One of the first things I did at the beginning of my term at City was to register with Unitemps, City’s onsite temporary recruitment agency. It helped me find part-time work to fit around my studies. This was crucial for me, given that I had quit a full-time job to pursue my MA and also because it was difficult to find stable work outside the university given the working-hour restrictions on a Tier 4 visa (maximum 20 hours per week). Although I was initially sceptical about the kind of opportunities that would be on offer, once I started I found the experience really rewarding. I got to work with different departments at City such as Marketing, Operations, CityVentures and Research & Enterprise, but best of all for me was my experience working as an Applications Advisor with the Careers Service.

My role consisted of workshopping CVs, personal statements and cover letters with undergraduate and postgraduate students through 20 minute tutorials. I found that the 20 minutes were best utilised when the student had already short-listed a job and required help in tailoring a first/second draft of a cover letter and CV to highlight job suitability and fit. In cases where the student was unsure of the format, structure and composition of a CV and/or a cover letter, it took multiple sessions; the first one to understand the basic nature and purpose of these communication tools and subsequent ones to workshop and edit the drafts they prepared. Further, each 20 minute session presented two communication challenges; first, how can the student highlight skills and actions from work experience and qualifications that best indicate his or her suitability for the job described by the employer. The second challenge was intrinsic to being a tutor. I had to figure out how to give the students feedback in a way that would encourage them to put in the hours and the work required to compose an accurate and concise job application.

On a good day, I was able to assist and tutor 9-18 students and 27 or more students in a week. The term of the assignment was four months, therefore I got the opportunity to help the students resolve a wide variety of challenges. For example, preparing an application to get into an industry or function which wasn’t directly related to their work experience or educational qualifications. These students needed help in identifying the transferable skills relevant to the job/industry/field and in providing evidence of having developed and used those skills over time. Many times, at the end of the session, it was quite rewarding to see that the students had discovered new ways of expressing their experience and skills and therefore felt more confident.

Maybe after reading this post you feel inspired to book a session with one of the Applications Advisors at City (which I highly recommend and which you can book through CareersHub) or maybe you want to become an Applications Advisor yourself. Whatever you choose, my final suggestion to you would be to register with Unitemps and apply to the temp jobs whether you intend to work during your time at City or not. The experience of applying to different roles will help you understand the application process and train you to prepare applications (CVs and cover letters) for your final placements. Additionally, you get to engage with and support City’s staff and services and of course, you acquire and develop a wide range of skills as well.

I hope you will find this post useful. Thanks for reading.