Degree with Employment Experience

Working 9 to 5 – My placement experience at PwC

By Frankie Paterson, BA Business Management with Employment Experience

My first interaction with PwC was at a networking evening during semester one in second year at the Diamond. To this day, I still remember smiles on Associates and Managers’ faces when speaking about the firm. ‘They love their job’, I thought. Little did I know, the recruitment team running the event were people I would be working with on placement.

Looking around the room, I was taken aback by students talking to recruiters with a glass of wine in hand! Surely they can’t work for a prestigious company like PwC if their focus is on the free alcohol? So what did I do? My shy self built up the courage to join them, as I was unsure whether to apply for the HR or Marketing role. Turns out it was the best decision to throw myself into networking, as I gained advice on the application process and psychometric tests.

Fast forward a couple of months, my assessment centre was successful! In January 2019, I was made an offer of a 11-month placement in the Student Recruitment team in Birmingham. I was thrilled! All the hours spent writing cover letters and practicing maths questions was worth it. Great, I’m all ready to go and complete my year in industry in September … or maybe not.

It’s a funny time between accepting and starting your placement. My self-consciousness returned and I started doubting my ability. Would I be good enough for a company like PwC? Was I the right person for the role? Fortunately, all these worries were soon gone after my predecessor Sophie took me out for lunch to meet the team. It is a day I will never forget, mainly because I turned up in smart trousers and a blazer whilst everyone wore jeans and trainers! Yes, my manager included.

Needless to say, the team were all friendly, welcoming and supportive throughout. Here are some of my placement highlights:

One Chamberlain Square – or ‘the new, fancy office’ as everyone called it! The pictures below really don’t do it justice but it was such a fresh, quirky place to work.
Support. As the ‘newbie’ it’s comforting having a group of people you can talk to when you want to ask those silly questions!
The PwC culture. This still resonates with me even now. Matt Hammond (Senior Partner) gave everyone a Friday off work to participate in Sports Day! This was great fun as Senior Managers through to Interns were competing over tug of war.
The perks. Staying at the Park Plaza hotel on Westminster Bridge with a king size bed and room service wasn’t a bad way to end the Christmas party!

As fantastic as these were, the most important part is I thoroughly enjoyed my placement year and can’t recommend one enough. The biggest takeaway was learning a 9-5 desk job isn’t for me. This is because I loved moving around, hosting assessment centres in Bristol or attending a careers fair at Nottingham university. Before I left in July, I had the opportunity to speak to graduates across various departments to discover which graduate programme I would be interested in. As my manager was pleased with the impact I had on the team, I’m delighted to be going back in September (COVID permitting) to join the Risk Assurance practice.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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!

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.

Finding a graduate job

By Eloise Howard, BA Business Management with Employment Experience

It’s that time of year when graduates are desperately trying to land their dream job – but where do you start? If you’re in this situation, read on – hopefully this information will be useful to you!

Where to find graduate jobs

There is a huge amount of various graduate jobs for you to explore. If you are interested in graduate schemes, I would recommend beginning your job hunt in September/October of your final year at University, as this is when many of the big companies release their applications. However, if you are considering a direct entry role, the recruitment process often doesn’t begin until around Easter of your final year if you want to start working straight after you graduate. My top tip for finding the right graduate scheme for you would be to search online. There are lots of great websites out there such as Target Jobs, Milkround and even LinkedIn, where you can filter your search to a particular location, an industry, or the job itself. Another method for job searching could be to think of companies you are really interested in and check their websites for updates or just send your CV if they accept them! In addition to this, the University holds graduate fairs which give you the opportunity to speak with people from different companies and learn more about the vacancies they have.

Applying for graduate jobs

There is typically a long recruitment process for graduate schemes, but this does vary depending on the company. Often, it includes an online application, online tests, a video/telephone interview and an assessment centre. A key piece advice here would be to not feel disheartened if you get rejections – graduate jobs, in particular graduate schemes, are extremely competitive and it can take a few rejections before you get the right one, so try to stay positive and persevere! One of the most important things you can do whilst applying is research the company, what they are looking for in the job specification, and what they are like as employers. A good place to start is their website, but I have found Glassdoor helpful too to get a better feeling of the company culture. I would recommend building your CV throughout your time at university by getting involved in volunteering, societies, or even part time work as these extra-curricular activities really help you to stand out from other graduates. Furthermore, if you have the opportunity to, I cannot recommend doing a placement year enough as you gain so many invaluable skills and experiences that make answering interview questions much easier!

Finally, don’t forget that the University is there to help you! The Management School has it’s own Employability Hub that is dedicated to helping students find work, which hosts helpful workshops where you can do practice interviews and assessment centres or go through your CV one to one with a careers adviser. Even if you’ve graduated, you can get support up to three years after you leave uni!

