Tom Toward - Graduate Case Study
Tom Toward graduated from LJMU with a degree in History. He then went on to do a Masters in Defence, Diplomacy and Development at Durham University. He secured a place on a 2-year graduate scheme with the Ministry of Defence as a Corporate Service Group (CSG) graduate in Defence, Equipment & Support (DES). The CSG graduate scheme is a two-year development programme focused around corporate services roles across different areas of DES.
How did you get to where you are today?
Whilst at university I consistently volunteered in opportunities that seemed interesting, which helped me refine my career choice as well as strengthen my CV. I found part-time work gave me significant confidence in the workplace and up-to-date experiences to relay to employers. When applying for my current role I tailored my CV specifically and spent a significant amount of time learning about Defence, Equipment and Support at the Civil Service so that I could develop my interview strategy, ask relevant questions, and be ready for the questions that were asked.
Three things you like about your job:
- Opportunities to work across the business to gain experience.
- Integrated formal learning and continuous development.
- Clear and varied pathways for progression.
What skills are important in your job? Did your degree help you?
My job requires full use of a repertoire of soft skills on a daily basis, which my degree helped build. While it might seem too obvious to suggest working in a team, managing your own workload and time, and being an effective communicator, these are things employers want evidence of, which my degree enabled me to provide. I also frequently perform research and formal writing, and a degree in history has few equals in that regard.
What work experience / volunteering did you do to help you get your job?
As part of Erasmus+, I volunteered with the Malta Red Cross for two months in my second year. As part of a third-year work-based module, I interned for a charity in Liverpool for a year. As my degree concluded I was awarded funding for an internship in Vietnam for two months. Each of these experiences, which were facilitated and funded by LJMU, gave me great life experience, a realistic view of what working would look like, and looked great on paper. While I was applying for relevant work I also maintained a job in retail, which gave me significant example of soft skills and behaviours to use in interviews.
What advice would you give to other students to improve their employability?
If you’re able, I would suggest utilising every volunteering opportunity you can, or any other form of work, and always be thinking about how you talk about what you’ve experienced. In my experience, employers aren’t interested in your job titles, just skills or behaviours you can talk about in a STAR format. I also found volunteering and working gave me more confidence which translates well across employment.
Support from the Student Futures team
If you want to talk about potential careers options with your degree, need help finding opportunities or want support with your CV, application forms or preparing for an interview, you can get advice and guidance by booking a 30-minute 1-2-1 careers meeting with a Careers and Employability Adviser from the LJMU Student Futures Team. You can also come along to a Careers drop-in or CV Café which take place weekly at the Careers Zones for quick careers queries.
If you are thinking about starting a business, freelancing, pursuing a side-hustle or have an idea that you want to explore further, email the Start-up Hub and a member of the team will be back in touch. For more information about the Bathgate Boost Award, visit the Start-up Hub website.
For help finding part-time, temporary or casual you can fit around your studies, email the Unitemps team or visit their website.