Work Experience Special 2007 by Real World

GET*A*HED

2007 | FREE TO STUDENTS WWW.REALWORLDMAGAZINE.COM

guide to WORK EXPERIENCE

YOUR DEGREE IS NOT ENOUGH YOU NEED EXPERIENCE!

(WE’LL SHOW YOU HOW TO USE IT to kick-start your career)

GET REAL HOW TO MAKE THE

MOST OF AN INTERNSHIP

THE LOWDOWN ON FINDING OPPORTUNITIES WHAT DO EMPLOYERS WANT? OUR NO-STRESS GUIDE OVERSEAS WORK HOW TO find

A GREAT job

CLICK HERE FOR INDEX OF RECRUITERS REALW.WE07.COVER.indd 1

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© 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. All rights reserved. “PricewaterhouseCoopers” refers to PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (a limited liability partnership in the United Kingdom) or, as the context requires, other member firms of PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited, each of which is a separate and independent legal entity.

CHO CE

Graduate Opportunities Nationwide 2007 Assurance Tax Advisory Actuarial Strategy

No ifs. No buts. If you want variety, you should be talking to PricewaterhouseCoopers. As one of the world’s leading professional services firms, we offer unrivalled opportunities for undergraduates to gain valuable commercial experience. For example, we offer an eight week summer internship; or six to twelve-month business placement opportunities for those doing a four year degree course. Our two-day ‘Insight’ course offers a bite-size introduction to the world of business, and PwC Recruit has the combined benefit of helping you develop some practical skills and obtain a graduate offer. In all, with so much on offer, you’ve got some choices to make. After all, we’re the one firm for all focused undergraduates. www.pwc.com/uk/careers/

We are an equal opportunities employer.

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CONTENTS

IN THIS ISSUE...

06 ARE YOU EXPERIENCED? Finding work experience that will convince employers to hire you can seem like a daunting task. But, as Nancy Groves finds out, it’s not what you do, it’s the way that you do it.

10 HED CANDY: THE ULTIMATE WORK EXPERIENCE GUIDE

COVER STORY | ARE YOU EXPERIENCED

are you experi enced

? ? NaNcy Groves finds out that you don’t have to canoe backwards up the kyber to impress employers. it’s all about selling the experience that you already have. photograph by yaNG ou

Essential advice on work experience: from writing your CV and application letter, mistakes to avoid, to finding placements with the BBC.

recently, it was the student who could talk about his experiences in bar work that eventually got the position. What many graduates forget or overlook is that employers

want to hear about your life experiences in the real world, away

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16 THE LOWDOWN

Are you looking for a placement, voluntary work or overseas travel? Then turn to our chart to get the essential facts on where to start.

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hed*candy TASTE THE EXPERIENCE:

IT’S THE SWEET STUFF THAT THE

18 GET A JOB YOU LOVE

EMPLOYERS JUST LOVE

Why invest in Work experience? With sarah longwell, careers adviser at keele University

Best-selling author John Lees gives 10 simple steps that will help you find your true calling.

What do the following have

in common? an internship in a city bank, voluntary work with the caB and selling books door-to-door in america? it’s all work experience and whatever type you go for, it’s a head start in the job market. 1. insight When you try out a specific career or type of organisation you will learn the demands of employment. It may put you off, but better now than later! 2. skills development Remember, recruiters have a shopping list of the skills they want, and you can’t get them through academic study alone.

20 WHAT DO EMPLOYERS REALLY LOOK FOR?

3. evidence of experience You have to stand out from the crowd. And it is far easier to convince a recruiter that you want to be an accountant/PR officer if you’ve first-hand experience. 4. a step ahead Many employers use work experience as a filter for long-term employment. In large organisations you can even be fasttracked to interview stage without making another application…

7. Money

What shall i do? there’s such a range of work experience opportunities there’s a possibility that you’ll end up doing something that you don’t really enjoy. to avoid this, peter hawkins author of career guide Building Windmills recommends a seven-step, p.r.o.c.e.s.s.

Unpaid internships

Unpaid internships and

work experience can be an invaluable way to choose your career. carolyn Myers, volunteering manager at oxfam, suggests three key questions to ask yourself when applying. * can i afford it? To get the most from the experience, you must concentrate and commit fully to it, and not spread yourself too thinly. In the long run, a few short-term sacrifices will pay off. * What are my goals from the internship? We match the individual to the role and department they are interested in. We are guided in that by the clarity of your hopes or intentions. You must know in advance what you want to gain from the experience. * What makes me different? When you apply for the internship, think carefully about how you present yourself. ‘I want to make a difference’ won’t be enough. You have to convince the organisation that you have the skills and competencies they seek. We look for evidence of projectmanagement experience, good interpersonal and communications skills, and analytical ability.

p...urpose Identify how important work is to you. Do you live to work – or simply work to live? r...oles What kind of work suits you – working with people, ideas or practical things? o...rganisation Think about the size and type of organisation you prefer to work in. Large or small? In industry, the outdoors, or in an office? c...areer motivation This is the big question. Think hard and try to decide what motivates you most. Is it money? Recognition? Power? Security? Using your skills? Running your own show? A combination of all of these? What do you want from a job? e...nvironment

Our essential guide to the key skills that employers are searching for, when they recruit interns.

5. contacts If you impress your co-workers and managers they are likely to proan invaluable source of future support. 6. confidence The right experience will make you more confident in future interviews or at a selection centre.

taste the experience | HED*CANDY Do you prefer working alone or as part of a team? In a

quiet room or a busy office? Regular or irregular hours? At a computer or out in the field? Motivating and organising or advising and problem-solving? s...ector Try to pin down the type of sector you would prefer to work in – eg retail and leisure, communications or engineering. Check too for any signs of growth in your preferred sector and where the main openings are to be found. s...kills Finally, ask yourself what key skills and qualifications your

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MANY EMPLOYERS ARE REALISINg THAT NOTHINg bEATS gETTINg OUT ANd MEETINg STUdENTS FACE-TO-FACE

”

cv and application letters than simply jotting down the right information under the right headings. Each time you apply for a different job or placement, you need to make explicit the SKILLS you have got out of these activities. An effective CV takes it one stage further and selects the RELEVANT SKILLS for that particular career. If you’re not sure which skills you need for a particular job or placement, log onto the employer’s website to build up a picture. Then it is up to

* there is more to a cv

you to drop examples of where you’ve picked up these relevant skills in your CV – usually in the ‘work experience’ or ‘interests and activities’ section, and sometimes under ‘education’. * remember not to belittle the casual jobs you have done as a student as mundane or irrelevant. Think ‘working as a bar person shows I have the ability to deal with difficult customers/ work in a team/ cope under pressure’, not ‘it was only a few hours down the Fox and Goose.’ If you don’t sing your own praises, no one else will! * include all types of ‘work experience’ under this heading, ie not just traditional work experience or workshadowing, but casual jobs, part-time work and voluntary work from sixth-form onwards. * Give credit to any ‘positions of responsibility’ you have had, such as social-events organiser for a society, or student representative for your course, by listing them under this separate heading. Employers value these roles much as they would do work experience. * produce no longer than two sides of a4. Allow more space on your CV when the information is more important. For example, give some indication of the content of your degree but simply state the total number of your GCSEs (eg nine GCSEs, mainly B grades) rather than using up nine lines. * tailor your covering letter to the job you are applying for, by explaining, without gushing, why you are interested

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22 GET REAL Your work experience can either be the best thing you ever did or a complete waste of time. These essential tips will help you make sure that you make your placement a success, whatever you do.

26 VARIETY IS THE SPICE Work experience is essential but what should you do? Seven grads tell us what they did and how it helped them find a great job.

WORK ExPERiENCE | CASE STUDIES

VOLUNTEERING OVERSEAS

“

QUOTE HERE PLEASE ANy EmPLOyERS ARE RET ANd mEETING STUdENTS xxSd fAcE-TO-fAcE

”

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NAME: Amaya Floyd AGE: 24 DEGREE/EMPLOYMENT: Graduated with a degree in Law with European Union Legal Studies at Reading University and finished her LPC in 2005. She will take up a training contract with legal firm Withy King in September 2006 and is currently working at the Great Western Ambulance Service as a personal assistant. WORK ExPERiENCE: Amaya spent three months doing pro bono work at the offices of a human rights lawyer in Belize, which is between Mexico and Guatemala in South America. During her time working she lived with a family in Dangriga, the largest town in southern Belize. The placement was set up by Challenges Worldwide, a volunteer recruiting agency. WhAT WAS YOUR MOTivATiON? i was quite late applying for training contracts as i wasn’t sure which area i wanted to go into. in my final year i applied for and secured a position with Withy King but had some time after i graduated until my start date with them as people usually apply for training contract well before graduation. This wasn’t a problem for me, however, as i’d never taken a gap year and i wanted the chance to go abroad and work. WhAT DiD ThE APPLiCATiON PROCESS iNvOLvE? Through my university i came across Challenges Worldwide, which offers overseas work placements for applicants who have skills to offer. i contacted them and we had a discussion about the skills which i had to offer and they helped me find a placement which was right for me. The cost of the placements varied - mine was over £2000 not including flights and i also put some further money aside for extra travelling. WhAT DiD YOU DO? i worked with human rights lawyer Antoinetter Moore. Challenge Worldwide usually send people with legal experience to non governmental organisations, as this was a private firm i was only involved in doing pro bono work. initially i was involved in quite small cases such as getting four Cubans out of prison, which i did that totally on my own. English is one of the main languages spoken in Belize, which helped. Other cases were much bigger, such as helping on the legal team

who were challenging the government which had granted a US company an oil permit for exploration in one of the internationally protected national parks. This got a lot of press coverage in newspapers and Tv and there were meetings between the team and the Prime Minister of Belize. hOW DiD YOU SELL ThE ExPERiENCE ON YOUR Cv? Before i went i wrote to Withy King who had already offered me a the traineeship and explianed what i was doing. i asked them for some sponsorship as i felt many of the skills i would be developing would be of benefit to them later, as my employers. They’d never had a request like it and agreed. DiD YOU ENjOY iT? it was amazing. Another case i was involved in was helping file the first ever torture case against the police in Belize. WhAT DiD YOU LEARN? i learnt that i can do things when i put my mind to it and i’ve developed the confidence to attempt projects that i couldn’t have done before. BEST PART: Was the satisfaction which i got from the cases i was working on and the knowledge that i could do it again. My placement was very successful and Antoinette was very flexible and allowed me to take longer weekends to go traveling as long as i made the time up later. WORST PART: The hardest part was being on the placement by myself. it was very expensive to call England and a couple of times i felt quite isolated.

