This document provides guidance on effective career planning for computer networks degrees. It discusses conducting self-reflection, researching career options and the IT job market, exploring employers through various sources, gaining work experience, attending career fairs, using social media professionally, considering graduate schemes, tailoring CVs and online profiles to employers, and putting career plans into action. Key points are made that the IT job market is growing and computer science graduates have higher than average full-time employment rates. Students are directed to campus career services and external resources for additional support and opportunities.

1. Computer Networks:
Effective career planning
Tahira Majothi
careers consultant
Careers and Employability Service
http://www.careers.salford.ac.uk/

2. Aims
 Taking stock – self awareness
 Explore career options
 Understand how to effectively career
plan
 Put career plans into action
 Useful Links

3. Self Reflection
http://www.careers.salford.ac.uk/page/develop

4. Starting out at University

5. The Reality?

6. The Future?

7. “My life is buffering…”

8. Careers
Research

9. Career paths?
http://www.careers.salford.ac.uk/page/careerpaths

10. Decisions, decisions:
IT Labour Market
“59.3% of computer science and IT
graduates were working full-time in the
UK compared to 51.6% of graduates
from all other subjects.
7.6% were undertaking further study,
compared to 13.0% for all subjects.”
Source: http://www.hecsu.ac.uk/assets/assets/documents/WDGD_Sept_2013.pdf

11. “…according to the Sector Skills Council
for Business and IT the employment of IT
professionals through to 2020 is forecast
to rise at 1.62% per annum - nearly twice
as fast as the UK average.”

12. Source: http://www.hecsu.ac.uk/assets/assets/documents/WDGD_Sept_2013.pdf

13. How to research employers and
opportunities?

14. Employer Research
 Shared connections – friends, family, lecturers
etc.
 Company websites
 Social media accounts
 Careers and Employability Service
 Careers Fairs / Industry Insights
 Alumni and job search facilities on LinkedIn
 Top Graduate Recruiter Directories
http://www.careers.salford.ac.uk/page/research_company

15. Work Experience
Placements, part-time work, volunteering and graduate opportunities
http://www.careers.salford.ac.uk/page/vacancies
Salford Computer Society http://www.salfordstudents.com/groups/computer-society
Engineers without Borders Society http://www.salfordstudents.com/groups/engineers-without-
borders--6
Gaming and Games Development Societies
http://www.salfordstudents.com/groups#club-society#all
Salford Tutor Club http://www.salfordstudents.com/groups/salford-tutor-club
Digital Champions http://www.salford.gov.uk/go-on.htm & http://go-on-manchester.
com/
STEM Ambassador http://www.stemnet.org.uk/ambassadors/
Manchester Girl Geeks http://manchester.girlgeekdinners.com/
Science Grrl http://sciencegrrl.co.uk/
STEMNET http://www.stemnet.org.uk/
Digitally Maintained – provides free technical support to individuals, charities and small
businesses http://digitallymaintained.com/
Volunteering database http://www.do-it.org.uk/
BBC Work Experience http://www.bbc.co.uk/careers/work-experience/

16. Recruitment Fairs 2014
Salford Recruitment Fairs:
Part Time Jobs and Volunteering Fair - Wednesday 8th October 2014
Teaching Futures - Wednesday 15th October 2014
Business, IT & Law Fair - Wednesday 29th November 2014
Computing, Science & Engineering Fair - Wednesday 19th November 2014
http://www.careers.salford.ac.uk/page/meetemployers
Manchester Autumn Recruitment Fairs:
The Engineering, Science and Technology Fair15 October 2014
The Business, Finance and Management Fair16 October 2014
The Law Fair18 November 2014
The Postgraduate Study Fair19 November 2014
http://www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/events/

17. Social Media
 Professional address book
 Your online CV/profile
 Professional networking resource
 Handy for careers research
 Opportunity to control your digital
identity
http://prezi.com/3gwumaexbdmg/how-to-make-effective-use-of-linkedin/

18. Recruitment Agencies
 Look for accredited and relevant consultancies
 May provide insight into latest labour market trends
 Be clear about what type of opportunities you are looking for
 Make contact your recruitment consultant every 1-2 weeks, be
proactive!
 Don’t feel obligated to take up an opportunity if it’s not right for you
Recruitment Agencies: http://www.careers.salford.ac.uk/page/recruitment

