I have just returned from my last careers hub of the Spring and what a hub it was! I went to Hull, a place I haven't visited for a number of years and it was lovely. I saw 12 people for consultations and we had over 32 people attend our Profiles in Chemistry talk...you can find pictures on our Twitter page (@CareersRSC)...where we had the following speakers to talk about their career paths and experience:

• Dr Mike Scotter from FERA
• Ian Rippin from National Laboratory Service (NLS)
• Stephanie Sleightholm and Stephen Hebron from Novartis in Grimsby

This was all followed by an evening of networking over food and wine (soft drinks were also available) and from my perspective and the feedback I received, it was a really good event.

We do these hubs all over the UK and you are welcome to attend them. They are primarily set up to provide local careers advice to members and so we do them regionally, trying to allow every member to get an opportunity to talk about their career development with us. We rotate the cities to help with the travel aspect for members e.g. we do Reading one year and Oxford the next.

In addition to talking about your career development there are also opportunities for CPD. You can attend our Profiles in Chemistry talks and find out more about career paths and local companies, as well as different areas of chemistry. You can expand your local contacts through attending our networking evening and there will be opportunities in the future to attend training seminars on topics that interest you (suggestions welcome).

All of these events are designed to let you take hold of your career and travel in the direction you want to.

Here at Royal Society of Chemistry Careers we're great advocates of using social media as part of your career management strategy. Using social media is a great way to raise your profile and let people know what you're doing, but it can be disastrous if done badly. If you've ever thought about being a science blogger, take a look at this article, which will help you to do it well.

Are you a graduate with a good Honours degree in science, or about to graduate this summer? If you're considering a career in publishing, the Royal Society of Chemistry has great opportunities for Publishing Editors, open for applications all year round. You can find more details on the role and how to apply here.

This is a great way to take your first steps in publishing with an organisation that is internationally recognised for the excellence of its journals. Not only that, the Royal Society is a great place to work, so what are you waiting for?

It's all a bit chicken and egg, getting experience I mean. As you move into your chosen career you are likely to come up with the words ' I'm sorry, you just missed out, the other candidate had a bit more experience' or something similar. In an ideal world you would have some experience before embarking on your new job, but how do you get experience without a job, and how do you get a job without experience? See what I mean? It's a chicken and egg scenario.

As I talk to people, particularly students, internships are becoming increasingly important and part of the 'getting experience' strategy. But how do you find them? Finding internships in the UK is fairly straightforward, a quick search on the internet brings up these options (in no particular order):

1. Employment for students (Summer)
2. Internship UK
3. Student Job
4. Internwise
5. Internships UK

But what if you want something more chemistry related? If you are looking for postions in publishing or as a science writer, look no further than the Royal Society of Chemistry. We have two summer internship postions which you can find by clicking on the links.

For lab based internships I would suggest trying jobsites such as Indeed, student specific sites such as milkround
or on specific websites/institutions/companies you are interested in such as The Wellcome Trust or GSK

A couple of words of caution - some internships can be unpaid, make sure you check what is on offer before you sign on the dotted line. Very short unpaid internships can be useful but make sure that you are fully aware of what you will need financially before you agree.

Applications are now open for our intern placements over the summer months. We currently have two opportunities open to applications. 
 
The first is as a Publishing Intern working in our Editorial Production department. This opportunity allows you to gain an insight into the full Publishing process from initial submission to final publication. This role in particular will focus on the publication process post acceptance, specifically applying author corrections and committing the article for publication. We have up to six placements available. For more information on the role and the application process please click here
 
The second position is as a Science Writer. You will gain experience working for two of our publications: Chemistry World and Education in Chemistry. This eight week position, supported by the Marriott Bequest Trust, will provide a hands-on introduction to the complete editorial process from writing and editing to page layout and printing. For more information on this role and the application process please click here
 
Both positions offer an opportunity to gain some invaluable experience over the summer months.
 
If you are currently studying science, eligible to work in the U.K and have an interest in scientific publishing and the Royal Society of Chemistry apply now!

As a member you're entitled to free confidential careers advice but what does this mean for you? Over the next few weeks I shall give you some scenarios. Today we look at networking.

With 30% of all jobs (regardless of sector, experience or qualifications) increasing to 80% of jobs in the graduate/professional sectors being filled through networking, it's clearly an option worth looking at.

