By Ben Campbell, BA International Business Management
Hello! Whilst studying at Griffith University, I’ve been able to explore Australia and have put together a new vlog, showing my roadtrip from Brisbane to Sydney, then on to Melbourne and Adelaide. Over 7,000km!
By Aleena Raikundalia, BA International Business Management
Hey everyone! Happy New Year!
A little flashback to last year… Christmas in Dallas is beautiful! The streets are full of pretty lights and decorations. Also, there are many Christmas Lights events and markets at malls such as Grapevine, Gall
eria, Shops at Legacy and many more. As if that isn’t enough, there are extra shows, musicals, events and parties all over downtown! So, rest assured that there will be some sort of activity for everyone to be involved and get into the Christmas spirit!
Back to 2017… It has already been one month into the Spring Semester and I love my classes so far! Being an International Business major, I have the freedom to choose from a wide range of disciplines within the business field. This semester, I decided to take classes in Entrepreneurship, Finance, Marketing and Operations.
Since this is my last semester in Texas, I am looking forward to experiencing as many events as possible. Speaking of which, on Monday 30th January, my friends and I went to watch a NBA game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Cleveland Cavaliers. This was an incredible 
experience especially with the exciting atmosphere amongst the crowd, the speed of the game and most definitely the skill of each player. Final score: Dallas 104, Cleveland 97. Go Mavs! I was amazed at how much I enjoyed the game, and although Dallas won, I’ll be honest; watching LeBron James play, was spectacular in itself!
I’ll be sure to catch up with y’all soon with more updates!
By Elise McDonald, BA International Business Management
Hi guys! I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas.
Slightly weird post this time as I’m actually writing this from the UK nearing the end of my incredibly long Christmas/semester break. I am definitely so excited to be returning to Vienna next week.
Towards the end of last semester, I started applying for industrial placements to add in to my course before returning to Sheffield for myfinal year. The main reason I picked the IBM course at Sheffield was actually because it was the only University I could find that offered the opportunity to complete both a year abroad and a placement. I was so surprised to find out that I’ll be only the 2nd person on this course to do both, so I just thought I would share my experience of the application process with you all to encourage you to consider doing the same as me!
So, I started applying for placements towards the end of November which was fairly hard to manage with my final exams of the semester, but definitely doable. To be honest, most of the application deadlines weren’t until the end of December/January so it worked out perfectly with the holidays. If you’re worried you won’t be able to attend interview/assessment centres due to being abroad, don’t be! These days most of the application process is carried out online and I was therefore able to do telephone interviews and videos whilst in Vienna. Although, even if you do need to fly back, the company tends to pay for your travel expenses. Logistically, there have been no issues for me during this whole process (if anything the long holiday has been ideal!). Throughout the whole recruitment process I was able to talk about my experiences abroad, which was so helpful. Not only was I able to talk about my interest in international business, but also my ability to work in multicultural groups which is definitely a selling point.
Now comes the bragging… but I promise I’m only mentioning it to show you all how amazing the year abroad looks on your CV and application. I was lucky enough to be offered a Marketing placement at the F
MCG Giant Unilever. Some of you might be reading that with a blank expression, but I’m sure you’re all familiar with Ben & Jerry’s, Dove, Lynx, Marmite, Persil, Domestos and PG Tips, to name a few! Well, Unilever owns all of those brands. I was also invited to the final stages for Microsoft, Hyundai, Bosch and Panasonic but was unable to accept these due to my place at Unilever. So, my advice to all of you considering doing IBM instead of another normal Business Management course – please do! Not only will you have the most amazing time but you’ll also make yourself much more employable.
I should also add that I also took the decision to work for a year in a junior office role before attending University and I also do some temporary office work in the summer holidays – I have been working at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles during my semester break. It’s therefore also a good idea to make the most of your time away from Uni to gain some valuable work experience. Don’t underestimate how important work experience is for a Business undergraduate’s CV.
Sorry to deviate away from the usual study abroad blog post, but I thought it might be something interesting to share with anyone that was considering a year in industry, like me.
I will keep you updated with how the next semester goes as much as possible!
By Hannah Mclennaghan
Hi, I’m Hannah, a student Placement Ambassador for 2016-17, and also studying for my BA in Business Management with Employment Experience. I carried out my placement year at Virgin Media in 2016.
If you’ve already got a house in Sheffield for next year or want to stick around Sheffield while on Placement, I’ve put together some really useful advice about how and where you can find a placement in Sheffield, that might just help you.
Why do a placement year in Sheffield?
It is the perfect opportunity to get the best of both worlds! You can remain in the City you love whilst gaining an invaluable experience and a complimentary asset to your degree. It also means if you have only just decided to do a placement year it is not too late, as you do not need to drop out of your housing contract for next year!
Where do I find a local placement?
The easiest place to start your search is the University’s internal portal Career Connect. You can access this through MUSE and use the filters: Yearlong placements, (the business area) and South Yorkshire as your location and you will arrive at a list of opportunities. Other great job sites are Milkround, Graduate recruitment Bureau, Rate my placement & Linkedin
What kind of opportunities are in Sheffield?
There is a magnitude of placements currently available; on Career Connect alone there are 50 currently still open. A local placement can be a great opportunity to gain experience in a corporate or slightly smaller company which can provide a more unique, tailored and rounded experience- giving you an insight into the company’s operations in its entity. Many local placements advertise solely to the University of Sheffield management students, giving you an extremely high chance of success!
What support is available for me?
If you would like to do a placement year, contact the employability hub: mgt.employability@sheffield.ac.uk and you will be assigned a mentor. They will provide you with support in searching for placements, doing your application, preparing you for interviews and general advice and guidance. The employability hub can also check CVs and cover letters. Once out on placement your degree will change to add “with employment experience”. You will be visited twice during the year and you will need to carry out a small assessment at the end (which is easier than you think!)
