Monday, November 29, 2010

Use college essays to improve your career prospects!

Finally a job hunting tip that requires very little extra effort yet can reap huge rewards and an impressive line on your CV to help you stand out from the crowd!

Why not dust off a submitted college essay you're particularly proud of and enter it in
THE UNDERGRADUATE AWARDS OF IRELAND AND NORTHERN IRELAND 2011?

The awards are open to all final and penultimate year students enrolled in a degree course in any third level institution on the island of Ireland. To be eligible your essay must be corrected coursework of no more than 5,000 words that was completed during the academic year and received a high 2.1 or above. There are 20 different subject categories to enter. For full details about the awards visit the website at http://www.undergraduateawards.com/awards.


In a tough economic climate it’s tempting to feel your future is out of your hands, however it’s even more important during these times to focus on the current job you do have - that of being a student and doing the best you can at it. If you work on getting the best possible grade in your degree you are giving yourself the best possible competitive edge in the job market.

Another way you can use your years in college to increase your appeal to potential employers is to work on your extra curricular activities such as entering competitions like this. This is why we always emphasise the importance of participation in college clubs, societies and sporting teams, to present yourself as a well-rounded individual with proven interpersonal skills such as teamwork, organisation, leadership, public speaking, commitment to a project in terms of time and effort etc. However quality not quantity is key. Your time is valuable so just pick one or two that you are really interested in and can be commit to. The ability to juggle coursework, and outside interests is an important quality that employers always look for.

So, why not check out the awards website and submit your topgrade essay. The deadline is December 17th, 2010. Best of luck!

UCC Careers Service Team

Friday, November 26, 2010

Tips for Securing Law Traineeships in your Firm of Choice

For Law Students with their eye on a prestigious traineeship with one of the major Irish law firms here are a few tips for success. However you will need bags of motivation, determination and pay thorough attention to the following key areas in order to shine.

HISTORY
- Learn the history of the firm/ organization; its development and any key or pivotal events or changes that lead to development and expansion.

PRACTICE AREAS
- Know the practice areas, have a more detailed knowledge of practice areas you are specifically interested in
- Know about any recent or interesting cases/activities that they were involved in for each area

PARTNERS / PERSONNEL
- Research the backgrounds of partners, most especially partners who may be interviewing you!
- Any recent publications or interviews on journals etc…..Google them, there should be a lot of information about them on their website.
- Check Law Society website directory for any information.

THE LAW
- Be able to discuss current topical issues in the Law in Ireland, ideally be aware of any Legal changes in EU that may impinge on Ireland. This could be anything from controversy over sentencing to criticism of the Law Society.
- Be aware of recent interesting court cases in Ireland: i.e.; controversial High Court rulings, groundbreaking cases etc
- Be comfortable discussing new / up and coming or expanding areas in the Law: examples ; Bio-ethics, Insolvency, Environmental issues, Employment, Human Rights in the Irish context

BUSINESS AWARENESS- for those interested in Commercial firms.
- The ideal candidate is one who reads the business and financial pages of good quality papers such as Irish Times and Sunday Business Post
- Be comfortable talking about the Irish economy and future trends
- Know the key driving forces behind the economy such as Pharmaceuticals, IT/Software..etc
- A very good idea to be familiar with information on websites such as :
- http://www.ida.ie/
- http://www.ifsconline.ie/
- http://www.enterprise-ireland.com/

CURRENT AFFAIRS
- Be able to talk about recent events covered by media.
- Keep up to date with Irish, European and International current affairs..

ARTS/CULTURE ( for Big Firms)
- Have an opinion about a book, film, play, comedy, music and work of art. Don’t be surprised if you’re asked to discuss changes / new developments/ issues in these areas in the Irish context.

For futher Interview and application tips check out the following list of options on the UCC Careers Website http://www.ucc.ie/careers/students/Job_Search_from_Start_to_Finish.php

Mary McCarthy
UCC Careers Service Team

Monday, November 8, 2010

Get your career in shape at Bootcamp.

UCC Careers Service are currently running a six week series of workshops called CAREER BOOTCAMP open to all registered UCC students, free of charge. Week one is already passed however there are still places available on the Thursday sessions each week from Thursday November 11th onwards, taking place from 4-6pm. If you are interested in taking part you just need to email us at allison.carroll@ucc.ie for a booking form.

The remaining sessions are :

Week 2 – Creative Job Hunting
How to get a job without experience ? – tactics for getting your first break
Week 3 – Career Decision Making
Stuck in a rut? - evaluate your opportunities and get moving again.
Week 4 – Winning Job Applications
What do employers want to see in CVs and cover letters?
Week 5 – Interview technique
How to beat interview nerves and have them work in your favour.
Week 6 – Assessment Centres
A rare chance to participate in activities used by real recruiters

We’ll be blogging some more on the topic of creative job hunting in recessionary times next week.

UCC Careers Service