Tips to reduce post- Christmas burnout on placement applications

This is a guest post from Royal Holloway business student, Rebecca Burton, who is undertaking her marketing placement year at Epoch Making Toys. In this article Rebecca offers students advice based on her own experience of applying for placements.

Rebecca writes: 

Finding a placement last year has got to be one of the most difficult processes I’ve had to undertake in my career so far. I most certainly underestimated how lengthy this process would be and how much effort I would be putting into each application.

Around this time last year, I had received my first proper rejection after what I thought was a successful Assessment Centre. I was feeling very disheartened and burnt out after 5 months of applications. I was starting to feel like the end goal in getting a placement was unobtainable. The January blues do not mix well with placement applications! Despite this feeling, I decided to keep pushing through, and low and behold, a few months later I received an offer to work at Sylvanian Families!

Here are some tips I wish someone had given me to help me through the burnout and lack of motivation post-Christmas:

1.     Take your time with applications

This part is easier said than done.

I remember when I first started applying, I wanted to get as many done as possible. I had heard the horrors of how long this process could take, and I just wanted to get it over and done with! Trust me, take your time with all your applications. It’s hard trying to find a balance between wanting to do loads of applications and completing uni assignments at the same time.

I would recommend making a specific time of the day dedicated to applying, doing psychometric testing, interview prep, etc. This will help you especially when the next stage is an automated psychometric testing and you’ll receive a time limit on when you must submit it by. Sometimes you can’t stick to this, but even just having the initial schedule in will help prevent you from burning out, because you will most likely experience it…I definitely did!

2.     Keep a bank of STAR examples on revision cards

Once I had gone through a fair few 1-way interviews, I soon realised all the questions seemed to be around the same skillset and experiences. When I was prepping for any type of interview, I would note down all the key skills they had listed on their job advert and link it to a specific project/experience.

 

Companies are looking for situations where you can specifically pinpoint what you did, how you went about it & what was the outcome. When a new interview came up, I brought out my stack of revision cards, which included various situations I had undergone, alongside the skills I had strengthened/acquired. It helped cut down the time on trying to think of a situation due to the time constraints. I could easily pick up the relevant card, quickly scan it and adapt it to the specific company before answering.

 

Through the various interviews, I became more confident in being able to answer due to the ongoing practice of previous interviews. This experience will help you in the future too when applying for grad schemes and entry-level roles.

 

3.     Don’t skip the weekly vacancy bulletin!!!

I found my placement through the vacancy bulletin from the placement team



, and I was so close to just skipping it!

It was around February time and I was very near to giving up my pursuit of finding a placement, but I had told myself to apply for a few more and see what came of it…and I’m glad I stuck through it!!

The bulletin has a variety of placements vacancies, majority of which you don’t see on other platforms as some companies like to target specific universities, like mine did. So definitely take a look at when MN-YIB send out their weekly bulletins…your future placement may just be waiting for you!

 

4.     Don’t compare your journey to your peers

I think this is the most important tip of all.

Everyone has different experiences when getting placements, some get them in November…others get them in July or not even at all. It isn’t a reflection of how hard you worked, because at the end of the day, we all end up with valuable experience seeing the inner workings of a job application process, which will help in the future when applying for grad or entry-level roles.

Don’t get disheartened if you see lots of people posting their offers on LinkedIn, just keep pushing through and an opportunity will hopefully open up! No one can truly prepare you for how hard this journey will be, but once you finally receive that offer letter, you know all the hard work was worth it!

 

 

Unilever marketing placement - top tips for succeeding in the assessment process

This is a guest post from Royal Holloway Year in Business student, Jaydhan Garcha, who has secured a marketing placement with global FMCG Unilever. Jaydhan's article is packed full of advice for students applying for placements.

Securing a marketing placement at Unilever involved overcoming online assessments, video interviews, and a challenging assessment centre. As I reflect on this experience, I'm eager to share my insights and offer some tips for fellow students on how to succeed in the assessment process.

Building Experience:
One of the key strategies that contributed to my success was ensuring I had a robust background of experience. I took the initiative to gain virtual work experience at Lululemon in marketing. Additionally, I participated in the IEUK Business Operations & Marketing Virtual internship, touted as the UK's number one virtual internship. These experiences not only expanded my marketing knowledge but also allowed me to network with industry experts, providing valuable insights.

