Degree with Employment Experience – Page 2

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.

Operations and Supply Chain Management: A Rolls Royce Sponsored Module

By Hannah McLennaghan

BA Business Management with Employment Experience

Hello! My name is Hannah and I am a final year Business Management student. As my graduation date is steadily approaching, I’ve been looking back over everything I have learnt across my degree and all my best bits. For me, my most challenging yet rewarding module was my Second Year Supply Chain Management module. This was a core module at the time and made up of a group project and a written exam at the end of the semester. The most amazing thing about this module was that it was sponsored by Rolls Royce! This meant that senior industry professionals from the company were involved in the creation/ structure of the module content and the assessment. The group project was our way of applying the theories we had learnt throughout the module, to a real life business!

Our task was simple; generate a 10-year operations and supply chain plan for one of 4 companies in the aviation industry; Rolls-Royce, Pratt and Whitney, Airbus or Boeing. My group chose Pratt and Whitney, a major competitor of Rolls-Royce. Each group member was given a director role within the company: Director of Operational Design, Planning and Control, Enterprise Resource Planning, Manufacturing Operations, Supply Chain Management and my role which was Director of Quality Control and Total Quality Management. Working collaboratively, we analysed the company’s current situation and how the market was operating. Using the theories, we had developed during the lectures, some of which were given by Rolls-Royce executives, we applied it to Pratt and Whitney to generate a plan for their future operations. Although this may sound complicated, it was incredible to take on a task that felt so real! It was also the kind of thing I’ll have to do when I graduate and work for a real company so it was really great practice.

Our plan was assessed through a written report, and a formal presentation to the module leaders from the University of Sheffield, and senior executives from Rolls-Royce. This was the starting point for me developing my presentation creation and delivery skills which I am now extremely confident in thanks to all the chances I have had to practice during my degree. My groups hard work finally paid off when we were awarded second place for our 10 year plan out of the entire module! This meant we were awarded the Rolls-Royce Academic Award of Excellence, something that looks INCREDIBLE on my CV, and I have found that employers just love it in interviews! Specially to have my academic work accredited by senior professionals such as Ian Shellard- Director, Global Physical Logistics, Rolls-Royce, it’s a great talking point that really makes me stand out.

This is just one example of the way Sheffield University tries to link the theory of management studies to a real industry organisation. It was a strong turning point for me in becoming a more practical learner, which also gave me a greater confidence in my own academic and business operational ability. I hope you get a chance to do this module as I absolutely loved it- Good luck!

IBM with an Industrial Placement

By Elise McDonald, BA International Business Management

Hi guys! I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas.

Slightly weird post this time as I’m actually writing this from the UK nearing the end of my incredibly long Christmas/semester break. I am definitely so excited to be returning to Vienna next week.

Towards the end of last semester, I started applying for industrial placements to add in to my course before returning to Sheffield for myfinal year. The main reason I picked the IBM course at Sheffield was actually because it was the only University I could find that offered the opportunity to complete both a year abroad and a placement. I was so surprised to find out that I’ll be only the 2nd person on this course to do both, so I just thought I would share my experience of the application process with you all to encourage you to consider doing the same as me!

So, I started applying for placements towards the end of November which was fairly hard to manage with my final exams of the semester, but definitely doable. To be honest, most of the application deadlines weren’t until the end of December/January so it worked out perfectly with the holidays. If you’re worried you won’t be able to attend interview/assessment centres due to being abroad, don’t be! These days most of the application process is carried out online and I was therefore able to do telephone interviews and videos whilst in Vienna. Although, even if you do need to fly back, the company tends to pay for your travel expenses. Logistically, there have been no issues for me during this whole process (if anything the long holiday has been ideal!). Throughout the whole recruitment process I was able to talk about my experiences abroad, which was so helpful. Not only was I able to talk about my interest in international business, but also my ability to work in multicultural groups which is definitely a selling point.

