New Type of Career Event proves a hit with DCS students
On the 4th of November, the department of computer science played host to a new type of career event seen as the ‘speed dating’ of recruitment. Given a starting number, students rotate around a series of ‘stands’ where representatives from each company talk for ten minutes on what they do, and why they're the most attractive proposition for graduates. What made the event especially poignent was that the majority of speakers were former DCS students. Having previously studied in the department, they were better able to relate to students, and understand more accurately where their skills might fit in their own organisation. Not your standard careers eventIn contrast to typical careers fairs, where students from any discipline descend on stands not really sure of what they are looking for, this alternative event directly matches students with companies whose profile is specifically relevant to their degree. The benefit of this approach works both ways, students know that everyone they talk to is a potential employer, and equally companies know that everyone they talk to is a potential employee. This ensures that students have a much clearer idea of the range of jobs available after graduation and allows them to better target their applications at a time when the recruitment market has become extremely competitive.Stephen Ward from the Careers Service who organised the event, described it as being the mid way point between large careers events that are open to everyone, and individual company presentations that tend to focus on a select few. He welcomed the exceptional support given by the department of computer science who postponed lectures for the day and also provided the location. Stephen believes that in the future we will see more of these targeted recruitment events because they offer companies a more captive audience and allow students to meet with potential employers from the comfort of their own department. Student TurnoutTurn out on the day was particularly strong with approximately eighty students rotating around seven companies whose interests ranged from computer gaming in the case of RARE to technical consulting in the case of Price Waterhouse Coopers. At the start each student was given a number from 1 to 7 which corresponded with a stand manned by one of the companies. On the blow of a whistle, each student moved from one room to another, spending ten minutes receiving a brief outline of the company before being invited to ask employment related questions.After an intense two hours of listening and questions, participants then moved down to the DCS reception where they were treated to a buffet lunch provided by the careers service and the attending companies. This allowed students to follow up on any questions they still had as well as to network with representatives from the companies they were most interested in. British Computer Society
Also present at the event were representatives from the British Computer Society (BCS) who were keen to promote the values of professional accreditation while discussing the many opportunities available to current undergraduates. One opportunity of particular interest was the work the BCS does with local schools to encourage pupils to engage in computer programming. Computer Science students are invited to participate in this programme by helping to deliver workshops using the “scratch” toolkit. More information about this can be obtained by contacting Margaret Low (m.j.low@warwick.ac.uk) |
Companies in attendance are listed below along with a link to their graduate programmes.Price Waterhouse Coopers: After graduating from DCS in 2006 with a first class degree in computer science, Christopher Dean joined PWC and is now a senior associate within the Forensic Technology Solutions division. During the event, Chris talked about his role at PWC and the opportunities available to DCS students after graduation. The career website for PWC is available at |