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My group activity assessment centre advice

By Lucy Rayner-Thomas, chemistry student – © Agefis via Unsplash This year I have been applying for my industry placement and have learnt a lot about how to prepare for the processes involved in applying for placements.  One of the companies I applied to, Pfizer, required me to do a group activity assessment centre as …

I Found My Graduate Job at a Careers Fair

By Leah Exton, Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience student Entering my final year at university felt incredibly daunting, the pressures of completing my degree were heightened, and finding a career that I felt passionate about seemed impossible. After attending countless career events, I felt as though finding a postgraduate path was becoming more and more difficult, …

My Top Tips for Virtual Assessment Centres

By Janvi Patel, second year economics student Reaching the assessment centre stage of the application process is an incredible achievement. The assessment centre is usually the final hurdle to land an internship or graduate role. Here are my top tips for preparing for an assessment centre from my experience: Tip one: Bullet point ideas for …

Ace the Recruitment Process With Graduates First

By Charlene Binding, Employability Education Projects Officer Have you recently applied for a graduate role, graduate programme or internship? If so, this is the blog post for you! Introducing Graduates First: an online resource which could transform your job application strategy. It’s free to access, both for current University of Nottingham students (use your current …

My Internship With the Civil Service (Part 2)

By Benedict Watson, student blogger Part one of this blog detailed the run-up and first two weeks of my summer internship with the Civil Service. Find out how my internship has progressed and what I have learned since…  What I’ve been doing Having presented my findings on the sheep meat market to my team, I …

3 Tips for Boosting Your Employability Using the Careers Website

By Bryony Adshead, final year English Student and a student ambassador for the Careers and Employability Service Boosting your employability can be hard during the pandemic – many opportunities for work experience have been cancelled, there are fewer part-time jobs on offer, and even the practical experience offered by our courses, such as in-person group …

Playing Games To Get a Job

By Saumya Surendran, MSc Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Management We interviewed Saumya to find out about her experience with game-based assessments and how she prepared for them. What did the games involve? There were various different game-based assessments that tested my ability to solve problems quickly and creatively. It’s interesting as the elements of the game …

Teach First Q&A: The Application Process

By Annie Brown, MA Creative Writing student blogger After university, many graduates go on to teaching careers. I sat down with my friend Hannah (name changed for privacy) to discuss the application process for the popular graduate scheme Teach First. The application process for many graduate schemes is similar and knowing what to expect can …

Assessment Centres – Being Yourself Matters

By Jade Brewster-Mahon, BSc Microbiology with Industrial Year Based on previous work experience I always knew I wanted to do a year in industry. Having had meetings with the Careers team towards the end of my first year, I began the process early. I had written CVs and attended job interviews in the past but …

How to prepare for virtual assessment centres

By Christian Jameson-Warren, Employability Education Projects Officer As part of their response to the COVID-19 situation, many graduate employers have moved their recruitment activities more online, including assessment centres. Online (otherwise known as ‘virtual’) assessment centres involve completing a series of activities virtually where the employer will assess your performance against their criteria. These activities …