Adjusting back to student life after a placement

By Juliet Norreys, BA Business Management with Employment Experience

Undertaking a placement year is an extremely formative period in your university life. Going into my year in industry I was quietly confident in my ability to work as a team, be proactive and manage my time well; all the buzzwords which surround employability and were used in my applications for jobs. Little did I know that my year would completely surpass all expectations of how much I could learn and the extent to which my knowledge was lacking initially in practical workplace skills. The processes that I had taken for granted, such as creating an email that is both appropriate and coherent whilst also being professional and eloquent, was something that I thought I had down to a tee. When arriving at work I quickly learnt how not to write an email and realised how steep of a learning curve it was going to be! With this said, my year was incredible, and the investment in my development was second to none – I learnt more than I ever thought possible and have come out of it with more confidence in my ability to succeed in my graduate role.

Just as I had adjusted to my working life, working 8-6 every day and enjoying the freedom that came with my weekend, it was time to return to Sheffield. Initially, I thought that I would slot seamlessly back into student life; I knew it well and had done it for the 2 years previous. I was faced with a weird feeling of uncertainty; Sheffield itself had stayed the same (apart from the concourse near the Students’ Union finally being finished!), and yet I didn’t feel prepared for switching my ‘academic brain’ back on.

Thankfully, it only took a few days to settle back into my old student life, and I quickly felt like I had never left. The biggest difference I found is the mind-set I have now means that I can’t help but pick apart my modules, reflecting on what I learned on my placement and taking a more analytical/practical stance towards my studies. I am also much more productive with my time; the pattern of working 9 hours a days has become habit, and therefore the days of long lie-ins has ended! With these extra few daylight hours it means that I have more time to give to extracurricular activities, so I have thrown myself back into sport and part-time work. The one piece of advice I would give anyone returning from a year in industry is to create bucket list of all the things you have wanted to experience in Sheffield that you haven’t got around to yet. If you want to try out for a sports team, learn a language, or take part in something fun like Bummit, now is the time to do it! The last year goes incredibly fast and therefore you need to make the most of the time that’s left to enjoy Sheffield and student life in general.

My Placement Year at GSK!

By Eloise Howard, BA Business Management with Employment Experience

Why do a placement year?

One of the best decisions I made during my time at University has been to do a placement year. I decided at the beginning of second year that I really wanted to gain experience in a big global company and build my CV, as it is so important nowadays to have more than just a degree. Looking back, I had the best 12 months at GSK – I gained so many skills and I met lots of new friends who I’m still in touch with now. It was a challenging year and I truly developed on a professional as well as a personal level. Not only this, it was also so much fun as there was lots of opportunities to do extra things, such as volunteering.

Finding a Placement

My heart was set on finding a HR role as I enjoyed this module the most and it really stood out to me as something I could see myself doing. However, there are so many different companies to choose from all across the UK so it is a big decision! Luckily, I received tons of support from the University and I was able to speak to dedicated staff in the Employability Hub, who helped me to finalise my CV and provide really helpful advice in terms of where to look for placements and what I could expect from the recruitment process. Not only this, you can do workshops like practice assessment centres, which I would really recommend! My advice would also be to not be disheartened if you have some rejections… there were a few companies I never heard back from or didn’t get past the first or second stage, but eventually I found the perfect one and used all the help available from the Hub to secure the job!

HR at GSK

GSK is a healthcare company with 3 global businesses: vaccines, pharmaceuticals and consumer healthcare. I worked in one of the specialised HR departments in the Head Office in London. This was really exciting moving to a new city, and GSK were great as they put you in contact with all the other placement students in a Facebook group so that you can find people to live with. My role varied as I did project work including Strategic Workforce Planning (SWP), mySkills (an application to assess employee skills) and Global Inclusion and Diversity. Typical day-to-day tasks were developing communication materials; writing emails andcreating help guides and articles. Plus, I had roles in Project Management and was a key point of contact for global colleagues in Inclusion and Diversity. One of my highlights would be presenting the team updates to the CEO of Consumer Healthcare! Overall, I gained so much varied experience and it helped me to work out that I definitely want to go into HR in my future career. This experience has also made me much more confident in securing a graduate job as I now have so many experiences to talk about in an interview!

My experience of changing course

By Eloise Howard, BA Business Management with Employment Experience

I want to start by saying that I have absolutely loved the past three years of my university experience and would not change any of it! However, it’s important to talk about what happens when not everything is perfect right from the beginning of your time at university. You have made a lot of big decisions in order to get here – what course to study, what university to study at, where you want to live – and sometimes you may want to make a change.

It’s essential that you feel happy with your course at university so that you can really put your all into it and enjoy your time as much as possible. This was something I found challenging when I first started, as I was studying a dual degree in French and Business Management. After my first month or so, I soon realised that French was not for me! It hadn’t been quite what I expected following on from A Level French, but I was really enjoying the Business Management side of things as well as living in such a fun, vibrant city.

