EMPLOY

ABILITY
guidance information advice key dates
COLLEGE OF MEDICINE:
BIOCHEMISTRY AND
GENETICS
COLLEGE OF MEDICINE: BIOCHEMISTRY AND GENETICS
KEEP IN
TOUCH
For all the latest employability
news and placement news, visit:
Careers blackboard page
http://scs.swan.ac.uk/genetics_careers/index.html
groups/swanseaBiGalumni
bigsociety.swansea
PGEducationMedicine
The College website
www.medicine.swansea.ac.uk
WHAT IT IS... YOU WILL...
WHAT IS EMPLOYABILITY
ALL ABOUT?
Employability is about how you engage with the
opportunities that present themselves during your
time with us, be they College or University events,
extracurricular activities or through the people
that you meet.
Employability is being ready to articulate your
experiences and demonstrate the skills you have
developed to potential employers so that you
maximise your potential for your graduate career.
Employability allows you to take control.
Employability makes you condent.
To start you off on the right track, inside this
leaet you will nd guidance on the support you
can expect from us, researching employers and
preparing your CV.
Make the most of all that is on offer to you!
DURING THE ACADEMIC YEAR
YOU CAN:
RECEIVE THE SUPPORT OF THE UNIVERSITY
CAREERS & EMPLOYABILITY SERVICE, which
ranges from individual guidance to employer
talks and skills sessions.
HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO APPLY FOR
WORK EXPERIENCE PLACEMENTS relevant to
your course.
BE NOTIFIED OF STUDENT VACANCIES, RELEVANT
CAREER EVENTS AND COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
POSTGRADUATE OPEN DAYs including the
University Career Fairs.
REGISTER FOR THE SWANSEA EMPLOYABILITY
AWARD which will help inform the career choices
you make and give you the edge over other
applicants.
"The assimilation
of theoretical and
practical components
throughout the
course and fnal year
research project
were delivered with
such enthusiasm
and expertise that
it has instilled the
knowledge, skills and
confdence to persist
with my aspirations
toward a career in
research. I will soon
be starting a PhD
at the University of
Liverpools Institute
of Infection and
Global Health."
Matt Moore
BSc Genetics
Graduate, 2012
"Studying Medical
Genetics at Swansea
University not
only provided me
with the general
understanding around
the subject area to
secure and continue
further research in
Medical and Health
Care studies, it also
taught me critical
practical skills which
are transferable and
necessary in this line
of work."
Ben Rees
BSc Medical Genetics
Graduate, 2011
SEA AWARD
THE SWANSEA UNIVERSITY
EMPLOYABILITYAWARD
Employers look for much more than a degree
when choosing which graduates to employ.
You have the opportunity to join this structured
programme that will develop your self awareness
and enable you to reect on the right sort of
career and employer for you.
The programme culminates in two voluntary work
experience/placements and will be recorded
on your HEAR ("Higher Education Achievement
Report") along with your degree results when
you graduate - enabling you to show prospective
employers what you are capable of.
Employers are increasingly using technology (e.g.
Gradintel) to nd the best students, so don't miss
this opportunity to improve your HEAR.
Find out more at www.sea.swansea.ac.uk
CV TIPS
CV POINTERS...
MAKING IT BETTER!
STRUCTURE use headings/sub-headings and
always start each section with the most recent
information rst.
PERSONAL DETAILS (name, contact information)
EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATIONS WITH DATES
(include grades, subjects, awards/prizes)
WORK EXPERIENCE (including the areas of
work and tasks undertaken - also say what you
enjoyed doing!)
EMPLOYMENT HISTORY (including the areas of
work and evidence of the tasks undertaken)
SKILLS think about your transferable skills
(e.g. customer service, if you have worked in a
shop or bar)
+ INTERESTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
+ REFEREES
AND FINALLY...
Font - keep it consistent in both style and size (e.g. Arial 12pt)
Style - be consistent with margins/layout/use of capitals/
underlining/bold
Always use plain English and watch your spelling and punctuation!
Keep it to two sides of A4 and print on good quality paper
Include a personal statement - a snap shot of you as an introduction.
If you cant t this in your CV, include it in your covering letter
WE ARE ALL HERE TO HELP
YOU ACHIEVE YOUR
GRADUATE CAREER
Use the guidance provided by the Careers and
Employability Service, the College's Blackboard
site and College Social Networks. Remember to
speak to us if you have any questions or would
like feedback.
THE CAREERS & EMPLOYABILITY SERVICE
is based is based in ISS.
Visit www.swansea.ac.uk/careers or nd them at
www.facebook.com/SwanseaUniversityCareers
You can also book online at www.swansea.
ac.uk/careers/appointments-with-advisers
YOUR PERSONAL TUTOR - follow the ofce times
noted in your enrollment information or book an
appointment.
THE COLLEGE HAS A WEALTH OF EXPERIENCED
BIOCHEMISTRY AND GENETICS PROFESSIONALS
check out their proles at
www.swansea.ac.uk/medicine
CONTACT THE COLLEGES DIRECTOR OF
EMPLOYABILITY (CHAMPION) Dr George Johnson
g.johnson@swansea.ac.uk
THE COLLEGE OFFERS A RANGE OF
POSTGRADUATE PROGRAMMES, from
Postgraduate Certicates and Diplomas to
MSc, MPhil and PhD programmes. For more
information, email Dr Gareth Noble on
postgraduatemedicine@swansea.ac.uk
Careers and Employability, in association with
the Swansea Employability Academy, assist
Swansea University students in gaining valuable
work experience placements. We work with
students from all levels, disciplines and career
aspirations to provide credible insights and
opportunities within the world of work, as well
vital CV enhancements. On applying for our
placement programmes, students also gain
experience of Assessment Centres and receive
free Employability Master Classes.
OUR CURRENT PLACEMENT PROGRAMMES:
Week of Work (WoW): Unpaid week of work
experience relevant to your career interests
Swansea Paid Internship Network (SPIN):
Paid, 6-8 week internship over the summer
period
FOR INFORMATION:
Email workplacements@swansea.ac.uk
Call Lucy J Williams, Work Placement
and Employment Co-ordinator, on
+44 (0)1792 606362
Call Chris Baillieux, Work Placement and
Employment Co-ordinator, on
+44 (0)1792 513134
Visit www.swansea.ac.uk/work-placements
or www.swansea.ac.uk/employability-
academy/spin