Diverse Application Experiences:
While some of the placements I applied for initially might not have been my top choices, each application process presented an opportunity to refine my skills. I completed 5-6 video interviews with different companies before Unilever. This repetitive exposure to various scenarios and questions played a pivotal role in my success during the Unilever video interview stage.

Assessment Centre Preparation:
The assessment centre was the final hurdle, consisting of a group exercise, a sustainability challenge, and a purpose interview. To stand out, I invested hours in researching Unilever, ensuring I was well-versed in their values and goals. This preparation not only impressed my assessors but also boosted my confidence. I approached the assessment centre with unwavering self-belief, confident that I was the ideal candidate.

My Top Tips for Success:

1. Engage with the Careers Team: If you encounter challenges or frustrations during the application process, don't hesitate to seek guidance from the university's careers team. They possess a wealth of experience and can offer valuable insights and support!

2. Build Your CV Strategically: Internships and work experiences are not just resume fillers; they are key to impressing employers in the initial application stage. The diverse experiences on my CV played a crucial role in catching Unilever's attention.

In conclusion, navigating the assessment process requires strategic planning, perseverance, and continuous learning. My journey to securing a marketing placement at Unilever was demanding, but the lessons learned along the way have proven invaluable. As you embark on your own placement application journey, remember the importance of experience, resilience, and a proactive approach. Good luck!

From Lectures at 9am to Project Meetings at the Walt Disney office- YOU CAN DO IT TOO!

This is a guest post from Royal Holloway Year in Business student, Kendaa Cameron-Chavannes who has just secured a placement at The Walt Disney Company. It is packed full of advice for other students applying for placements at The Walt Disney Company (or other companies) .

Hey Guys!

My name is Kendaa Cameron-Chavannes, and I am an incoming Owned Media (Marketing) intern for the Walt Disney Company- beginning June 2024. Disney is renowned for its iconic animations, films, fairy-tale like theme parks and inclusivity in everything they produce from personnel, content and ideas.

Here are my top tips on steps you can take to secure a placement at a company that is both right for you and your dream organisation.

 

Before we begin, I will share a brief overview on my recruitment process. Bear in mind that depending on your chosen department/sector, the application process may vary slightly.

 

RECRUITMENT PROCESS: DISNEY

 

Based on the above overview and my personal process, here are the following steps you can take:

 

1.   CV , CV , CV

 

Before you begin the application process, it is VITAL that your CV reflects you, your unique qualities and abilities in the clearest way possible. The structure of a CV can be the difference between moving onto the next stage or being cut out of the process completely.

You want to ensure you’ve given yourself the best chance for the role against thousands of applicants.

 

Ensure that your CV has:

   A clear, plain structure (name in bold at top of page, email & LinkedIn presented clearly, dates aligned and a distinction between each section – e.g.: Education, Professional Experience and Skills).

 

-          3/4 relevant modules you have or will study under your university & degree (e.g., “Relevant modules include: Marketing Strategy in Context, International Business, Operations Management and Foundations of Digital Enterprise”).

-          Your GSCE & A level grades (in format: “9 GCSE’s 8-4, 5 in Mathematics, 7 in English Literature”).

-          Skills that align with the role (e.g., organisation, leadership, multi-tasking, project management etc).

-          Action words (e.g., “Utilised my, Obtained a, Assisted in” etc).

-          Any experience that you’re proud of- yes anything (team captain of a sport, volunteer work, your part-time/full-time jobs, an interesting group project in a relevant module etc)

-          The extent of your proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint

 

2.   COVER LETTER

 Most organisations will ask you to submit a cover letter along with your CV and application. The worst thing you can do is use AI for this step as companies will know if it is AI generated and it shows them that you’re not interested in the company/ have not done your research.

  would recommend listing 3 reasons why you want to work for the company (drawing to their values/ethos) and base it off that.

 

Your cover letter should read:

 Why the Company? (draw on an initiative/project they fore fronted e.g., sustainability, diversity etc)

-          Why the Role? (Read the job description carefully and implement key words/phrases)

-          Why Me? (include experience(s) that demonstrate why you’re the right and best choice).

