dress for success
5 ways to increase your bank balance placement panic RPC Insight Days
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contents Editor’s letter 5 Ways to increase your bank account Dress for success RPC insight day How to keep your New Year’s Resolution Placement panic BFKitchen The Review Room
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Company profiles
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Santander
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PwC
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Transport For London
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Teachfirst
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Costain
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KPMG
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Jobmi
23
RPC
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Tesco
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Barratt
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HSBC
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M&S
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tesco Society of the Year [Strathclyde University] www.tesco-graduates.com
RPC Fastest growing society [Lancaster University] www.rpc.co.uk/manifesto
Siemens Collaboration of the year [Lancaster University] www.siemens.co.uk/careers
Wragge & Co Most Diverse society [University of East Anglia] www.wragge-graduates.co.uk
PwC President of the Year [Liam Tollinton – York University] www.pwc.co.uk/careers
Centrica Regional Ambassador of the year [Kamil Bend Chiche – Bristol UWE] www.centrica.com
IBM Investor of the Year www.ibm.com/jobs/uk/graduate
Atkins Newcomer of the Year
[Hull University] careers.atkinsglobal.com
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Rolls Royce Event of the Year www.rolls-royce.com/careers
editors letter Welcome to our January E-magazine. There is, as ever, loads of great content this month, from the serious job hunting tips and current employment opportunities for interns and graduates, to practical tips on improving your bank balance and how to dress at interviews , plus some of the more fun stuff. With January Exams now out of the way, you might now be thinking about the rest of the academic year and what you want to achieve. This might involve revisiting those ‘New Year’s Resolutions’ that you made and have slipped, or you planned to make but never did! My view about ‘New Year’s Resolutions’ is not to make them! If you want something to happen be that ‘get fit’, ‘lose weight’, ‘get a job’ or even ‘learn to play a musical instrument’, why make such a resolution once a year on 1st January? If you want something don’t wait (or worst still make such a plan once a year), just go after it NOW and as often as you decide you really want something else or new. Of all the students, graduates & employers I meet, those that have achieved the most (and done so quickly) are those who know what they want and go after it time and time again. They don’t wait for things to happen to them, they make things happen and create the outcomes (and life) they want. The quote in my email signature says it all: “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” George Bernard Shaw
And finally if you want some great insights into how to differentiate yourself & make yourself more employable go to the homepage of our website and click on the link to download the FREE report from our National Employability Conference which we held at Aston Villa Football Stadium at the end of 2014. The event was scored as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ by 98% of the employers, students, universities and schools who attended. Enjoy this month’s e-zine
Simon Reichwald | Director, Bright Futures P.S. And check out our BLOG for loads of great articles and tips on how to make yourself more employable. www.brightfutures.co.uk
*If you don’t have a Society at your university then set up your own! Contact us at society@brightfutures.co.uk and we can get you started right away! 3
5 ways to increase the bank account So it’s now January, the Christmas buzz has been and gone. You may well now be the proud owner of 20 pairs of socks but the bank account balance may not be looking as healthy as it could be after the Christmas spend and January sales. So how can you give you bank account that January boost it might well need. Well here at Bright Futures we have found some ways of making some more cash that you may wish to adopt.
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1.Online Surveys It is certainly an easy thing to say, but when you (eventually) get some spare time you may want to consider completing a few online surveys. Research companies are always recruiting new members to answer surveys and test new products. For a few minutes of form filling, you can make a couple of quid which is paid as cash or in rewards. You can make up to £3 for some surveys! A few good ones to try are: Toluna, Vivatic and MySurvey.
2. Mobile Phone Recycling Father Christmas may well have brought you a nice shiny new phone for Christmas, or you may well have a good old Nokia 3310 hidden in the bottom of your wardrobe. Either way did you know you can get money for you old phones? It is a win win, you can get some good money and help the environment by recycling mobile phones!
3. Start your own website If you’ve ever seen the film “The Social Network” then you’ve most likely had your brain spinning as to what website you can start-up to make you billions. And of course there are lots of stories out there about successful students who have started a site while at university, or even bought a domain name and later sold it for 1000s.
