Category: Business Management

My experience of moving to Sheffield

By Yijie Chen, BA Business Management

One year ago, I was dragging my luggage around Manchester Airport with a couple of new friends, ready for the intro week of my uni life. We were anxious, nervous and excited, and all of us were wondering if we chose the right university or not. At that moment, a gentleman wearing an orange t-shirt and holding a ‘Welcome to the University of Sheffield’ sign walked up to us. He introduced himself to us and helped us carry our luggage. That gentleman was a Student Ambassador of our university, responsible for the meet and greet service. To my surprise, he knew our names and flight numbers before we arrived there. At that moment and ever since we felt we belonged at The University of Sheffield.

I was born and bred in Xiamen, a fantastic coastal city in China. Before beginning a new era of going abroad, I successfully finished A-Level exams and IELTS tests. I used to think they are the most complicated challenges in my life, but now I gradually realised they are just the cornerstones of further education. I also spent the last high school summer holiday watching many videos about Sheffield and our university.

When I looked out of the bus window, the familiar and strange city view made me feel delighted and thrilled. We passed through Manchester and Peak District National Park. Honestly, the trip was always over hills. Sheffield was quite different from my hometown. I had been familiar with the ocean view, but I gradually fitted into the new environment. Currently, the city is my second hometown, which is a warm and ethnically diverse city.

After passing by Firth Court, Information Commons and the Diamond, I arrived at my accommodation, Allen Court. I met my flatmates from different countries such as Great Britain, India, Egypt and Malaysia. Welived in international surroundings, and we shared distinctive cultures that reflected the diverse surroundings of the entire campus.

Indeed, I did enjoy the intro week at the University of Sheffield. I took various lectures about modules chosen, SUMS and the university societies and clubs and planned hikes and trips with new friends.

Walking around Western Bank Park and Crookes Valley Park was my favourite activity after taking lectures. We went for trail walks around Hope Valley and Bamford. Also, we visited the famous Chatsworth House and Mayfield Alpacas Animal Park at the weekend. I do promise no one would ignore the attractiveness of the University of Sheffield and the city.

Why you should be considering a placement year

By Luke Garrity, BA Business Management with Employment Experience

During your time at University, you will likely have the option of undertaking a placement year, a voluntary year in industry between your second and final year. For the duration of your placement, you are still a student but will be working away from the University, possibly even in another country if you so choose! Don’t worry though, you will still have regular contact and support from the Management School. As you are a student, you do still pay tuition fees however these are massively reduced, however most UK students will still be eligible for a student loan and you will be earning a wage typically between £13,000 and £20,000.

Why should I complete a placement?

Naturally, the chance to earn a wage is very attractive, and will undoubtedly make things easier when you return to Sheffield for your final year. However, there are so many more reasons why completing a placement will benefit you!

  1. Gain experience in the world of work

The job market is more competitive than ever before, and companies are looking for unique candidates who set themselves apart from everybody else. Relatively few students complete a year in industry, so having that experience will contribute to an outstanding CV that really grabs the attention of recruiters. In addition, throughout this year you will gain new transferable skills that you can take into both your final year and future workplaces, such as organising and prioritising tasks. You will also have an advantage when it comes to answering difficult interview questions- you will have lots of stories from your time on placement, providing anecdotal evidence to back up your claims.

  1. Make connections and open new doors

Throughout your work experience you will undoubtedly meet many people in industry. Forming these connections will help you identify new opportunities and learn lots from those more experience than yourself. Furthermore, although there are no guarantees, many students are offered roles with their placement companies before they have graduated. Having the security of a grad job can really ease the pressure of final year and allow you to focus on making the most of your remaining time in Sheffield, both academically and socially.

