Careers and Employability – Page 2

Working alongside your studies

By Grace Wainman, BA Business Management

In this blog post I’m going to talk about how part-time work can benefit your university experience, and what The University of Sheffield offers for students.

Going to university is a big change and with added responsibilities comes increased independence, as well as increased expenditures! Therefore, many students consider part-time work alongside their studies to maximise their student budget. Another obvious benefit is enhancing your employability, to help when finding a job after you graduate. If you’re looking for work, the university recommends working no more than 16 hours per week to ensure you can still succeed in your studies to the best of your ability.

Luckily for us, Sheffield is considered one of the cheaper cities in terms of living expenses. Being a large city means there are many opportunities for part-time work, for example in cafes, bars, shops, etc. However, I want to tell you more about roles available to students within the University.

I currently work with the Management School as a Student Ambassador. You may have seen the Management School’s ambassadors at our open days, as we’re there to help visitors get a feel for the university by answering any questions. We also give tours of the Management School, give presentations about our university experience and write blog posts like this one.

Ambassadors can also take part in calling campaigns, where their responsibilities involve phoning offer holders to speak to them about Sheffield and give them information about their course. Additionally, the University employs students at the start of term to welcome new students and help them move into their accommodation.

These are just a few examples of the opportunities available to earn some extra cash at the University of Sheffield, not to mention jobs on campus at the Students’ Union shop, food outlets or bars. I would recommend Student Ambassador work to new students as a great way to meet new friends on your course and to get to know the staff in your department. You will also build key skills such as communication and confidence and be able to demonstrate your reliability and eagerness on your CV. All the while, having flexible hours and a generous rate of pay!

The Management School supports its students with employability in its own Employability Hub. Therefore, once arriving at Sheffield you can seek help with developing your CV, attend sessions to prepare for applications and interviews and have access to new vacancies for part-time work, placements, or graduate schemes. The Management School works to help you become employable by teaching you skills for the workplace, as well as your excellent grades!

Myself and another Student Ambassador at an open day!

My summer internship at Performance Engineered Solutions Ltd.

By Hannah Reaney, BA Business Management

During the summer of 2018 I was fortunate to gain an internship as a Marketing Assistant at a local engineering company in Sheffield called Performance Engineered Solutions Ltd. They are an engineering design business that provide solutions to clients’ engineering challenges. They work in a variety of sectors including Formula 1, aerospace, energy, marine, automotive, and many more.

I decided to do a summer placement because I felt that it would provide a great opportunity of putting what I have learnt at university into practice and give me some real-world work experience. During my course I really enjoyed studying marketing modules, and found it interesting learning about the best methods of communication for different businesses. I was excited to have the chance to apply what I had learned in the workplace, and see if I enjoyed a marketing role.

I first found out about the role on the University’s Careers Connect website, where I had to write a CV and a cover letter. In order to prepare, I visited the Employability Hub, the careers service that is based within the Management School, for some practical advice on my application. The Careers Advisor was able to check over my CV and cover letter before I submitted it, and I also gained some valuable advice on how to approach an interview if I was successful. Thankfully, I was! For my interview I was told I had to prepare some work on my thoughts and ideas on the current website and how it could be developed. My interview went well, and I was offered the role.

I really enjoyed my summer internship, and feel that as I was at a smaller company compared to a larger PLC, I was offered more responsibility and was able to see the end results of what I had worked on during my time there. It’s easy to only consider the big names when you’re looking for a placement or internship, however I definitely wouldn’t change where I chose to work. My summer with PES Performance was a great experience with a great team of people. I’m pleased to say that when my internship finished they offered me a part-time role whilst I complete my studies, which means I have some extra income and some great experience to put on my CV and speak about at graduate interviews. I would recommend a summer internship to anyone!

Highlights of my student life so far

By James Dylag, BA Business Management

Being a student has been the most amazing experience, I have made the best friends and the best memories. Being halfway through my final year has made me think a lot about what the future holds, but also about how much I will miss my time at University of Sheffield once it’s all over. Here’s a few of my favourite memories.

