Careers and Employability – Page 6

Choose a placements for a degree with employment experience

By David Chamberlain

Hi Guys!
First of all let me introduce myself. My name is David and I am a 4th year BA Business Management student. If you are wondering why I am still here after four amazing years in Sheffield, it is because I took the option to extend my degree to include a placement year.
Placements at Sheffield are not mandatory like you might see at other Universities. This really gives you the freedom to decide to do a placement once you have found your feet with your studies and is just one of many options that allow you to add value to your degree. Taking a year out is not for everybody, so it is important to decide whether you’d prefer an internship or a placement. I opted to do a placement year because I felt that it would give me a more in-depth experience of the company that I joined. Also, I wanted the experience of moving away for a year, with a salary and a real level of responsibility, and it duly delivered.
I moved to London for my third year to work with one of the leading providers of consumer insight to the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) market. Working within a Global Business Development team, I got to develop first-hand the skills that I had been learning about from an academic perspective but also developed the real practical expertise that you don’t get until you are in the workplace. The level of responsibility I was given was amazing, and I learnt so much from my exposure to senior colleagues and clients. I worked with some of the biggest brands across the world, such as Coca-Cola, Kellogg’s, GlaxoSmithKline, PepsiCo and Twinings. This kind of exposure is something you can really talk about to make yourself standout in the graduate market. The area I found most interesting was working with large sets of data and then being tasked with making real business recommendations to clients. The whole “London experience” is something that I really enjoyed, and there is no better time to do it than whilst at University. It serves as a good indication as to whether you could move there when you graduate and shows you what you might look for in terms of location.
I think now that I am back for my final year I have matured as a student much more because of my placement. I am far more organised now than I would have been before and it has allowed me to really tackle the rigours of what is quite a demanding final year, and also think about what I want to achieve after University as well.
I recommend having a good think in your first year about what you want from your degree, look at the different options in detail and then work out which is best for you. For me, it was a placement and I hope I have helped explain some of the benefits!

Applying for an internship

By Anamil Kochar

Around late November during my first year at university, I started thinking that I wanted to make the most of my summer break by doing something productive. Knowing nothing about the corporate world, I decided to apply for an internship as I thought working in a financial company would greatly enhance my chances for a career on the Wall Street after I graduation.

The first step was to get my CV reviewed by the Careers Service, once I had done this I started searching for internships in various companies through websites like ratemyplacement. Figuring out the right company to apply for was a journey in itself encompassing understanding the opportunity in detail and researching the company to see if it made sense for me, after my initial analysis I decided I wanted to apply for several internships, the application process is probably the most time-consuming part of the overall process, from filling in information on education and personal details to answering application questions, it is also the most important step. Inching through the online tests, which consisted of numerical, verbal and logical reasoning was the next stage of the process and by March, I was asked to appear for a Skype interview from Bank of New York Mellon Corporation, Pune, India office. I had a week to prepare and I spent that time researching the company, what it does and the services offered, a few weeks after my interview, I got an offer letter for a two month internship in the Finance Team of BNY Mellon one of the biggest investment banks in the USA. Can you imagine? my very first corporate job! I was so excited.

The first week I went through induction and attending a training program getting to know how the company works. The next week was spent in shadowing my team members and getting an overview of the work my team was responsible for. The main work started after that. I spent my time analysing the Financial Reports of the company. I also helped in developing profit and loss and cash flow statement and Budgets for different department such as HR, IT etc. I also undertook several online trainings such as mutual funds and derivatives, learning more about the different areas of finance and investment. I also received training on stocks, share market and how to analyse them. In the last week of my internship, I had to write a report about what I had learnt during the two month period, my manager and my team were really happy with my work and congratulated me.

Through my internship I believe I have gained a practical approach on the subject and can understand my course in a greater detail with focus on real life scenarios. I have started developing a practical approach of working in accounts. Also, I understand risk and uncertainty much more, which will help me immensely towards a career in area of Investment Banking. I believe this two month experience has opened my eyes to the real world of Finance & Investments.

