Jargon:  Words or language specific to a certain discipline e.g. Careers

 

Buster:  Break through

AGCAS:  The Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services is the professional body for Careers Advisors in UK Higher Education.  AGCAS also provides some of the products you will see around the Careers service and on the Prospects website.

Application Form:  This is a form you fill in to apply for a job. It may be a standard application form (known as a SAF) or one based on competencies the employer requires.

Assessment/Selection Centre Presentation: You may be asked to give a short talk on a topic, either related to the organisation, or on something of personal interest.  Sometimes you are told this subject beforehand.

Business Games:  Specially designed business problems which are given to students to solve (in groups or individually.)

Careers Adviser:  A trained and qualified adviser who will offer support on any aspect of managing your Career and Employability

Case Study:  A practical example of a scenario based on a person’s previous experience.

Careers Information:  Information that exists to help you make good Careers choices, often either hard copy, web based or as a glossy brochure/magazine

Career Management Skills:  Skills you need to manage your career!

Careers fair:  An event where employers market themselves to you! Employers have exhibition stands, often with recent graduates on hand to tell you about their company, vacancies, recruitment procedures etc.

Competencies:  A combination of skills, knowledge and other qualities defined by employers e.g. 'influencing others' 

Covering Letter:  Sent with a CV and/or an application form, a covering letter often summarises your reasons for applying and your key attributes, strengths and any other information that contributes to a good application 

CV:  Curriculum Vitae. Contains information about qualifications, experience, used when you are looking for a job.

DLHE:  (Pronounced “deli”.) Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education:  Essentially, information on what graduates do after leaving University (job & employer).

Directory:  A book/magazine containing details of employers/vacancies. Usually free, you can pick up a selection from the Careers Service.

Drop In Session:  20 minute appointment that can be booked on the day or day before

EAF:  Employer Application Form – usually available from the employer, or downloadable from their website.

Employability:  Is not Employment. It is a process and a 'skill and knowledge set' in itself, combining the need to understand yourself, understand the options around you, to improve yourself, to find and get graduate quality jobs and to be able to actively manage this process through your life.

Employer Presentations:  Given by employers.  Most take place in the evening, some at lunchtime on campus.  An opportunity for employers to tell you about themselves and the vacancies they offer. Some presentations include videos, small discussion groups or case studies, others are mainly talks.  Many employers bring along recent graduate recruits.

EU & EEA:  The EU refers to all those countries within the European Union. The EEA stands for European Economic Area, and this represents EU countries plus other countries within geographical Europe but outside the EU arrangement e.g. Norway and Lichtenstein (Switzerland is not part of either but 'trades' with Europe via a treaty).

Focus Group:  A group of students (usually volunteers) who are asked for their views on matters relating to the Service, or occasionally on particular employers.

GOWales:  An 'All Wales' programme funding Jobshops, unpaid and paid placements and more – available to International students and graduates (so long as you have a Welsh address)

Graduate Aptitude Test:  Employers may choose to test your verbal reasoning, numerical reasoning, diagrammatic reasoning or other specific abilities.

Graduate Prospects:  Major publisher of careers information. Also host of recruitment website, supported by AGCAS (Careers service professional body)

Group Exercises:  At an Assessment Centre, you may be asked to discuss a topic with others, which will be observed/assessed.

IGS:  International Graduate Scheme.  Government initiative relaxing previous rules enabling International Students to work in the UK for 12 months after graduation.

Internships:  An American term for a period of work experience, lasting from a few weeks to a year.  Can also be called a Placement.

Initial Screening Interview:  May be carried out on the telephone, or after receipt of application forms/formats.  Used to draw up a shortlist of applicants to be invited for interview.

In-tray exercise:  Often encountered at Assessment Centres, in business games.  You may be given a variety of written material and asked what action you would take with each item. You will be asked to do this within a set time, usually quite restricted.  Additional items may be added while the exercise is under way.

Job Shop:  Advertises paid part-time, term-time and vacation work available to students and graduates. It also offers information on working hours, minimum wage, tax and insurance.

Milk Round:  Describes the activity of employers coming to universities to recruit.  Used to be concentrated in the autumn, but with all year recruiting, the term is less common.

My Prospects:  Different to My Potential, this is a facility on the Prospects website which enables you to get Careers ideas from information entered into this system (useful if you have no Career ideas).