GET AhEAD WORKiNG OvERSEAS Whatever your skill level you should be able to find a useful and exciting project to work on abroad. if you already have some skills under your belt which you’d like to exercise it’s worth checking organisations like www. challengesworldwide.com Other organsiation to consider are Raleigh international, which is a youth development charity for 17-25 year olds (www.raleigh.org. uk). The charity aims to inspire people from all backgrounds and nationalities to discover their true potential by working together on challenging projects around the world. Student organsiation AiESEC also gives students a chance to acquire a set of marketable and transferable skills, while working abroad for a good cause. it offers placements in 86 countries and each one

A volunteering than travelled. My advice to future volunteers would be: don’t go with expectations you’ll never know what you’ll get. try to plan or dwell too much on what it will be like.

RECRUITERS IN THIS ISSUE ASTRA ZENECA 36 BUNAC 14 CAMP AMERICA 24 CITIGROUP 38 ENTERPRISE RENT A CAR 34 GRAD 2 BUSINESS 14 JP MORGAN 4 NCYPE 41 PROCTER & GAMBLE 40 PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS 2 PSA PEUGEOT CITROEN 43 SEO LONDON 24 SHELL 44 SHELL STEP 24 STEP ENTERPRISE 41

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DISCOVER YOUR SENSE OF DIRECTION. LAWYERS OR AT THE AGE OF SEVEN BUT THEY ARE THE MINORITY. FOR MOST PEOPLE, THE HARDEST THING ABOUT CHOOSING A CAREER IS KNOWING WHAT’S OUT THERE. YOU CAN ’T MAKE AN INFORMED CHOICE IF YOU DON ’T HAVE THE INFORMATION . THERE MAY BE SOME PEOPLE WHO DERIVATIVES TRADERS

DECIDE THEY WANT TO BE

jpmorgan.com/careers

DOCTORS

PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS SURPRISED AND IMPRESSED BY THE SHEER RANGE OF JOBS THAT YOU CAN DO AS A GRADUATE AT JPMORGAN. BUT OF COURSE, TO BE SURPRISED AND IMPRESSED,

YOU DO HAVE TO VISIT OUR WEBSITE.

THIS IS WHERE YOU NEED TO BE. JPMorgan is a marketing name of JPMorgan Chase & Co. and its subsidiaries worldwide. © 2006 JPMorgan Chase & Co. All rights reserved. JPMorgan is an equal opportunities employer. AD_TEMPLATE.indd 1

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EDITOR’S LETTER Work experience, why bother?

Editorial Editor Zoë Roberts Art Director Jennifer van Schoor DESIGNER Yang Ou Sub Editor Steve Smethurst SALES HEAD OF SALES Paul Wade SALES Josh Marshall Harmesh Sansoa

If there is one way to avoid spending the next 40 or more years in a dead-end job that you really hate then it’s work experience. Work experience will help you get your foot in the door of your dream job, will help you realise whether your careers ambitions are realistic or even accurate, can open your eyes to what your real vocation is and can teach you more about yourself than any other career development tool. ZOë roberts, editor

Believe me, after one week work experience you’ll realise pretty quickly whether working in journalism, banking or any other industry you’ve always found rather cool, really is as excellent as you once believed. If the promise of helping you along the path to a great career isn’t enough, then there are plenty of other reasons to get work experience. The main one being: no work experience − no job. The basic fact is that, for the majority of you, a degree alone, be

ADMIN Managing Director Darius Norell OFFICE MANAGER Marie Tasle

it a 2:1 or even a First, won’t guarantee you the job you want. It’s a good starting block, but that’s all it is. Recruiters tell us the graduates that stand out are the ones with some experience,

Real World 22-26 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TJ Advertising Tel: 020 7735 4900 Editorial Tel: 020 7735 2111 Fax: 020 7840 0443 www.realworldmagazine.com

who know how to sell themselves. And the thing is, it’s not a big deal. The majority of you will already have plenty of work experience whether it be helping out at your university society or just working part-time to make the ends meet. It doesn’t always have to be directly relevant to the job, you just have to make it clear how the skills you’ve picked up will make you good in the career you’ve chosen. We’ve aimed to give you all the tools to understand what

Get a Hed is published in the UK by Cherry Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system without the written permission of the publishers. We cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts and photographs or for material lost or damaged in the post.

skills you already have and identify the ones that you might be lacking. Use the info you’ve been given and get out there: you’ll learn a lot about yourself. And one final thing… in keeping with our aim of ensuring that our readers aim high, Real World always welcomes applications for internships from aspiring journalists.

contributors Nancy Groves: A Real World inter in 2006 , Bristol graduate Nancy is something of a work experience pro having done stints at a number of national papers. Going onto brighter and better things, as a local reporter in London, Nancy says her moment of revelation came when she realised she could actually get paid for writing: “from that moment, I never looked back.”

YANG OU Photographing the case studies for this special issue of Real World took Yang around much of the country this summer. “It was a great chance to visit a lot of places I hadn’t been to before. And I got the opportunity to meet loads of new people,” he says. It was also a great chance to put to use his recently gained degree in Photographic Journalism from the University of Westminster.

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are you experi enced

? ? Nancy Groves finds out that you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to canoe backwards up the KHyber to impress employers. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all about selling the experience that you already have photograph by yang ou

ho would think that scrubbing the floors of a pub might play a part in securing your dream job after graduation. But when recruiters at a top financialservices firm were deciding between two applicants with near-identical academic records recently, it was the student who could talk about his experiences in bar work that eventually got the position. What many graduates forget or overlook is that employers want to hear about your life experiences in the real world, away

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COVER STORY

? Matt Kepple undertook a number of community projects while at university. To read more about Mattâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s experiences turn to page 37.

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COVER STORY

? ?

from the theories of academia. And they expect your university experience to have generated more than a

ago, she was in the hot seat herself. “I think the fact that I had a

piece of paper. Your degree is no longer enough. Indeed as one graduate recruiter said in the aptly named career guide, If Only I’d Known, “a degree is no longer a meal

ticket to your future – it’s merely

a licence to hunt”. So why has your degree been

“

a degree is no longer a meal ticket to your future, it’s merely a licence to hunt for a job

devalued? Surely once upon a time

if you studied hard and got good grades then a degree was

your passport to a top job? Well, much of the answer is basic maths. “More graduates than ever are coming through higher education,” says Sean Russell, director of the careers service at Birmingham University. “So if you don’t get involved in other activities and skills development, you risk being left behind.” More than 60% of university students now leave with a 2:1 and with government policy aiming to get 50% of over-18 year olds in higher education, the graduate job market has never felt more crowded.

Work placements, part-time jobs, student societies, sports teams and volunteering can all teach you things that your studies cannot. But you aren’t going to get that job simply by joining every society going while at uni. “Some students will come in with a catalogue of societies they are members of, but when you being to probe as to what their responsibilities were, that list begins to crumble,” says Tony Butler, former director at Oxford University careers service. Building up your CV is less about counting what you’ve done that making what you’ve done count, he says. “It’s not so much a case of what you do, as what you get out of it,” agrees Sean at Birmingham. “You can learn a lot from what might seem like a fairly mundane job. Fantastic CVs don’t necessarily come from spending your gap year building mud huts in the jungle.” This means not only learning how to talk about what you’ve worked on, but also how to talk about the results and the part you played in them. In short, you need to learn to market yourself and your experiences. Step forward two graduates from Bristol University’s Class of 2004 who found time between their studies for more strenuous activity than watching Hollyoaks. Claire, 23, gained a 2:1 in Social Policy and now works as a recruitment consultant. She was put in charge of housing-sector recruitment at her company and has already doubled her starting salary and now interviews dozens of candidates each week. But only a year

”

part-time job at a highstreet retailer throughout university really impressed my interviewer,” says Claire. “It showed that I’m a hardworker who can keep a lot

of balls in the air. I also talked

about my time on the social policy society committee, which

involved a lot of event

management. It was all about promoting and selling, both of

which are transferable skills for a job in recruitment. From her new perspective as a recruiter, Claire believes that these skills are a candidate’s biggest selling tool. “So many people have degrees now that you can’t rely on your 2:1 to get you through. No one wants to know you got your ballet badge at the age of eight but it’s good to mention your other activities.” What he’d done outside his degree was the first thing to come up at interview for Rich, 23, a modern languages graduate who recently secured a training contract with a top City law firm. “The partners opened by asking about my involvement in my student band. I think they were using it as an ice-breaker but I was able to talk about the skills I learned from co-ordinating nine people and their instruments,” says Rich. “I also talked about managing a £1,500 budget for sound equipment and lighting when we played at our university ball. If you can quantify your achievements, it sounds better.” “The knack is being able to make the connection between what you’ve done and what you’re applying to do,” agrees Oxford University’s Tony. “Over the past 10 years, employers have become more skilled in articulating what competencies they want and their testing processes have become increasingly sophisticated.” According to Tony, the best aspect of his job is meeting a student who has a really good CV but doesn’t realise it. “You discuss their achievements and see their eyes opening. It’s a great sensation for a careers advisor – someone who suddenly gets it,” he says. But, counters Birmingham’s Sean, “what really breaks my heart is seeing the CV of a final-year student who has good academic results, did a lot at school but has not got involved in anything since they arrived at university.” If you plan ahead and there’ll be no need to break any hearts. Nor will you be struggling for words at interviews. “Get in there. Get involved. Start to work with other people and try to achieve something,” urges Tony. But whatever you do don’t leave uni thinking “if only I’d known”. n

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HED*CANDY FEEL THE EXPERIENCE

IT’S THE GREAT STUFF THAT THE EMPLOYERS JUST LOVE WORK EXPERIENCE: WHY BOTHER?

