1 Making the Most of Your MastersHow to use your Masters to put yourself in the best position for your next steps (for SHaC Masters students) Holly Prescott – Postgraduate Employer Liaison Officer Chris Packham – Careers Consultant, College of Arts and Law

2 What we’ll cover… Discuss what distinguishes a Masters (academic P.O.V.) Apply Masters-level skills to the world of work Understand some example jobs for SHaC MAs Devise actions to make the most of your Masters SARAH

3 Any ideas? Write on a post-it note: What do you think you might like to do after this MA? SARAH

4 What makes a Masters? Use knowledge more creativelyDeal with more complex ideas and problems Originality Valuing others’ ideas Appreciating different views Engaging in a topic in-depth Emphasis on critical research and evaluation skills Self-management and self-motivation Synthesising: ‘from hunter-gatherer to Masterchef’ Taking responsibility for your own learning: ‘Masters students should be drivers and not passengers’ HOLLY Tell us your ideas…

5 A Masters vs. ‘skills gaps’Academic P.O.V… Employer P.O.V… ‘Creative problem solving’ (Bloomberg) ‘Solving complex problems’ (UKCES survey) Use knowledge creatively Dealing with more complex ideas and problems ‘Ability to manage own time and prioritise tasks’ (UKCES survey) Self-management & self-motivation ‘Team working’ (UKCES survey) ‘Ability to work collaboratively’ (Bloomberg) Appreciating different views HOLLY Bloomberg: Employer skills survey: ‘Ability to manage own time and prioritise tasks’ and ‘Solving complex problems’ = TOP of skills hard to find in applicants Valuing and using others’ ideas – “co-constructing” learning UKCES Employer Skills Survey: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ukces-employer-skills-survey-2015-uk-report The Bloomberg Recruiter Report:

6 Why is this important? Recognise how you’re developing during your Masters Apply this to the skills employers are seeking Note specific examples as you go Identify where you need to develop further HOLLY … relate (if you can) to the skills being sought by employers/ sectors/ roles you’re interested in

7 What a Masters says about you…“You’ve got to be pretty dedicated to go on to do a Masters. Especially in today’s climate, many students will just want to go straight into work to start paying back their loans.” “When people have completed a postgrad Masters, that’s been a conscious and personal decision to do that and they seem to be more mature and clearer on what they want to achieve.” “Employers are usually seeking people who can prove that they are hard-working, punctual, organised and able to act without much supervision. A Masters showcases your abilities in all these areas” “I think you can often see candidates with a Masters are more grounded [than Bachelor’s candidates]. They can come across more decisive and clearer when you’re interviewing them.”   HOLLY Students to complete the ‘quotes’ exercise, These are the quotes that they will discuss… groups of 3. Do you agree? What do you think? Is there anything else that might help Masters grads to stand out?

8 What do employers say they like about PGs…?Responsible and organised Dedicated; committed to their area or career path Communication skills Research skills and experience Problem solving Maturity and clarity HOLLY “Knowing a student was responsible enough and organised enough to hold down a job simultaneously with a postgrad course, that would impress me.” “You’ve got to be pretty dedicated to go on to do a Masters. Especially in today’s climate, many students will want to go straight into work to start paying back their loan.” Masters students were likely to demonstrate better communication skills, given that they are afforded the opportunity to complete more presentations and undertake more rigorous research and investigation during their study. “It is the subject‐specific knowledge gained through Masters and PhD courses that are essential for the organisation. On top of that, the research experience that goes along with it. This is generally something that people don’t get at Bachelor’s level.” “I think you can often see that candidates with the MSc are a lot more mature and more grounded than those applying for BSc level roles. When people have completed an MSc, that’s been a conscious and personal decision to do that. Therefore, they seem to be a lot more stable in terms of their mindset and a little bit more settled and clear on what they want to achieve. So they can come across a lot more decisive and clearer when you’re interviewing candidates.”   HECSU: ‘Taught Postgraduate Employability and Employer Engagement: Masters with a purpose’ (2014)

9 What can PGs do better…? ‘Commercial awareness’Limited work experience Effectively market skills Illustrate how you can apply your skills to a work environment Show leadership skills Answer… Why did you do a Masters? HOLLY Lack of commercial awareness: this concept applies whatever you’re interested in! It’s not all about ‘how’s the FTSE 100 looking today?!’ Even if you want to work for a charity – what’s your understanding of the sector? What challenges are charities facing from recent policy/ legislation/ media influences? Even academia… ‘keeping up to speed’. Even arts… funding is an issue! Do you have an understanding of the funding climate and would you be able to navigate this? Mention enterprising culture module! Limited work experience ‘I think it all depends on the individual. ...If you’ve got a mature student with a Bachelor’s degree and plenty of experience, they would be more employable than someone with a Masters degree and no experience. Experience counts for a lot.” Inability to effectively market skills – “more general employers often do not understand the differences between a bachelors and a masters – YOU have to tell them what the differences are” Application of knowledge: However, it was emphasised that the key barrier to recruiting Masters graduates was their inability to illustrate that they can apply their knowledge into the industry. Often, they would concentrate so intensively on their academic qualification that not much thought had been given to how that knowledge and expertise could be applied into different roles within the industry. No extra evidence of leadership skills The biggest ‘lack’ = leadership skills/ showing leadership potential (mentioned by CIHE and BIS) Difficulty adapting to non-academic environment “In my opinion, I would much prefer to take on an undergraduate than a postgraduate, because undergraduates really struggle with the transition from academia to business, and a Masters graduate has gone even further down that route.” Why did you do that Masters? “I would want to know why they’ve chosen to do that Masters… for example, instead of going straight into work. Why have they ‘put that off’ for a year?” “If they have done a Masters because they couldn’t find a job and have no clear career path as to how they want to use that, then I don’t think they will have gained any momentum over an undergraduate.” “Recruiters will always want to know why a person decided to take a postgraduate course and what they gained from it. Some of the scepticism that surrounds postgraduates comes from the experience of interviewing them and finding many have been unable to articulate what they have gained from their programmes and what they can bring to the workplace.”  Do you have any questions, or anything you’re concerned about?