**As a bonus tip, I would recommend putting your LinkedIn (personalised link) in the header of your cover letter**

 

3.   BE PROACTIVE

 

The application process is tiring, and you’ll be applying to many companies along the way. Whether you’re applying to differing sectors or just one, make sure that you give yourself that edge. This can be by:

 

-          Completing simulations ( “Forage” has some fantastic FREE on-line facilities for a range of roles/sectors and you receive a certificate once completed).

 

-          Applying to insight days, spring weeks or taster programmes (you can find these on websites such as : TargetJobs, RateMyPlacement, LinkedIn, Company Websites , RHUL Careers Portal.)

 

-          Anything that will provide you with more insight/experience in whatever capacity.

 

4.   MANAGE YOUR TIME

A lot of the time, companies send emails, required tasks and interview dates/times that may clash with academic responsibilities (e.g. lectures/workshops) or have a tight deadline. You MUST ensure that you check your emails (including spam) regularly, because you do not want to miss any important information or events. 

 

Utilise your calendar app and input any relevant/upcoming dates or tasks (with alerts) so that you do not become overwhelmed, and it is easier for you to organise yourself and time.

5.   PRACTISE PRACTISE PRACTISE

Take full advantage of all the resources available (especially on Moodle, the RHUL Careers Portal and online). Practising for the numerical, verbal reasoning and interview questions is essential, and will make your application process  smooth.

 

6.   ASSESSMENT CENTRE DAY

Getting to the last stage of the process can be equally nerve-wrecking as exciting, but don’t worry I got you covered!

 

- INDIVIDUAL PRESENTATION:

Depending upon the company, you might have to create a presentation based on the role you’re applying for. This is a great opportunity for you to show them everything you learnt about the relevant industry (To differentiate yourself from other candidates, highlight important facts/figures, introduce animations or transitions where applicable.)

 

- GROUP TASK:

 Be a team player! I cannot emphasise this enough. Be confident, listen and consider everyone’s opinions, but at the same time don’t be afraid to voice your own opinions too. If you’re particularly anxious on the day, I would recommend being the “Time-Keeper” as it is still a crucial role.

 

- INDIVIDUAL INTERVIEW:

- This is the perfect chance to show off everything you’ve learnt and gained. Ensure you reflect upon your self-growth and show them that you are always willing to learn and grow. Most importantly, ensure you have at least 3 questions to ask the interviewer before the interview concludes.

 

An assessment centre is the perfect opportunity for you to STAND OUT. Just be CONFIDENT, AUTHENTIC and FRIENDLY.

 

I have been in your shoes and 100% understand the anxiety, self-doubt and exhaustion you may feel over the duration of the process. That’s why I’m here!

 

Feel free to contact me via LinkedIn at any time for advice or a CV review:

 

www.linkedin.com/in/kendaa-cameron-chavannes-608a24251

 

 

 

 

 

 

“YOUR DREAM PLACEMENT IS JUST A FEW STEPS AWAY!” by Alricha Janeliz : incoming marketing placement at J&J

 

Hey guys! My name is Alricha Janeliz, and I am an incoming marketing placement at Johnson & Johnson beginning in June 2023. With over 100 brands, Johnson & Johnson has been awarded as one of the World’s most admired companies and no.1 in the pharmaceutical industry by Fortunes 2023.

Moving on, here are my top tips on what steps you can take to successfully secure your dream placement!

Before we begin, I’d like to share a brief overview of my recruitment process at J&J.

Based on the above overview and my personal experience, here are the following steps you can take:

1.       BE PROACTIVE AND ENGAGE AS MUCH AS YOU CAN!

·       Get involved in volunteering work, become a society member at university, or just take up a part-time job. Doing this will give you more stories, skills, and experiences to add value to your CV and talk about in your interviews!

·       Be passionate about gaining knowledge and experience in your desired industry.                   

For example: If you desire a placement in the marketing industry, you can take up free online marketing courses to sharpen your knowledge. (Google’s fundamentals of Digital Marketing is a great course which involves free certification as well).Further, make yourself familiar with some marketing tools: Even if you don’t have any experience in marketing, you can always start a social media page of your own, try selling your old clothes online, try designing a logo/website on Canva or any such ideas!

·       Avail the benefit of career events:  ensure that you attend, engage and network with YIB students during YIB events. This can help you gain loads of insights into a particular   company, its recruitment process and in gathering referrals!

