SMS MSc Student Handbook 2021/2022 (Sep 2021 Start)

26. Careers and Personal Development

Looking for part-time work or an internship? Need help with your CV or a job interview? Want to find out about your options when you graduate? Thinking about starting a business?

The QM Careers and Enterprise Team provides a range of services that enable you to develop your employability skills, access work experience and graduate job opportunities, network with employers and decide on your next steps after graduation.

Students in every School are able to participate in a diverse careers programme. This might include in-curriculum lectures, lunchtime workshops, professional career options panels, 1-to-1 careers guidance, application feedback appointments and mock interviews. This is supported by a wealth of careers information online. 

There are over 100 employer-led events on campus a year, from fairs to skills workshops. These offer you the chance to network with recruiters and get training on self-presentation skills for the recruitment process. We also provide a range of paid work experience opportunities, from real life consulting projects via QConsult to part-time or full-time internships via QInterns, as well as taster programmes that give you understanding about different sectors and employers.  

For those who are aspiring entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs, our enterprise programme supports students in setting up their own businesses via seed funding, 12 week Incubator programme, events, bootcamps and 1-to-1 careers guidance.

Get the latest news on social media, search jobs on our online jobs board, read our jobs blog or website for advice and insights and use our practice interviews and psychometric test software.

You can:

·         Book an appointment for one-to-one careers guidance. Book by phone (020 7 882 8533) or in person up to a week in advance, or drop by on the day – we may have appointments free. We are also able to offer all our appointments to run remotely.

·         Find out more about the world of work from employers and former students at our careers events www.qmul.ac.uk/careers/events/.

·         Attend workshops on job applications, interviews, assessment centre techniques and a range of graduate skills – from leadership to commercial awareness www.qmul.ac.uk/careers/events/. 

Find a range of part-time, and full time job vacancies on our website www.qmul.ac.uk/careers/jobs-and-experience/.    

Use our work experience hub to find out about internships, temporary work or local work experience placements www.qmul.ac.uk/careers/jobs-and-experience/.

Keys tips from our Careers Consultants:

• Engage fully in your degree programme
• Make sure that you identify where in your degree programme the opportunities for developing graduate attributes occur and engage fully in these learning activities.
• Engage in work experience and other forms of extra-curricular activity
• Make sure you take up some of the wide range of opportunities open to you, such as work experience, volunteering, and enterprise education and entrepreneurship opportunities.
• Enhance your ability to reflect on your learning and monitor your progress for employability
• Sign up for an award or certificate designed to ensure you gain the most from your student experience.
• Be active in your career decision making and preparation for employment from your arrival at Queen Mary
• Make sure you attend the Mathematical Sciences careers programme and other Queen Mary careers activities.
• Make employability information work for you!

Look at these resources early on and plan ahead:

• Graduate Attributes and Employability;
  
• Queen Mary Careers.
  

EXEMPTIONS AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

There are various professional examinations in accounting and actuarial science for which some of our programmes or modules may provide exemptions. Details can be found under the title "Professional exemptions and accreditation" here.

We also have close relationships with the two major UK professional societies for mathematics, The London Mathematical Society and The Institute for Mathematics and its Applications. Many of our staff are members of one or both societies.

The London Mathematical Society was founded in 1865 and has a national and international membership of around 2,300 professional mathematicians. For further information please visit: www.lms.ac.uk. The Institute for Mathematics and its Applications was founded in 1964 and awards the Chartered Mathematician, Chartered Scientist and Chartered Mathematics Teacher designations, visit their website to find out more: www.ima.org.uk.

Both of the above societies support mathematics in many ways, such as producing journals, organising conferences, engaging with government and promoting public engagement.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Queen Mary wants you to make the most of your student experience. For that reason, we want to help you identify the opportunities that exist to develop your graduate attributes. These attributes reflect the location and profile of the student body and the research-intensive nature of the institution. They are detailed in the Queen Mary Statement of Graduate Attributes, which consists of 32 attributes grouped into 7 themes that will help you prepare yourself for your future employment.