Networking:  Using your contacts - friends, relatives, lecturers and developing and maintaining this wide range of contacts to help you to tap into the hidden job market. Hundreds of jobs go unadvertised every week, filled by networking and word of mouth.

National Insurance Number:  Unique number issued by the UK Government.  You need this as soon as you start any work but you do not need one BEFORE you start work (though many local employers seem to think you do).

Numeracy Test:  A short test to see how well you handle numbers.

Occupational Information:  Held in the Careers service and on the website – you’ll find information about specific occupations – from academic librarian to zookeeper. Information from professional bodies, newspaper cuttings, job profiles, books, videos, journals.

Online Application Form:  Applying for a job via an employer's website by entering information into a predefined form.

Personality profiling:  Sometimes used by employers to gain an insight into your working style/attitudes.

Placement:  A period of work experience, paid or unpaid which is part of a course.  Can be arranged by yourself or by the university

Professional Body:  Organisation that offers qualifications and sets professional examinations.  Usually charges a fee for students/members to join.  Examples include the IPD (Institute of Personnel and Development), CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) etc.

Professional Qualifications:  Courses leading to professional qualification, taken after graduation offered directly by professional bodies such as the Institute of Personnel & Development, the Institute of Chartered Accountants etc. These are mostly part time and undertaken alongside your job. Often the employer sets up the arrangement.

Profiling For Success:  An on-line interactive resource that will give you feedback on your strengths and Career preferences based on information that you input. Click here for a link.

Prospects Planner:  A computer-aided guidance program. It won't tell you which job you should do but it will help you consider your skills and interests, linking them to information on types of occupations you may wish to explore.

Psychometric testing:  Tests to measure mental abilities and qualities.  Employers use a variety of tests within a wider recruitment procedure (the most common tend to be numerical reasoning and verbal reasoning).

Recruitment Agency:  Agencies advertise vacancies and sometimes carry out initial selection on behalf of paying Employers.  Should be free to you.

SAF:  Standard Application Form.  Used by a number of employers.

Second Interview:  Often with a more senior member of staff.  May be held as part of an Assessment Centre

Short List:  Used to describe the people selected for a final interview.

Sign Up:  A booking system for you to indicate your interest in attending an event.  Sometimes on-line.

Skills:  The ability to do something well.  This could be directly related to your degree, to an employer/job requirement or something in between.

Speculative Application:  Sending a CV and covering letter to an employer asking whether they can offer jobs or work experience, without a job being advertised.

Talk:  Presentation about a particular career area, e.g. Teaching, or by an employer.

Technical Interview:  Technical questions may be asked as part of general interview for science and engineering positions.  Typical questions refer to course projects, special options or work placements.  Separate technical interviews that test in-depth theoretical knowledge are mainly given to applicants for research posts.

Telephone Interviews:  Sometimes used as pre-screening device.  Successful interviewees are invited for face-to face or second interview.

Term-time work:  Work undertaken during term time.

Transferable skills:  Used to describe a range of skills 'transferable' between jobs (and also from your degree) e.g. communication, teamworking, presentation, numeracy.

UKCISA:  The UK Council for International Student Affairs promotes and protects the needs of International Students in the UK (essential website for you).

Vacation work:  Used to describe paid work during vacation periods usually during the summer, but can sometimes be during Christmas or Easter periods.

Vocational course:  A course designed to train you for a specific job or Career.  These courses may be essential for entry.

Voluntary work:  Work undertaken for no pay.  Can cover anything from a few days with a local organisation to a six month project for a charity.  It may be one way to get into (or at least gain experience in) a popular occupation.  It will undoubtedly add a range of skills and experience to your CV and you may also make contacts so you can do some networking later.

Widening participation:  Encouraging and supporting people who have the ability, motivation and potential to thrive at university, but who come from groups that are currently under-represented in higher education.

Work experience:  Can be paid or unpaid work.  Relevant work experience is essential for some jobs. Sometimes referred to as placements or internships

Workshadowing:  Observing someone doing their job to gain an understanding of what they do.

Workshop:  An interactive session run by careers advisers or employers.  You will be expected to take part in activities and contribute ideas.

Year-round recruiting:  Term used to describe how employers recruit – such employers do not usually have closing dates for applications.