Over 270 students attended a recent ‘Kick-start Your Career!’ event with SETU and EU-CONEXUS on Wednesday, 25 October.
The online workshop aimed to provide practical tips for students before they embark on their career journeys.
Spearheaded by the SETU Careers Development Centre as part of their involvement in the Career Network work package for EU-CONEXUS, the virtual workshop featured representation from industry and each partner university with students from all nine EU-CONEXUS Alliance Universities in attendance.
Attendees had the opportunity to engage in direct discussions and pose questions to presenters, resulting in insightful interactions and thought-provoking comments.
Topics and speakers included:
• How to highlight your skills and experiences in interviews with Christelle Tallon, La Rochelle Université.
• How to succeed in your first job with Sinéad English, Founder of Hilt Career Consulting, Limerick.
• Rock your profile presented by LinkedIn with Juanjo Marle, Head of Talent of ESIN Group, Headhunter, Behavioural Analyst, Speaker, Human Resources.
• Skills employers are looking for with Ala Minkevičienė, HR director in Western Shipyard BLRT GRUPP.
• Dealing with interview success and rejection with Severina Mamić, University of Zadar.
• Transferable skills with Mihaela Iftode, Universitatae Technia de Constructii Bucuresti.
• Inter-cultural communication skills with Sabine Brüser, Universität Rostock.
• Navigating life after college - deciding on your next career move. Building professional networks and using placements as a career compass with Antonis Vlassopoulos, Geoponiko Panepistimion Athinon.
• How to stand out from the crowd - creating a winning CV with Andrea Athanasiou, Frederick University.
Speaking after the event Dr Rebecca Power, Senior Project Officer for the EU-CONEXUS Career Network work package at the SETU Careers Development Centre, said: “The diversity of topics allowed students to learn something new, but also to find inspiration. Many of the presentations offered practical tips and tools to assist students on kick-starting their career journey”.
She added: “For those who registered but could not attend, each presentation was recorded and will be uploaded to the JobTeaser platform in the coming days. We would also like to encourage attendees to share their feedback on the event through the provided feedback questionnaire”.
Valuable hints and tips
Angela Collins, Head of The Careers Development Centre at SETU Waterford, felt that the presentation topics covered in the 'Kick-start your Career' event provided students with valuable hints and tips to jump-start their careers. She emphasised the importance of the advice not only in securing a job or career, but also in excelling in the workplace. Angela extended her gratitude to the industry partners and her careers colleagues who delivered excellent presentations, acknowledging the value of their time and knowledge-sharing. She also thanked the students who participated in the event, recognising their other university commitments during a busy time of the year.
JobTeaser is the chosen platform for the EU-CONEXUS Careers Network. It is a valuable resource for students to access information about job opportunities and internships across Europe, as well as useful resources to help students with their career journey. Students, both undergraduate and postgraduate, can register their details by tapping here.
A survey has been compiled to gain feedback on this event, which can be completed here.
SETU is part of EU-CONEXUS which aims to address global and local challenges by tackling environmental, technical, economic and societal needs related to the topic of “Smart Urban Coastal Sustainability”. “Smart Urban Coastal Sustainability” relates to any discipline that can contribute to improving the standard of living for our coastal areas. EU-CONEXUS approaches this through four themes: Social, Cultural & Human Sciences, Coastal Engineering, Environmental Science & Biodiversity, and Life Sciences & Biotechnology.
More information at https://www.eu-conexus.eu/en/