2015-2016

A Career In International Development
Cathy will be talking about her own varied and successful career, her current role at EMMS International and the opportunities and rewards available when working in the aid and development fields.

Cathy Ratcliff, MA(Hons) French and Russian Studies (1985)
Director of International Programmes, EMMS International

Leave Only Footprints
Laura is currently leading the development of Young Scot’s partnership project with the Scottish Government and the Climate Challenge Fund to develop a Low Carbon Rewards Programme to engage more young people in activities which lead to low carbon lifestyles. She’ll be talking about her career so far, models that she has used to great effect in her career and some career top tips.

Laura Copley, MA(Hons) International Relations and Anthropology (2011)
Low Carbon Behaviours Development Officer, Young Scot

Student Sabbatical to Asylum Adviser - a Long and Winding Road
It's not always easy to get into the field you’re interested in, and sometimes you may go in a few different directions before you reach your intended destination. Felicity will offer an insight into her current role as an Asylum Adviser and how, despite a slightly indirect route, she obtained a role in this field. Advise for students seeking a role in this field will also be provided as well as some top tips for obtaining a career in the NGO/Charity sector.

Felicity Keefe, MA(Hons) International Relations and Religious Studies (2005)
Asylum Adviser, Asylum Help

Human Resources – The Antidote to Work

A History graduate, Heather will outline the diversity that a career in Human Resources can bring, the different types of work within HR and how she navigated through the corporate worlds to find jobs that she loved and made a difference in. She’ll also reflect on why her History degree and her time at university gave her a head start in the HR workplace. 

Heather Hayes, MA(Hons) History (1994)

VP, Global Head of HR, Horizon Discovery

Career Planning for DHP Students
Whether you haven’t started planning your career, have some ideas or even a specific plan, this talk will help you to find out what opportunities are open to you, how to maximise your chances and how the Careers Service can support you at any stage of planning your career.

Regina Jaschke, MA(Hons) English (1999)

Senior Careers Advisor, The University of Aberdeen

A Career in the Media with an Arts and Humanities Degree

A joint Divinity and History graduate, David will share his thoughts on the opportunities available and where to start.
•       Why would you want to work in the media industry?
•       Using an arts or humanities degree to claw your way into the media
•       The skills and qualities you’ll need
•       The challenges and changes in the media industry
•       Deciding your values – working out the right role for you

David Woods, MA(Hons) Divinity and History (2006)

Creative Director and Partner, Humm Media

3.00 - 3.40

Postgraduate Study Experiences
Current postgraduate students at The University of Aberdeen will talk about their studies; how they found the programmes, the differences of postgraduate study and what their plans are.

TEFL/TESOL
Anne is the owner of TESOL Training Scotland. A modern languages graduate from the University of Edinburgh, she has been involved with the teaching of English to speakers of other languages throughout her career. She will be talking about what's involved and the careers that are available.

Translator
Fiona is a self-employed translator, proof reader and ESOL teacher and the owner of Shooting Stars Language Services. She'll be talking about what's like to be a translator and how she reached this stage 5 years after graduating from Aberdeen.

Designing non-standard Modern Languages Careers
Jack - a modern languages graduate himself - will map out with you your skill sets and entertain with you some of your alternative futures.

2.30 - 3.00

Modern Languages Teacher
Laura is a modern languages teacher at Meldrum Academy, a secondary school in Aberdeenshire. She will be talk about the reality of daily life as a teacher and tips for current students thinking about becoming teachers.

Is this it?- A Believing Sceptic’s Perspective on Life and Work
Rick was Chairman of Northern Ireland Screen for 6 years and brought Game of Thrones to Northern Ireland. He will be talking about his career and some key principles that have been key to making transitions from one role to the next.

Rick Hill MBE has a portfolio career. Currently a Board member of the Independent Press Standards Organisation. The Northern Ireland member of the Ofcom Communications Consumer Panel. Chairman of the Scottish Government Consumer and Competition Policy Working Group. He is the owner and Director of Titanic Gap Media Consultancy. He has previously been, Chair of the General Consumer Council for Northern Ireland, Chair of the Northern Ireland Screen Commission, Chair of Consumer Focus Post and a member of the Consumer Focus UK Board, a Church Parish Minister and Hospital Chaplain. He studied for a degree in Mathematics and Physics at Queen’s University Belfast (1987), then another in Church History at the University of Aberdeen (1990).

The Invisible Mad Men
Media and communications may be the less visible part of the advertising industry but it’s no less full of opportunities across the board from creative and strategy through to data and econometrics. Taking his 15 years of experience in the industry he will share his thoughts on the opportunities available and where to start.

David is Group Strategy Director at MEC one of the world’s largest media agency networks, with 150 offices across 80 countries.  Prior to that he has worked at other global agency groups (Publicis and Havas) as well stints on the client side at Coca Cola and Microsoft. 

Lunch Break

2.00 - 3.00

What are companies looking for in PR candidates/how to break into the PR sector?
Beverley will be covering what companies are looking for in candidates/how to break into the sector; and her own, rather non-traditional, career path.

She is the owner of multi award winning Scottish PR agency Tricker PR which was established in 2001. Although convinced that PR was the career she was meant for, Beverley, an arts graduate, has taken an unconventional career path to get there as if directed by a mis-programmed sat nav. Periods as a primary school teacher, a sales rep, a wedding dress designer and a period In local governments led up to her starting her own business.