I am one of those fortunate people who has always had a rough idea of what job field I wanted to end up in. For as long as I can remember, I have had a deep passion for all animals big and small. I distinctly remember my favourite childhood toy being the RSPCA van which came with small figures of injured pets- one of them being a sheepdog with a bloody paw. Of course, at that age, everything was black and white and wanting to work with animals meant I was going to become a vet. I followed this ambition right through to the late years of secondary school when I was choosing which subjects I would take on for my GCSEs. I chose a few things that I enjoyed and had good grades in and a handful of subjects that would benefit my future. I left secondary school ready to attend an agricultural college where I was enrolled in the Animal Management Diploma course. I was the only one attending ...
Katie Loveland: How I became a full-time trainee primate keeper
5 Interview Tips from a Manager’s Perspective
I am a graduate of Nottingham Trent University and I studied BSc (Hons) Zoo Biology. Now, I am a full-time primate keeper and would like to pass on some advice to you all. I was talking to my manager about the process of hiring a new employee including the job advertisement, shortlisting and interviewing. It was interesting to learn about some of the things that he looks out for as an employer. It’s perfectly acceptable to be nervous. Most employers will expect interviewees to be nervous and so this isn’t something to worry about and it certainly isn’t worth trying to cover up either. Employers will understand that your behaviour in an interview isn’t a true reflection of yourself and they often won’t let this affect their opinion of you. In fact, it is better to show that you’re a little nervous rather than coming across as overconfident. Spend time learning about the ...
Art & Design Masters Degree Show: #NTUMastered 2018
Students on Masters courses within the School of Art & Design had the opportunity to exhibit their work in the #Mastered Degree Show last week. Hosted in Bonnington Gallery on the city campus of Nottingham Trent University, each exhibition demonstrated the student's individual creative journey through their course, those courses including Fashion Management, Textiles, Visual Arts and Visual Communication. I had a chance to check out some of the work that was on display and thought I would write a little bit about the experience, to show you some of the free events that take place on campus, and what to expect from a masters degree in the School of Art & Design. Frankly, I'm not one to usually check out events like these - museums and exhibitions generally don't encapsulate my idea of 'fun', but I was pleasantly surprised. On entrance, there were free food and drink ...
Are you considering a placement year? Emma Stephenson’s tips!
If I could pass on just one piece of advice from my four years at NTU it would be that if you’re even slightly considering a placement year then definitely go for it if you can! I studied Zoo Biology and during my placement year I volunteered at two organisations; one in South America and one in the UK. I’ll be honest, a placement year appealed to me partly so I could put off my dissertation for another year. But this massively worked in my favour as I managed to collect dissertation data whilst on placement which meant that I could spend longer doing it and it didn’t have to be done over summer! That being said, a placement year isn’t just an easy way out of uni for a year. You have to be prepared to work hard as the chances are you’ll be working full time working hours for free. On top of volunteering during my placements, I had to pay for transport to South America and to live ...
Caitlin’s Work experience at NTU (WIS)
Hello, my name is Caitlin and I attend Ashfield School; I am in year 10 which makes me 15 years old. Firstly, finding a work experience placement for me in the dentistry industry was very hard, everywhere I applied rejected me or I was underage. However, I applied to Nottingham Trent University and received an email back very quickly. I chose to do my work experience in the data, research and communication department. Although this experience isn’t anything to do with dentistry (what I hope to do in the future), this experience has definitely been helpful, as I wish to come to university when I am older. This was my first work experience, therefore I had no idea of what to expect. I was so excited about the opportunity. However, I was worried about me not finding the Dryden Building Reception or me not being on time, but luckily it was not hard to find at all and I was on time, the ...
#3 The Power of Vocations: Identifying Need States
Let’s look at the needs of the world. There are plenty of them and they range from smaller human needs like getting your car washed and buying groceries to larger world needs like stopping global warming or protecting our natural resources and wildlife. The good thing is you should already have a good idea now of what your talents and motivations are. Use them to guide you and most importantly be honest with yourself. Don’t pick a need because you feel pressured to do so, pick a need based on what motivates you. Remember, this need has to keep you motivated and there has to be an opportunity for you to leverage your talents to solve the need. Again, talk to people and ask them what their needs are, the more people the better. This may take time and you may even find there are more than one set of need areas. Keep a notebook and take notes of the needs. I like using Spider ...