Human resources
Life after graduation! Gerald Edelman and Lancaster University host three day graduate event
Gerald Edelman and Lancaster University, together with 20 of the top UK Universities, hosted a series of virtual events to support and guide graduates in securing their first job after university.
The three-day event saw over 12,000 students attend via Zoom and Weibo, to learn about the different accountancy qualifications, the UK recruitment process and, specifically for Chinese students, how they can secure a job after graduation.
The first day’s event focused on ‘Which accountancy qualification is right for you?’. Chaired by Joanna Loizidou, Partner at Gerald Edelman, students heard from Richard Kleiner, CEO at Gerald Edelman, who delivered a keynote speech on the role of an accountant, providing insight into how the role is very different today and much more about problem solving and being able to advise clients beyond compliance. Students also got to hear from representatives from ICAEW (Lucy Bailey, Early Careers Executive), ACCA (Diana Kokoreva, Business Relations Executive), CPA Australia (Moon Yates, Senior Business Development Manager) and CIMA (Jason Nye, Senior Manager of Operations). This was a unique opportunity for students to hear from each of the awarding bodies in one place.
The second day’s event discussed ‘The UK graduate recruitment process’. Chaired by Noeleen Hammond Jones, International Careers Manager at Lancaster University, keynote speeches were given by Engin Zekia, Partner at Gerald Edelman on ‘How to make your job application stand out?’ and Russell Brown, Head of Employment at Glaisyers, on ‘What to watch out for in your new employment contract’. Following the keynotes, Russell and Engin joined Sophie Wallis, Early Careers Recruiter at Bloomberg LP and Yuanyuan Liu, International Marketing Manager at TTK Europe, Iris TSE, Human Resources and Administration Manager at China Mobile and Wenwen Zhou, Head of Acquiring Business at Bank of China (UK) Limited as panellists. The panellists answered questions from students on how they can make their applications successful, what they can expect during an application process and even what vacancies are currently available.
The day three event was a Mandarin only event on ‘Securing a job after graduation as a Chinese student’. Chaired by Lynn Lin, Partner and Head of Asia at Gerald Edelman, Jacqueline Qin, Director at PageGroup China, gave a keynote speech on ‘What you need to know about the Chinese labour market’. Students then got to ask questions and hear from the following panellists: Mr. Zhuang Zhuobiao, CEO at UK Everbright Holdings, Bond Zhang, CEO at HONOR, Jiawen Wang, Founder at UKCNSHOP, Keira Yang, Campus Partnership Development Manager at LinkedIn China and Wei Xi, Manager at Midea.
It’s was Lynn Lin’s second year of organising this graduate event. Lynn said, “These events are always a great way for us to support the next generation of graduates, providing them with valuable insights and tools to be successful in the current labour market. It’s also a great opportunity for the businesses involved to engage with students and raise their brand awareness.”
Noeleen Hammond Jones, the co- organiser of this event, International Careers Manager at Lancaster University said “Understanding what you want to do after University and securing your first job is hard, especially in the current labour market. We hope that by holding these events we help to put students on the right path to success. We cannot thank our keynote speakers and panellists enough for giving their time and imparting their knowledge to our students.”