Liz Rhodes, MBE, director of the National Council for Work Experience, explains why it’s worth the effort. You’ll probably have heard the buzzword ‘employability’ being talked about around campus more and more. It’s a phrase currently enjoying increasing popularity among employers and university careers services, and it is all to do with having developed an understanding of the practical skills required for the world of work, which employers now expect as standard for new graduates. A period of any form of work experience will enhance your employability skills if you are able to articulate your achievements, as it shows employers what you might be able to do for them. Time spent working over the university holidays, in termtime, or during a gap or placement year is an invaluable way of testing out if a career is for you, gaining much needed experience and building a network of contacts that will help you as you progress. It’s all about being able to ‘sell’ yourself – not something many people are comfortable with but, in a competitive world, you need to be able to stand out from the crowd. When embarking on any period of work experience, it’s essential you keep your future career in mind. Many work experience students return to the same company on graduation, so that temporary spell could earn you a fulltime job on graduation. Set some personal objectives – ask yourself what you want to get out of it – what is it you want

to learn about? The company, the industry, or both?

And while you are in the placement ask for feedback from your employer and the people you work with – there may be room for improvement. Also remember to make suggestions – just because you’re a work experience student, it doesn’t mean you don’t have good ideas, and your colleagues will always appreciate seeing things from a new perspective. Finally, don’t forget to ask for a reference!

WHAT SHALL I DO?

There’s such a range of work experience opportunities there’s a possibility that you’ll end up doing something that you don’t really enjoy. To avoid this, Peter Hawkins author of career guide Building Win dmills recommends a seven-step, P.R.O.C.E.S.S. P... urpose Identify how important work is to you. Do you live to work – or simply work to live? R... oles What kind of work suits you – work ing with people, ideas or practical things? O... rganisation Think about the size and type of organisation you prefer to work in. Large or small? In indu stry, the outdoors, or in an office? C... areer motivation This is the big question. Think hard and try to decide what motivates you most. Is it money? Recognition? Power? Security? Using your skills? Runn ing your own show? A combination of all of these? Wha t do you want from a job? E... nvironment Do you prefer working alone or as part of a team?

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TASTE THE EXPERIENCE | HED *CANDY

In a quiet room or a busy -office? Regular or irregular hours? At a computer or out in the field? Motivating and organising or advising and problem-solving? S... ector Try to pin down the type of sector you would prefer to work in – eg retail and leisure, communications or engineering. Check too for any signs of growth in your preferred sector and where the main openings are to be found. S... kills Finally, what skills and qualifications will your ideal job require?

VOLUNTEER TO HELP YOUR CAREER

Volunteering can get you the experience which you 1. Employers love it. A survey by online volunteering bureau TimeBank of 200 UK businesses revealed that 74% of employers would employ candidates with volunteering experience over one who has none. 2. It can be better than an expensive training course. According to Andrij Slobodian, lifelong learning advisor at learndirect: “Our database provides more than 900,000 courses and job profiles, but many industries require practica l experience before they even consider a candidate ” 3. It can get your foot in the door. Many jobs are not widely advertised. Liz Davies did a degree in public relations in Leeds and spent time doing voluntary work in PR agencies. Her commitment to a company in Leeds meant that when a position came up she was offered it. 4. You can test drive a job. “I wanted to be a journalist,” says Sam Rice, 24, “so I tried volunteering on a local paper. But I hated it, as it involved chasing around and calling people who didn’t want to speak to me. I’m just glad that I found that out before I applied for any postgraduate training courses.”

“

INDUSTRIES OFTEN REQUIRE PRACTICAL WORK EXPERIENCE BEFORE THEY WILL EVEN CONSIDER A CANDIDATE

”

Jennifer Connell, careers adviser, University of

CV AND APPLICATION LETTERS

Liverpool, explains the essentials of applications * There is more to a CV than simply jotting down the right information under the right headings. Each time you apply for a different job or placement, you need to make explicit the SKILLS you have got out of these activities. An effective CV takes it one stage further and selects the RELEVANT SKILLS for that particular career. If you’re not sure which skills you need for a particular job or placement, log onto the employer’s website to build up a picture. * Remember not to belittle the casual jobs you have done as a student as mund ane or irrelevant. Think ‘working as a bar person shows I have the ability to deal with difficult customers/ work in a team/ cope under pressure’, not ‘it was only a few hours down the Fox and Goose.’ * Include all types of ‘work experience’ under this heading, ie not just traditional work experience or workshadowing, but casual jobs, part-time work and voluntary work from sixth-form onwards. * Give credit to any ‘positions of responsibility’ you have had, such as social-events organiser for a society, or student representative for your course, by listing them under this separate heading. Employers value these roles much as they would do work experience. * Produce no longer than two sides of A4. Allow more space on your CV when the information is more important. For example, give some indication of the content of your degree but simply state the total number of your GCSEs. * Tailor your covering letter to the job you are applying for, by explaining, without gushing, why you are interested in the specific job/placement and organisation, and giving three to four reasons why you think you are a suitable candidate. * Once you have drafted your CV and covering letter, drop in to see a careers adviser for one-to-one feedback.

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TASTE THE EXPERIENCE | HED*CANDY

HOW TO SOURCE AN INTERNSHIP

An organised internship with a big employer can be a very valuable asset to your CV. Cancer Research UK’s internship sche me is aimed at individuals looking to gain som e first hand work experience in the charity sect or. The company recruit interns three times a year to start 12-week placements in whic h begin in February, July and September. Interns work on a voluntary bas is for the charity (with travel and lunch expenses reim bursed) in areas such as fundraising, marketing, e-bu siness, retail, communications, health awa reness and campaigning. The scheme has proved extremely popular, with the last intake attracting almost 300 applications. Here’s how to make your app lication stand out: Preparation One of the most important thing s for us is that you demonstrate that you clearly understand the role for which and the organisation to which you’re applying. It is obvious when reading applicat ions who has done their homework, so thorough preparat ion is key. Professionalism stands out: treat the process as if you were applying for any paid job. Tell us why we should choose you The best applications are from those candidates who clearly explain why we should choose them. There is a definite need to sell yourself and give us as many reasons as possible why we should invit e you to interview and what your ‘unique selling poin t’ is. In general, we are looking for candidates who are numerate, literate and have excellent PC skills. We also want people who are able to use their initiative and communicate well with a range of audiences. The detail The little things go a long way when we consider applications: a well-written app lication with no typos tells us that you’re taking the proc ess seriously. Getting those small details right makes a big impact. Follow instructions too – keep within the word limit if there is one and make sure that you actually answer the question rather than talking around it. Enthusiasm Finally, we want people who wan t to be here. An application must convey enth usiasm and passion for the role. It’s also helpful if applican ts are upfront about their motivation for taking on an inter nship. Working unpaid for twelve weeks is a big commitm ent, so by telling us why you want a particular role, we are able to be more confident that you’ll be committe d to the organisation if you are successful.

“

WE WANT GRA WHO SET THEMS DS E CHALLENGING GLVES AND TARGETS TH OALS ORGANISE THEM EN S TO ACHIEVE THE ELVES M

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TASTE THE EXPERIENCE | HED*CANDY

CONVERT YOUR INTERNSHIP TO A FULL-TIME JOB

“An internship can be a route to graduate recruitment so we ensure that real work is done which enables students to develop and demonstrate graduate skills and behaviours,” says Jane Measures, intern manager at BP. “We hope that students will capitalise on these opportunities by proactively learning – taking time out to reflect on what they are seeing, doing and thinking and taking the opportunity to stretch themselves and their horizons.” Some of the things employers are looking for during placements are students who: • Question Ask why we do things the way we do and suggest innovative viable alternatives which save money/time/have a more positive environmental or safety impact. • Go beyond We want grads who set challenging goals and targets then

Are you a media wannabe? Real World asks BBC work-placement co-ordinator Natasha Bergg

make plans and organise themselves to achieve them. • Work well With other people, listen to the opinions of others and take opportunities to lead • Are motivated and learn quickly about the things they need to do to be successful in their work and also take the opportunity to learn about the broader company and what kinds of opportunities exist for people with their skills and interests • Respond positively to feedback We look to offer positive and developmental feedback during the course of internships and appraisals at the midpoint while there is time to act on the feedback and at the end to provide some guidance on things which can be worked on back at university. Above all, an internship is a two-way learning experience, we are learning about our interns and our interns are learning about us and checking that we are the kind of company they may like to work for in the future.

HOW TO IMPRESS EMPLOYERS

for some insider info

How easy is it to get a placeme nt at the BBC? We receive 25,000 applications a year and, on average, the odds of a placement are 18-1. So it’s very competitive. However, the poor standard of some applications means that about 50% fail to get thro ugh the initial shortlisting process. How important is it for the app licant to have prior experience in the media? We’re looking more at people’ s knowledge of and interest in the area they are applying to. Do you have a top tip for stud ents wishing to secure a placement in such a competi tive environment? Give strong arguments for why you are applying to a specific placement. Try to inclu de what you think you might gain from the placement and what you can offer us. Read the criteria carefully before applying and ensure that you mention how you mee t each of the criteria.

Any advice on what not to do? Don’t just write one line! We are looking for as many relevant details as possible. How important is work experie nce for grads wanting to work in the media? Essential. There is so much com petition that you MUST have work experience to back up the knowledge and skills you’ve gained on your degree course. Is work experience at smaller companies a useful alternative? Absolutely. It’s more importan t to be able to show the skills and experience you’ve gained rath er than name dropping where you gained them!

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TASTE THE EXPERIEN CE | HED*CANDY

“

KNOW WHAT YOUR DESIRED GOAL IS BEFORE YOU START A TASK

PART-TIME WORK Part-time work may be the only way to solve your financial woes but don’t forget it can also look great on your CV. Paul Cullinan, director of the National Association of Student Employment Staff (Nases) advises on how to sell your experience to future employers.