  1. Explore industries before committing after graduation

It often feels like there is so much pressure for you to know which industry you want to work in and have a comprehensive career plan to match. It is completely normal, however, to be unsure of the type of job you want, and a placement year will help guide you to the correct path. Having genuine experience within a particular industry or job role will help you decide if the job is for you or not. Sometimes, students fall in love with a particular industry, and other times, students can have a positive experience on placement, but know that it is not something they want to be doing after they graduate. For example, my placement was a general management role with a heavy emphasis on sales, I loved my year in industry however I know that a sales role is not for me. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to dip my toe in the water, without having to commit to a full grad scheme!

  1. It supports your Dean’s List Application

Since 2018, the University of Sheffield Management School (SUMS) has awarded select students a place on the Dean’s List. This prestigious award allows students to gain recognition for the impact they have made at University and rounds off the University experience nicely. Recipients are awarded a personal reference from the Dean of the Management School, as well as a plaque and networking opportunities with SUMS alumni. Completing a placement year looks fantastic on your Dean’s List applications, and many previous winners have completed an industrial placement.

Find out more about the Dean’s List here.

Completing a placement is a great opportunity for any student, regardless of their level of work experience, and I would personally recommend it to absolutely everyone. Applying for these roles is competitive, but the Management School’s Employability Hub can help you every step of the way, from CV guidance to interview and assessment centre tips. Make sure you give it serious thought and for everyone applying good luck, you won’t regret it!

My L’Oreal journey so far!

By Sophie Ruston, BA Business Management

My journey started in my second year when I attended an ‘Assertiveness & Self Confidence Skills Session’ on the 14th November ran by L’Oreal at the Student’s Union. It was advertised as an on-campus evening where I was able to get hints and tips on how to tackle their applications. It wasn’t until I turned up that they told us they would be running a mock assessment centre with the chance to be ‘talent spotted’ and fast-tracked to the final stage of their application! 

Around a week later I received an email invitation to their final stage assessment centre in London, exactly a month on from the initial event (14th December). I straight away began researching the company, the brands and preparing for the day. 48 hours before, we received an information deck through with lots of information on potential new Kiehl’s skincare products, our job was to prepare a 20 minute presentation on which product to launch, why, and our omni-channel launch plan. 

Fast-forward through 2 days of intense planning and presentation preparing which included analysing data from a survey of my Facebook friends, I was at the assessment centre and presenting to the Head of Digital for L’Oréal’s skincare division. Following the presentation, we were split into groups to take part in a group task which built on the Kiehl’s project, and then completed a numerical and literacy test. Next was lunch and a chance to chat to the current interns and ask questions about their experience and what a placement at L’Oreal was like first hand. After lunch, there was a daunting ‘cut’ where they sent home applicants who hadn’t progressed to the afternoon which then consisted of an attention to detail test, a virtual reality meeting scenario and an individual interview with a senior member of staff.

After successfully gaining a place on the placement scheme, I started on the 25th June 2018 as an ‘E-Retail Intern’ in the Active Cosmetics Division. My role consisted of:

  • Communicating with online retailers to assist with account management and relationship building.
  • Collating, reporting and analysing sales results, tracking market trends and promotion results
  • Ensuring all product launches were planned and executed across e-retailers accurately from start to finish
  • Creating campaign focused assets for website banners, brand pages and social media posts to encourage uplifts in sales, ‘win on the web’ and increase brand awareness.

As much as I got stuck into my day-to-day role, and after an adjustment period, really enjoyed what the job entailed, it was all the other activities I got involved with whilst on placement which made the year so special! I was part of the intern netball team which played weekly matches against other teams around Hammersmith e.g. against the Disney interns. This was a really great chance to meet up with some of the other interns which I didn’t work with, and find out more about their roles in other parts of the business. With over 100 interns across Marketing, Commercial, Finance, Supply and more from 36 brands and 4 divisions, every intern has a totally different role and experience.

Being part of such a large, international company also meant there were occasions where I was able to get involved with corporate events, such as an event at the house of commons, “for Women in Science”, attended by MP’s, Lords and successful business people. This opportunity to represent L’Oréal at such a significant annual event filled me with pride, and also gave me experience networking with individuals outside of the business. I was also involved with charity and corporate social responsibility initiatives within the Head Office, such as selling raffle tickets, working at product sales and volunteering with disadvantaged children in the community.