10 ‘Why an MA?’ Imagine that you are presenting to someone that is not familiar with your programme. Prepare a 30 second ‘elevator pitch’: introduce yourself and explain why you decided to pursue postgraduate study 3 minutes to write notes 5 minutes to deliver your pitch in small groups Provide feedback to each other SARAH

11 What could you be doing during your MA to reach your goal?In groups discuss and answer the following questions. Write the answers to these on the flip chart paper. Q1. How can you develop your awareness of the professional/academic area you’re interested in? Q2. How can you find experience in this area? (list websites you are aware of and other methods) Q3. How you can explore your options? SARAH

12 What can you be doing during your Masters if…SARAH

13 You don’t know what you want to doTry things out, e.g. societies, volunteering or P/T work on campus through Worklink Devote one hour a week for research: write down any/ every job that catches your eye Sought-after skills in practically all sectors: Digital media, digital literacy (coding, web work etc…) Look out for ‘Your Masters, What Next?’ workshop Think outside the box about your options Jobs which take any subject A more traditional ‘arts/humanities’ job in a less traditional setting Use LinkedIn to research what former students have gone on to do Here’s some inspiration… HOLLY ‘Treat it like a mini-research project’ (put your research skills into action) Remember it doesn’t have to be forever

14 What do SHaC MAs Do? Heritage/Museum/Cultural Sector Heritage officerVisitor Experience Officer Conservation assistant Gardens and landscape intern Curatorial assistant Assistant Archivist Library Support Assistant Conservation Training Course NGOs, charities, membership organisations Member services assistant Charity worker Volunteer Marketing/communications Marketing and comms intern Media relations assistant Digital Presence Manager Media Assistant Editor Author HOLLY It’s tough when much data only shows destinations 6 months after graduation. There’s nothing to say that these people didn’t progress after that, or that others got interesting jobs after that point.

15 What do SHaC MAs Do? Research related (non-university)Research facilitator Education Secondary teacher History/Politics/Sociology teacher English Language teacher Senior lecturer Teaching Assistant Secondary History PGCE Various PhDs MRes Egyptology Administration/management Admin and operations officer Workforce manager HR Administrator Documentation manager Project Management Project administrator/executive/manager/officer Project secretary/worker Others Army reserve Civil servant HOLLY

16 You want a job in a particular sector (including career change)Professional associations Sector-specific job boards Events Relevant recruitment agencies Experience: work and volunteer Build your online presence Use social media to your advantage Get a mentor – Masters scheme opens in March 2017 JAYNE

17 Sector-specific job sitesmuseums etc arts/culture publishing universities/research https://www.charityjob.co.uk/ charities, NGOs Jobs section of professional websites (earlier slide) https://www.theguardian.com/guardian-professional For more see Insight Guides on Canvas (see later slide) Point out ‘login/register’ / ‘subscribe’ options

18 How to find… professional bodies & societies‘A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organisation, or professional society) is usually a nonprofit organisation seeking to further a particular profession, the interests of individuals engaged in that profession, and the public interest’ If you join MCO, there is a list of UK professional bodies on there!! Also join MCO for sector-specific job boards

19 You want to do a PhD Think about research area - start to narrow down a proposal Identify a supervisor Current academics/ contacts Social media (Twitter, academia.edu) Authors of books/ articles you’ve read Explore ‘jiscmail’ (academic mail lists) for advertised opportunities Remember: funding deadlines often fall in January Use your MA dissertation to start your reading/ try ideas out Thinking of doing a PhD: 22 November, 4 -6pm Mech Eng G36 Join ‘Considering Further Study’ Canvas course: https://canvas.bham.ac.uk/enroll/TWKC7A HOLLY Social media: Story about the student from Pakistan who found his supervisor here at UoB via Twitter! Jiscmail: there’s a list for Children’s lit, Modern Fiction – even one just on Angela Carter! Mention Midlands 3 Cities

20 Things to do/ next steps…Join Masters Careers Online (to get the weekly digest): https://canvas.bham.ac.uk/enroll/MPKJPR Find out what events are taking place using Careers Connect Book an appointment with Careers Network: https://bham.targetconnect.net/leap/getCareersAdvice.html Consider setting up a LinkedIn and/or academia.edu profile Think about other social media platforms that might be relevant to explore Explore Jiscmail HOLLY

21 You have been enrolled on a Careers Canvas CourseYou have been enrolled on a Careers Canvas Course. It will appear on your list of courses. SARAH

22 Feedback! SARAH