One of the most enjoyable parts of being a student in Sheffield was my first year in Endcliffe accommodation. My experience of being in student accommodation was that it was so much fun, and there was always something going on! I made some friends in first year who I have lived with through all of my university experience, and who I believe will stay my friends for life. Living in Endcliffe was a real highlight for me!

Another highlight was the internship I did in the summer of my second year at Barclays. During this time, I moved to London, got some real-life experience and made some great friends. I’d recommend doing an internship if you get the chance, it allows you to see what areas you enjoy the most and build your CV without having to commit to much time to doing so. You can read more about my internship and my experience here.

Working alongside my studies was another great opportunity. I worked in a small local coffee shop, but I made a host of friends and earned money whilst doing so! If you can balance your studies with working I would definitely recommend having a part time job. It means you don’t have to live on such a strict student budget and can treat yourself now and again.

Being at university has been the best experience I’ve ever had, with my top highlight being the friends I have made. These friends really are friends for life, and the thought of not living together next year is so sad! But really, you’ll find a close group who you do everything with, they’ll be like your own family in Sheffield!

University has been so much fun, and I’ve made so many friends and memories along the way. It’s been an unbelievable experience, and one that I wouldn’t change at all!

My internship at Barclays

By James Dylag, BA Business Management

Over the last summer I was lucky enough to be able to complete an internship with Barclays in the Business Banking division. In this post, I’ll tell you about the experience I had whilst on the internship programme and the highlight of my internship.

My internship began a few weeks after I finished my second-year exams. As part of my internship, I was expected to relocate to London. For the duration of my internship I would be based at the Barclays head office in Canary Wharf.

My first day was very nerve-wracking, but I was fortunate enough to be placed into an incredibly welcoming team, who were very open to me asking questions and giving me some real work to get stuck into. I think that is one of the misconceptions of being an intern – that you won’t be given ‘real’ work to do… I can confirm, after 9 weeks and some long (but rewarding) days – this is not true!

In my first week, I had lunch with my line manager who was keen to find out what I wanted to gain from my time at Barclays, and what they wanted to see from me. I actually found this helpful as it allowed me to create a clear picture in my head about what was expected from me, and to think about the ways that I would ensure that I delivered. Together, me and my line manager set goals for me to reach over the nine weeks I was due to spend with Barclays. After doing this, my manager introduced me to the rest of the team who were all my key points of contact for my internship. Then it was really down to me to get started!

One of the most important things for me was to get to know the team and build relationships with them. One of my objectives required me to work very closely alongside certain members of my team – so I reached out to them, and they were very receptive. We actually went out for coffee together to discuss a strategy which would allow me to reach my goal (which was originally their goal). I truly felt like during my internship that my team were very accessible and willing to help me at all times.

As an intern, we were expected to arrange meetings with 2-5 managing directors of various departments in the bank. Whilst this seemed daunting at first, it was actually a really useful activity, that allowed me and all 456(!) other interns to gain exposure to senior figures in the bank and understand the scope of the business. Barclays also held several networking events which gave us the opportunity to speak to people from the bank in an informal setting and ask any questions we might have about their role.

If I had to say, the highlight of my internship would be an event I was invited to attend in Manchester. The event was organised by my line manager and involved both my team and their clients. As a team, we put on a networking event for our clients – and had a guest talk from the CEO of the business bank. This was a really exciting opportunity for me, and really interesting to be involved in the front line, client facing roles of banking – which we often don’t hear about!

There were 456 interns in total with Barclays – so it was a really sociable internship. I have made some great friends that I still keep in touch with now – some of these weren’t even interns but instead part of the graduate cohort from previous years! Doing an internship has been a really rewarding experience and helped me gain a clearer picture of what I want to do in the future. If you can, it is definitely something worth doing – make sure you use the Management School’s Employability Hub to keep up-to-date with vacancies and get tips for the application process!

My placement experience – Lloyds Banking Group

Hi, I’m Rosie and I am a final year BA Business Management with Employment Experience student. This blog post is about my placement year which I have just returned back from, the skills I developed and how I would recommend a placement year to everyone and anyone… so here’s why!

