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Opportunities: How You Can Make Them Happen

UCL Careers Extra – with Raj Sidhu & Penny Longman

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1. Learn why it’s critical to shape your own opportunities

2. Practical & step by step guide to creating opportunities tailored to any sector

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A Quiz…

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1. According to

Forbes, in 2017, what

% of jobs never get

advertised?

2. What % of

graduates will go on

to do a graduate

scheme?

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Let’s imagine…

1. How must that communication

have made you feel in order for you

to want to reply?

2. What kinds of things might have

been in that communication?

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Step 1 of 3:

Finding a company / organisation

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Step 2 of 3:

Identifying an appropriate target

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Step 3 of 3:

Making Contact…

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A. Express sincere and very

precise interest in their work

B. Draw an explicit parallel with

your own experience

C. ‘Might we be able to have a

conversation about how I can

get professional exposure to

the work you do?’

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Hi David,

I’m really interested in your laboratory work helping derive plasma products to help treat coagulation disorders including haemophilia and Von Willebrand’s Disease.

There is a parallel with my own experience considering therapeutic remedies for haemophilia as part of my Medical Sciences degree at UCL, where I’ve been working with laboratory equipment including centrifuges and mix towers.

Might we be able to have a conversation about how I could get professional exposure to the work you do?

Kind regards,

Raj

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Potential Myths & Barriers

‘Seriously… it’ll never work’

I’ll be bothering them…

If I get an internship like this, it means I won’t get paid, right?

‘Surely it’s better to contact HR?’

‘It’s not a normal approach’

I don’t have anything to offer …

• Using LinkedIn…

• Using UCL’s Alumni website

• Interacting with active groups

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Questions…