All in all, my placement year provided me with such a vast array of experiences, I learnt A LOT, developed massively as an individual, but more than anything had such a fantastic time. I enjoyed it so much, that I even stayed at L’Oréal over the summer and completed another internship in a totally separate role, just so I could gain further insight into the business! I have met friends for life, and am back in London at least once a month, I just can’t wait to be back there full time in January 2021 on their Commercial Management Trainee graduate scheme.

International Summer Placement

By Jamie Taylor, BA Business Management

Over the summer of 2019, I decided to do something with my time to make a difference! I would be spending 6 weeks out in Indonesia working towards making the world a better place!

My placement was with an organisation called ‘AIESEC’ that focuses on achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s), my project was called ‘E-Millennials’ and this targeted ‘SDG 8’- ‘Decent Work and Economic Growth’. The main aim of the project was to promote ‘Entrepreneurship and Eco-tourism’ throughout Indonesia and make a difference to help improve people’s lives.

There were 11 other people in my project team, and this gave our team a real diversity with us all being from different countries from around the world including: China, India, Egypt and Canada just to name a few. There was a belief in what we were all trying to achieve, with us all working together towards the same goal! The project was split up into 3 main components that consisted of ‘School Visits’, ‘Company Visits’ and finally an ‘Eco-Tourism Consultancy Project’ on Tidung island (island off the coast of Jakarta).

School Visits

The School visits were so rewarding as it gave me the opportunity to educate and engage with the Indonesian youth about the SDG’s as well as finding out what their future career ambitions were. Of course, I needed a translator as my Bahasa (Indonesian language) wasn’t the best but ‘Google Translate’ quickly became my new best friend. I had some really positive discussions with the students, and it was great to hear about their different opinions and perspectives!

Company Visits

I had the opportunity to visit a number of companies in Jakarta. This resulted in me waking up at 5am and having to catch a 2-hour train but it allowed me to experience what the Indonesian daily commute was like. To give some context, think of the London Underground at rush hour and times that by five!

Some of the companies that I visited were Nutrifood (Indonesian Healthy Food Manufacturer) as well as Qlausa (Digital marketing agency) these were great learning experiences and gave me the chance to spend time with industry professionals. I found it particularly beneficial to analyse the differences between businesses in the UK and Indonesia.

Visiting Unilever Indonesia was a fantastic experience and it was insightful to learn about all of the Indonesian brands and take part in a brand activation exercise. However, visiting the in-house Magnum Café was definitely a highlight! I highly recommend trying out one of the milkshakes- delicious!

Tourism Consultancy Project

For the final stage of the project I spent a week on Tidung Island. The real value of this trip was to experience the Eco-Tourism opportunities on the island and to give feedback on them to the tourism board. Highlights included, the Coral Reef Restoration Program, the Mangrove Plantation and the Snorkelling trip! At the end of the week I had to give a presentation to the local committee and produce a ‘SWOT analysis’ of tourism on the island!

Overall, this was a fantastic experience and a rewarding way to spend my summer. I would highly recommend AIESEC to anyone as they have programs all around the world and you will be sure to find one that best suits your interest!

‘Go out there and do something that will make your future-self proud’

Why a placement year is so worth it!

By Sophie Ruston, BA Business Management with Employment Experience

I had always had my sights set on doing a placement year (sometimes referred to as year in industry or sandwich year), however, I know some students are often unconvinced. In my opinion the benefits are never ending, therefore, I have compiled below 5 main reasons why, from my experience, a placement year is SO worth it:

Builds Confidence

The responsibility I was given from day 1 was at times challenging, and there were moments when I wondered what I’d signed up for, but there really is no better way to grow your confidence than through diving in at the deep end. Being immersed into a full time role with no (or very little) experience was at first daunting, but it really pushes you to believe in yourself, get stuck into the job at hand and strive to achieve your goals.

