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.