Now comes the bragging… but I promise I’m only mentioning it to show you all how amazing the year abroad looks on your CV and application. I was lucky enough to be offered a Marketing placement at the FMCG Giant Unilever. Some of you might be reading that with a blank expression, but I’m sure you’re all familiar with Ben & Jerry’s, Dove, Lynx, Marmite, Persil, Domestos and PG Tips, to name a few! Well, Unilever owns all of those brands. I was also invited to the final stages for Microsoft, Hyundai, Bosch and Panasonic but was unable to accept these due to my place at Unilever. So, my advice to all of you considering doing IBM instead of another normal Business Management course – please do! Not only will you have the most amazing time but you’ll also make yourself much more employable.

I should also add that I also took the decision to work for a year in a junior office role before attending University and I also do some temporary office work in the summer holidays – I have been working at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles during my semester break. It’s therefore also a good idea to make the most of your time away from Uni to gain some valuable work experience. Don’t underestimate how important work experience is for a Business undergraduate’s CV.

Sorry to deviate away from the usual study abroad blog post, but I thought it might be something interesting to share with anyone that was considering a year in industry, like me.

I will keep you updated with how the next semester goes as much as possible!

Advice from a Placement Ambassador

By Hannah Mclennaghan

Hi, I’m Hannah, a student Placement Ambassador for 2016-17, and also studying for my BA in Business Management with Employment Experience. I carried out my placement year at Virgin Media in 2016.

If you’ve already got a house in Sheffield for next year or want to stick around Sheffield while on Placement, I’ve put together some really useful advice about how and where you can find a placement in Sheffield, that might just help you.

Why do a placement year in Sheffield?

It is the perfect opportunity to get the best of both worlds! You can remain in the City you love whilst gaining an invaluable experience and a complimentary asset to your degree. It also means if you have only just decided to do a placement year it is not too late, as you do not need to drop out of your housing contract for next year!

Where do I find a local placement?

The easiest place to start your search is the University’s internal portal Career Connect. You can access this through MUSE and use the filters: Yearlong placements, (the business area) and South Yorkshire as your location and you will arrive at a list of opportunities. Other great job sites are Milkround, Graduate recruitment Bureau, Rate my placement & Linkedin

What kind of opportunities are in Sheffield?

There is a magnitude of placements currently available; on Career Connect alone there are 50 currently still open. A local placement can be a great opportunity to gain experience in a corporate or slightly smaller company which can provide a more unique, tailored and rounded experience- giving you an insight into the company’s operations in its entity. Many local placements advertise solely to the University of Sheffield management students, giving you an extremely high chance of success!

What support is available for me?

If you would like to do a placement year, contact the employability hub: mgt.employability@sheffield.ac.uk and you will be assigned a mentor. They will provide you with support in searching for placements, doing your application, preparing you for interviews and general advice and guidance. The employability hub can also check CVs and cover letters. Once out on placement your degree will change to add “with employment experience”. You will be visited twice during the year and you will need to carry out a small assessment at the end (which is easier than you think!)

If you would like any further advice you can get in touch with all of the Placement Ambassadors at mgt.pl.ambassadors@sheffield.ac.uk

My placement story

By Charlotte Howe

Hey everyone, my name’s Charlotte and I’m in my fourth year studying Business Management with Employment Experience. I returned to Sheffield as a Placement Ambassador following my placement year at PwC in London, in September 2016.

During my placement year I worked in Learning and Development, part of the wider HR function at PwC. Taking a placement year is one of the best decisions I’ve made, the team I worked in are responsible for delivering soft skills training across all areas of the firm, so I was able to learn more about the workings of the firm and explore future career opportunities.