A degree that suits you

By Annabel Faulkner

I’m Annabel and I am in my final year studying Accounting and Financial Management, here at the University of Sheffield. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here in Sheffield and studying at the Management School.
One of the key reasons why I have enjoyed my course so much is because of the flexibility there is within the course. This is a benefit for many different reasons, from choosing from a wide variety of modules to taking a year in industry in your penultimate year.

I opted to undertake a research project between my second and third year; a scheme run through the central university and supervised by an academic member of staff in the Management School. This is an example of one of the many options available to you during your years of study within the Management School; all of which add to your CV and to the skills you build upon throughout your degree. I really benefited from the research project and it gave me an insight into the world of academia and into some of the topics that the Management School research alongside running degrees. It lasted for 6 weeks; however, I extended mine to last the majority of the summer as I enjoyed the work more than I thought I would! I had a great experience and built on many different skills such as interviewing, collating results and writing up a research report, which was new to me at that time. Overall, I would definitely recommend looking in to the variety of options there are for work and experience during the summer months, such as a research project, internship or year in industry.
In first year of study, the school get everyone ‘up to speed’ by introducing an assortment of modules so students get a taste of many topics and get to understand and learn about many of these and to know which they would like to specialise in. Then, in second and especially third year, the modules studied become more and more the choice of the student. You can pick from a huge variety of modules which interest you and can choose to specialise more in finance or the management side of the degree. The choice is yours! Some of the modules give professional exemptions whilst others are more practical. There are modules which have more coursework, are more exam-based or include group work. You are able to choose the modules which suit you and will benefit you most. This is a real asset whilst studying here because you can really tailor your course to suit yourself and also choose modules heading in the direction of where you would like to work when you graduate. There is also help on hand, in the form of your personal tutor, the Management Society and module leaders, to aid you in your choice.
The flexibility of the course really enables you to select the path you take yourself, rather than it being dictated to you. This is definitely one of the main reasons why I have enjoyed the course so much!

Alumni profile – Michael Ginn, Corporate Banking Risk, Santander UK

In your job, what is a typical day / week for you?
Every day is unique for me as I work alongside companies across a vast array of industries, providing bespoke banking services to meet their financing needs. I might be working with a small bakery one day and a multinational chemical manufacturer the next, so gaining knowledge of what influences each business and market is crucial. Building relationships with customers is vital for me to understand management strategy and how the business operates, so I need to communicate with customers on a daily basis. My role also entails carrying out detailed analysis of customers’ financials and business model before forecasting their ability to service their debt.
What skills and experience did you gain on your undergraduate course that has helped you in your current role?
In an academic sense, I learnt a lot from the modules I selected. The Financial Accounting modules have been extremely beneficial for me when analysing prospective customers’ accounts whilst taking ‘An Introduction to Financial Derivatives’ helped me quickly understand the complex foreign exchange products that Santander offer.
The course also helped me develop my transferable skills. Working on group projects helped me learn the importance of teamwork, communication and delegation which I have been able to apply when being tasked with managing projects in my role. During my three years on the course my report writing improved, becoming much more structured and concise which is now invaluable in my role when writing up deals to submit to our credit team for approval.
How do you think the university / Management School helped you in your career thus far?
Graduating from the University of Sheffield, a Russell Group university, gave me an excellent platform to build a successful career in banking. Added credibility comes from obtaining a degree from one of only 57 Triple Crown accredited management schools across the world.
Career events put on by both the Management School and The University of Sheffield were pivotal for me in obtaining the type of job I wanted. I attended networking events with professional service firms, CV building workshops and careers fairs which all provided me with help and guided of how to succeed through the tough application processes of multinational firms.
What advice would you give to prospective students studying your course who want to go into a similar area?
Really have a detailed look at the modules on offer. There is such a variety, so pick the ones that interest you (not just the highest pass rate!). Enjoying a module will mean you read around the subject and build a good foundation knowledge before going into your chosen role. Gaining a keen interest in a certain module may influence your decision of jobs to apply for.