1. Don’t worry if your part-time job is not related to your long-term job aspirations. You’ll be considered a more rounded individual as consequence of work experience that is not career related. In fact many employers place just as much importance on non-course related experience as it will enable you to bring a much greater range of skills and experience to their company. 2. Universities can offer a lot of help finding a job.

Your first port of call should be the campus-based, student-employment service (or ‘job shop’), which is normally located in the careers service or your students union. Job Shops are also sometimes connected to the welfare service, business enterprise office or can be found within your institution’s personnel department. 3. Part-time work doesn’t have to mean mind-numbing menial work. You’ll find your student employment service will provide a diverse range of job opportunities ranging from low or semi-skilled to skilled. Jobs on offer can range from clerical or admin work to marketing and promotional employment, to name just a few. 4. Don’t get pound signs in your eyes. Your study commitments should always be the first priority so be realistic and make sure you manage your time effectively. Due to financial and employer pressures some students make the mistake of working more hours than they can realistically commit to. 5. Look at your timetable. It’s reckoned that most students can work between 10 and 15 hours per week without it being detrimental to their studies or their social life. 6. Take it seriously. There’s a lot of competition for good part-time work so be prepared to take the recruitment process seriously. Invest in a suit, take the chance to update your CV (your student employment service can sometimes help with this). If you have little or no previous experience you’ll need to show what skills you’ve developed from social activities, like playing sports or being a member of a club.

”

TIME MANAGEMENT Getting experience is all very well but how are you going to find time? Francine Kaye author of Time to Live suggest some ways to bring order to your chaos

Have your goal in mind Know what your desired outcome is before you attempt any task. Knowing this gives you something to aim for and has the added bonus of setting your standards for that particular task. Repeat what works The ultimate success formula is to repeat what works. When you last got the most out of your study hours, how did you do it? Examine what you did to achieve that high level of productivity and just keep repeating what works. I’ve started so I’ll finish... Finish what you start. Give yourself a deadline. You can greatly increase your personal effectiveness if you make deadlines for each of your tasks. Anticipate The power of anticipation cannot be underestimated. Before going full steam ahead with a new piece of work spend some thinking time anticipating the challenges

that could arise. When is the deadline? How much time will it really take? While you cannot cover all bases, you may be able to avoid a crisis by giving yourself advance warning of what might be ahead. The better you become at this the further ahead you are able to look. Chunking down You can’t eat an elephant all in one bite. The same is true with your work. Make sure you chunk down a large task into bite size pieces and don’t be daunted by the size of

the whole thing. Make a list of all the different stages and tick them off as you go. Decide how big your ‘bites’ will be and take time to relax after each step. That way you’ll have more energy for the next step.

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BLUE-CHIP INTERNSHIPS

INTERNATIONAL WORK EXPERIENCE

CASUAL WORK

VOLUNTARY WORK

ONE-YEAR SANDWICH PLACEMENTS

PLACEMENT AGENCIES

The big companies usually run internship programmes over the summer holidays. They offer the chance of money, business insights and networking opportunities. They are also seen as a key way to recruit graduates, and as ABN AMRO states, “By the end of it, we want to be in a position to make you an offer for a place on our graduate programme.” Everything from teaching in developing countries, casual work and travelling, voluntary work or formal internships with one employer. You’ll just need to decide what suits you and your budget.

It might not be the most glam way to spend your spare time, but stacking shelves at Christmas could be more valuable than you think. That’s because any experience is good experience as long as you make the most of it to practise skills like teamwork and customer service.

Pretty much all employers like to see volunteering experience on CVs. One reason is that many voluntary organisations provide training. For example: “We’ve a comprehensive training course for many of our volunteers,” says Dan Levene at the Citizens Advice Bureau, which relies on more than 20,000 trained volunteers to run its services.

Sandwich placements form part of your degree course, typically between the second and final years. They mostly paid and are intended to be relevant to your degree and are offered in industry, commerce and the public sector. Even if a placement is not part of your course, you may be allowed to take a year out if you are keen. Agencies such as Step, Talentladder and Fledglings find paid placements with employers for penultimate-year students. They aim to match students to placements that will interest them. Some, such as Step, focus on SMEs. Graduate Opportunities Wales places students for 10-week, small-business placements in Wales. Freshminds looks for top grads who have finished their course.

WHAT DO EMPLOYERS WANT? Usually, employers will only take penultimateyear students. But relevant degrees are not always necessary. For example, Ernst & Young takes students from any discipline but asks that they should display, “individuality, teamworking skills, commercial drive and energy.”

Casual work schemes abroad require only that you are over 18, can prove that you are a student, have a valid passport, and have the necessary funds. Some of the charities operating these schemes have an application process that you will have to go through. Most companies hire students to work in their busy periods, such as weekends, end-of-season sales and public holidays. This means that, ultimately, what they really want is a high degree of availability. It might not be fun to give up your spare time, but if you aren’t prepared to, other people will be.

According to the National Centre for Volunteering, “Some organisations are quite demanding and look for volunteers with certain skills, but most give full training and are just looking for someone with enthusiasm.” As you will effectively be an employee for a year, firms have strict recruitment criteria. “Most important is enthusiasm and a willingness to get stuck in, as we expect the same amount of work from our placement students as we do from our graduate recruits,” says Gary Argent, UK graduate recruitment manager at IT services company LogicaCMG.

Don’t expect them to do all the work for you. You need to treat your application to a placement agency as if it was a formal job application. All placement agencies are looking for students who will be bright and capable enough to take on a job in industry, and these are the qualities they will look for on your CV.

Photograph: Stock.XCHNG

WHAT’S THE DEAL?

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GET EXPERIENCED | THE LOWDOWN

GET AHEAD

ON THE DOWN SIDE

The first step is to use your careers service. They’ll provide you with advice on who is offering internships – and will help you write your application form. But it’s up to you to find a placement. The majority of organisations will have detailed information on available schemes on their websites. Be warned, competition is fierce and you’ll need to apply very early.

This might sound surprising, but applying for an internship can be more competitive than applying for a graduate job. So don’t expect the application process to be easy – it can often involve several stages of interviews and aptitude tests and you’ll need put in a great deal of preparation.

The likes of Council Exchanges, Bunac and Camp America are familiar to many. But some big employers also offer international work placements. However, competition can be tough. KPMG, for example, requires you to be “academically outstanding” and fluent in German/French.

The costs can be huge, so you will have to raise money before you leave. While fundraising can be another great thing to put on your CV, it can also be very time consuming. As well as company fees and flights, there can also be hidden costs, such as your visa or a TEFL course. Make sure you do your maths before you get going.

Many universities have JobShops that can help you to find casual work. Recruitment is very different to that for a graduate job however, often working on a first-come, first-served basis, so you need to be alert constantly for job adverts and get your application in quickly.

The National Centre for Volunteering is a useful starting point for ideas on how to volunteer in your local community. Other useful organisations include Timebank, which has a searchable database of projects at home and abroad, and CSV, which places volunteers and provides training.

Your university will provide some help and usually has a designated placement officer, but it will mainly be down to you to organise your placement. Ask at your careers service and at your academic department. Many large recruiters now run sandwich schemes, so if you are interested in a particular company, visit their website to see what they offer.

Once you are on their books, the agency will do all the hard work. They create a profile, mainly using your CV but also through interviews, then search through their databases of potential employers to find one that matches your skills and interests. You will be usually required to attend an interview with the employer. At that stage your success is up to you.

The work can be boring, and the pay won’t necessarily be high. Anti-social hours can also be a pain and you’ll often have to be available at short notice.

The key word here is ‘voluntary’, which means you won’t be paid for the work you do. This can particularly be a problem if you want to volunteer abroad, as you will first need to raise all the necessary funds.

Competition for sandwich placements can be intense, and you won’t always get your first choice of employer. A year is a long time if you discover in your first week that you are not suited to the company or the job. It will also add extra length to your degree, but remember that employers increasingly use sandwich placements to find future employees. What the agency thinks suits you might not necessarily be what you think suits you. Worst-case scenario: they may offer you placements in jobs you wouldn’t enjoy or at firms that don’t appeal to you.

LINKS Visit individual company sites for information. Research your internship application as you would a real job. Visit www.realworldmagazine.com for careers advice.

www.bunac.org/uk www.councilexchanges.org.uk www.campamerica.co.uk www.teaching-abroad.co.uk Also make sure you check your uni careers service.

www.nases.org.uk (National Association of Student Employers)

www.volunteeringengland.org.uk www.yearofthevolunteer.org www.timebank.org.uk www.volunteering.org.uk www.studentvol.org.uK www.citizensadvice.org.uk

Visit your university careers service website and check individual company sites.

www.step.org.uk www.talentladder.com www.freshminds.co.uk www.gowales.co.uk www.fledglings.net

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WHAT DO I DO W CAREERS AUTHOR JOHN LEES SHOWS YOU HOW TO BEGIN TO MAKE

ow do people choose the work they do? For many, work chooses

it’s staggering how little attention many people give to the question, ‘What kind of work would really suit me?’ Every year

them. Careers are often formed

thousands of graduates aim to work out the puzzle, trying to

by the first job that happens to come along after graduation.

match lists of job roles to their own inclinations. You may rely on the advice of family or friends, but take

If you add up the years that

go into your final qualifications,

care. Many graduates are trying to navigate the 21st-century workplace using career information that is two generations

TWO

TRANSLATE YOUR QUALIFICATION ONE

RETHINK YOUR EDUCATION Look at the subjects you have just studied. What would you like to know more about? What skills have you developed while studying? Now, look at all the topics that you have chosen to read or think about in your own time.

Don’t undersell your qualification, but sell it in a language that a buyer understands. Few recruiters really understand the alphabet soup of qualifications, so never assume that an employer will be aware of what you have studied. Translate what you have done into language an interviewer can relate to. Talk about the relevance of the subject to the workplace, and the skills you have acquired (especially team-working or communication skills).