 

2.       DO YOUR RESEARCH!

·       Make sure you research the company, its values, its mission etc, and specifically the role you are applying for. Now, carefully tailor everything you learnt and every experience you gained into your CV and cover letter to match the company & the role you are applying for and send out that application!

(Make them feel like the role was made for you)

 

3.       EFFICIENTLY MANAGE YOUR TIME

·       Imagine you make it to the 3^rd stage for a company and your application gets rejected only because you missed the deadline to complete your online interview….., now that’s something you’d definitely want to avoid!!                                                                              

     Keep in mind that each company has about 4-5 stages on an average during an entire  recruitment process, thus creating and maintaining an excel sheet to keep a note of your applications and deadlines per stage will help you in efficiently allotting your time to each.

 

4.       PRACTICE! PRACTICE! PRACTICE!

·       If the 2^nd or 3^rd stage involves any sort of online tests or a hire Vue interview, practice is the name of the game for you.

·       ONLINE TESTS: Watch YouTube videos to understand how to tackle various kinds of online tests. Next, apply this knowledge into answering free tests online, as well as the online psychometric tests available on RHUL careers portal.

·       HIREVUE INTERVIEW: Practice answering some common interview questions in the STAR format. Additionally, make sure you dress appropriately, have good lighting, and look into the camera while speaking confidently!

 

5.       ASSESSMENT CENTRE DAY

·       Getting to the last stage of the process can be equally nerve-wrecking as exciting, but don’t worry I got you covered!

·       INDIVIDUAL PRESENTATION: Depending upon the company, you might have to create a presentation based on the role you’re applying for. This is a great opportunity for you to show them everything you learnt about the relevant industry in step 1.

·       GROUP ASSIGNMENT: Be a team player!!! Be confident, listen and consider everyone’s opinions, but at the same time don’t be afraid to voice your own opinions too.

·       INDIVIDUAL INTERVIEW: This is a great chance to show off everything you’ve learnt and gained in steps 1, 2 & 4. Ensure you reflect upon your self-growth and show them that you are always willing to learn and grow.

·       REMEMBER: Assessment centre is the perfect opportunity for you to STAND OUT.          Just be CONFIDENT, AUTHENTIC, FRIENDLY and share a “VIBE” with the people there. 

 

TOP TIP: Lastly and most importantly, BELIEVE IN YOURSELF! I don’t mean to sound cliché but believing in yourself is so crucial. Don’t be afraid to aim for the big fish, I took the shot and I’m so grateful I did.

I hope all the above steps and tips help you in securing your dream placement, and I wish you nothing but the very best! Please feel free to drop me a text if you have any questions or need any assistance, I’m happy to help. ( LinkedIn: alrichajaneliz , Instagram: alrichajaneliz )

                                           

Top tips for finding the right placement for you by Ellie

This is a guest post by 2nd year YIB student Ellie, who is studying BSc Management with Human Resources at Royal Holloway and has just secured an HR placement. She shares details of the recruitment process she encountered and offers tips to fellow students.

Hi! My name is Ellie and I have just secured my 3rd year placement with Jacobs Douwe Egberts (JDE) as HR Talent Intern. In this post I’m going to offer my tips and advice to help you succeed in finding the right placement for you. 

I applied for several placement opportunities before securing the one at JDE and all application processes varied slightly. Some asked for video interviews whereas others asked for a phone call. My first tip would be DON’T GIVE UP. I faced plenty of rejections before receiving the phone call from JDE to say I had been offered the job - trust me, the feeling of being offered that placement made all of the rejections and being disheartened worth it.

CVs

My advice when it comes to your CV is to definitely book a CV appointment via the careers@ portal. They have some really great documents that helped me to make my CV more concise! I took a gap year and gained some experience in HR and therefore my CV was about 4 pages long! With the help from Katharine (Placement team) and the Careers team, I managed to pinpoint the most important aspects of my experience and halved my CV to 2 pages. 

Cover Letter

When it comes to cover letters, I found it was great to have a rough template that I would come back to and edit it with the skills to match the specific job application I was applying for. It isn’t a great idea to just send out the same cover letter to all applications as employers are looking for the relevant skills in your cover letter which should be addressed to THEM (or Sir/Madam if you don’t have a specific name to address it to). Tailoring your cover letter to the application will make you stand out from those who may have sent out a generic letter. 