Gaining work experience with a year in industry

By Lucy Grimes

It wasn’t until I began my second year of study at the University of Sheffield Management school that I considered undertaking a placement as part of my degree. With so many employers on campus and careers events happening throughout the year, I began to think about the future and what I wanted to do. And it wasn’t long before I realised I had absolutely no idea! Having done bits of work experience in finance and accounting, and deciding it definitely wasn’t for me, I thought that the only way I was going to gain a better understanding of what I wanted to do in the future was by having a go, which is what led me to the decision to apply for a placement.

As I wasn’t certain which area of business I wanted to go in to, I searched for placements which offered a varied programme, and decided to apply for some retail management programmes. I was offered interviews with both Lidl and Marks and Spencer, two very different retailers. Having attended both of their assessment days, I was keen to secure the M&S placement. One thing that I learned at this stage was how important it is to work for a company whose values and ideas are in line with your own. I was very lucky to be offered the role at M&S, and signed my contract shortly afterwards.

Before the end of second year the Management School holds a pre-placement briefing which gives you an idea of what to expect and really helped to calm my nerves and worries about what to do if things aren’t as you expect. I began my placement in September 2013, and luckily had no problems.

The first few weeks were all about introducing you to the business, to retail, and getting to know the people you would be working with. This really helped me to settle in, and one thing I would say to anybody beginning a placement is to use this time to ask as many silly questions as you can! It’s better to make sure you understand things early on than to come unstuck later in the year.

After my induction period I began my first rotation as a trainee Food Commercial Manager. This involved training across two different stores, a premier store and a smaller Simply Food store. Moving around like this really helped me to gain confidence in working with and managing new teams. I also built some really great relationships during my time out of my base store which really helped me as I progressed through my placement, networking is definitely one of the biggest benefits from doing a placement year in my opinion.

After my Food rotation I was exposed to many other areas of the business such as Hospitality Management, Finance and Operations, Visual Merchandising, and General Merchandise. The variety of my placement was what I enjoyed the most; I got to work with many different teams, focus on different aspects of managing a business, and also develop different personal skills at every stage.

For my final attachment I was appointed Project Manager of the opening of a brand new pop-up school wear store. It was the first time this had ever been done in the business, and a fantastic opportunity for me to take full responsibility for a project from start to finish, recruiting a new team and working with Head Office to ensure the store was a success. Although a little daunting and requiring a lot of hard work, it was an amazing project to be a part of and gave me great exposure to areas of the business I hadn’t come across before. I loved every minute of it!

At the end of my programme I was offered a job with the company after Graduation, which I happily accepted. This has taken a lot of pressure off me in my final year, as I am able to fully concentrate on my studies without worrying about applications, interviews and jobs as well as deadlines and exams! And one thing which I have definitely found is that the work I did on my placement has really helped me when returning to university. I am now able to apply what we learn to a real business example which really helps me to understand the theoretical aspects of the course. Also group work, presentations and similar activities which I would have previously found daunting are definitely not any more, having done these things on a daily basis on my placement.

I would genuinely recommend anybody to complete a year in industry as part of their Business course. It really developed me as a person in many ways, as well as having a fantastic time, meeting some amazing people and leaving with a Graduate job secured for the future!

