Student - Careers Service partnernship agreement

Download - Student - Careers Service partnership agreement (pdf)

During your time at LSE you will probably spend time thinking about your future career. You may be unsure about what you would like to do, or you may already know in great detail what you want, whether it be a particular job, time out or further study. The School, through its Careers Service, stands ready with a wide range of services to help you, whatever your future plans.. The Careers Service operates as a partnership between ourselves and you, the student.

To get the most from the Careers Service and to maximise your chances of career success, you should ensure you aware not only what the Career Service can do for you but what you will need to do for yourself.

Choosing a career

The Careers Service holds seminars throughout the year to assist you in understanding the kind of work involved in different careers so that you can judge what appeals to you. We have questionnaires which can give you an idea of what your work preferences are likely to be (e.g., what interests and motivates you, and how much risk, stress, responsibility, travel, interpersonal contact, etc., you are comfortable with). We also arrange campus visits from a broad range of different employers so that you can learn first-hand from their representatives what sort of qualifications, experience, skills, and personal aptitudes they seek in successful candidates..

To take full advantage of these opportunities, you need to register on My Careers Service and regularly check our website and notices around campus to keep informed about what events are taking place. You then need to allocate time to attend the talks and campus visits relevant to you. You should also set time aside to work through in your own mind what career field you wish to enter (for example, don't decide to apply for a particular job simply because that’s what all your friends are doing).

The LSE student guide to Personal Development Planning (PDP) can help you work through this important decision-making process. Guides are available from the Careers Service or can be downloaded from our website for free. It’s never too soon to think about your career, and we encourage you to visit the Careers Service as early as possible to get a sense of how to best use your time at LSE, from a career development perspective.

Choosing employers

If you have decided on your career field, the Careers Service offers you a considerable range of information in the Careers Information Room and online, to help you decide which particular employer would be best suited to you. You may want to talk these issues through with a careers adviser.

We can’t tell you to whom you should apply. There are no short cuts. You need to put in the time and do the necessary research to ensure you understand what the job involves (e.g., understand the focus of a firm’s work, its operating style, salary and benefits, geographic location, the training opportunities it offers, etc.). If you don’t, you may choose the wrong firm – or, more likely, you will not convince the firm that they should hire you.

Applications and interviews

The Careers Service has booklets and online information with advice on how to complete a successful application form, put together an impressive C.V, and present yourself in an interview to your best advantage. Careers Service staff can, by appointment, check your CV and may be able to offer a practice interview. However, to get the most out of the process, you need to dedicate time and effort to perfect your application and practice your interview skills.

One-to-one help

The Careers Service staff is here to help with your questions and to recommend useful resources. Whether you need help with a CV or application form, you’re considering further study, or would like some guidance to make a career decision, please make an appointment to see one of our staff.  Remember, appointments are limited in busy times, so help yourself by preparing for your appointment; research what you can find out for yourself and be clear about what you want to achieve in your session.  To find out more about the services and events we offer, and how to make an appointment, start by looking at the Services for students section of the website.

Below is a summary of how the Careers Service-Student partnership can work

What the careers service does for you

• Engages with as many employers as possible from a range of different sectors
• Provides a dedicated information team to advise you on your careers research
• Provides a comprehensive series of employer-led skills sessions
• Hosts a broad spectrum of careers seminars and workshops
• Provides opportunities in volunteering and public policy areas
• Seeks and posts as many job and experience opportunities online as possible
• Organizes careers fairs, forums and other events
• Checks your CV, cover letter or application form
• Gives you the opportunity to discuss your career options with experienced career professionals
• Has a wide range of careers materials to help you secure work in the UK and overseas
• Has a dedicated service for PhD students
• Provides a careers adviser responsible for working with each academic department
• Writes and regularly updates the careers website offering a wealth of useful information

What you can do for your career

• Put in time and effort to clarify your strengths and weaknesses, and what interests and motivates you, in order to choose a career field that will suit you.
• Register your occupational interests on My Careers Service so we can inform you of relevant jobs, events and information.
• If English is not your first language, take advantage of the classes offered by the LSE Language Centre and make an effort to speak to native English speakers on a regular basis.
• Consult the Careers Service for advice on your job-hunting strategy
• Before you attend a careers event, do some research on the organizations taking part. This will help make a good first impression.
• Make any contacts you can from careers events, but don’t try and bypass the normal channels of graduate recruitment
• Get CV and application forms checked by one of the Careers Service team (and if you are not a native English-speaker, get them checked by an English speaker before bringing it to the Careers Service.)

Some words of warning

Do not jeopardise your academic studies by spending too much time on job applications. If you attempt too many applications, they are likely to be poorly researched and ineffective. A handful of well-researched, carefully-written applications are much more likely to succeed.

Appreciate the market realities of some sectors of work. The Careers Service does its best to maximise opportunities in a wide range of sectors, but some areas will always have more opportunities than others. You will need to use different job-hunting strategies depending on the sector of work you’re interested in. For more information on this topic, click here: Different graduate labour markets, or why is everything seem to be about banking?

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