Through my placement I achieved so much, learning about myself as well as invaluable skills for both in the workplace and beyond. Some of the key stand-out skills I learnt are:

Networking and maintaining these networks
Leading yourself and managing my time more efficiently
Leading others and how to efficiently work in teams
Managing stakeholders
Communication skills and dealing with conflicts
IT skills
Office Etiquette
If you would like any further advice you can get in touch with all of the Placement Ambassadors at mgt.pl.ambassadors@sheffield.ac.uk
A placement is a great opportunity to trial a career that you think you may want to go into or a city you may want to live in, it gives you the opportunity to decide if it’s for you. For me, I loved living in London and working for PwC, however I decided HR wasn’t the career for me. Through the networks built during my placement, I was able to try out different areas of the business and decide on a career path, interviewing whilst still working at the firm and securing a job for after I graduate back in London. Going into my final year with a job offer really takes the pressure off, however, if you decide you want to search around for jobs elsewhere, having a year of experience on your CV with all these new skills will really help you in the eyes of potential employers.
All of these have led to an increase in my confidence in terms of speaking out in meetings, voicing my opinions to others and in my own ability, all of which is invaluable coming back to University and also when I return to the workplace.

My advice to prospective placement students:

There is so much help available to management school students applying for placements, such as the employability hub, career connect and placement ambassadors. Take full advantage of these people who want to help you!

Secondly, keep going, and please don’t get knocked back by rejections. They happen to everyone, think of it as a learning curve, allowing you to take on the next application stronger and more confident after learning from the previous applications.

Finally, say yes! Take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way and when out on placement don’t be afraid to take yourself outside your comfort zone and try something new, a placement is as much for you to learn as it is for the companies to benefit from your skills.

On placement: ‘A day in the life of…George at RSM’

By George Philipson

My name is George Philipson and I am a final year Accounting and Financial Management student. I completed my year in industry with Top 10 accounting firm RSM as an Audit Assistant, in 2016. This was a typical day for me out on placement…

8AM

Monday: Quick walk to work with a coffee in hand catching up with this morning’s financial and business news stories. I get into work for around 8:30AM, set up my laptop and other equipment and quickly catch up with the other employees in the office. I check my diary to find I am auditing a large dairy producer for the week ahead, liaise with my Manager and Supervisor and prepare them for our meeting with some pre-fieldwork files I assembled on Friday afternoon.

9:30AM

The Partner, Manager, Supervisor, and I set up for a client planning meeting which is around 30 minutes long. It allows the Partner and Manager to highlight any key risk areas involved with this client, along with a brief introduction into the audit history of the company. I take minutes for the meeting, making sure it is evidenced that the audit team have outlined all potential areas of the audit file. In addition, duties and responsibilities are delegated and I am made aware of my role in this job.

12PM

I grab a quick bite to eat with the other graduates before I head out to the client site. We quickly compare weekends and clients for the week ahead, whilst also discussing our plans for the audit party on Friday.

I have spent the rest of the morning preparing some areas of work which do not require client interaction, as this helps to save the Supervisor time at the end of the fieldwork after I have left. I also set up some files on the network and some documents, so that I can be more time efficient whilst carrying out the fieldwork of the audit.

1PM

My Supervisor, Jen, and I arrive at the client site just outside of the city centre. We meet with the Financial Director (FD) and Financial Controller (FC) who discuss their time commitments for the week, whilst we also update them on our schedule for the week ahead. We are greeted with fresh coffee, and a great office view, before setting up our work stations.

5PM

Gosh, the first day of an audit always goes quickly! I spent the remainder of the day collecting evidence such as bank statements and reports from Sage (an accounting software) whilst also completing some shorter pieces of work. These involved: Other Audit Areas which look at non-financial aspects of the audit, along with Updated Minutes Review and updating the Audit Findings Report. I also finish my emails for the day and update the client of any remaining information I require.

I head back to the office as I have a 5-a-side fixture together with some colleagues from the auditing department. This is a welcomed break to release some energy and practice for our upcoming national RSM football tournament, I am told a place to represent the UK in Warsaw is up for grabs!

If you would like any further advice you can get in touch with all of the Placement Ambassadors at mgt.pl.ambassadors@sheffield.ac.uk

Applying for a placement or internship

By Ellie Thornber

Hi, I’m Ellie, one of your Management School Placement Ambassadors for 2016-17. I did my placement last year at Accenture, a large management and technology consultancy company. I am so glad I did a placement and would recommend it to anyone. I developed so many transferrable skills, established a really valuable network of colleagues and secured a graduate job too. Here is how I found my placement, the application process, and my hints and tips to help you secure a placement or internship.