4. Write and publish a Kindle eBook We know that students are the experts when it comes to researching and writing. With the Amazon Kindle store, anyone can publish an eBook and make money. List your book for £1.49 – £6.99 and you earn 70% of the sale. The apparent key to success with eBooks is to create value, and write non-fiction. Simply bundling information you have researched and complied on a common problem and then presenting it in an easy to digest format (an eBook) justifies someone spending a few quid on it. Another big tip it seems is to have a great cover designed so it stands out, and once your book is live on the Kindle store (approval takes less than 48 hours) it’s really important to get some reviews so it shows up higher in results.
5. Sell second-hand course books For those budding entrepreneurs one easy and great way to make money is to buy other students’ text books at the end of the year, and then sell them just after freshers’ week – when the new intake of students know that they need them!
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Dress for Success
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It is interview day and as we all know first impressions really do matter. But what do you wear, what is appropriate, what is expected? Well hopefully the below will be able to help answer some of those questions.
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What should you wear? The best way to answer this is for you to imagine what you would wear if you were successful in getting the job and your manager asks you to go and meet a very important client. The safest bet is a business-like dark suit (black, charcoal grey, navy) with a lightly coloured shirt.
After the interview you want the interviewer to be making comments on how good you are and not commenting on your clothes, accessories or even perfume/aftershave. Because of this it is recommended you do not experiment with bold colours, excessive jewellery or even a powerful scent. It is worth noting this may be useful when going for a role where your sense of style may be a selling point. The best rule of thumb is to try and look as conventional and tidy as possible. Remember once you have the job that’s when you can let you personality shine.
One point to remember is that different industries will have different dress codes. The best way forward in this case is to err on the side of formality. Even in creative industries such as the media or publishing, where day-to-day office dress may be more casual than in finance or law, interview candidates are still expected to dress smartly.
Be prepared If you do not feel comfortable and confident in your outfit then you will not come across well in the interviews. Make sure beforehand that the clothes fit, are clean and most importantly you feel comfortable. Make sure any items that need to be ironed are, and lastly give you shoes a good polish!
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THE LAW CAREER FOR PIONEERS
7. OVER TO YOU... INSIGHT EVENT – LONDON Want to find out more about what life in a pioneering firm is really like? Interested in helping us shape the future of the profession? Or do you just want advice on securing a training contract? Then come and meet us at our London office on 21 January 2015 from 3:00pm.
If you want to keep up to date with everything we do, as a student, an employer or academic, register with us and we’ll send you our monthly hirEd ezine and other hints, tips, news and insight.
www.brightfutures.co.uk
How to keep to your New Year’s resolution So after eating one too many mince pies you may want to make a New Year’s resolution to get fit. Or maybe you want to be more organised after spending your Christmas Holidays trying to catch up on University work. Whatever resolution you choose you need to make sure you stick to it. So we have got a few tips that can help you reach that goal! 10
1. Just pick one! It is hard enough sticking to one resolution never mind two, three or even four!! You may find that there are a lot of things in your life you want to change. Well it won’t work doing it all in one go, it is best doing it one step at a time. If you have a list of resolutions as long as your arm then you may wish to give yourself month deadlines, therefore not overloading yourself.
2. Be realistic There is no point choosing a New Year’s resolution that you are never going to achieve. For example running 10 marathons in 2 weeks, or climbing Mount Everest. However if this is your ideal end goal, it may be worthwhile setting smaller targets. Such as run one marathon this year or climb Ben Nevis and Kilimanjaro within the year.
3. Pick a start date Choosing the right day to start is very important. Most people would say start on the 1st of January. However is this really the best day to start? You may be feeling rather fragile and tired, so not a great time to be getting stuck in to a new challenge. The best time to get started tends to be when you are well rested and surrounded by positive people.
4. Go for it When you have selected a start date you need to make sure you hit the ground running. You really do have to go for it! Write down the resolution on some card and stick it on your wall so you can see it every day. By having this gentle reminder it will help you keep determined.
