A DAY IN THE LIFE...
GARY ARGENT
Gary Argent, Director of the Career and Skills Development Service, City University London kicks off our new series looking at what some of the movers and shakers in graduate recruitment really get up to...
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It is lucky that I love a good spreadsheet! As well as a lot of measurement to try to understand how students do (or don’t) use the service, my team collects and analyses the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) data…
T
he morning usually starts around 8am, with the first hour or so spent planning the four or five meetings I have scheduled most days. It is also a good chance to catch up with emails, which might range from very specific questions on one of our services to much more general requests from an employer or a colleague in the University. I spend most of my time talking to people, either planning activities in our own service or supporting colleagues around the University who need to consider the impact of the graduate market on their own area of work. The HE sector in general, and City in particular, is going through a lot of change right now and I am involved in projects to look at the use of technology across the institution, and international activities at the University. The employability agenda is wide reaching and as student recruitment becomes a more competitive process the prospect of employment is more of a selling point than ever before. I had not really thought about how a university recruits students before I joined City, but my experience of attending careers fairs at Logica has come in handy as we have a role to play at Student Open Days. We open our doors to prospective students (and their parents) to talk about how a degree might improve their prospects, and have even been supported by some particularly forward-thinking employers at the last few events. It is lucky that I love a good spreadsheet! As well as a lot of measurement to try to understand how students do (or don’t) use the service, my team collects and analyses the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) data and I often find myself discussing these statistics with colleagues across the schools. The focus is always on how we can work together to ensure that the employability message reaches the widest possible group of students early in their time at City, and that we have the right offerings in place to help them improve their skills.
30 GRADUATE RECRUITER
Our Careers Guidance team often drive this, helping me develop my knowledge in an area that I was previously not very familiar with.
I’ll fit in a quick lunch at some point. I am a creature of habit, and my regular (and much missed) trips to the Castle Balti in Warwick while working at AGR have been replaced by the short walk to Dan’s Sandwich Hut on Northampton Square. Big portions and value for money…. a heady mix!
Our employer liaison team runs student events most days in the autumn and I’ll often get the chance to meet our graduate recruiter partners, perhaps introducing an event or talking to students afterwards to get their feedback. I also get the opportunity to meet students while working with the Student Union. Our VP Activities have been great this year and we talk regularly to improve the links between our various initiatives. I like the fact that I often need to react to the unexpected. We get a lot of last minute requests – to talk to students, work with other teams across City, or speak to employers. I keep some flexibility in my schedule to make sure I can accommodate as many approaches as possible.
I also manage to get off campus fairly regularly. AGR is a valuable network where I can meet colleagues from across the industry, and AGCAS has helped me build a supportive network of other heads of service – notably the Careers Strategy London group which meets quarterly. There really is no typical day as Director of Careers at
City. But as with so many jobs, this is what makes it interesting – I have not stopped learning since I arrived here almost two years ago, and am thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to understand the graduate market from a different perspective.
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