By Dan Radcliffe
Networking
Networking is a great aspect of doing a placement year. There are so many valuable benefits to keeping in touch with people you worked with of varying levels of seniority.
The contacts made on placement can be fantastic for receiving advice from and being mentored by. By getting myself out there while working for a large organisation and speaking to as many people as possible, I was able to find the areas I really wanted to work in for my future career and how to get there. Without the networking I did on my placement I would be very much stuck with what to do post-graduation, as well as being unaware of a huge number of career opportunities.
One of the contacts I made while on placement moved on to a new business and when I had finished my placement I asked to do work experience with him, as it was in a field I was particularly keen on working in. So don’t think of the networking as over after your placement year… They are contacts who can be really valuable in a sociable and professional manner.
The people you work and build close relationships with can be a huge resource when in your final year should you be applying for graduate vacancies. Not only can they stand out as glowing reference providers, but they can also help you with recruitment into the organisations which you choose to apply to.
So to summarise, get yourself known while on placement. Don’t just work in the remit of your team. Try and explore areas you’re interested in for the future, thinking past that 12 month (give or take) placement year. The people you network with are massive assets and you can really benefit from them – keep them close!
Earn Some Money
With the length of an industrial placement, you will probably have a salary to help out with the costs and give you a bit of extra money. Though the purpose of an industrial placement is focused on the experience and learning as opposed to the money, it’s a nice bi-product to enjoy.
Throughout my placement, I didn’t have to rely on student loans or financial support from my family as my salary enabled me to be self-sufficient, living away from home.
Furthermore, it gave me the ability to enjoy some extras, such as the technology I couldn’t afford as a student, and a few holidays within the year.
Depending on where you are in the country will determine your salary as well as the company and industry you work in.
Like with part-time work, the pay is a real credit to the hard work that you put in day-to-day on a placement year and a nice bonus to doing an industrial placement.
To ask Dan or any of the other Placement Ambassadors about doing a placement year, email mgt.plambassadors@sheffield.ac.uk .
You can also drop-in to the Employability Hub to speak to the Employability team.