More and more employers are offering video and virtual interviews these days. While this is great news if you always dread getting lost on the way to a face-to-face interview or panic about a bus not turning up when you need one, virtual interviews can present a different set of challenges. That’s why today we’re sharing our top tips for mastering these types of interviews – don’t worry, you’ve got this. Test your tech beforehand Virtual interviews are stressful enough, without adding technical problems to the mix. Avoid any potential glitches by testing your equipment before the interview date. This … Read More
How to speak to employers at careers fairs
You’ll hopefully have seen that we’re having two careers fairs this term, both of which will be digital! These are the dates, in case you’ve not seen them yet and fancy popping them in your calendar: The STEM Fair: Thursday 22nd October, 10am-4pm The Business Fair: Tuesday 27th October, 10am-4pm To attend them, you’ll need to download the Careers Fair Plus app, where you’ll be able to find out who’s recruiting for placements and graduate roles, and upload your CV to book 1-to-1 appointments with the organisations who are attending. Speaking to employers at careers fairs can be a pretty … Read More
Working part-time: Costanzo Facchiano
Full name: Costanzo FacchianoDegree title: BSc Transport Management Year of study: Second yearOrganisation name: JobShop, Aston UniversityJob title: Marketing Assistant What does a typical day in your part-time job look like? A typical day in my role begins with dressing smartly in order to best represent the JobShop. My job is focused around finding employment vacancies for Aston students online, which involves telephoning company representatives and performing due-diligence checks to ensure that the jobs on offer are of a high quality. I also greet and talk to students who visit the JobShop to find out the best way to help … Read More
Working part-time: Isabella Naziwa
Full name: Isabella M Naziwa Degree title: BSc Business and ManagementYear of study: Second yearOrganisation name: easyHotel Job title: Front of House What does a typical day in your part-time job look like? I’m a night shift receptionist meaning that I work on my own during my shift. You may wonder what it’s like to work on your own in a hotel with 80+ rooms? I love it! We have a device which we have to wear for our safety just in case and doors are always locked at night, so I’m safe! Being a receptionist, I am the first … Read More
Checklist of career-related activities for you to focus on this year
A big hello to the Aston newbies out there and welcome back to our returning students! Whatever year you’re in, you’re bound to have lots on your plate what with getting stuck into your studies, meeting new people and wrapping your head around this whole virtual learning thing. It’s also important to dedicate some time to thinking about your future where you can – to help you out, we’ve written this checklist of achievable career-related activities you can focus on this year. We hope it’s helpful! Set up/update your profile on Aston Futures For those of you who don’t know, … Read More
Working part-time: Tom Bowen
Full name: Thomas Bowen Degree title: Bsc FinanceYear of study: Second yearOrganisation name: Aston Students’ UnionJob title: Coffee shop supervisor What does a typical day in your part-time job look like? Opening up the shop and serving customers coffee and food. What has been the highlight of your job so far? Working the Students’ Union Christmas dinner shift. It was a very stressful and challenging shift but very rewarding. What skills have you developed? My teamwork and communication skills have massively improved since I started working at the SU. Why did you decide to get a part-time job? I … Read More
Situational Judgement Tests (SJT): Why and How to Prepare
So, What is a Situational Judgement Test (SJT)? Situational Judgement Tests (or SJTs) are a popular form of assessment used by employers to assess behavioural competencies to help determine if an individual is suitable for a role. Situational Judgement Tests can either be ‘traditional’ or they can be more interactive, perhaps even in a game-based format. An increasing number of employers are using a “storyline” approach which presents a ‘day-in-the-life’ experience such as Jaguar Land Rover, many even with Verbal and Numerical type questions too. Regardless of their format, all SJTs will look for evidence of a small group of … Read More
Disability and the Workplace – Things to Consider
Career planning, job-hunting and all that comes with it can be difficult (especially in these crazy Coronavirus times!), and having a disability can make that feel all the more difficult. But it doesn’t have to be! I hope that this post can help you think about some of the things you might want to consider in terms of disability and the workplace, whether that be part-time work during your studies, a placement role, or a graduate role. Sell yourself, disability and all! As students, we have heard over and over and about the importance of ‘selling ourselves’ to potential employers … Read More
Working part-time: Saif Widyatmoko
Full name: Saif WidyatmokoDegree title: International Business and ManagementYear of graduation: 2020Organisation name: Aston University Careers+Placements TeamJob title: Careers+Placements Associate What does a typical day in your part-time job look like? Our manager in the Careers+Placements team would send out an e-mail listing out the different jobs they had for the month and we would sign up on certain shifts through a Google Sheet document. From there we would complete whatever task was given whether it was creating a blog for the C+P website or turn up at a placement workshop to talk to second year students. Once our tasks … Read More
Working part-time: Lili Szabados
Full name: Lili SzabadosDegree title: BSc Hons Business and International RelationsYear of graduation: 2022Organisation name: Deloitte UK Job title: Deloitte Campus Ambassador What does a typical day in your part-time job look like? I did not really have a typical working day as the role was extremely varied. As a Campus Ambassador, it was my responsibility to represent Deloitte during on-campus events such as Deloitte events and career fairs, while also reaching students via social media. Also, I was expected to reach students by holding lecture shout-outs. Lecturers at Aston University were extremely supportive and sometimes they offered more than … Read More