The Agricultural Science Association (ASA) is running a Career Development Forum on Tuesday, 11 November 2008 at 6.30 pm, in FS1 in the Agriculture and Food Science Centre in UCD. The ASA Career Development Forum, which is now in its fifth year, gives students and recent graduates the opportunity to hear all about the world of work and job seeking. The aim of the event is to help final year students and young graduates to develop their CV and cover letter writing, through the advice given by potential employers, as well as helping to brush up on interview skills and general presentation required to get that job. The event also aims to broaden their thinking on future career paths and areas of employment.

The Career Development Forum is run in two separate sessions. In the first session, the ASA has lined up Anne O'Connor, HR Graduate Recruitment Manager with Kerry Group, to give a presentation on CVs, cover letters and interview skills. Anne will also give a brief account of the graduate recruitment programme run by Kerry Group.

In the second session, the ASA has arranged a formidable panel of recent graduates, Paul Crossan of Teagasc, Alan Heaney of Keenan and Jim Devlin from Financial Dynamics to give a brief account of the different career paths they have pursued and their own personal experiences since they have graduated. The broad range of scientific and business skills that holders of the BAgrSc degree now possess opens the door to a wide range of career opportunities, and this will become very apparent during this session.

This event has proven very popular with students in previous years and I am sure this year will prove no different.