Preparing students for employment is an essential part of all programmes in Physics and Astronomy, and Medical Imaging. In addition to the assessed academic and personal skills integrated within the programmes, there is a schedule of additional activities designed to enhance the employability of our graduates.
The University's employability website is for students and staff "aimed at enhancing students' academic learning and enabling them to become more employable". Part of this activity is The Works, a collaboration between the University and the Students' Guild to provide access to term time and vacation work, training opportunities, Employability and Graduate Development. It is based in Devonshire House (Tel. 4442), theworks@ex.ac.uk.
Careers and Employability for students in CEMPS is an ELE module published by the College's Employability Officer.
| Programme | Stage | Time | Activity |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | 1 | Week T2:06 | Careers Planning for First Years - Talk (1hr) |
| Physics | 1 | Week T3:06 | eX-factor Programme - Course (2 day) |
| Physics | 1 | Week T3:07 | Communication and Key Skills Course by Physics Staff |
| All | 2 | Week T1:03 | Careers Planning for Second Years - Talk (1hr) |
| BSc Physics | 2 | Week T1:09 | CVs for Physicists - Talk (1hr) |
| BSc Physics | 2 | Week T2:02 | Effective Applications & Interviews - Talk (2hr) |
| Radiography | 2 | Week T3:02 | Career Options for Radiographers - Talk (1hr) |
| All | 3 | Week T1:02 | Careers Planning for Finalists - Talk (1hr) |
| BSc Physics | 3 | Week T1:09 | Introduction to Research Careers Talk (1hr) by Physics PG Admissions Officer |
| MPhys | 3 | Week T1:08 | CVs for Physicists - Talk (1hr) |
| MPhys | 3 | Week T2:02 | Effective Applications & Interviews - Talk (2hr) |
| All | 4 | Week T1:02 | Careers Planning for Finalists - Talk (1hr) |
| MPhys | 4 | Week T1:08 | Introduction to Research Careers Talk (1hr) by Physics PG Admissions Officer |
Notes:
The University provides an Employability and Graduate Development (EGD) service based in Reed Mews (Tel. 4493), and students are encouraged to seek preliminary advice no later than the beginning of their pennultimate year. Services include careers advice, one-to-one meetings with a Careers Consultant, free workshops (including writing CVs, application forms, psychometric testing, interview skills) training (including negotiation skills, commercial awareness, running your own business), careers fairs, employer presentations, job vacancies and much more.
Job hunting can be a long and time-consuming task, and, for some, deciding on a career proves to be difficult. Useful sources of information recommended by the EGD for students seeking graduate (and vacation) employment include:
The Careers Service of the Institute of Physics has an excellent website with a section specifically designed for students. There is extensive advice concerning how to go about preparing a CV and how to undertake a 'Skills Audit'.
Radiography jobs are advertised on a monthly basis in 'Synergy', which is published by the Society & College of Radiographers and is free to its student members. Another good source of job advertisements is 'Rad Mag' which will generally be available in your clinical placements or the radiography department. Radiographers may also find the Institute of Physics careers website useful because much of the advice is applicable to any scientific discipline.
The opportunities for permanent and vacation employment of physicists are really quite good, and six to ten weeks spent working with a company during the summer vacation can:
Students wishing to make application to companies for vacation employment should make preliminary enquiries early in the autumn term. Most large companies will then provide an online application form for completion. The websites listed above in the 'Graduate Employment' advertise various types of vacation employment schemes.
The College's CandI module
is a work placement that takes place over the summer between Stage 2 and Stage 3. These are normally paid placements in graduate level jobs. The value CandI adds to a normal work placement is that it can contribute 10 or 15 credits towards the Stage 3 year of a physics programme. Assessment is through a technical report, a poster and a reflective report. Work placements significantly enhance students' employability.
According to the Graduate Prospects website, students who may be interested in teaching as a career will usually need to have 'recent observation experience in a state school' to be considered for a teacher-training course. Participating in the School Experience Programme (SEP) is a way of gaining this.
The Nuffield Foundation usually offers a limited number of awards to enable undergraduates to participate in scientific research during the summer vacation. The application must be made by the person supervising the research and the closing date for applications is usually early February.
The Institute of Physics Careers with Physics website has useful information for everyone, from those at school or college to those on the brink of retirement. The site is sub-divided into six main sections: Jobs, Professional Development, Qualifications, Resources, Events, and 'Why Physics?'. The Jobs section includes links to major internet employment sites, as well as the IoP PhysicsJobs and CV database. Topics covered include choosing a degree, CV and interview advice, career planning, and employment legislation.
Many large laboratories and Universities run International Summer Schools for undergraduate students. The location and nature of these vary from year to year (use Google). The University's Study Abroad Scholarship fund may be able to assist with the cost of attending one.
We encourage all our students to consider participating in some form of voluntary work, e.g. through the Guild's Community Action organisation. Voluntary work offers participants a chance to broaden their experience, make a positive contribution to the community, and enhance their employability.
Members of staff, particularly final-stage tutors and the Postgraduate Admissions Officer, will provide informal advice for students considering PGCE, MSc or PhD qualifications either at Exeter or elsewhere. The studentships available are published on the CEMPS website.
Several recruitment agencies have WWW sites that offer a lot of free on-line advice and training for graduate job-hunters. SHL Direct is one example (no endorsement is implied).
The Exeter Award is a programme of extra-curricular activities and skills development courses that help students to enhance their employability whilst at university.
Remember that a CV will often set the agenda for job interviews. Prepare a draft and get someone (preferably with experience of recruiting graduates) to read it through and describe the impression it makes. Update CVs in the light of experience at interviews.
The Exeter Employability and Graduate Development Service On-line CV Creator is a useful starting point. Most employers do not expect new graduates to have long or elaborate CVs. In addition to advice from your tutor and/or the Employability and Graduate Development Service, study the Institute of Physics advice on preparing a CV (see above). The IoP site is .
Remember to check the spelling and grammar on everything you send to a potential employer.