From PhD to Industry -- Chemical Engineering student works at CCm Research Ltd.

From PhD to Industry

Dr Fabricio Marques,

Chemical Engineer at CCm Research Ltd.

College of Engineering and Physical Sciences

School of Chemical Engineering

“Follow advice from Careers Network and make use of its services to improve your employability prospects. The job market is very competitive, so you need to find out how to stand out, network and obtain contacts who can help you on your way to a successful career.”

8 Weeks an Intern - Birmingham Undergraduate Internship Program

As a first year psychology student, I found it extremely hard for me to find an internship, left alone a degree-related one, since there is so few out there. When I was desperately searching, I came across BirminghamUndergraduate Internship Programme (BUIP) on the Careers Network work experience website. I was surprised but excited by the fact that it was campus-based, paid, and most importantly, open to first year students. 

Coming from China, I didn’t really know much about the British higher education system, so I thought, why not gave it a try? With slim hope but huge curiosity, I applied for four of the eleven positions and eventually got the chance to work for Careers Network as an International Employer Liaison Assistant (Hong Kong and Singapore).

International student now working in the Arcadis Group, UK

International student now working in the UK Case study

Alex Omelchuk
MSc Construction Management 2015-16
Now: Project Manager with Arcadis Group in Birmingham (UK)

My name is Alex; I did my Master’s Degree at the University of Birmingham in 2015-16. I am a civil engineer who arrived in the UK to do postgraduate studies in Construction Management. My aim was to find a job in the building industry within the UK.

Global job, global application

So what is a global CV, or what makes a good global application, you may be asking?  Having a single CV that could be used for everything would be a dream, but to secure that dream global move requires thinking both globally and strategically. Measurement of technical abilities may be similar worldwide, but application information will be received differently, depending on the type of company, its global culture, their recruitment needs.  Resilience and versatility is required for the people they recruit.

Top ten reasons for work experience

Balancing study and other opportunities at Uni can be challenging
but work experience can offer real career advantages

So, as an international student, you are here in the UK and you are probably thinking about your options that are available once your finish your course. But what about now? Have you thought about applying to some part-time employment alongside your studies or making the most of your spare time during your vacation periods?

Working for Admiral in the UK

Armin Kia discusses his journey to finding employment with Admiral Group plc.  Armin answers our questions.

'If you can find a job in the UK, your business language is probably fine. However, most of internationals are not as good in informal English.'

Hunting for jobs?

In the last welcome week, we saw over 500 new international students who came from every walk of life. Many of them were enthusiastic about landing a job, but when it came to how to go about it, about 90% have no idea on how to get about doing so or have some idea but not entirely sure, while the 10% have some sort of basic idea of getting a job. We as International Student Ambassadors at Career Networks know that finding a job is though when you don’t have experience and that’s why you need to think differently.

So here are some tips when you job-hunt as a fresher:

Returning home: employability tips for international students

Daniella  in Dubai - hear her story

International students at universities in the UK have a range of career options when they finish. Many will be interested in the possibility of working in the UK or internationally and the idea of further study, in the UK or in another country will be attractive. Most international students will return home, however, and here are a few tips which will make the transition into work in your home country easier and ultimately, more successful.

A valuable material experience

I am Bayode Ero-Phillips and I am a materials engineer from Nigeria. As I had worked in Nigeria for about 18 months prior to starting my PhD at the University of Birmingham in 2008, I was eager to continue to keep improving my employability whilst studying for it. At the time, I was not sure how I would achieve this, but I guess that desire has sent countless opportunities my way.

Working for the Society of Women Graduates in Gaza

"this internship made a difference to all the people I met and worked with because it provided them with the hope and motivation to work for tomorrow and not give up. I say this because, people in developing countries often feel that they have been forgotten and that no one in the developed countries cares or is willing to help them. But from my experience I have been able to assure such individuals and change such way of thinking"

Hadil, 1st year dentistry student in 2011 undertook an internship at the Society of Women Graduates in Gaza - a non-governmental organisation where she helped to empower women graduates to be active and responsible contributors to their community. She managed administrative activities and was responsible for contacting kindergartens to find out whether they had students who have become orphaned.

Why gain global competencies?

Iwan Griffiths provides insight into global competency:

Intercultural skills will benefit you
whatever your career plans.

Are you open to trying out different things - new experiences, different cultures or learning things in new ways? Do you look out for, and exploit new opportunities when other people don’t? If you answered ‘Yes’ to either of these questions you may already have the global competencies and mindset which are fast becoming a part of graduate employer ‘wishlists’. Having these is more than just about meeting business needs in a global economy. They will also equip for you many of the situations you face in your student and graduate life.

There’s no shortage of definitions of global mindset and competencies, and of intercultural skills, a closely-related idea. There’s also plenty of different ways graduate employers break them down when they recruit. For students and graduates what’s important is to have a broad understanding of what they mean, to be able to connect them to your own way of doing things, and be looking out for opportunities to develop them.