Application Processes

In this section I’m going to talk about my specific process with JDE. This included a video interview, teams interview, a phone call, teams meeting, final interview and then a call - I am aware that some processes ask to go to assessment centres and/or present a presentation on a topic however I didn’t experience this so can’t offer any advice other than to dress professionally!!

Video interview

So, after I sent off my application I received an email from Sanctuary Graduates who are the recruitment agency that JDE uses for applications to cut hundreds of applications down to the final 4 or 5. This email was a link to a video interview in which I had to open the link and answer some questions in my own time. 

Top tips for video interviews would be to research the company first and plan potential answers, dress professionally, speak clearly, find a quiet, non distracting environment and don’t sit moving around too often as this can distract from your answers. The questions would come up on my screen and I had a set amount of time to think of an answer (I think about 2 minutes), then another 2-3 minutes to click ‘record’ and film my answer (once you hit record there's no going back so if you mess up on a word, carry on - don't hesitate looking for a way to restart because very often there isn't a way!!). 

There were 4-5 questions to answer and this process took about 20-30 minutes before it was submitted and I awaited further updates.

MS Teams Interview

Next, I was sent an invite to a teams interview with a representative from Sanctuary Graduates. Again, my tips for a teams interview would be the same as the video interview in as far as dressing professionally, being in a quiet environment and having a background that isn't distracting (try to find a blank wall or somewhere in front of a blind/curtains that can be shut). If this isn't possible, you can use the blur effect on teams that blurs out everything around you! During the interview, I was asked questions that dug deeper into my experience. I was also asked some competency questions that require you to answer is STAR format which is where you explain the:

Situation that you were in,

the Task you were doing,

the Action you took

and the Result.

When answering any questions, it is important to use “I” and not “we” as the interview is only interested in yourself - if it's a situation that didn’t have a positive outcome, that is fine as long as you acknowledge how you learnt from it and do not lay blame on anyone else. 

Phone Call

I won’t go into too much detail here but after the teams interview, I heard back to say I had been shortlisted and would be getting an invite to an informal meeting over teams in which I would meet the current intern (whose job I would be taking over), as well as the other 3 candidates who were shortlisted.

 MS Teams Meeting

This meeting was more of an informal chat with a cup of coffee (JDE are of course a coffee company!!). The current intern  went through a presentation explaining in depth who JDE were, what the job would entail, and gave us an opportunity to ask any questions ahead of the final interview.

Final Interview

The all important final interview. I’ve made it this far, to fall at the last hurdle would have been gut wrenching! The informal meeting was on Friday and the final interview on Monday, so I spent the ENTIRE weekend doing some research, preparations, more research and more prep. By Monday, I felt fairly confident that I had done all I possibly could, and whatever the outcome I’d be proud of my efforts. The interview was with the current intern and the placement manager (the person I will go to for everything next year!). They both made the interview process less daunting and pretty enjoyable. It was a formal interview in as far as again, dressing appropriately, having a plain background, quiet place etc.. but they made it nice and chatty so there weren’t any awkward silences. We spoke about the job I would be doing, my HR experience, and then I was asked both competency and situational questions. After the interview which lasted an hour, I felt confident with how it all went and was told that if it was a clear decision, I would hear back tomorrow but if not I would be made aware of another interview with “The Big Bosses”!!

 The next day, I got an email from the placement manager asking if he could call me with some news. 20 minutes later he called with the good news to say I really stood out in the interviews and he would be delighted to have me as the newest intern for 2023/2024, and just like that I had secured my placement!

To sum up, here’s a list of my top tips and advice:

-        Research the company you are applying for

-        Dress professionally (no hoodies lol, I love a hoodie but opted for a plain black top and jeans) - even though on a teams meeting they can’t see your bottom half, I suggest still wearing something smarter than pj bottoms as it helps you get in professional mode!

-        Plain background or use blurring effect on teams

-        Use headphones/airpods as this limits the amount of background noise

-        Try not to fidget too much! If you are nervous, it may be useful to have something off camera you can subtly fidget with but don’t make it obvious (wobbling or constantly playing with hair etc will be distracting to your interviewer)

-        Eye contact - obviously don’t spend the entire interview staring into the interviewers soul, but equally don’t spend it staring in the complete wrong direction

 

I hope this helps, feel free to email me or message on LinkedIn with any questions or extra advice!! www.linkedin.com/in/ellie-graziano-6470a7177