Ah, but what about the fact all jobs have to be advertised I hear you cry. Unfortunately it doesn't always work like that an even if a job is advertised there may already be someone lined up, a recommendation in place for someone else or someone may know someone who knows someone....

So, how do you go about networking? If you take the general populous then ~12% never network, 12% network naturally without even thinking about it and that leaves everyone else.

Although you can use social media, for the purpose of this post I will concentrate on face to face networking since you remember these encounters longer than you remember an online interaction. Most people think of networking as a boring evening event where you swap business cards and go home, thinking no more about it. What if there was another way?

I went to a masterclass with career strategist John Lees who suggested the following:

1. Start with people you know: friends and family
2. Don't ask for a job, ask about them: how they got there, what they do, what the company does, ask about entry routes and ask where to find out more - in other words research!
3. Follow up with a thank you and ask them for three names to find out more and get an introduction, even if it's a quick email.

John calls this networking for softies, because most of us are softies when it comes to networking.

We interact with people all of the time, both in person and online. It's one of my favourite things, I love talking to people and finding out more about them. Although my preferred method is to interact in person, through consultations or at an event I also like to interact online. Some folks even call it networking (!)

What are the benefits? Well, just like interactions face to face, interacting with others online can help you find out more about a person, sharing in common ground, supporting each other to reach goals or take a step in a new direction. It can help you find out information, for example, about a new career area you might be interested in or make a contact in a new area.


So how can you interact with us?
Other than getting in touch via email, phone or during an event you can also find us online and we love you to interact with us. I write this blog and am the main tweeter on our twitter account @CareersRSC . You can also interact with us via LinkedIn through the RSC group where we will be sharing information, asking questions and answering yours....All we need you to do is to comment, share, follow or get involved

People often ask me about what the future of chemistry is, what kind of jobs will exist? It's difficult, if not impossible to predict the answer to the question but there has recently been a piece of research: The Future of Work: Jobs and Skills in 2030.

UKCES have researched the job market of the future and has come up with 4 main possiblities:

1. Forced Flexibility - greater flexibility and moderate innovation
2.The Great Divide - high tech industries
3. Skills Activism - technological innovation
4. Innovation Adaptation - implementation of ICT solutions

The paper explores the financial. technological and political effects on the UK. It makes an interesting read.

Of course one can never predict the future accurately but the landscape is likely to be different and it opens up a lot of questions. Will we use new and emerging technologies to increase productivity and efficiency?, what will happen to the workforce?, how will we learn?

What we can be sure of is that we are likely to use more technology, and combine it with other things, like has already happened with biometrics. Will there be a role for chemists? Of course, perhaps not in the same ways as now but using our logical, problem solving and data skills may become even more important.

Politics is a hot topic no matter what the weather is doing and it's one which many of you are interested in. The main route into the civil service for PhDs is through the fast stream graduate programme but what if it's not for you? Well, what if I said you could take a shorter position, say three months, to work in a Government department and see if it's for you? What if I also said it would be in a department which would use your scientific knowledge? Sound too good to be true? I have good news.

It's that time of year again where the Royal Society of Chemistry's Westminster Fellowship is open for applications.

I have even better news - we will give you a bursary of £5000.

What's stopping you? Get your application in!

Are you a student? Are you interested in China? If the answer to both of those questions is yes then the British Council are running an event for you: British Council 2014 UK-China Student Forum.

The Forum is looking for UK students with a global outlook to join Chinese students in Beijing to voice opinions on issues related to education, employment and global citizenship. Through group discussions, workshops, keynote presentations and wrap-around activities, participants will exchange views with eight Chinese student counterparts and will conclude with a live discussion on 22 April 2014 at a university location in Beijing.

There will be places for eight lucky students and all you have to do is answer the question: How can our education better prepare us to compete in an increasingly globalised world? in no more than 500 words. Then:

• Email your response to: gen.uk@britishcouncil.org.cn with ‘UK-China Student Forum’ in the subject line.
• Please include your: full name, email address, university and degree course
• Please attach a copy of your CV
• Deadline: 23 March 2014

Eligibility

You must be:

• a UK university student (British passport holders only, including Irish passport holders for Northern Ireland domiciled);
• aged 18 and above
• able to travel to China during 19 – 24 April

The British Council will cover all costs related to the trip, including return flights and accommodation.