What a personal tutor can do for you

By Lucy Grimes

Before you come to university you might question what the role of a personal tutor is, and how their role fits in with your life at the university. I was also unsure of this before becoming a student, but being now in my fourth year at the management school I can definitely say I have had a great experience and continued support from my personal tutor throughout my time here.
During my first year my personal tutor was fantastic in providing support in terms of the transition to studying at university from a sixth form or college, and was a contact within the school that I could have a quick chat with if there was anything I was unsure of- a really useful thing to have when you’re getting to grips with the whole university system. It also helped to review my performance throughout the year, to ensure I made the necessary changes to my studies before I reached my second year.
When it came to beginning my second year, I decided to apply for a part time job, and my personal tutor also helped me with this, providing me with a reference when requested, and advising on the recommended number of hours for part time work during full time study.
In the course of my second year I also decided to undertake an Industrial Placement as part of my degree. Although I was aware of the process of how to secure a placement with external companies, I was very unsure of the process involved from the university’s perspective. However, my tutor helped me every step of the way to make sure that the process ran smoothly, and ensured that I was transferred to a ‘Degree with Employment Experience’- allowing me to undertake the placement whilst gaining recognition for it in my degree title.
Once I began my placement, my personal tutor was the consistent link between myself, my employment and my education. My placement was based in Manchester so I was therefore no longer living in Sheffield, which can make it difficult to feel a part of the university community. However I had regular communication with my personal tutor via email and telephone, which was really reassuring when you are away from the university environment. During our telephone meetings we would discuss my placement in detail, in terms of how I was getting on and if there had been any problems. My tutor took a keen interest into what I was doing right up until the very end of my placement. He also helped me to carefully choose my final year modules whilst I was away on placement, based on my subject preferences and previous performance in other subjects and assessment styles. I feel that with his assistance I chose final year modules which were appropriate and best suited to my learning style.

On return to university my tutor provided continued support on the subject of final year studies as well as career choices for the future. We looked together at how I had performed in other years, and what grades I should hope to achieve in my final year. This really helped me to clarify where I was up to with my studies and also helped me not to panic about final year exams and assignments!
In my first personal tutor meeting of this year we also discussed the job offer which I was holding, as well as other options for future careers, and my tutor encouraged me to attend a range of further careers events which really helped me to consider all the options available to me.
Overall, I feel that I have received a fantastic level of support from my personal tutor throughout the whole time I have been at the university, and would encourage other students to really make the most of the additional guidance and support you can gain from it. My university life would definitely not have run as smoothly as it has without the help of my personal tutor!

What you study in first year

By Alex Martinsmith

When I first applied to study business, I was really unsure as to what area I would like to focus my learning on.

In the first year the Management School provide a very rounded view of business management with modules covering every aspect of the discipline. Because of the fact I didn’t really understand what I wanted to focus on before university, it was definitely helpful that the Management School gave me a broad scope of modules in first year. Now I’m in second year, I can use my experience of the different topics I studied in first year to select the modules I want to study this year.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the modules I studied in first year:

ECN101 – Business Economics

An introduction to basic economic principles and theories. It’s come in handy numerous times in my other modules and is useful knowledge for life in general. Although not hugely advanced economics, it does require a bit of work to get your head around some of the topics, especially if you’ve not done economics before at A Level. This module only lasts half a semester.

MGT120 – Introduction to Behaviour at Work

As with ECN101, MGT120 lasts for half a semester. It runs through some of the core theories regarding organisation behaviour and draws on sociological and psychological work. It covers topics such as work structure and organisation, scientific management and misbehaviour at work.

MGT133 – Accounting and Finance for Managers

Provides a comprehensive understanding of accounting for business management students. It covers everything from simple cash flow forecasts and other financial documents right up to accounting rules and regulations and asset management. Coming from someone who had never done accounting before, it was very well explained and easy to understand when it we ran through it in seminars. It also helps get to grips with some of the terms used in business management when referring to accounting.

MGT134 – Business Management in Context

This module covers some of the important themes that managers encounter in business, mainly focusing on ethics and corporate social responsibility. This is a topic that is becoming ever more prominent in business and some of the issues covered are really interesting; such as the treatment of animals by McDonald’s.

MGT136 – Management Themes and Perspectives

The themes and perspectives covered in this module include marketing, strategy and supply chain and logistics. These all become separate core modules in second year and so this module gives you a useful grounding in the subjects. The module is assessed by writing an assignment for each topic. The frameworks and principles used in each of these areas are used frequently in other modules in both first and second year.

MGT138 – Analysis for Decision Making

This is a statistics based module that revolves around calculations for investment and finance. The topics themselves are relevant to any business career and are explained thoroughly. As someone who only did maths to GCSE level I didn’t struggle in this module at all and can genuinely say that it has come in useful a lot more than I thought it would.