Develops Skills

Granted, university helps you on your path to a great career but your own skills and abilities only grow when you actually put them into practice. There is no better way than to start at the very bottom and learn from some of the brightest and most talented individuals out there. I was lucky enough to have such a brilliant and supportive team but wherever you go and whoever you work with, your own skills will only flourish when they are tested. No lecture can really set you up for the workplace

An opportunity to make mistakes

As an intern, you will be the least experienced person in your business and when you’re learning, mistakes are anticipated. You’re not expected to get everything right first time but you are expected to ask questions; a placement year gives you the opportunity to learn from the things you might mess up first time, but build on them next time around.

Improve your employability

A graduate with a placement year (or relevant experience) is far more favourable to any employer than someone who’s never had a job, with some stipulating a certain amount of experience in a professional role. Everyone knows the graduate market is tough, so gaining experience prior to graduating is one of the best ways you can become more employable.

It’s so much fun!

1 year in a fast-paced environment gives you the chance to discover and develop your skills but also to meet amazing people. It’s unlikely you’ll be the only intern, meaning you’ll meet loads of like-minded individuals but you also get to build a great network of colleagues across your business.

After a placement year, it’s difficult to see why anyone wouldn’t try and do one. If you’re a current student and would like more information or one-to-one mentoring, then make sure you drop into the Employability Hub in the Management School.

 

Spiderwalk 2019

By Natalia Tsenova, BA Business Management

It is not a surprise that our Students’ Union has been ranked 1st in the country for 10 years in a row, from 2009 to 2018, by Times Higher Education. You name it, our SU will most likely have it. From Sheffield Volunteering to over 350 clubs and societies, there are close to an infinite number of opportunities to engage in university life, beyond the content of your degree, and make your experience in Sheffield more interesting and memorable.

Such an opportunity that has contributed towards a great start of my second year has been volunteering at Spiderwalk 2019. The spiderwalk is an annual 13 mile hike at night, organised by Sheffield RAG and it is one of the many fundraising events that Sheffield RAG (Raising and Giving) holds throughout the year to raise money for different charities. The aftermath of Spiderwalk 2019 is unbelievable – over £10 000 raised for four charities, which you can get more information about on the event’s Facebook page.

In the next lines, I will give you a glimpse of what it was like to participate in Spiderwalk 2019.

On the day of Spiderwalk, all of the volunteers were instructed to be at the SU a couple of hours before the event. We were given a 10-page detailed description of the track and a set of instructions on what to do in different situations. As stewards, our main responsibilities were to make sure our group followed the map and to help in case any of the participants were injured.  

Once we were allocated to our groups, it was time for hiking. In the beginning, the route was quite flat, as can be expected with our starting point being the Students’ Union, followed by Eccy Road and Endcliffe Park. As we continued walking, the terrain changed quickly and soon, we were in the peaks, breathing heavily and covered in mud. However, unlike my initial expectations, I was enjoying this more than I thought I would. The whole group was having fun, we were laughing and talking all the time and it was great to have such nice people to share this experience with.

The half-point was Whirlow Hall Farm – a beautiful farm in Sheffield and one of the charities that participants in Spiderwalk raised money for. The atmosphere was amazing: live music, good food and a lot of friendly people enjoying the night. We stayed there long enough to warm ourselves and to gather energy for our return journey. This time the route was designed to take us to the SU through Sheffield’s streets. And to be honest, a 6.5-mile walk on Sheffield’s roads is as equally tiring as a 6.5-mile hike in Sheffield’s peaks. Both are hilly, very hilly at some points :).

By the time our group reached the SU, it was already thirty minutes past midnight. I remember going home with my legs hurting, but my soul cheering. It was one of the best nights I have had since the beginning of this academic year and I could not have been happier to have decided to volunteer in the first place. 

Thankfully, events like this happen very often in our Students’ Union. Explore the different opportunities the SU offers and enrich your student experience. You will not regret it and who knows, I might see you at Spiderwalk 2020.