The application processes can be brutal, as you’re spending considerable time on applications and often hear nothing back. I’m happy to say it’s all worth it when you finally secure a placement and know that it’s not all been for nothing. The sense of achievement is a great feeling when you’ve successfully got your first job and got your foot in the door. My placement was at Lloyds Banking Group. This is where your journey – and potentially your entire career – starts.

My placement began a few weeks after my final second year exam. My team were welcoming, supportive and most importantly I had a ‘proper’ role within the team, not just making the cups of tea and filing away documents. Without getting into too much detail of what I did in my day to day role due to confidentiality, I worked in the PMO (Project Management Office) for the Risk Division. We ensured all running projects were in line with their scope; finance, resources, planning, time and internal and external governance. So what did I learn from this role? The ability to question the status quo. The team had to complete numerous, tedious tasks, I booked myself on excel courses and took it upon myself to automate these tasks which are now heavily embedded into the team. Definitely got myself some brownie points there.

Come Christmas time, the company was undergoing a huge restructure. It was good to experience this as it occurs quite often in larger organisations. I could see that morale of certain individuals dipped and others seemed happy to have the chance to do something new. Time for a team away day and a team building football game!

On the back of the restructure, my role did change and I became a Risk Strategic Analyst. This meant that instead of checking projects whilst they were in the process of being delivered, I now decided which projects were to go ahead. With a set budget, which projects would benefit the group the best? To do this, my communication skills had to be excellent. I was now dealing with the board, the head of risk as well as many other senior members of staff. I had to learn how each individual preferred to be contacted, when was appropriate and be clear with why I was contacting them. Daunting to say the least.

So my year at Lloyds Banking Group was coming to a close. I enjoyed it so much I decided to go for the graduate programme that Lloyds Banking Group and the Risk Division had to offer. I’m happy to say I was successful! I will be returning in September 2019. I would recommend a placement year just purely for the experience. I gained so much confidence, belief in myself and now as a Futures First ambassador for the Management School I will happily lead lectures for 200+ first year students. You definitely wouldn’t have seen me doing that a year ago!

My summer internship

By Tommy Fletcher, BA Accounting and Financial Management

After second year, following the various stages of the application process, I was lucky enough to gain a place on Ernst & Young’s summer internship programme, based in the Audit team at their Hull office. With the graduate job market becoming increasingly competitive, experience has become a hugely valuable thing to have on your CV. This was perhaps best summed up on my first day with Ernst & Young, when I was told that the internship essentially works as a trial for both me and the company. If the company liked me then the chances are a graduate job offer would be on the table, and if I liked the job role and the company, then great! However, if I didn’t like that role, I had the chance to get a taste of other service lines which also could lead to a graduate position, or at the very least, I’d come away with an idea of what I didn’t want to do and another name on my CV.

Into the internship itself, and after a couple of days’ induction and training, it was straight onto real audit work, with clients ranging from small local businesses to FTSE listed companies and even a company that was no longer in existence. I spent a number of days out on client sights, where exposure to high ranking clients provided the perfect opportunity to develop my soft skills when obtaining information to complete the audit, as well as a chance to get to know your team better and find out more about working for the company. I also had the opportunity to shadow a partner, a unique prospect which enabled me to sit in on a partner meeting, before discussing career paths over lunch. The internship culminated with the Ernst & Young Hull summer social, before a final celebration with other interns from across the north.

A few weeks after the internship I found out that I’d received a graduate job offer, something which really allowed me to relax and focus on my studies in my final year without the worry of time consuming applications. I was also able to call upon my experience during the summer, particularly in the final year audit module where I could incorporate real life examples from practice into my work. Now that I’ve graduated and looking forward to starting my role after summer, I’m glad I put in the extra effort during my summer internship, and would recommend it to anyone.

A guide to internship applications

By James Dylag, BA Business Management

Applying to internships is a really daunting thing to be doing. Whilst most companies make the process as painless as possible, it is still really nerve wracking, so this blog post is here to help guide you through any applications you might be thinking of submitting.