MGT139 – Professional Self Management

A module designed to help business students become more employable by focusing on things like CV writing, skills development and employment processes. As someone who has just been through the recruitment process for a placement, I can say that this module was invaluable. I had no idea what an assessment centre even before studying this module and I’ve managed to secure a placement for next year with Boeing.

MGT140 – Business Challenges

This is your only optional module in first year. It can be swapped out for an unrestricted module which is basically a module of any other subject in the university such as History, French, Sociology, Politics etc. A majority of students tend to pick Business Challenges though. This module runs four students- run challenges that are to be completed in groups over the course of the first semester. My task was called ‘Steelers Challenge’: we had to design and then execute a marketing campaign to sell tickets to the Sheffield Steelers Ice Hockey games to the student market. This module is really hands on and is a totally different learning style to the rest of the course.

Click here if you would like to see the course structure.

Careers support that helps you get noticed

By Shameen Amjad

I am in my final year studying on the BA Accounting and Financial Management and employability doesn’t hit you, until you’re in your final year and suddenly realise you won’t be a student forever!

While a job search is very personal, there is lots of help and support available to us as part of the Management School. I’m doing applications every week, and without the help of Management School advisers, in all honestly, it wouldn’t have been possible, graduates roles are highly competitive and demanding and if you don’t get it right first time, you don’t get it at all!

The Employability Hub exists, purely for the benefit of Management School students, I have had a wonderful personal experience with one of the advisers, who ensured my applications were written professionally and developed my approach to some of the questions, so that they were structured very well. I couldn’t stress more how vital it is to take advantage of this facility to get the guidance you need to develop yourself. They also offer opportunities to give you a taste of work, and run skills sessions on CV writing and interview skills/techniques to build your career. Booking your one-to-one session is really easy and something I would really recommend to you.

Thinking ahead! Why exemptions are important

With opportunities for achieving professional exam exemptions on our BA Accounting and Financial Management you can get a head start in becoming a qualified accountant, show future employers that your degree meets industry standards and that you are prepared for working in a professional environment. It also means you have fewer exams to do after finishing university!

By choosing a degree with exemptions from professional exams you can be confident that you are learning the right practical skills, and have the knowledge you need to get started in your chosen career after graduating.

Depending on module choices students on our BA Accounting and Financial Management programmes could be eligible for a number of exemptions from ACCA, CIMA, CIPFA, CPA Australia and ICAEW:

ACCA – Six ACCA exemptions at the Fundamental level, awarded upon the successful completion of your degree.*
CIMA – Students can be exempt from foundation CIMA courses after completing our undergraduate accounting courses.*
CIPFA – Five exemptions from CIPFA professional qualifications, meaning you could be fully qualified in two years.*
CPA Australia – Eight exemptions gives students CPA foundation level accreditation upon graduation from the programme, with direct access to the Professional level if continuing studies at masters level.*
ICAEW – Students on our BA Accounting and Financial Management courses can start their ACA training or top-up their business knowledge with ICAEW’s CFAB – Certificate in Finance, Accounting and Business.*

These exemptions are subject to change, so make sure you check which are available when you start you studies and that you pick the modules you need to get the exemptions and accreditations you want.

*details are correct the time of publishing. These exemptions apply to BA Accounting & Financial Management students graduating in summer 2015.

Gaining work experience with a year in industry

As a student on our BA Accounting and Financial Management you have the opportunity to convert your degree from three to four years by adding a year in industry between your second and third year, turning your degree into one with employment experience.

An amazing way to really put the theory you’ve learnt in years one and two into practise and also gain valuable industry insight which you can then feed into your final year of study. As well giving you the chance to build a network of contacts for post-graduation you’ll also be building a tool-kit of practical skills such as networking and time-management, not only useful in the working world but also for your final year of study.

Students in previous years have completed placements in companies such as Ernst and Young and National Grid and some of our placement student have been lucky enough to be offered graduate roles – really taking the third year job seeking pressure off!

As well as work experience these placements also give you the opportunity to live and work in a different city, earn a real wage and also to get a real taster of what it is like to work in the field.

Hear from some of our students who have been on a placement and learn more about the process and support available to you.