This
is only a 5-minute read. I have included some very useful tips that you should
seek out!
1. Start
Early – Seriously, Like Around October!
YIB
staff and students say this for a reason. Most ‘big name’ companies advertise
vacancies early as they want to screen out the best candidates. It is true that
this also depends on the type of placement you are after (marketing, finance,
HR, etc.), however do not jeopardise your own chances.
You
should also consider that the sooner you secure a placement, the more time you
will have to make accommodation arrangements for your third year and focus on
your modules. In the spring term, most of my assessments started in March, so
it was very convenient that I managed to secure a placement before then. I took
advantage of the spare time I had in the winter holidays to apply and started
doing video interviews, general ability assessments, and competency assessments
for companies like Sony, SAP, Siemens, M&S, Hilton, and L’Oréal. I highly
recommend that you take advantage of that time too. I would also advise that
you create an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of all your applications and that
you save a copy of their job descriptions as you may not be able to access the
link to these after their application deadline.
2. Your CV, The Careers Service, and Preparation
Your
CV is one of the first ways you can attract employers and it is so easy to book
an appointment with the Careers Service to get your CV checked (and re-checked
in my case). Keep in mind that every meeting you have could be with different
people so the more feedback you have, the better. The Careers Service is very
helpful with this – they even provide you with CV templates! They also offer
mock assessment centres and psychometric tests, as well as resources for common
and challenging interview questions – take advantage of this, they are free!
It
is also worth mentioning that you should definitely tailor your application to
each company you apply to. Look at the key skills they are after, emphasise
these on your CV, and make sure you mention modules that you study (or have
studied) that would be relevant and useful – sell yourself as their ideal candidate.
This can take some time, but it is worth it. If you are having trouble writing
up your CV, you could start with your job search first to get an idea of what
it is exactly that you want to apply for and create your CV around that. It may
also be useful to have some references on standby as some companies can ask you
for these during their recruitment process.
Apart
from your CV, you should also spend a good amount of time preparing for each
application. Do some research on the company – identify their core values and
how you align with them, look at the company in the news (there is a literal
filter on Google for this), their annual report, social media, and LinkedIn
pages. You could also benefit from looking at their competitors, threats,
opportunities, and trends in their industry. You may be asked about some of
these things in interviews! Have a look at the typical questions a company may
ask you and prepare responses for these. I also highly advise that you prepare
between 5-10 questions to ask interviewers themselves – not the generic ones
that you find online, make them specific to you, the interviewer, and the
company. Do not skip out on this, make them remember you.
3. LinkedIn and Your Job Search
When
setting up your LinkedIn profile do not just do the bare minimum (profile
picture, education history, and qualifications). Make yourself stand out; write
a bio, add skills, earn badges for them, and have others endorse them. I ended
up getting a placement with a company because one of their internal recruiters
reached out to me through LinkedIn. This would have never happened if I was not
active on the platform and if I would have not put some effort into my
profile.
Networking
is also a big thing – connect with as many (relevant) people as you can. I have
even gotten in touch with students that were doing placements at companies that
I was interested in. More often than not, they are happy to give you insight
and advice. This is great way to enhance your prospects against other
candidates. That being said, here is the link to my profile if you would like
to connect! linkedin.com/in/maria-micu-07a0641b8
I
would also advise that you set up LinkedIn Job Alerts to better filter your job
search and stay competitive. It is also very important that you apply for jobs
that you are interested in as soon as possible. Some employers close their
applications early if they receive a high volume of them. Why not be amongst
the first few applicants? Make your mark. I should also advise you to not apply
for placements that you are not (truly) interested in. I found myself applying
to some placements just because they were with a ‘good’ company and their
salaries were attractive. It is in your best interest that you do not do this.
Not only are applications time consuming, but you will find yourself having to
really think about your answers to questions like ‘Why do you want to work for
our company in particular?’ It is also less likely for them to be interested in
you if you are not entirely suited for that job.
Also,
do not just use LinkedIn and the weekly vacancy bulletin for your job search.
There are so many other useful platforms like Target, Reed, Indeed, and
Glassdoor (to name a few). On Glassdoor, you can also view typical salaries for
companies (useful for those that do not advertise them) and get insight from
employees on their view of the company and what their job entails – this is a
common interview question.
I hope that you found this helpful and wish you all
the best in your placement search
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