FOUR THREE

OBSERVE YOUR WORKING STYLE The way you work will have a strong influence on your likely career. Do you draw your energy from other people or from private reflection? How do you operate in a group – what role do you naturally take up? Which skills do you exercise if you have a free choice? Seek out jobs that provide a good match to the way you are in work.

ANALYSE YOUR WORK EXPERIENCE Many graduates make light of temporary or seasonal jobs, but they provide a huge source of evidence to employers. Your work experience is also a good testing ground for discovering your likely career. Examine every experience of work you have achieved to date. What has motivated you or excited you? What kind of work gives you a buzz?

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WITH MY LIFE? SENSE OF BEWILDERING CAREER CHOICES IN EIGHT STEPS out of date. Look at the new kinds of jobs that have been created during the past decade alone. Four years ago, a

care. Your perfect job may not be listed because of the way it is coded. Fields of work are complex and varied – for

dotcom in London was advertising for a ‘director of cool’.

example, an accountant in the shipping industry will perform

Nice job title, but how would advice from your careers advisor have helped you to get it?

a very different job to an accountant working for the National Trust. Job titles are often too broad, so be careful. Starting with

Some careers services will offer you computerised tests. Where the test generates a list of likely occupations, take

a list of possibles is fine, but make sure you really explore what

GET GOING | WHAT SHALL I DO

the jobs are about.

SEVEN

HAVE A LEARNING AGENDA

FIVE

BEGIN TO TAKE FIVE CONTROL OF YOUR CAREER Many people take ‘fill-in’ jobs after qualifying. The danger is that these can quickly lead you to believe they are a good example of what life is like in the working world. ‘Fill-in’ jobs can quickly become permanent posts unless you keep your goals in mind. In your first few years of work you will quickly discover that there is only one person taking responsibility for your career: you. Learn how to choose well, and how to move on positively if you don’t.

SIX

WORKING YOUR CONTACT People in real jobs. University staff often have business contacts or can put you in touch with past students. Talk to anyone who can help: parents of your friends, past employers, friends who are already working. Learn how to conduct informational interviews: short, focused discussions that give you the inside story on other people’s careers.

Just because you’re entering the field of work doesn’t mean that you will stop learning. Decide what you would like to learn from the first year in a job. Think broadly – skills, know-how, experience of organisations and work sectors. Decide how you would like your CV to read in two years’ time. Also, take advantage of any opportunities that come along for short-term or even voluntary work placements. At this stage, virtually all work experience is useful as long as you don’t get locked in too early. Learn and move on. Short-term assignments are a great way of finding out the pros and cons of a potential career.

EIGHT

THINK RESEARCH BEFORE JOB SEARCH Conduct an audit: what do you actually know about work? How can you find out more? Who can you talk to? Never accept the one-dimensional view of a career given in textbooks, websites or – even worse – television. Dramas and documentaries all give you an edited view of a job; you need to know what it ‘s really like from the inside.

John Lees is best-selling author of How to Get a Job You’ll Love, McGraw-Hill, £12.99. www.jobyoulove.co.uk

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EVERY YEAR EMPLOYERS COMPLAIN THAT GRADUATES LACK THE SKILLS THEY ARE AFTER. BUT WHAT DO THEY REALLY WANT? HERE’S YOUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE

SELL YOUR SKILLS ADAPTABILITY AND FLEXIBILITY The world is moving fast and you need to show employers that you can keep up. They are looking for assurances that you are able to cope with changing circumstances and demands – that you can take on new responsibilities without much notice. You will often be asked to draw on a situation where the goal posts were moved and you’d had to react quickly to a new situation. So think about the times when you have demonstrated flexibility and adaptability – perhaps when coping with the pressures of balancing study, work and your social life. COMMUNICATION SKILLS According to the National Council of Work Experience, 67% of employers believe communication skills are the most important attributes when recruiting for work placements. But we’re not just talking about reading, writing and talking here. Employers are looking for the ability to negotiate and pick up nuances in conversation. This means understanding what type of communication is appropriate to the person you are talking to, formal or informal, familiar or respectful etc. Empathy (the ability to understand where someone is coming from) is also a vital skill as is the ability to influence or persuade people either as part of a team or as a leader. Linda Graham, graduate programme manager at Marks & Spencer, says employers look for: “someone who can articulate their experiences, and show expressive verbal and non-verbal gestures, such as making eye contact when speaking.”

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GET READY | SELL YOUR SKILLS

Self Awareness Being able to articulate your abilities to an employer – not in a boastful way but by giving evidence of what you have done – is a key skill, according to Carl Gilleard, head of the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR). He says this is the ‘X-factor’ that employers look for. “It’s a cocktail of motivation, enthusiasm, commitment, passion and self-efficacy,” he says. Self-efficacy is an individual’s estimate or personal judgment of his or her own ability to succeed. “In a way it boils down to self-esteem,” says Carl. “If you believe in yourself then there’s a higher chance that others might also believe in you.” Innovation and Creativity This is a big one for employers. “We look for graduates who are self starters – they don’t have to wait to be told what to do next, but can weigh up an issue and implement it,” says Linda at M&S. “Companies are looking for graduates who have shown initiative and have done something meaningful during their spare time. This could be joining a society or club at university, taking a gap year out, showing entrepreneurial skills by running their own business, or working while studying and managing to get a good grade.” This also covers decisiveness and problem-solving skills. Employers are looking for evidence that you can identify options, assess their suitability, decide on the best course of action and carry it out. “We call this raising the bar,” says David Meekison, human resources manager at 3M, the company that develops products such as the Post-It note. “It’s about saying how good could this product or process get or how good could it be. We are looking for people who demonstrate that they would drive things forward and push boundaries.” Commercial Awareness One key gripe from employers is that few graduates have any business or commercial savvy. Even in the not-for-profit and public sector you’ll need to have an understanding of the environment that your employer operates in. “Too many candidates are applying to jobs but clearly have no knowledge of how the industry or the company works,” says Brian Hood, head of campus recruitment at Citigroup Corporate and Investment Banking. “But it’s not hard, particularly by using the internet to understand and to beef up on what is happening in any industry or company. A lot of what we are talking about is simple preparation and common sense.” To brush up your commercial awareness, check online news sites to read stories about the company and also read through the company’s own website, especially its press releases and its “what we do” section. Think about questions like how the company makes its money, how it survives, who its customers are. Team working This is an integral part of almost every job and in many organisations working in small project teams is the norm. You are almost inevitably going to be asked to give examples of times you have been a constructive team member, contributing, in a practical way, to the success of the group, so come prepared. 3M defines part of this skill as “energising others”. “Some people can really create energy in a team while others take it away,” says David. “We look for people who are committed to working in teams and can mobilise others as well as understanding their point of view.”

5 Steps to the Big Sell

The majority of interviewers use competency-based questions to find out whether candidates can demonstrate skills. Put simply, the recruiter is looking for real examples of times when you have demonstrated the skills and behaviours they are looking for. It’s not rocket science. A typical competency- (or skill-) based question would be: ‘Can you describe a situation where you have worked with a group of other people to achieve a common goal?’

You’ll find that many organisations are very clear about what competencies they look for. You may need to take some of their descriptions with a pinch of salt though, many seem to be asking for a list of attributes which in a past life may have led to canonisation. But once you know what skills they are after, the first step is to look at each one and to review whether you have it. For each skill, list at least two examples of how you have demonstrated it.

You probably have more examples than you realise. Graduates frequently undersell what they’ve done, according to Carl. “When asked ‘Have you had any work experience?’ The wrong answer is ‘Well, I have only worked in the union bar’,” he says. “Do not undervalue your work experience! It all counts. Successfully pacifying a drunken student who is demanding a last pint, five minutes after closing time, is quite an achievement…”

Try to quantify what you’ve done. Rather than saying, “I ran an event at my student bar,” break down what you did. “Using a budget of £200 pounds, I organised and marketed a Hawaiian-themed evening at my student bar that attracted more than 200 students and raised £700 in extra takings.”

Photograph: iStockphoto

Don’t ramble. Careers advisers suggest breaking down your answer into three chunks. About 15 per cent of it should be the situation or problem. The majority (about 70 per cent) should explain how you handled the situation; the skills you used; and how you evaluated it (communication, creativity, leadership). The final 15 per cent should explain the outcome of your example.

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GET REAL

YOUR INTERNSHIP CAN EITHER BE AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE OR A TOTAL WASTE OF TIME. AND ACCORDING TO NANCY GROVES THAT’S ALL DOWN TO YOUR ATTITUDE.

ompare the experiences of these two interns. Person A: “It was really dull – I spent most of the time stuffing envelopes and mailing them out to people.” Person B: “It was fantastic – I learned how press packs are made up, discovered who all the key players are within the music press, and

learned all about the company’s music artists.” The difference between their placements? “Nothing – they both did exactly the same job!” says Stuart Hearn head of international human resources at Sony/ATV Music Publishing. “They were putting together and sending out hundreds of press packs about the artists. The difference is the second person paid attention to everything they did and learned from it, no matter how mundane it seemed on the surface.” Read on to ensure that you get into the right mindset make the most of your internship:

THE PLACEMENT PRO Placement Pro arrives with time to spare, giving her the chance to flick through today’s Financial Times in reception as she smoothes down invisible creases in her freshly dry-cleaned suit. As the HR manager gives her the office tour, she is sure to ask as many questions as possible about the company’s graduate-recruitment scheme, noting down her email address and direct line for future queries. Pro’s biggest worry is how she will squeeze this – her fourth work placement – onto her CV. But for now she’s just excited to get stuck into every job that’s handed her way, even volunteering to stuff all 5,000 envelopes of a company mail-out. With a smile.

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GET WISE | GET REAL

THE LOSER Arriving late and swearing profusely about his train delay, Loser is nevertheless cutting a dash in distressed denim. The perfect dress code for Saturday night perhaps, but not so appropriate for a day spent shadowing the legal team in client meetings. Loser has not found time to read the company brochure in advance, but he’s sure to pick up protocol as he goes along, right? When asked why he wants to become a lawyer, he answers that he’s in it for the money, of course, jovially punching his supervisor in the arm. At this rate, this boy is not looking like he’ll be losing his L-plates any time soon.