How to survive exam period

By Eloise Howard, BA Business Management with Employment Experience

When starting university, exam period can seem daunting, as it may be different to what you have experienced previously at school or college. However, there is a lot of support and guidance at the University and if you are organised and work hard you will succeed!

A few important things to bear in mind that you may not have considered include:

  • If your exam requires a calculator you need to get your calculator approvedat the Students’ Services Information Desk (SSiD) in the Students’ Union beforehand
  • There are multiple different exam venues but there is a helpful guide on the University website to help you with directions!
  • You must bring your UCard to any exam as proof of ID
  • A draft and final exam timetable are released so make sure to check the final version as changes can be made to the date or venue of the exam

In terms of revision, my main piece of advice would be to manage your time in the best way possible. Give yourself plenty of time to do your revision – personally, I found that revising 4-6 weeks before an exam was the best method for me! This may seem like a lot of time but often you need to balance revision with writing coursework, other activities and part-time work so I’ve found it’s best to have lots of time and not leave anything to the last minute! What’s great about Sheffield University is that there are so many resources available and the Information Commons (one of the main libraries) is open 24/7. This means that you can find a routine that works best for you – some people may prefer to do a 9-5pm day whilst others work better very early or very late. Writing your own revision timetable can also help you to manage your time. However, don’t forget to factor in some downtime with friends and family, as it’s important to have a break and take time out too!

In addition, it is really important to ensure you stay healthy during exams. It can be tempting to live off library snacks all day but try to eat nutritious food to ensure you have energy! Also, exercise is a great stress relief and fitting in the gym or a jog can help you to clear your mind after a day of revision – it’s great too if you’ve been sat at the same desk all day! Finally, sleep is essential during exam period, I would recommend getting your normal hours of sleep as revision can be tiring and you need to be refreshed!

Follow this link for any additional information regarding exams, timetables, venues and general advice https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/ssid/exams/notes

How to make the most of freshers’ week!

By James Dylag, BA Business Management

Freshers’ week is one of the most ‘hyped-up’ events in every student’s calendar. There are so many things going on it can be overwhelming; this post is all about making your week as fun as possible.

In Intro Week and the first week of term, the Students’ Union hosts loads of events, like the freshers’ fair. This is an event held on campus and is massively popular with all students. At the fair, you’ll find stands occupied by loads of different companies (Domino’s, Nandos, and ASOS are regulars), who will be giving out loads of freebies and hosting different games to take part in (often with prizes). Freshers’ fair is ideal for a day out with your new flatmates, and maybe even a way to get your  hands on some store cupboard essentials! The freshers’ fair is usually held in the Octagon Centre, right next door to the Students Union. You can find out what events are being held this year by clicking here.

Another thing you can do during freshers’ week is get to know your university clubs and societies, and you can do this by attending the club and society fair during freshers’ week. Joining societies is a great way to get involved in extra-curricular activities and expand your group of friends. Societies usually have a small fee to join (mostly they’re around £5), but after joining you’ll be invited to all events hosted by the society. Find a list of societies at Sheffield here.

During freshers’ week, it is inevitable that you’re going to end up on a few nights out. Moving to a new city, you might not be massively clued up on where to go. A safe bet is to look towards your new Students Union. At Sheffield, we’re lucky enough to have an SU that puts on loads of club nights during freshers’ week (and all year round) – these are a great place to meet fellow freshers, get to know campus and the safe bet to have a good night. If a night out isn’t your thing, there’s still loads to do – the SU has its own cinema, and this year is hosting its own street food market!

I hope this post has been useful and answered some questions you might have had about freshers’ week, but most importantly… remember to enjoy it!

My favourite module

By James Dylag, BA Business Management

One great thing about studying at university level is the freedom you get when choosing your modules – gone are the days where you follow a specific curriculum! Instead, you get to direct your own learning and choose to study subjects which specifically interest you. In this post I’m going to talk about my favourite module I took in third year.

