Developing Tailored Careers Support for Humanities Students

David Gee

Careers Consultant

www.uwe.ac.uk/careers

Introduction

• Key employability issues faced by humanities students

• 3 examples for addressing these: – Humanities GDP level II workshop – considerations

when training staff– The Graduate Futures Project– English Independent Learning Module

Key issues facing humanities students1. Uncertain career trajectory

2. Diffidence compared to contemporaries

3. Recognising/articulating the marketability of their subject

4. Recognising/articulating the marketability of their experiences

5. Work experience within non-placement courses

English Language GDP workshop:

Using your second year effectively:Identifying your skills and

building your CV

Introducing the graduate labour market

• Highly competitive – need to make yourself stand out

• More than half of all vacancies open to all graduates

• Relevant work experience is a crucial factor• The most proactive get the jobs

Introducing career pathways

• Careers related to Linguistics/English Language – Signposts sheets

• Careers beyond subject – the ‘66% rule’• Selling skills of your degree as well as subject• Using destinations

Introducing skills

• We are looking for strong communication skills and an accurate writing style. You should have a meticulous approach, with strong research skills and attention to detail.”

• “You'll need to be a real team player and an effective negotiator and communicator...”

GradSouthWest Vacancy Database

Key transferable skills

• Communication skills• Problem solving• Teamwork• Time management• Presentation skills• Flexibility• Initiative• Interpersonal skills• Willingness to learn• Numeracy• IT skills

Selling your English language degree• Traditional/well-recognised subject• Academic – means academic rigour• High-level literacy; advanced written

communication skills• Verbal communication skills• Research • IT skills

Introducing ‘evidencing’ – examples for communication skills• Essays; dissertations; reports etc.• Presentations • Group projects• Customer service in part-time work• Speaking to public through voluntary work• Student ambassador work• Member of student committees

Evidencing exerciseSkill Additional Example of an occasion when skill was demonstrated

Being persuasive Convinced a group of friends to raise funds for Oxfam by running a mini marathon

Adaptability Successfully undertook office duties as a temp for 3 employers in 6 weeks during vacation work

Able to handle pressure Worked part time for 3 months answering brake-down calls in very busy call centre

Research technical information using the www

For final year dissertation used UnCover and Bios Previews to find articles not held by own library

Introducing skills articulation:competency-based questions• Describe how you have achieved a goal through influencing the

actions or opinions of others.”

• “Describe a situation where you have worked in a team context to achieve a particular objective.”

• “Describe a challenging project, activity or event which you have planned and seen through to a conclusion.”

• “Describe a time when you were required to change your approach and do something in a different way? “

S.T.A.R

• Situation

• Target

• Action

• Result

S.T.A.R ExampleSituation Task or Target

You set out to achieve

Actions you took to bring this about Result (this could be the concrete outcome or the personal learning that took place)

Acting as relief supervisor at Pizza Hut when a customer began to loudly complain about the service being slow.

To satisfy the person without upsetting other customers who were also waiting for their food and who had arrived earlier.

Listened carefully to the customer, used moderate language, quiet voice and carefully explained about the lack of staff through illness. Reassured the customer that his order was being dealt with and offered complimentary drinks whilst waiting.

The customer calmed down, could see that it was not deliberate and decided to wait quietly, with the free drinks.

Introducing the role of work experience• UWE Community Volunteering Programme • Employability and Diversity Project• UWE Outreach Centre• Student newspaper, radio etc.• Speculative Approaches/Networking• www.uwe.ac.uk/alumni/mynetwork

Graduate Futures Project• Based on the ‘Blueprint for Life’ model (www.lifework.ca)• Aimed at developing employability and enterprise skills• Ultimately at improving performance in the recruitment process• Accredited by Institute of Leadership and Management• Pilot with Business (non-sandwich), Psychology and English

students• Students to have recent work experience • Students complete a portfolio against ILM assessment criteria• Culminates with student presentations to ‘panel’

Implementation

• Delivered over 3 full days by specialist staff• 25 places offered to each cohort• Students complete a personality type indicator and

learning style tests, and prepare CV in advance• Also one-to-one contact with Careers Consultant to

review work experience and CV.

Content

• Day one: Self Awareness

• Day two: Enterprise and creativity skills for success in the labour market

• Day three: Putting it into practice

Graduate Futures findings re: English students• Found the language and concepts of career

management and planning particularly challenging • On day one felt that it was ‘gobbledygook’ • However by the end of the course felt they had vastly

increased their understanding and that this would enhance their employability.

• Excellent presentations – ‘better than MBAs!’

Student quotes

• “Especially good for humanities students as it makes us think in a different way to on our course”

• “It has got me thinking about my skills and relating them to experience and the future”

• “It has increased my confidence and my understanding of careers”

• “Very useful in gaining more understanding about the skills I have learnt on my degree and how they are transferable to the workplace”

English Independent Project Module

• Final year students• Produce a piece of investigative writing• Total 10,000 words• Look beyond the dissertation• 7 options – take into account common career

aspirations of English students

7 options – links with careers/employability• Dissertation• Research-based creative writing• Criticism and review (journalism)

• Module design (teaching)• Editing and Anthologising (publishing)• Group project• English in the workplace

Work experience option

• Includes a 2,000 word reflective piece on work experience

• Can also refer to work experience in main body of work• Students seek work experience at the end of the second

year• Careers service involvement: support process of finding

work experience; careers discussion in final seminar of year III

Summary

• Careers support should be underpinned with the key requirements of humanities students

• These include: understanding/developing career options; marketability of studies; role of work experience, and articulating skills effectively

• The Graduate Futures Project enables students to understand and also use key skills through exercises such as developing ‘brand’ presentations

• The English Independent Project module is an example of how to relate a humanities subject to the world of careers

Key Resources

• www.uwe.ac.uk/careers – staff pages• www.prospects.ac.uk• www.heacademy.ac.uk• www.lifework.ca• http://pdp.northampton.ac.uk/subject-index.html