GET PREPARED MUG UP “Make sure you have researched the company and know what it is all about, from the industry it works in, to the internal company culture,” advises Binita Cooper, recruitment director at L’Oréal. Employers want students who are commercially aware. “I’ve had students shadowing me who don’t know the difference between a solicitor and a barrister,” reveals circuit judge and former criminal barrister, Tony Pitts. If you arrive not knowing the basics, you’re unlikely to learn anything more. GET WHAT YOU GIVE. “Make the case out for a) why you want to do a placement and b) what you can offer them,” say Liz Rhodes. Remember that you are looking to forge a reciprocal relationship. START AS YOU MEAN TO GO ON. That means turning up on time and dressed appropriately. “A student on the same internship as me arrived on the Monday morning in an seriously short miniskirt,” recalls BBC recruit, Emily, 23. “Needless to say the skirt made more of an impact than she did.” ON THE DAY BE INTERESTED “We look to recruit candidates who can bring their real-life experiences to the work environment,” says Binita. Use your common sense. Just because you don’t have any experience doesn’t mean you have to leave your brain at the door. Says Tony: “There’s nothing more frustrating than someone who doesn’t have any questions to ask even after a long day in court.” SHOW WILLING. “Most important to us is enthusiasm and willingness to get stuck in, as we expect the same amount of work from our placement students as we do from our graduate recruits,” says Gary Argent, UK graduate recruitment manager at IT services company LogicaCMG. This also applies when you are making coffee or asked to do a menial task. LISTEN AND LEARN. “Listen to instructions and take notes,” advises careers adviser Christine Blaymire. “And perform even

the dullest tasks with enthusiasm. You can learn a lot about a company even from stuffing envelopes.” ASK FOR HELP. “It’s important to hold up your hand if you’ve made a mistake or you’re not sure about something,” recommends careers advisor Scott Foley. “Far better than making a decision that might hurt the business.” STUCK AT THE PHOTOCOPIER? “If a student feels that they could take on more responsibility, they should ensure that their manager knows they are willing and capable of doing so,” says Binita at L’Oréal. USE YOUR INITIATIVE. “Why not come up with a project of your own,” suggests Fiona Gaffney at Lehman. “For example: ‘I notice that your hiring website doesn’t seem to compare that well with your competitors, I would like to do some research as to how it can be improved.’” THERE IS NO ‘I’ IN TEAM. “Interns should aim to enjoy the experience rather than constantly strive to outdo others in their group,” encourages Fiona. “Most companies are looking for

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Shell Step (210x148.5)

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“ Secure your success ” ...with challenging work placements for ambitious undergraduates If you’re a bright, ambitious undergraduate wanting to challenge your university skills, test out your career ideas or increase your chance of a first-rate graduate job, then you need to know about Shell Step...

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23/10/06 17:01:11

GET WISE | GET REAL

“

SOME 70% OF PLACEMENTS LEAD TO A GRADUATE JOB OFFER. A SUMMER PLACEMENT IS ALWAYS A POTENTIAL PIPELINE TO A PERMANENT JOB

”

team-players, and the internship experience is one in which this competency shows up very clearly.” BE ON THE LOOKOUT. “Always keep your eyes open for opportunities that might arise in a different department,” says Christine Blaymire. “Making a good impression in other sections of the company cannot be a bad thing.” AFTER HOW WAS IT FOR YOU? “Students should ensure that when they leave they have a complete review of their performance and understand their strengths and areas for improvement,” recommends Binita at L’Oréal. Even if you’re not offered a formal review, be sure to ask your supervisor for some feedback. SAY THANK YOU. Music agent Jonathan Laidlaw wrote to thank a student for his hard work while on work experience at the agency. Not writing back meant the student wasn’t asked back. KEEP IN TOUCH. “Stay in touch with those who you share a connection with,” advises Fiona at Lehman. “A summer internship is always a potential pipeline to a permanent position.” A survey of 66 graduate recruiters by Manchester Careers Service found that 70 per cent of work placements lead to a graduate job offer. TRIED AND TESTED. “Work experience is often a case of ‘Try before you buy’ and gives both sides the chance to see what the other has to offer,” says NCWE’s Liz. “From the student’s point of view it helps them make a more informed career choice and for the employer, it becomes a more efficient and effective way of recruiting.” “A placement is like a very long interview and at the end – if it’s gone well – we’ll try our best to convert it into a full-time job offer,” agrees Gary at LogicaCMG. n

THE SNOOZER Snoozer would rather be watching the live stream of Big Brother than doing work experience at a PR company but she’s heard that a placement might bag her some freebie beauty products. She can’t believe her luck when set to work on a internet research project – the perfect opportunity to spend the afternoon on MSN Messenger. She breaks up her day with trips to the chocolate machine, thereby reducing the chance of being assigned a task that might actually test her. And when asked if she’s got any ideas for a new product launch, she does her best impression of a goldfish while continuing to file her immaculately manicured nails.

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the big experience

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WORK EXPERIENCE | OVERVIEW

her e you is no r li oth fe hav wh er tim e so e i to ma ere y n ny o ou do diff p w p s i l om l ort ere uni eth nt at ties ing tha uni n v ers tot ge wh ity. a t en Wh you lly forg you sucke i l e it d et t a r re ’s e i de hat ma gre nto f asy So inta the o e g t pa et in wo and cusing o id o o r r un ut an ld aw a so o or i t n r c y a d pa na ia ing it ge id, fiel t so s you. l life gre i t n d o , t a – h me do wh t on y just do e UK o exp n’t at r ov our erie s o k m ind e mig n CV e r c s thin e e: of , it ht s be g. A as, in p uit will on an it sw you erson as hel offi e you ll a p y in t Rea de ce s h cid o l l a o e fu u u re W ed tu nde oking and to d orld rsta talk re. To wh os nd be at s t om o s ca i eth ree ix g nspire ing r d rad ver wr uat , read yd itte iffe es nb ren wh pho t o yZ t

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“

I GAINED SO MUCH EXPERIENCE AND DID SO MUCH. I EVEN HELPED FILE THE FIRST TORTURE CASE AGAINST THE POLICE IN BELIZE

”

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WORK EXPERIENCE | CASE STUDIES

VOLUNTEERING OVERSEAS NAME: Amaya Floyd AGE: 24 DEGREE/EMPLOYMENT: Graduated with a degree in Law with European Union Legal Studies at Reading University and finished her LPC in 2005. She takes up a training contract with legal firm Withy King from September 2006 and is currently working at the Great Western Ambulance Service as a personal assistant. WORK EXPERIENCE: Amaya spent three months doing pro bono work at the offices of a human-rights lawyer in Belize, which is between Mexico and Guatemala in South America. During her time there, she lived with a family in Dangriga, the largest town in southern Belize. The placement was set up by Challenges Worldwide, a volunteer recruiting agency. WHAT WAS YOUR MOTIVATION? I was quite late applying for training contracts as I wasn’t sure which area I wanted to go into. In my final year I applied for and secured a position with Withy King but had some time after I graduated until my start date with them as people usually apply for training contract well before graduation. This wasn’t a problem for me, however, as I’d never taken a gap year and I wanted the chance to go abroad and work. WHAT DID THE APPLICATION PROCESS INVOLVE? Through my university I came across Challenges Worldwide, which offers overseas work placements for applicants who have skills to offer. They helped me find a placement which was right for me. The cost of the placements varied – mine was more than £2,000, not including flights, and I also put money aside for extra travelling. WHAT DID YOU DO? I worked with human rights lawyer Antoinette Moore. Challenge Worldwide usually send people with legal experience to non-governmental organisations, as this was a private firm I was only involved in doing pro bono work. Initially, I was involved in quite small cases such as getting four Cubans out of prison, which I did on my own. English is one of the main languages spoken in Belize, which helped. Other cases were bigger, such as helping the legal team who were challenging the government, which had granted a US company an oil permit for exploration in one of the internationally

protected national parks. This got a lot of press coverage in newspapers and TV and there were meetings between the team and the prime minister of Belize. HOW DID YOU SELL THE EXPERIENCE ON YOUR CV? Before I went, I wrote to Withy King and explained what I was doing. I asked them for some sponsorship as I felt many of the skills I would be developing would be of benefit to them later, as my employers. They’d never had a request like it, but they agreed. DID YOU ENJOY IT? It was amazing. Another case I was involved in was helping file the first ever torture claim against the police in Belize. WHAT DID YOU LEARN? I learned that I can do things when I put my mind to it and I’ve developed the confidence to attempt projects that I wouldn’t have done before. BEST PART: The satisfaction from the cases I was working on and the knowledge that I could do it again. My placement was very successful and Antoinette allowed me to take longer weekends to go travelling as long as I made the time up later. WORST PART: Being on the placement by myself. It was very expensive to call England and a couple of times I felt quite isolated. ADVICE TO READERS: Don’t go with any preconceived expectations – because you never know what you’ll get. You need to be open to the experience, and I’d advise people not to plan or dwell too much on what it will be like.

