Networking at the Year in Business Speed Recruitment event - October 2025

Despite the darker nights setting in, it was good to see so many business students attending Royal Holloway’s Year in Business Speed Recruitment event in the Business School this week. 2^nd year students seeking placements in 2026/27 networked at full speed, making career-defining connections with a number of well known companies as well as gaining advice from YIBs who have already been out on placement. There was a real sense of energy in the room.

 

From the bustle of the companies setting up their stands at the beginning of the evening, to the happy buzz of conversations taking place, this event demonstrated the key career connections that can be formed while studying in the School of Business

Every year the School of Business’ Year in Business team invite a range of companies offering placement roles to attend their ‘Speed Recruitment Evening’, held on campus. The event is an opportunity for all Year in Business second year students, currently trying to secure a placement, to interact and network with potential employers and find out more about what the companies have on offer. This has always been run in January, but this year we are looking at running it twice a year with a second event in October.

 After an initial briefing the students were able to move about the event, stopping to chat to the representatives at the company stands they chose, but moving on when the bell was rung to give everyone a chance to discuss the placement roles on offer and find out if they might be a suitable match. From accounting/finance, sales and HR, to marketing and management, students explored a diverse range of placement opportunities, gaining firsthand insights into potential roles and career paths.

 

Students had the unique chance to connect with leading companies such as 3M, Canon, De Vere, Enterprise Mobility, Honda, Menzies LLP, RSM, many of whom brought current/ previous placement students who could offer invaluable advice based on their own experience of being on the other side of the table.

 

Many of our final-year Year in Business students and mentors were also on hand to talk about their experience securing and completing a placement year. These students shared experiences at companies including Arithma LLP, Bayer, BMW, EBay, Elida Beauty, Intel, SEO London, Siemens, Unilever.

 

The enthusiasm demonstrated by our second-year students during the event is a testament to their desire to secure a placement and drive to succeed. All the companies who attended gave positive feedback about the students’ engagement levels and the quality of the questions asked.

The evening finished with a more relaxed atmosphere as slices of pizza were offered and the networking continued over more informal conversations. Similar events in previous years have seen many of the students who attend going on to secure placement roles because of the connections they make on the night, so we are eager to see how our current second-year students get on this year.

 The Year in Business option is a fantastic opportunity for students to gain invaluable real-world experience before they graduate, improving their employability and presenting them with career options they may not have considered previously. The connections they form during this year help to establish their network before they graduate and take the first steps on their career journey. Many students return to university for their final year with a deeper understanding of their knowledge of business gained from the hands-on learning they experienced during the placement.

 The Year in Business option is offered alongside all our undergraduate degree courses, with students from across the school opting to take part. The Year in Business is taken during the third year of their four-year degree course, allowing for two years of learning at university, a paid placement of between nine to twelve months in their third year, and a return to study at university for their fourth year, in order to complete their degree. Students can start their placement any time between June -September at the end of their second year.

 Discover how the Year in Business can fast-track your future at royalholloway.ac.uk/year-in-business. If you represent a company interested in advertising placements to our business students please contact MN-YIB@rhul.ac.uk