How did I find my placement?

It is helpful to know what kind of organisation you want to work in before you start applying. Websites such as Rate My Placement allow you to read about other student’s experiences whilst on placement and can give you more information from the responsibilities they held, to the social side of work. This helps you to understand the type of job you want to be doing and can help you create a list of companies you might be interested in.

Websites such as Rate My Placement, Milkround and Career Connect provide a great database of companies which are offering placement and internship opportunities and will show you those with deadlines approaching. If a company you are interested in isn’t formally advertising any opportunities it is always worth contacting their HR department and asking, especially for smaller companies. Family and friends are also a great network to use to find opportunities!

The application process

The application process for placements/internships can sometimes be long and daunting, but I found that once I had submitted one, they got much easier. The length of the process varies, often depending on the size of the company. Some can have multiple stages to their application process such as online tests, telephone interviews, assessment centres and final interviews. However small companies may simply ask for a CV and cover letter before inviting you to interview. I found the Employability Hub and the Careers Advisors really helpful in going over my applications before I submitted them, helping me prepare for telephone interviews and giving me tips for assessment centres. I also used the online learning tools on Career Connect to help practice for psychometric tests such as verbal and numerical reasoning.

Hints and tips

Tailor your CV to highlight the skills you have that the company is looking for
Ask someone else to check your application – a second opinion always helps!
Use websites such as Glass Door to find out common and tricky interview questions

Contact me at: ethornber1@sheffield.ac.uk if you would like any further advice or you can get in touch with all of the Placement Ambassadors at mgt.pl.ambassadors@sheffield.ac.uk

Applying for a placement year

By Jack Wignall, BA Business Management with Employment Experience

To undertake a placement year, you will have to go through an application process the same way you would if you were applying for a full time or graduate job. Although the process of applying for a placement is a very time consuming one, it will hold you in good stead when it comes to applying for graduate jobs in your final year and if you apply early enough, you can get them done before any major coursework deadlines or exams.
Applications Steps

Every placement application is different but they all follow roughly the same pattern of application steps. These are:

Online ApplicationThis initial stage usually comprises of uploading your CV and Cover Letter. However, many companies also take this opportunity to ask some suitability and competency based questions.
Psychometric and Situational Judgement Tests (SJT)The psychometric tests are designed to examine your all round ability and they usually include numerical reasoning, verbal reasoning and logical analysis tests. The SJT tests put you in a situation within the company you are applying for and is intended to test how you would respond.
Phone InterviewAn interview which takes place over the phone with the recruitment department.
Video InterviewAn interview using a computer or laptop where a question comes up on your screen and you present an answer using your webcam. Treat this like a real interview in how you present yourself and how you prepare for it.
One to one interviewA traditional interview with members of the recruitment department at the company.
Assessment CentreA screening process where several potential employees are evaluated on individual and group tasks in order to showcase specific skills and attributes.

During the whole process, it is important to keep track of a company’s business and social activities. This keeps you up to date on their dealings as well as ensuring you develop some understanding of their marketplace. On top of this, you can keep a record of the questions and answers you have made so far, so you can refer back to previous experiences when preparing for the next stage.

My 5 top tips for applying:

Apply early – many companies advertise early in the year, so apply before coursework/exam stress comes calling.
Stick at it – it is a time consuming process so keep going even if you feel like giving up!
Take advantage of the Careers Service – they are very helpful, and give you advice and showcase events.
Tailor applications – make each application specific to the company you are applying for.
Prepare for all types of questioning – competency based, experience based, fun and quirky

It is a gruelling process that needs a lot of time and effort, but if you work hard and – more importantly – be yourself, then some success may well come your way.

Good luck!