GET AHEAD WORKING OVERSEAS Whatever your skill level, you should be able to find a useful and exciting project to work on abroad. If you already have some skills under your belt that you’d like to exercise, it’s worth checking organisations like www. challengesworldwide.com Another one to consider is Raleigh International, a youth development charity for 17-25 year olds (www.raleigh.org.uk). The charity aims to inspire people from all backgrounds and nationalities to discover their true potential by working together on challenging projects around the world. Student organisation AIESEC also gives students a chance to acquire a set of marketable and transferable skills, while working abroad for a good cause. It offers placements in 86 countries lasting two to 18 months (www.aiesec.org.uk)

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WORK EXPERIENCE | CASE STUDIES

EXPERIENCE WORKING OVERSEAS NAME: John Beevers AGE: 25 DEGREE/EMPLOYMENT: Graduated from Leicester University in 2003 with a BSc in Geography. He now works in London as a consumer-insight executive with transport media sales company Viacom Outdoor. WORK EXPERIENCE: John spent two summers in the USA working with children (Summer Camp USA). He then returned to the US with Bunac on its Work America scheme. During his time at university John also became involved in the Bunac National Committee, which works to promote and improve the scheme. WHAT WAS YOUR MOTIVATION? I’d started university in 1999 doing a French degree but I really didn’t enjoy it so I decided to stop and change subject. This left me with some time until the degree started the following year and I didn’t want to spend the summer at home. I’d been introduced to Bunac during freshers week and thought it sounded good. I’ve always been involved in working with younger children, working as a community sport leader. Working with Bunac meant that I could earn a little bit of money. WHAT DID THE APPLICATION PROCESS INVOLVE? As you are working with children you have to be interviewed. You then write application form with a personal statement which gets sent to the USA where the camps review your skills and look suitable jobs. You pay upfront application fee and visa fee. There is a standardised wage, out of which your flight costs are taken. WHAT DID YOU DO? I worked at Camp Speers Eljabar YMCA in the summers of 2000 and 2001. I was involved in a range of different activities from helping with special needs children to lifeguarding. In 2002, I participated on Work America. Under that scheme I worked at a New York respite, the Young Adult Institute in Manhattan. HOW DID YOU SELL THE EXPERIENCE ON YOUR CV? I found that my experiences enabled me to answer a lot of difficult questions, particularly competency-based questions. I could use examples like dealing with administration. I also drew on my work for Bunac’s national committee,

where I was chairman from 2001 to 2002. DID YOU ENJOY IT? It was one of best experiences in my life and the friends I made then are still some of my best friends in London. You are really active and get the chance to try so many different things, including becoming a big kid again. WHAT DID YOU LEARN? After I got back from the camps I got involved in Bunac on campus and helped set up a club on campus marketing Bunac to other students. When I was elected to the national committee, I found myself visiting various universities to give talks, sharing my experiences. It got me thinking about what I’d like to do career wise and I realised that I enjoyed communication and was interested in media. BEST PART: The friends I’ve made. And I expanded my horizons so much: my experiences inspired me to set off on big world tour after university. WORST PART: There wasn’t really a worst bit but it was hard work because you are up from 7am and do get little time off and can be working until midnight. But it was all good fun. ADVICE TO READERS: Go for it! The USA doesn’t give many working visas so it is the perfect opportunity to go while you are at university. When you’re job hunting it gives you loads to talk about on applications and shows you are able to look after yourself, can take risks and are the kind of person who will get involved.

GET AHEAD WITH BUNAC Established in 1962, Bunac is a not-for-profit, members’ club that organises overseas work and travel programmes. Bunac offers a varied range of affordable work and volunteer experiences worldwide to students and other young people. Programmes range from Summer Camp USA, to flexible work and travel programmes in Canada, the USA, Australia and New Zealand. Plus, volunteering programmes in Africa, Central and South America and South East Asia. Bunac’s programmes to the USA run between early June and early October each year while other programmes allow participants to travel at any time of the year.

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“

WHEN IT COMES TO JOB HUNTING, IT SHOWS YOU ARE THE KIND OF PERSON WHO LIKES TO GET INVOLVED

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WORK EXPERIENCE | CASE STUDIES

A SMALL COMPANY PLACEMENT

“

THE BEST PART WAS REALISING I HAD SOMETHING TO OFFER FROM WHAT I’D LEARNED ON MY DEGREE COURSE

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NAME: Helen Dale AGE: 22 DEGREE/ EMPLOYMENT: Graduated from the University of Surrey in 2005. She now works in Brighton for health and hygiene company Kimberly Clark on its EU supply chain graduate programme. WORK EXPERIENCE: Helen spent 10 weeks working with Ci Business Services Limited, which is a contract-cleaning company based in London. She found the placement through Shell Step (see panel). The focus of her project was to increase traffic to the website and to rebrand the company. By the end of her project, sales enquiries had increased and the number of visitors to the site had risen by 26%. WHAT WAS YOUR MOTIVATION? I’d always been keen to go into a graduate job and knew that having work experience was the best way to ensure that my applications would stand out from the crowd. I’d originally considered doing a sandwich course but the degree that I chose didn’t have that option. I found out about Step at my careers service after a lecturer recommended the programme. WHAT DID THE APPLICATION PROCESS INVOLVE? I filled in an application and selected the area I wanted to be in. When I was asked in for the interview I realised it was quite competitive. The interview was quite informal but I made sure I dressed smartly and talked about other work experience and positions of responsibility that I’d had, such as working as a bar manager. WHAT DID YOU DO? It was meant to be a marketing placement but it evolved to focus on internet advertising, as I did a

lot of work on the website and oversaw a redesign to make it more user friendly and to ensure it was picked up by search engines. As there were only 15 people in the company, I just got on with it. Half the time I was teaching myself out of a book. I had to be a self starter but I still brought in an extra £30,000 worth of new business. HOW DID YOU SELL THE EXPERIENCE ON YOUR CV? Overall, the experience benefited me tremendously. It really helped being able to quantify the benefits my work had brought the company. I could write about what I’d done on my CV and being able to draw on the experience also made it much easier to answer questions during interviews. DID YOU ENJOY IT? Yes! It was a long commute and I had to be up at 6am each morning but I was very motivated and kept going. W HAT DID YOU LEARN? Having never worked in an office before, I found it particularly daunting at first. But it gave me a great idea of the office environment and how it works. BEST PART: Realising that I had something to offer from my degree. WORST PART: Walking into an office where I didn’t know what to expect. ADVICE TO READERS: I don’t know if I’d have got my current job without the placement. It helped my job prospects immeasurably. I don’t think that many of my peers were as savvy as I was when it came to work experience but it’s definitely worth doing.

GET AHEAD WITH SHELL STEP Step provides project-based work experience in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) for more than 1,300 students in their second or penultimate year. Students are responsible for the projects, which could involve creating marketing strategies, improving production methods or setting up IT systems. Step provides a training allowance in the region of £180 a week. Visit: www.step.org.uk If you do want to go it alone then be aware of the following: the majority of SMEs don’t advertise for work experience or placement opportunities so you’ll have to use your research and speculative applications to find out who will take you on.

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WORK EXPERIENCE | CASE STUDIES

“

NAME: Alexander Mullen AGE: 31 DEGREE/EMPLOYMENT: Graduated from Sheffield Hallam University in 2004 with a degree in Biomedical Chemistry. He now works for pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca as a process chemist. WORK EXPERIENCE: Alexander spent the sandwich year of his fouryear course working with AstraZeneca. WHAT WAS YOUR MOTIVATION? I’d attended a couple of interviews with different companies but I was really impressed with the modern facilities and the well equipped labs at AstraZeneca. WHAT DID THE APPLICATION PROCESS INVOLVE? The university I attended was really proactive in bringing leading industry figures in to talk about placement opportunities. They also helped arrange interviews. WHAT DID YOU DO? I found it sold itself. A lot of companies will prioritise candidates who have taken a placement with them. Particularly if you have made a good impression and good contacts during your time. HOW DID YOU SELL THE EXPERIENCE ON YOUR CV? Overall, the experience benefited me tremendously. It really helped being able to quantify the benefits my work had brought the company. I could write about what I’d done on my CV and being able to draw on the experience also made it much easier to answer questions during interviews. DID YOU ENJOY IT? Yes, it was a very different atmosphere to the one which I expected – I hadn’t expected people to be quite so friendly and I found the atmosphere was very lively and laidback. It’s a very

WHAT HAPPENS DURING YOUR PLACEMENT CAN REALLY INFLUENCE YOUR CAREER CHOICES AND WHERE YOU DECIDE TO WORK

”

diverse workforce with lots of different experience and a wide age range. I found that the work can be incredibly rewarding and people were always willing to help. WHAT DID YOU LEARN? I developed a real appreciation and understanding of the monumental effort that goes in to producing new medicines. It became clear that when you are working you have to have to organise your time very carefully. I also gained a lot of experience in working in laboratories which benefited me greatly in my final year. BEST PART: Becoming confident in the lab. At university you read a lot in your text books but it’s very different when you go into lab. Things don’t always work as you would expect and you have to be creative and solve problems. WORST PART: It was a bit daunting entering a workplace where there are a lot of very intelligent people, but I soon settled in. ADVICE TO READERS: There is a lot of competition to get places so really get out there and look for placements. Once you have one take every opportunity they offer and be really hands on. What happens during your placement can really influence what you do in your final year and where you eventually decide to work.

GET AHEAD WITH A PLACEMENT Check company websites for details of their placement schemes. AstraZeneca, for example, offers email alerts to let you know about any opportunities. Also check your university careers services and talk to lecturers to let them know what you are looking for. If you are not on a sandwich degree then you should consider an internship. In multinationals most internships are paid positions (up to £500 a week) and last between 10-12 weeks over the summer. Internships lead to permanent jobs for around 50% of students and those lucky enough to get on to these schemes can work in a variety of areas including engineering, sales, HR, IT, marketing and finance. The deadline to apply for internships is the spring, though early applications are strongly advised. Internships are mainly aimed at second- or penultimate-year students.

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We are an equal opportunities employer

YES, I WANT MY ONLY ROLE IN BUSINESS MEETINGS TO BE SERVING COFFEE, SO MY MIND BECOMES LOST IN THE MIST OF THE STEAMING DRINKS I POUR. NO, I’D RATHER JOIN ENTERPRISE, SO I CAN BE THE ONE LEADING THE MEETINGS AND RUNNING MY OWN BUSINESS WITHIN TWO YEARS.

MANAGEMENT TRAINING SCHEME Will most industry-leading companies really make the most of your talents? You’ve spent all those years at uni, so the last thing you want is to end up as an expert in photocopying and making coffee. Better make sure that’s not your fate by joining the 1000 plus graduates who enter the Enterprise Management Training Scheme each year. We’re an international car rental company with over 440 locations across the UK, Ireland and Germany and a multi-billion pound turnover. And we’ll teach you how to run your own business in as little as two years. You’ll learn about everything from sales, marketing and customer service to operations and finance, so you can make crucial business decisions and reap the rewards. You could be promoted twice in one year. And earn in two years what could take you five elsewhere. We’re here to make the most of your potential, not let it wither and die. To apply, go to www.enterprisealive.com/rw or call 0870 850 1232.