One of the first things to do is to make sure you have an up-to-date CV. Pretty much all applications will ask for a CV, or will at least ask you questions where answers can be found on your CV (e.g. work history, education history). The University offers lots of help in CV writing, whether this be through the Futures First module that all Management School students take, or 301 Study Skills services.

Now that your CV is up-to-date, you must ensure that it is original and will help you to stand out. The best way to do this is through having experience on your CV such as volunteering, part-time work and extracurricular activities. Another important thing is to make sure your CV is formatted in an effective way. Try and avoid using templates, as while it seems like the easiest option, it will result in a CV similar to lots of other peoples.

Applications do take a while to fill in and submit, however you should try and apply to as many internships as you can. If you know what sort of career path you want to take, then apply to as many companies within this sector as possible. Internships are competitive, and this will help to maximise your chances of getting one.

Due to the large number of applications received per internship, it is absolutely essential that you follow the instructions given. This may sound mandatory, but if you miss a little bit of information on the application process it could mean that the company discard your application completely. Just be sure to double check the instructions and ensure you’ve followed them.

Probably the most dreaded part of the process… the tests. I’m not saying allapplications require you to complete any tests, but from my own experience lots of them do. Most of the time, these tests are what you’d expect, so you shouldn’t panic too much. You’ll usually be given a practise question or two, so you can get a feel for what you might get asked – there are also lots of websites who offer their own practise tests. Whilst these might not be exactly the same as the companies own tests, they’re a good way to get some experience answering this style of question.

The final thing to remember is that rejections are likely to happen, but you can’t let this get you down. Just because you’ve been turned down by one place, doesn’t mean you will be turned down by everyone. Keep applying, and eventually you’ll get exactly the internship that you’re after.

Good luck!

My favourite society – ManSoc

Hi! I’m Katie, and I’m a first year student on BA Business Management. Today I’d like to tell you all about my favourite society that I’ve joined since I started university, which is ManSoc.

What is ManSoc?

ManSoc stands for Management Society. The main purpose of the Management Society is to ensure you have the ultimate experience at the Management School. The society is run by students for the benefit of students, and is open to all Management School students regardless of year of study.

Socials

A big part of ManSoc are the socials. Being a member of ManSoc means you get discount cards for many local bars and places to eat, which is a very handy thing to have when you’re on a student budget. We hold many bar crawls along West Street, which is the best street for a student night in Sheffield. Even if you don’t drink, these socials are such a great way to meet people and socialise!

Another highlight is the end of year ball, which is always amazing. This is a great chance to celebrate the end of the year with all your new friends you’ve made. This year’s ball was ‘Casino Royale’ themed, which gave us all a chance to dress up and have some fun.

Trips

ManSoc is famous for its trips away, and in the past we have been to places like Berlin, Prague and Budapest. The trips are always very popular and are heavily subsidised, meaning it’s good for a student budget! This year the trip to Budapest was £259 for flights and accommodation and the payments are timed with when your student loan comes so it shouldn’t hurt your bank account too much.

They also organise trips within the UK, which are always loads of fun – last year ManSoc joined Invasion and visited Nottingham for a night, which has gone down in history as the social of the year!

Sports

As well as social events and trips away, ManSoc has its own football, hockey and netball teams. I’m part of the ManSoc netball team, and through this I’ve made a lot of good friends. These teams are all mixed with students from all years of study.

The teams all play within the intermural league, which is the league within the University where all the teams play different departments. It’s a really good opportunity to make more friends with Management School students and play competitively or just do some exercise. You can also put it on your CV, which is a bonus! Each sport has several teams of different abilities, so whether you play to a high ability or have never played before you are welcome to join.

So why join?

ManSoc helped me to get involved with university life by making lots of friends on my course and getting involved with sports teams. It also gives you the chance to make friends with people on the same course as you, but in a different year – which is especially good in first year, as they can give you great advice!

Finally, it’s a great extracurricular thing to get involved with alongside your studies. Obviously the biggest part of coming to University is your course, but a lot of University life is also about the clubs and societies you get involved in.

If this society isn’t for you there are hundreds of others you can join, so you’ll definitely find something that you enjoy! There are academic ones such as Women in Business, Economics Society and Investment Society. But then there are many others such as Belly Dance Society, Poetry Society, and Chess Society. My advice would be to get involved!