My placement year as Business and Marketing Assistant at Lubrizol

By Jack Wignall, BA Business Management with Employment Experience

The benefits of doing a placement year

Sheffield University Management School offer students the opportunity to undertake a placement year as part of your degree and I would recommend it to everyone! I have just come back from completing my Placement Year at Lubrizol, a chemical additive company, where I was a Business and Marketing Assistant. I always knew I wanted to do a placement year and this was part of the reason I came to Sheffield. I found the experience invaluable and have already seen the benefits since returning to University for my final year.

It helps when applying for graduate jobs

Having work experience alongside a degree is extremely useful when it comes to applying for graduate jobs. This is because employers are looking for someone who stands out and having the workplace knowledge and experience is priceless nowadays, especially when securing a good job is harder than ever before.

A chance to use your theoretical knowledge in practical situations

Doing a placement year gave me the chance to convert the theoretical knowledge from the course into practical experiences. This was very helpful during my placement as I was able to see how my degree was relevant to real life circumstances. The other benefit is that on the return to University you can do the reverse by using practical experiences in a theoretical context in your final year modules. Going forward, these are all great experiences that can be used in the application process for jobs post-uni as well as in the job itself.

You develop transferable skills

The experiences I had during my placement year have helped me to develop many key skills, including communication, IT literacy, time management and organisational skills. These were developed through responsibilities such as dealing with emails, using Microsoft Excel and arranging meetings. I also had to deliver several presentations through the year, most notably at a European Sales meeting in Hamburg. On top of this, the year has also helped me gain new skills that I didn’t have previously such as how to behave in a professional working environment.

Growing as a person

What I will take away most from my placement year was the fact I felt I matured during my time at work. Being in a position where I was working using my own initiative amongst professionals in a multinational company made me feel like I was a part of something bigger. The responsibilities I was given aided this as I didn’t feel like a student, but was valued as an actual employee. Away from the work, I felt I grew as a person by being independent – living in my own flat and organising all factors of my life that a ‘grown-up’ would have to do in the real world.

Living at home during university

By Emily Beatson, BA International Business Management with Employment Experience

When applying to university, unlike a lot of my friends who were looking for the furthest place to get away from their parents, I considered living at home. I applied for places where I would be too far away to commute but also applied to the University of Sheffield where commuting would be possible and I could live at home. I live around 15 miles away, which is a 30-40 minute drive depending on traffic or a 45-minute train journey.

During first year, I mostly got the train to Sheffield and then walked up to the university. If it was raining, I would treat myself to a luxurious trip on the SuperTram up to the University stop. I underestimated how much walking I would be doing in first year, but it kept me fit and I had plenty of playlists I could listen to whilst walking back and forth daily. I never felt unsafe walking through Sheffield, even in the dark, and it was a great way to notice little cafes and new restaurants as I was walking past.

Since then, I have done a year abroad where I lived on campus and we had free campus shuttle buses and I have also done a placement year where I drove every day. Safe to say I’ve become a little lazy to do so much walking. I’m now in my final year and do things a little differently. If I’m only in for an hour, I’ll drive up to university and usually park outside the Management School on Crookesmoor Road, 70p for an hour… bargain! I’m still scared of parallel parking how

ever so always aim for a space at the end. If I’m in for longer than that, I scrounge a lift to Sheffield Business Park/Advanced Manufacturing Park, just off the Parkway on the way into Sheffield, with either my parents or boyfriend who both work there and then I hop on a bus that takes me straight to university. I use First buses as they offer students a weekly pass for £7. I then take the same bus home at the end of the day and get a lift home.

People assume that you miss out on a lot of university life when living at home, I’d disagree. I got the chance to study abroad in Hong Kong for a year, so that definitely gave me a real experience of student living. Other than that, I have made plenty of friends on my course in Sheffield who would be more than happy to offer me a sofa to crash on after a night out and I still get involved in going out for meals and casual drinks. Also, not having the ability to sneak back home to bed in between lectures forced me to go to the library and do my work, so I often get everything done during the day and have less to do in the evening. Not to mention the free laundry, food and wifi, plus I still get to see my two Labradors and cat at the end of the day!