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WORK EXPERIENCE | CASE STUDIES

EXPERIENCE VOLUNTEERING UK

“

VOLUNTEERING IS THE BEST WAY TO GET OUT, ENJOY LIFE AND LEARN ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT TO DO IN LIFE

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NAME: Karen Reyes AGE: 21 DEGREE/EMPLOYMENT: Graduated in 2005 from the University of Leicester with a degree in Psychology and Sociology. She now works as a student volunteer co-ordinator for Brunel University and is an active volunteer herself giving time to the Samaritans and Childline; and campaigning for Oxfam and Make Poverty History. WORK EXPERIENCE: Karen was president of ‘Contact’ the student volunteering organisation at Leicester University. In her spare time she volunteered every week as a classroom assistant, and through Leicester Millennium Volunteers gave a total of 200 hours of volunteering in one year. WHAT WAS YOUR MOTIVATION? I got into volunteering through my church when I was about 13 and started off giving an hour a week to help with some of the youth groups. It’s quite contagious. There were a whole range of reasons – a passion for helping people, the realisation that I got as much out of it as they did. I also knew that many organisations offer great training and that employers love people who have volunteered. WHAT DOES THE APPLICATION PROCESS INVOLVE? The best way is to search on the internet for volunteering accreditation and opportunities. Application processes will vary but the first step is to set some time aside to volunteer. People always assume that they have to give a lot of time but that’s not the case. WHAT DID YOU DO? I got involved in so much during university, but my key role was as president of Contact. It was pretty much a full-time role. It facilitates and supports students to volunteer in the local community. HOW DID YOU SELL THE EXPERIENCE ON YOUR CV? The application process for my current job was quite hard but

because I had a lot of volunteering experience I could really sell the projects that I was most proud of. Plus, I emphasised that my position as president was elected. I have a long-term career ambition to train as a social worker and my voluntary work will set me in good stead for that. DID YOU ENJOY IT? It’s just the best way to get out, enjoy life and learn what you want to do with your life. I have a real passion for volunteering and get back as much as I put in. WHAT DID YOU LEARN? I’ve gained a huge range of practical skills. One of the things I’d like to do is to set up a charity over the next two years. It will be like setting up a business and take a lot of hard work. BEST PART: There have been many projects which I’ve found particularly rewarding and been very proud of, such as running a sevenday fundraiser for Hillingdon Women’s Centre which brought in more than £2,000. I’ve a passion for everything I do. WORST PART: Doing so many things is a lot of hard work and I do have to force myself to stay on top of things. ADVICE TO READERS: I’d encourage everyone to do something, anything. You only have to give a little. No matter what you are studying you will always find an opportunity to enhance your skills.

GET AHEAD WITH VOLUNTEERING You can find out about volunteering opportunities through a number of organisations including TimeBank (www.timebank.org.uk), your student union or Do-It, www.doit.org.uk Working for free as a volunteer might not seem too appealing if you’re drowning in debt, but you’ll be doing yourself a huge favour if you spend at least some of your time at university volunteering. Why? Well, almost two thirds of the UK’s top employers prefer to recruit candidates with volunteering experience, according to research by Reed. “As a volunteer you’re usually setting up your own projects, fundraising, recruiting, budgeting, organising logistics and managing people,” says Graham Allcott, director of Student Volunteering England. “You are given such an amazing amount of responsibility, which is incredibly empowering.”

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Student placement opportunities At AstraZeneca, we believe that gaining work experience is the perfect way to better understand the sort of roles and opportunities that may be right for you once you finish university. We offer a range of interesting placements, from 12-month 'sandwich' style placements to summer vacation programmes, which will give you the chance to gain valuable industry insight and learn more about yourself, your strengths, and areas for development. And of course youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be recognised and rewarded for your contribution.

take your ambitions forward at

ideas.astrazeneca.com sign up for job alerts and let the opportunities come to you

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WORK EXPERIENCE | CASE STUDIES

“

I THINK YOU HAVE TO BE DETERMINED TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT AND HAVE A GENUINE PASSION FOR THE ISSUES AT STAKE

”

BEING AN ENTREPRENEUR NAME: Matt Kepple AGE: 23 DEGREE/EMPLOYMENT: Graduated in 2005 from Birmingham University with a degree in MNatSc Chemistry. He now works for marketing agency Dialogue DLKW as an account executive. WORK EXPERIENCE: While at university Matt undertook a number of community projects and set up an online site and a fashion show to promote giving to charity. He made the top 10 in the Whitbread’s Young Achiever of The Year award in the Community Category last year. WHAT WAS YOUR MOTIVATION? I think many of my peers were really switched on and had a passion for getting involved and getting the most out of university life. When I looked at students involved in societies I saw the skills which they employed to run events and their dedication to different causes, like ethical trading. They were really good role models. WHAT DID THE APPLICATION PROCESS INVOLVE? When I was a student I sponsored a child for six months but found I couldn’t afford it for long – it was too expensive as big charities sometimes ask for up to £18 a month. Then I realised that if I could get some friends to join me we could pay just £1 a month and jointly sponsor a child. WHAT DID YOU DO? We founded a mini society called Smile and over the summer thought up a number of marketing ideas and posters to encourage people to get involved in giving to charity and fundraising in an enjoyable way. We did a two-week campaign around campus. We also organised some really entertaining fundraising events such Passion4Fashion Show, which is a fashion show which uses Fair Trade and student-designed clothes to raise money for Oxfam’s Make Trade Fair campaign. HOW DID YOU SELL THE EXPERIENCE ON YOUR CV? Well, I have been told that I do have an impressive CV because of everything I’d done at university. I also did internships with the marketing department at ICI and also had a PR internship. I made

it clear I was a person who was naturally passionate about marketing and communication. DID YOU ENJOY IT Yes, that was because I did everything out of a genuine passion. WHAT DID YOU LEARN? I think it’s a case of being determined to do something and not being complacent. You also must not be afraid to include other people. BEST PART: I went back to Birmingham uni this year and saw the third Passion4Fashion. I felt really proud of setting something up which continued to run even after I’d left. WORST PART: I do remember falling asleep in lectures, but I always revised very hard. I was thinking about giving it up once, but then I got a pack from charity World Vision that reminded me what it was all about. ADVICE TO READERS: Get involved in as many things as you can at university – and as soon as you can. That way you can find out what you really enjoy doing. If you think your uni needs a particular society then why not get involved and set it up.

GET AHEAD AS AN ENTREPRENEUR Until recently, fewer than one-in-20 graduates has pursued self-employment in the six months after graduating, but now the number is growing. If you want to run your own business while at university or just after you graduate, get it off to a flying start by making the most of the help and advice that is available. You can begin by checking out Make Your Mark (www. starttalkingideas.org) which will give you all the advice you need on getting inspired and getting started. Also try the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship. www.ncge.org.uk

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WORK EXPERIENCE | CASE STUDIES

applying for the graduate scheme. DID YOU ENJOY IT? Yes, I got a great overview of the different departments when I was temping and I also good a good feel for the company. RM works with schools and the idea of being involved in public service really attracted me. Plus, I’d really wanted to come back and work here again – I enjoyed the workplace, people knew me here and they are prepared to invest the training which allowed me to pick up some professional qualifications. WHAT DID YOU LEARN? At the start of uni wasn’t really sure what I would do if I couldn’t be a pilot, so temping gave me a real chance to try a range of different things. It helped confirm that finance wasn’t the career for me and also helped confirm that information systems was the kind of department I would want to work in. BEST PART: I enjoyed coming to work and getting an idea of the different. I really liked the people and got involved in the social side of things. WORST PART: Probably the hardest thing was working in areas where I had no experience. However there were always people on hand to help out. ADVICE TO READERS: I really would view temporary work as a way in to different organisations. It’s a great chance to try different job roles and if you do decide to apply for a full-time position having a personal reference from someone who has worked with you is worth a thousand cover letters.

TEMP WORK

NAME: Chris Brooks AGE: 23 DEGREE/EMPLOYMENT: Graduated from Southampton University with a degree in Aerospace Engineering. He is now on a graduate scheme as an analyst programmer at Research Machines (RM), an ICT supplier for schools. WORK EXPERIENCE: Chris temped at RM during the four summers he was at university. He worked in a range of different departments from human resources to credit control. WHAT WAS YOUR MOTIVATION? I really needed to get some money together before I went to university so I applied for temporary admin work at RM for the summer. I ended up working in the HR department and really enjoyed it. They asked me if I’d be willing to come back for the following summer which I did and I spent it working in the finance department. I’d originally wanted to be a pilot when I left university but I had problems with my sight. That was when I thought of working for RM full time. WHAT DID THE APPLICATION PROCESS INVOLVE? I applied for the summer jobs directly by contacting the company and asking if they had any vacancies for temporary work. When it came to applying for the graduate scheme after uni I didn’t have to go through the first online stages of the application process because they already knew me. Instead, I went straight onto the psychometric tests, the interviews and case-study exercises. WHAT DID YOU DO? When I worked as a temp with the finance department one of the projects I was involved in was the replacement of the finance software. I worked closely with information systems, the department where I currently work as a graduate analyst programmer. HOW DID YOU SELL THE EXPERIENCE ON YOUR CV? Actually, the key element was knowing people, rather than selling the experience on my CV, that gave me the edge when it came to

GET AHEAD WITH TEMPORARY WORK: Don’t just view temporary work as a way of raising much needed cash – it can also be a great way of experiencing different work environments and road-testing different types of careers. Offices can be strange places (and not everyone is cut out for office life) so why not combine your need for cash with something that may help you with your longterm aspirations. And don’t discount the old bar work or shop work, they still could give you some ideas about what you’d like to do in the future (fashion buyer, events manager?).

“

A PERSONAL REFERENCE FROM SOMEONE WHO WORKED WITH YOU IS WORTH A THOUSAND COVER LETTERS

”

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