Firstly, I’ll give you a quick overview of what it actually means to pick your own modules. Every year at university you have to pick modules which equate to 120 credits – In first year, modules are usually 10 credits for those that last one semester, and 20 for those that last the entire duration of the academic year. In second and third year, modules are worth 20 credits and usually only run for one semester (meaning you do six modules per year). At times, there may be compulsory modules however, as you move through your degree you get an increased amount of freedom – in the Business Management programme, I only had one compulsory module in third year, I was able to pick five myself.

I did a range of modules in third year, but my personal favourite was Socially Responsible Marketing and Consumption which was taught by Dr. Madeline Powell. The module comprised of a group assessment and individual report, which was a nice balance and meant that the work didn’t all hit you at once – one of the reasons why I enjoyed the module so much! The module looks at the changing nature of marketing, in a world that is becoming increasingly globalised with issues such as corporate responsibility, climate change, and ethics taking centre stage. Taught over ten lectures, the module gave a real insight into the practises adopted by some businesses when tackling this issue, whilst giving us the chance to use our analytical skills to apply the module’s content to real businesses and therefore understand the practical implications of the module content. I found this to be a useful quality as it allowed me to critically evaluate real business scenarios.

Another reason that I enjoyed the module so much was the freedom we had with our assessments. For the group assessment, we were able to choose our own groups with the only restriction being that the company we analyse must be a fashion company. Similarly, the only restriction given for our individual assessment was that we were not allowed to choose a fashion company. This meant that we could focus our assessments on companies we actually were interested in, which I genuinely believe made me more engaged in the module. Having this freedom almost made the assessment feel easier. I think this because I was researching companies and issues that I was personally interested in which made the process much less strenuous!

Third year may be a long way away, but definitely consider this module if you’re interested in the social standards that we should/do hold businesses accountable to, and how businesses respond to these!

The lessons I learned at university

By James Dylag, BA Business Management

When you’re a student you won’t only learn about your chosen subject, but you’ll also plenty of life lessons – here’s my top three takeaways from my time as a student.

Something I learned very quickly was the importance of being organised. This applies to several aspects of student life – from organising lecture notes right the way down to organising your meals for the week. University is unlike sixth form/college where you are given continual guidance from a teacher, instead you have to do a fair bit of independent study. To ensure this is productive and you stay on top of what you have to do, you should always set aside some time every week to organise your lecture notes in a way that suits you and prepare for the upcoming week. Having done this, and soon to be embarking on my own career, it’s a practise I want (and need) to keep up!

Starting university is a nerve-wracking thing, however it is really important to just get stuck in. This brings me to my second lesson – don’t be worried to get involved! When you first start, all the people you meet will be nervous themselves and will sometimes be looking for someone to break the ice… if you follow this lesson – this can be you! Being an active member is important in both a university and workplace setting. I completed a summer internship in my second year, and we were continually required to work alongside colleagues on group projects and presentations. In my first year of university, I tried all sorts of activities which built my confidence in a group setting and allowed me to transition into the working environment with ease.

My final, and arguably most important lesson learned from being a student was the ability to discipline myself. Living away from home, with your friends and in a city is great, but the main reason why you are there is to gain a degree – and to do this you must remain disciplined throughout your studies. Setting time aside to study instead of doing social activities is not always easy, but it is nearly always worth it. In my first year, I took a relaxed approach to my studying, however, during second and third year I really got my head down and prioritised my studies, which is reflected in the grades I achieved. Luckily the university has several libraries where you’ll usually find at least one of your friends. This means that revision breaks can be spent socialising which really does break up the long days in the library! Being disciplined is a trait that can be transferred into the workplace when meeting tight deadlines and completing your designated tasks – and a lesson that helped me achieve the grades that I wanted.

Everyone’s time at university is different, and you’ll learn lots about life, your subject, and yourself along the way. It is important to recognise all of these little lessons and incorporate them into your everyday life, which will equip you with the right skills to continue to progress!