Rae Roberts, the Year in Business Careers’ Consultant recently ran
a Resilience workshop for 2nd year Year in Business students here at
Royal Holloway in order to support the students in their search for a
placement.
This was an interactive workshop with students working in
small groups to identify what they wanted to get out of a placement year, what
they had learnt from the application process so far, what next steps they could
identify and what help they required.
In the workshop it was recognised how tough it can be to
secure a placement: typically the process for securing one is similar to the
graduate job application process normally undertaken in the final year: once
the CV/ Covering letter or Application form has been submitted students can
encounter Online tests, Interviews (phone, video or face to face) and
Assessment Centres. Students face these at the same time as working towards
their 2nd year Management courses so clearly good time management
and planning skills are required. Rae also stressed the importance of getting sleep,
having a good diet and exercising to put the student in the best position to manage
the process.
Key messages:
Stay persistent.
1.Previous Royal Holloway YIB student Sarah Hunt who did her placement year at GSK 2015/16 in Executive recruitment said “It’s crucial to stay persistent when applying for jobs as you can easily get discouraged when rejected. However from experience I can tell you it is worth it in the end!"
2.Remember the benefits of securing a Year in Business in terms of gaining valuable work experience and enhancing your Graduate job prospects.
3.Develop a Growth mindset: Rae talked about the resilience required to pick oneself up after a failed placement application and the importance of learning from the process so that a student’s prospects are improved for future applications. Students heard about the difference between those with a growth mindset and those with a fixed mindset.
Rae encouraged students to have a growth mindset: learning from the process, persevering, challenging, being inspired by others and having the right attitude to face the challenge. http://blog.gradconsult.co.uk/the-surprising-trait-of-a-strong-growth-mindset-2
Review your mix of applications and make sure you tailor applications
1. Consider including a mix of Companies with large numbers of positions (check Rate My Placement gude) as well as SMEs and some lesser well known Companies.
1. Consider including a mix of Companies with large numbers of positions (check Rate My Placement gude) as well as SMEs and some lesser well known Companies.
2. Monitor the YIB Facebook page for new opportunities and use Linkedin/ Personal contacts to establish new leads.
3. Find your personal link to demonstrate why you want to apply for a
Company (eg refer to someone you have met from a Company/ something you
have read in an article about the Company) and be passionate/
knowledgeable about the Company and Sector you are applying for.
Seek all the help
you can
1. One to one career consultations available Thursday
afternoons 12 – 3pm to help with CVs/application forms, mock interviews ,
general placement discussions . Book here:
https://careersportal.royalholloway.ac.uk/home.html
https://careersportal.royalholloway.ac.uk/home.html
2. An action packed Career programme/ skills
workshops : many Alumni come back to College for such events providing great
opportunities for networking and understanding a particular sector; skills
workshops such as Assessment centre training/ interview skills help YIBs
prepare for the application process
3. Careers and Employability moodle page
provides many resources including psychometric test examples/ video interview
examples and tips for Assessment centres.
4. Year in Business Facebook page provides tips,
news of events and placement vacancies
5. Advice from Final Royal Holloway YIBs who are
currently out on placement or back for their final year.
6. Resources/ articles available to students:
The Great Grad Job Hunt
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaLJgr6DrdR3qsb_q2g9iT
http://targetjobs.co.uk/news/240543-how-to-be-a-resilient-job-hunter
http://pgblog.careers.salford.ac.uk/2011/10/why-resilience-is-king-in-getting-a-job-and-building-a-career
Finally Rae reminder students that they have until 31st July 2017 to secure a
placement and many new positions are still being advertised.
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