Societies at Sheffield – Enactus

Hi! I’m Hannah, a BA Business Management student in my second year of study. In this blog, I’m going to talk about something that I’m really passionate about, which is Enactus, a society that you can be a part of at University of Sheffield.

Societies that you can get involved with at university are never ending, and range from sports clubs like cheerleading and football, to groups such as Quidditch and film making. But there’s a society I want to talk about in particular, which is known as Enactus. We are a society that is quite different from others as we’re a stand-alone organisation that doesn’t have to adhere to the usual rules of university societies, as we have our own funding.

So, what is Enactus Sheffield?

Enactus stands for ‘Entrepreneurial, Action, and Us’. It’s a non-profit social enterprise run by students, which runs a range of projects both locally and internationally to benefit communities. Our aim is to provide aid to local and international social issues through the development of new businesses. Each year, Enactus Sheffield takes part in the Enactus National Competition with 55 other teams from all over the UK. We get to present on what impact our enterprises have had over the past year, and each team is judged – in each of the last eight years we have placed in the top four teams! We have also received recognition from the former Prime Minister David Cameron and HRH Prince William, as well as winning several national awards.

Facts about Enactus:

Takes place in 36 Countries
Over 1,730 universities take part
We have 72,000+ student members
Our work has impacted 1,300,000+ people

Opportunities at Enactus:

All of the above are obviously great reasons to get involved, however you might be asking what Enactus can do for you? The opportunities that you gain when you take part in this society are huge, and range from meeting and working with a large group of diverse people, to the opportunity to develop and enhance your skills at multiple training days and weekends. You would also have the opportunity to go to Nationals, and if successful compete in The World Cup, which this year is in San Francisco! As well as that, implementing our projects take our members around the world, with members travelling to Zambia, Nigeria, Malawi and Bolivia.

Lastly, we’re part of a global network that supports the amazing work we do, with sponsor companies such as Asda, KPMG, Centrica and Accenture to name just a few. So, if you have your eye on a graduate job (which let’s face it, all of us do) then join Enactus to have access to this network of companies keen to employ you.

My Marks & Spencer placement experience

Hi! My name is Rebecca Hubbard and I’m a fourth year Business Management with Employment Experience student. Four years at university and, boy, has it flown by!

A key reason I chose Sheffield was due to the help and support available in helping students get real life business experience before entering a competitive job market. I still remember being in my first semester of second year when the word ‘placement’ was mentioned by a group of returning students who had just returned to university from their year in industry. After hearing from Lily, a girl in the year above me, about her 12-month internship with Arla I decided I’d give it a shot. As my placement mentor, Lily helped me gain confidence and gave me practical tips throughout the recruitment process. We would meet up when necessary to discuss next steps and chat through any difficulties I encountered.

As well as making the most of the advice I gained from my placement mentor, found it essential to take advantage of all the help and support available from the Employability Hub within the Management School. I kept up with their weekly emails advertising different employer talks and skills sessions, managing to gain insight into different recruitment processes. From this, I got to sit in on talks from businesses such as L’Oreal, IBM and Rolls Royce, and find out from them what they looked for in a placement employee, as well as attend skills workshops such as practice assessment centres. I also had a one-to-one meeting with a Careers Advisor who helped me build up my CV and think critically about my applications.

After an application process involving psychometric tests and an assessment centre, I was thrilled to receive an offer for a placement with Marks & Spencer. During placement I worked in six different Marks & Spencer stores around South West London, from small Simply Foods stores to larger department stores. During my time there my role included managing staff, assisting with recruitment processes and selecting candidates, and leading trade during the key events in the year such as Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. All of this meant that no two days were the same, and that the experience that I came out with was really varied. Having been in the retail industry for a year, returning back to university was surreal! Knowing that I could apply all that I’d learned from my year in work was great, and it has definitely helped me with my work during my first semester back. I would advise anyone starting university with the Management School to take full advantage of all the amazing services it offers – it’s a great feeling to know that I’ve gained invaluable experience that I know will put me above other graduates when I finally finish this year.