I decided to speak to my personal tutor, which was so helpful as I was able to have an honest chat with someone that really wanted to support me and enable me to thrive at uni. I then made the decision to drop French in second year and carry on my course as a single honours Business Management degree. The actual process was simple and easy to do, and my personal tutors in French as well as at the Management School were there to guide me through it.

By changing my course, I feel that I am now fully engaged and excited by all aspects of my university life! I definitely feel a lot happier doing solely Business Management and I’m grateful I had the amazing opportunity to do a placement year at GSK last year!

My best advice would be to not be scared to admit that sometimes things aren’t going as well as you planned – there is so much help available to you during your time at university and lots of people who genuinely want you to do as well as possible.

So, if you feel like you want to make changes, which could be as small as changing a module to changing course, don’t be afraid to speak up and get support to see what options you have.

For more information, visit: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/ssid

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 Sheffield graduation

By Rebecca Hubbard, BA Business Management with Employment Experience

After four years at University it was finally my turn to get up on stage, receive my degree and say my last goodbye to Sheffield. My whole day was a whirlwind of emotions, and I woke up with a strong feeling of anticipation. You see your lovely friends who you’ve perhaps not seen since you stepped out that final exam hall. You try to navigate your parents so they don’t encounter said friends, as both your mum and dad are both beaming and embarrassingly proud. Everyone is buzzing with nerves and excitement. The chancellor shakes your hand and it’s all done – you’re now graduated from university!

I left Sheffield with a sense of sadness but also joy as it made me who I am now. Yes, through academic and professional development, which gave me a great desire to learn more, but also through great times with great people at the amazing independent cafes, the beautiful surrounding Peak District and, of course, the infamous West Street bars.

In terms of university, my four years at the Management School was full of opportunities to get involved in. I attended many employer talks in the quest to find out what it was that I wanted to do and then was supported through my year in industry at Marks & Spencer. In my third year I worked for the Management School as an Employability Assistant as well as becoming a Student Ambassador representing the University. As long as I was willing to give a little time and effort there were always opportunities for me to better myself and future career prospects.

And in terms of Sheffield; I couldn’t have chosen a better city to be a student in. I’m going to miss Arctic Monkeys playing at the end of every night out, the cheap beer and maybe even the gigantic hills. But not to worry, I’ll be coming back to pretend I’m a student again soon enough!

Things I wish I’d known as a first year

By Thomas Jarvis, BA Accounting and Financial Management with Employment Experience

Hindsight is a beautiful thing, something I feel no more so than now as I graduate and enter the big wide world. Though I have much to look forward to (after graduation I’m joining a job on the finance graduate scheme at E.ON), I leave behind four incredibly happy years at the Management School in Sheffield. However, there is always the question of whether I could have made even more of my time here, so here are my 3 top tips for an undergrad.

Join Societies

Societies are student-run groups in which members have a common interest, basically. Here at Sheffield we have over 300 societies to join from interests, faith, nationality, sports and academic. They are a wonderful way to meet people outside of your immediate course and flatmates; thus, widening your social circle. This has many great benefits, as well as an improved social life. Informally, older students may be able to give you good advice, hints, and tips. It may also be a good chance to do something you’ve not done before or cut down on your book costs by taking part in the Management Society’s book sale. Join as many societies as you want, as many only ask for a nominal joining fee, and most do not need large engagement or effort. Also, society bar crawls are great.

If the society doesn’t exist yet, why not approach the Students’ Union and they may well support you to create the society.

At my last Management School ball, run by the Management Society

Do a placement year

Earlier in the undergraduate blogs, Rebecca spoke about her placement year. I also did a placement year, where I undertook a work placement for the NHS in their Finance department. For more in depth about placements, see Rebecca’s earlier post. In my opinion, they are a fantastic way to boost your employability as you have the chance to network with potential future employers. You’ll also get a taste of work, have valuable experience in job applications before you start thinking about graduate jobs, get a good reference and last but by no means least, earn some money and be able to go on some cracking holidays. It also acts as a clever way to break up your studies, and I found myself coming back to final year with a renewed passion for my course, and a much-improved work ethic.

Engage with your course

This sounds simple but it’s easier said than done. It is extremely easy, starting as an ungraduated to think “I’ll enjoy myself now and work later”, by the time “later” comes around, it may in fact be too late. By keeping on top of reading, completing tutorials, and generally getting ahead with work, revision will be 100x easier. Instead of trying to learn the whole course in a matter of days (impossible, believe me, I’ve been there), revision will be a breeze as it’ll be literally just going over things you already know, and you’ll be banking a good mark – important for those placement years, grad jobs, and particularly if you’re on International Business Management and want to go abroad. Also, while you’re here, you might as well make the most of everything available to you while you can.