursary to develop their employability. With 28% of current students receiving a bursary, Evie shares how she found out about upReach, the activities she got involved with and the advice she would give to her first year self.

You can find out more about upReach and whether you are eligible for support on the upReach website.

What is a master CV and why should you keep one?

In this week’s episode Nicky Hutchinson, Employability and Career Consultant, focuses on the importance of having a master CV. Nicky explains what they are, why it is good practice to keep one and explores the kind of experiences you can include in yours.

 

Useful Links:

• Sign up and complete The Exeter Award
• Book onto a skill session via Handshake
• Access the online training for Green Consultants
• Find out more about Professional Pathways
• Check out out Help with CVs webpage
• Listen to our CV of Failure  episode.

How to answer interview questions

You’ve been invited to a job interview, but how can you prepare yourself?

In this week’s episode, Leanne Bisatt, Employability and Placements Adviser, focus on how you can prepare for answering interview questions. Leanne shares how to answer ‘tell us about yourself’ question and how you can structure your examples using the S.T.A.R technique (situation, task, action and result).

Useful links:

• Help with…interviews
• Help with...researching sectors and employers
• Book onto an Interview Techniques session on Handshake
• Find out more about reasonable adjustments on our Supporting Equality and Diversity webpage.
• Contact the Career Zone to book a 1-1 appointment.
• Register for the Exeter Award

From Student to Startup Founder: In conversation with George Wade, Co-Founder of Zevero

In this week’s podcast, Rachel Sloan, Employability and Career Consultant, is joined by George Wade, Co-Founder of Zevero, a platform revolutionising carbon management. George shares his inspiring journey, from studying Geography at university to gaining hands-on experience at a startup, and finally, co-founding his own company. George discusses the benefits of working for a startup and shares his top tips on how to apply for a role at a startup and make your application stand out. George also provides an honest look at the challenges and rewards of being an entrepreneur.

STR - Sales Training Representative 

Useful Links:

• Find out more about Zevero on the Zevero website and LinkedIn Page
• George Wade LinkedIn page
• You can book onto a Guidance appointment by contacting the Career Zone. 
• Student Startups
• Access to Internships
• Career Development for Sustainability
• CV sessions - Book via Handshake
• Welcome to the Jungle - Formally Otta Job Board

What are employers looking for? December 2024

We last looked at the Graduate Labour Market in October 2023, but what has changed since then? In this episode, Rachel Sloan, Employability and Careers Consultant, looks at the current state of the graduate labour market and the sectors which are expanding.*

Links and Resources :

• If you would like help making career decisions or exploring your career/further study options, please contact the Career Zone to book a Guidance appointment.
• Book onto a CV/Application form advice session via Handshake
• Book onto a skill session via Handshake, topics include Problem Solving, Communication and Collaboration and Personal Resilience.
• Develop your sustainability skills with Green Consultants  (ex.ac.uk/greenconsultants)
• Attend one of our Employer Events

*Data mentioned in this podcast is from December 2024

Devised by Dawn Lees and recorded by Rachel Sloan

Law Mini Series: Alternative Careers to Law: In conversation with Jon Lindley, Business Affairs at Apple+

In our Law mini-series podcast, our Law Employability and Careers Consultants; Rachel, Tess and Sunny, talk to experienced professionals from both legal and non-legal sectors to hear their career experiences and advice.

In this episode Sunny Lalli, Employability and Career Consultant, talks to Jon Lindley, Business Affairs at Apple+ 

In this conversation Jon and Sunny explore a theme of alternative careers to law, of how an academic law qualification can be harnessed in non-law graduate work, examine the transferability of skills from studying law, and how to harness the power of planned happenstance to secure a meaningful career. 

Further resources touched upon in the episode:

• Career Zone Podcast episode on the Power of Mentoring: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7eIRTaCzor6ZDugKsi3jnf?si=315cde2d0a974991&nd=1&dlsi=fc86fc1de2674b89 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-power-of-mentoring/id1518561665?i=1000603422439
• University of Exeter Career Zone sector page on law: https://www.exeter.ac.uk/students/careers/research/sector/law4nonlaw/
• University of Exeter Career Zone sector page on media, publishing and journalism: https://www.exeter.ac.uk/students/careers/research/sector/mediapublishingandjournalism/
• University of Exeter Help with Networking: https://www.exeter.ac.uk/students/careers/research/helpwith/helpwithnetworking/

Law Mini-Series: What to consider when choosing your Bar course: In conversation with Zoe Bushby, Future Pupil Barrister

In our Law mini-series podcast, our Law Employability and Careers Consultants; Rachel, Tess and Sunny, talk to experienced professionals from both legal and non-legal sectors to hear their career experiences and advice.

In this episode Rachel talks to Zoe Bushby, Future Pupil Barrister.  Zoe graduated from the University of Exeter in 2023 with a first class LLB Law degree, she then completed her bar training at BPP Law School in Bristol and has just started working as a Future Pupil Barrister for Magdalen Chambers, here in Exeter. Hear about Zoe’s experiences of studying her bar course and an insight into the factors to consider when deciding which one to choose, including different types of courses, funding opportunities and which provider to choose.

In addition to this episode you can find more information to help with career planning here; University of Exeter Career Zone , My Career Zone Digital , Law and legal services: Information for Law and Non-Law Students , Employability for Law Students and The Law School.