If you would like any further advice you can get in touch with all of the Placement Ambassadors at mgt.pl.ambassadors@sheffield.ac.uk
By Charlotte Howe
Hey everyone, my name’s Charlotte and I’m in my fourth year studying Business Management with Employment Experience. I returned to Sheffield as a Placement Ambassador following my placement year at PwC in London, in September 2016.
During my placement year I worked in Learning and Development, part of the wider HR function at PwC. Taking a placement year is one of the best decisions I’ve made, the team I worked in are responsible for delivering soft skills training across all areas of the firm, so I was able to learn more about the workings of the firm and explore future career opportunities.
Through my placement I achieved so much, learning about myself as well as invaluable skills for both in the workplace and beyond. Some of the key stand-out skills I learnt are:
My advice to prospective placement students:
There is so much help available to management school students applying for placements, such as the employability hub, career connect and placement ambassadors. Take full advantage of these people who want to help you!
Secondly, keep going, and please don’t get knocked back by rejections. They happen to everyone, think of it as a learning curve, allowing you to take on the next application stronger and more confident after learning from the previous applications.
Finally, say yes! Take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way and when out on placement don’t be afraid to take yourself outside your comfort zone and try something new, a placement is as much for you to learn as it is for the companies to benefit from your skills.
By George Philipson
My name is George Philipson and I am a final year Accounting and Financial Management student. I completed my year in industry with Top 10 accounting firm RSM as an Audit Assistant, in 2016. This was a typical day for me out on placement…
8AM
Monday: Quick walk to work with a coffee in hand catching up with this morning’s financial and business news stories. I get into work for around 8:30AM, set up my laptop and other equipment and quickly catch up with the other employees in the office. I check my diary to find I am auditing a large dairy producer for the week ahead, liaise with my Manager and Supervisor and prepare them for our meeting with some pre-fieldwork files I assembled on Friday afternoon.
9:30AM
The Partner, Manager, Supervisor, and I set up for a client planning meeting which is around 30 minutes long. It allows the Partner and Manager to highlight any key risk areas involved with this client, along with a brief introduction into the audit history of the company. I take minutes for the meeting, making sure it is evidenced that the audit team have outlined all potential areas of the audit file. In addition, duties and responsibilities are delegated and I am made aware of my role in this job.
12PM
I grab a quick bite to eat with the other graduates before I head out to the client site. We quickly compare weekends and clients for the week ahead, whilst also discussing our plans for the audit party on Friday.
I have spent the rest of the morning preparing some areas of work which do not require client interaction, as this helps to save the Supervisor time at the end of the fieldwork after I have left. I also set up some files on the network and some documents, so that I can be more time efficient whilst carrying out the fieldwork of the audit.
1PM
My Supervisor, Jen, and I arrive at the client site just outside of the city centre. We meet with the Financial Director (FD) and Financial Controller (FC) who discuss their time commitments for the week, whilst we also update them on our schedule for the week ahead. We are greeted with fresh coffee, and a great office view, before setting up our work stations.
5PM
Gosh, the first day of an audit always goes quickly! I spent the remainder of the day collecting evidence such as bank statements and reports from Sage (an accounting software) whilst also completing some shorter pieces of work. These involved: Other Audit Areas which look at non-financial aspects of the audit, along with Updated Minutes Review and updating the Audit Findings Report. I also finish my emails for the day and update the client of any remaining information I require.
I head back to the office as I have a 5-a-side fixture together with some colleagues from the auditing department. This is a welcomed break to release some energy and practice for our upcoming national RSM football tournament, I am told a place to represent the UK in Warsaw is up for grabs!
If you would like any further advice you can get in touch with all of the Placement Ambassadors at mgt.pl.ambassadors@sheffield.ac.uk
By Ellie Thornber
Hi, I’m Ellie, one of your Management School Placement Ambassadors for 2016-17. I did my placement last year at Accenture, a large management and technology consultancy company. I am so glad I did a placement and would recommend it to anyone. I developed so many transferrable skills, established a really valuable network of colleagues and secured a graduate job too. Here is how I found my placement, the application process, and my hints and tips to help you secure a placement or internship.
How did I find my placement?
It is helpful to know what kind of organisation you want to work in before you start applying. Websites such as Rate My Placement allow you to read about other student’s experiences whilst on placement and can give you more information from the responsibilities they held, to the social side of work. This helps you to understand the type of job you want to be doing and can help you create a list of companies you might be interested in.
Websites such as Rate My Placement, Milkround and Career Connect provide a great database of companies which are offering placement and internship opportunities and will show you those with deadlines approaching. If a company you are interested in isn’t formally advertising any opportunities it is always worth contacting their HR department and asking, especially for smaller companies. Family and friends are also a great network to use to find opportunities!
The application process
The application process for placements/internships can sometimes be long and daunting, but I found that once I had submitted one, they got much easier. The length of the process varies, often depending on the size of the company. Some can have multiple stages to their application process such as online tests, telephone interviews, assessment centres and final interviews. However small companies may simply ask for a CV and cover letter before inviting you to interview. I found the Employability Hub and the Careers Advisors really helpful in going over my applications before I submitted them, helping me prepare for telephone interviews and giving me tips for assessment centres. I also used the online learning tools on Career Connect to help practice for psychometric tests such as verbal and numerical reasoning.
Hints and tips
Contact me at: ethornber1@sheffield.ac.uk if you would like any further advice or you can get in touch with all of the Placement Ambassadors at mgt.pl.ambassadors@sheffield.ac.uk