"While I was an
undergraduate,
I worked as
a Support
Worker in the
Biochemistry
Department
at Morriston
Hospital and
the course I was studying, Medical
Biochemistry, defnitely aided me in
attaining that role.
"After graduating, my degree
enabled me to gain a promotion
to become a Trainee Biomedical
Scientist at there. My studies
during my degree had well
prepared me for this role in that I
was able to identify and understand
the complex analytical assays and
procedures that were involved in
many of the automated analysers
that were testing patient samples. I
was also very familiar with the more
manual specialised techniques.
The medical biochemistry degree
also gave me valuable experience
in identifying the causes and
mechanisms involved in many
patient conditions, and how these
affect people on a cellular level.
My undergraduate project gave me
experience in handling orders of
chemicals and dealing with large
pharmaceutical companies, as well
as the experience of creating my
own assay.

"After my role as a Biomedical
Scientist, I moved on to become a
Trainee Clinical Perfusion Scientist.
I gained this position after a
challenging interview in September
2012. The role of a Perfusionist
is to initiate and maintain
cardiopulmonary bypass of a
patient undergoing cardiac surgery,
to stop the heart so that the Cardiac
Surgeon can perform the required
procedure, and later restart the
heart. This position required a high
level of biochemical understanding
and of the metabolic processes
which are essential to the functions
of the human body. Blood gas
management and whole body
perfusion and oxygen management
are paramount in assuring that the
patient can survive the surgical
procedure they are having. My
degree in medical biochemistry,
and subsequent experience in the
biochemistry lab, provided me with
the knowledge required for these
processes."
Luke Wood
BSc Medical
Biochemistry Graduate, 2010
MORE INFO... WoW and SPIN BE POSITIVE
"I am now a Senior
Scientist within the
Genetic Toxicology
Team within GSK,
and this is testament
to how much my
degree helped me
develop for a working
environment...I
already had good
scientifc, analytical
and professional
skills for the
industrial scientifc
environment, which
enabled me to stand
out from the crowd
and other potential
candidates."
Dean Thomas
BSc Genetics
Graduate, 2003
"I thoroughly enjoyed
my degree course
in Medical Genetics;
it was a subject that
I was particularly
interested in, and it
has certainly met all
my expectations. I
was pleased to be
able to consolidate my
learning with a year
at GlaxoSmithKline
and I am proud to
have been a part of a
research study that will
improve human health
risk assessments in
the future. Swansea
University has given
me opportunities to
develop personally
and academically and
I am looking forward
to remaining here to
undertake my PhD."
Leanne Stannard
BSc Medical Genetics
Graduate, 2013
GET IT RIGHT KEY DATES
DO YOUR RESEARCH -
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
When choosing a potential employer, you
need to invest some time and effort - this way
you will be able to draw up a target list. Time
spent on a few, well constructed applications,
will prove more successful than the scatter gun
approach (i.e. sending out hundreds of generic
applications).
There are several areas you could research to
make informed choices - then in your
application you can show that you know who you
are dealing with. Look at:
the size and work type of the employer
their reputation and strengths
recent developments and plans
their recruitment and selection procedures
Then you will have your hit list for placements.
You will be pointed to relevant websites during
your time with us, but this is one time when you
should use Google as part of your research.
OCTOBER
Make sure you have registered for the SEA and
start completing 'My Future'.
www.sea.swansea.ac.uk
NOVEMBER
Go along to the University and Colleges
Postgraduate Open Day;
DECEMBER
Send out applications for work experience or
volunteering for Easter or Summer Recess.
JANUARY
Many work placements schemes with larger
employers close at the end of this month - so be
sure you are ready with your applications.
MARCH
Go along to the University and Colleges
Postgraduate Open Day.
APRIL/MAY
Applications are underway to secure a job when
you graduate. The exam period is approaching
so spend some time making applications now.
JUNE
Go along to the University and Colleges
Postgraduate Open Day.
FOLLOWUS ONLINE FOR REGULAR UPDATES
KEY SKILLS
GRADUATE ATTRIBUTES AND SKILLS
Employers are looking for graduates to demonstrate a wide range of
attributes and skills. Providing evidence of these on your CV, application form
and providing evidence that you have these skills at interview will prove your
employability.
The below graph, based on the results of research conducted by the National
Higher Education STEM Programme, demonstrates some of the skills that
employers are looking for.
STUDENT-CENTRIC EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS
Self-management
Team-working
Business and customer
awareness
Problem-solving
Communication
Condence/maturity
Decision-making
Resilience against
failure
Flexibility and
adaptability
International awareness
Entrepreneurial outlook
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
A B
C K
D J
E I
F H
G
"After graduating from
BSc Biochemistry in
Swansea, I joined a
local college as a
laboratory technician
and worked my up to
the Head of Science
there. The techniques
I learnt during my
degree enabled me to
move on from teaching
into industry and I
now work as a trainee
molecular geneticist
for a company that
specialises in pre-
implantation genetic
diagnosis of human
embryos for couples
undergoing IVF. "
Kenny Wheeler
BSc Biochemistry
Graduate, 2009