Claire Travers, a third year Psychology student, completed eXfactor in 2010.
eXfactor - student testimony
Claire Travers
Third year Psychology student
At this moment in time, I would say I do not have a set career choice in mind and am still open to any career path. Yet I realise I need to extend my skills beyond the psychology topics and research methods which are taught in my degree.
I have not had very much work experience and know I need to broaden my understanding of what employers expect of applicants as well as the procedures and skills which are used in the employment process.
When I received an email describing the eXfactor course as a way of gaining knowledge of these skills, I decided to put my name down. Not having really used the employment resources which the university provides, I hoped to hear about the help that was available as well as what the real recruitment scene was like.
I really liked the way the two days was set out; there is a sense that everyone is in the same boat and there for the same reasons. At first I was worried that the focus of the workshop would be all about the business sector and therefore relevant to only business and management students, however I soon found out that this was not the case at all!
All of the skills and advice that were discussed on these two days were relevant to all areas of employment and walks of life. I particularly enjoyed the marketing presentations we were asked to do, as well as the profiling to see what our ideal job would be when linked to our personality.
The teaching and advice, combined with the group activities, helped you put the things you learnt into practice; exactly what would happen in a real life work situation.
I recommend the eXfactor programme to any student from any degree. For those who may feel that they already know all of the options available, this programme will give them a great opportunity to explore what their strengths are and how to positively use them in an employment or work experience situation.
It is important not to get 100% tied down with your degree subject, as the subject knowledge will be of little use to you if your capability to communicate this knowledge is not developed.
I now feel much more proactive about preparing for life after university and am doing extracurricular activities such as the Exeter Award as well as planning a careers consultancy session at the university’s employment office. I also made a couple of friends out of the experience, which I’m pretty happy about too.