19. Graduate Schemes
BT Graduate Scheme https://www.btgraduates-apply.co.uk/ and
http://www.btgraduates.com/
Civil Service Fast Stream http://faststream.civilservice.gov.uk/the-different-streams/technology-in-business/
BBC Careers – set up profile via CareersHub
http://www.bbc.co.uk/careers/home
Talk Talk Graduates
http://www.talktalktechnology.com/careers/graduates
Plusnet Careers https://careers.plus.net/opportunities/
Cisco Careers
http://www.cisco.com/web/about/ac40/about_cisco_careers_home.html
Sky Graduate Opportunities http://jobs.sky.com/starting-out/graduate-opportunities
Sony Careers http://www.sony.co.uk/hub/careers
Telefonica Careers http://www.telefonicaando2careers.com/gb/

20. Transition: Put career plans into
action

21. Commercial awareness:
first impressions…

22. CV combinations:
match to employer requirements
CV Guide: http://www.careers.salford.ac.uk/page/careerguides

23. Profile: E-business Card

24. Education

25. Relevant Experience

26. Key Skills and Achievements

27. Other Work Experience

28. Positive power words

29. Jobs or further study:
Its all about marketable you!

30. Up, up and away!

32. Useful Links:
Options with your degree:
http://www.prospects.ac.uk/options_with_your_subject.htm
Researching Employers:
http://www.careers.salford.ac.uk/page/occupationsindex
http://www.careers.salford.ac.uk/page/research_company
Professional Associations:
BCS Chartered Institute for IT http://www.bcs.org/category/5672
IET The Institute of Engineering and Technology http://www.theiet.org/membership/career/index.cfm?origin=foot-links
E-skills Sector Skills Council for Business and IT http://www.e-skills.com/careers/
CompTIA IT Industry Trade Association http://www.comptia.org/
Useful Job sites:
http://www.careers.salford.ac.uk/page/vacancies
ITJobsWatch
ComputerWeekly
Computing
BCS Recruit
http://careers.microsoft.com/careers/en/gb/home.aspx
http://www-05.ibm.com/employment/uk/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/careers/
http://jobs.novell.com/
http://www.cisco.com/web/about/ac40/about_cisco_careers_home.html
Civil Service Fast stream https://www.gov.uk/civil-service-fast-stream-how-to-apply
Recruitment Agencies: http://www.careers.salford.ac.uk/page/recruitment
Careers Fairs: http://www.careers.salford.ac.uk/page/meetemployers (Salford)
http://www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/events/ (Manchester)

33. Images
Winner. Flickr: Kreg Steppe, Winner. Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)
IamNotUnique, He never stops thinking. Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Happy Official Video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Sxv-sUYtM
Augmented reality. Flickr: Tom Augmented Reality. Attribution 2.0 Generic CC BY 2.0)
Theme Park ride. Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bwgreen/3701894769/sizes/l/
Thinking please wait. Flickr: Karola Riegler, Thinking... please wait. Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-ND 2.0)
Flickr: Stefano Corso, In the crowd. Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Flickr: Holmes. Flickr: Dynamosquito. Holmes. Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)
A-Team. Flickr: Roadsidepictures, Levitated Mass. Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0)
Morning Coffee. Flickr: lars erik skrefsrud morning coffee, http://www.flickr.com/photos/skrefsrud/14438341782
Rubix Cube. Flickr: Rubix Cube. Yugank Singhal. Boy Playing with a Rubix Cube https://www.flickr.com/photos/92559412@N08
Flickr: Popupology, 3-d business card series VIII – handshake. https://www.flickr.com/photos/popupology/
The Library. Flickr: Lester Public Library, Study. https://www.flickr.com/photos/lesterpubliclibrary
Branch Manager. Branch Manager, Assistant Branch Manager Dog Meme.
http://llwproductions.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/dogs-branch-managers.jpg
Rocky. Flickr: Melody Joy Kramer. Rocky SWK. https://www.flickr.com/photos/mjkmjk/
My new job. Domenico. My new job at the call center. https://www.flickr.com/photos/kugelfisch/
Flickr: Miguelángel Guédez. Learn about ME, Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0)
Flickr: Simon Giddings, Up https://www.flickr.com/photos/simongiddings/13926062007/in/explore-2014-05-05
Flickr. Graduate. http://www.flickr.com/photos/monashuni/8218141215/sizes/l/