5. Plan rewards Rewards are always a nice thing to have when you achieve. To start you may want to have small rewards as you go are a great way to keep yourself motivated. You may want to reward yourself once a week, maybe a magazine, trip to the cinema or even a new album. In short whatever makes you tick! After a while you may want to change these rewards from a weekly basis to a monthly basis. Then of course once you reach your goal at the end of the year, splash out and really treat yourself. You would have deserved it!
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placement
Panic
So it is now second term of university, it has flown by! However it may have gone too quick in regards to you organising a placement for the coming summer. Are you running around like a headless chicken trying to find somewhere or gain a little more information? If this is you then first of all calm down, do not panic and take it steady. We have some handy tips to help you get that placement you need.
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...but first thing to do is relax and breath, it will all work out!
Tips: Be Open minded. Instead of looking at the top 5 or 10 placement employers it may be worth looking further afield. You may want to look at working with SME’s (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises). Sometime these are actually more rewarding as you get to see a lot more of the business entities. Be Passionate. If you are passionate about the role you are applying for you will discover that your application is better of a better quality as well as your interview. Time is very precious so do not waste it by completing applications for companies who you definitely do not want to work for. Be Prepared. Make sure you update your CV and have a good list of examples you can demonstrate to an interviewer. By having a few competencies in your head when it comes to the placement interview you will be prepared and ready for any question. Careers Services. This is a brilliant tool that is available to you all. Use this to your full advantage. Ask them to proof read your CV, point you in the direction of other placements and also hold practice interviews with you. Network, Network and more Network. By networking with employers it allows you to hear more about the jobs on offer. It also gives you a chance to make a good impression to the management team. Networking also allows you to discover what the culture is like and also maybe a little inside knowledge too. First Place | Mentors. Lastly you can use the tool First Place Mentors. This can be found at www.firstplacementors.co.uk. Bright Futures have partnered with First Place Mentors to help provide you with more tools to make you more employable. In short this site puts you in contact with mentors who can then answer any questions you may have to do with the application process. 13
BFKitchen
Chicken quesadillas and sweetcorn salsa
This tasty number is straight from James Martin. It is a great way to use up leftover roast chicken and is also perfect for a quick snack or a nibble at a party.
Preparation time: 30 mins Cooking time: 30mins to 1 hour Serves: 4 Ingredients: For the quesadilla 8 ready-made flour tortillas 250g/9oz mature cheddar, grated 300g/11oz cooked chicken, ] thickly sliced ½ red onion, finely sliced 60g/2½oz jalapeno chillies, roughly chopped 1 small bunch coriander leaves and roots 4 tbsp sour cream 2 tbsp olive oil
For the salsa 150g/5oz sweetcorn 20g/žoz jalapeno chillies, roughly chopped 1 green chilli, finely chopped 1 lime, juice only 2 tbsp fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped 2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method 1. For quesadilla, place four of the tortillas onto a board and cover each with the grated cheese. 2. Divide the chicken, red onion, jalapeno chillies and coriander equally over the cheese-covered tortillas. 3. Spread the sour cream onto one side of each of the remaining four tortillas and place sour cream-side down onto the filled tortillas. 4. Heat a frying pan and add the oil. Carefully place a quesadilla into the frying pan and cook over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes, until crisp and golden and the cheese filling is melting. Carefully turn the quesadilla over and cook on the other side for a further two minutes, or until crisp and golden. Remove from the pan and set aside to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining quesadillas. 5. Cut the quesadillas into quarters and serve fresh and hot. 14
Dictaphone
Shazam
Maths Alarm Clock
Dictaphone
Maths Alarm Clock
Shazam
This app is perfect for anyone wishing to dictate notes and memos as well as record meetings, lectures, interviews, and day to day sounds. It is time to free up your hands and get rid of the traditional notepad! Stop typing and taking notes by hand and start audio recording everything you need. You can even share the audio directly from the app via email or even save it to drop box so you can access it anywhere.
Do you struggle getting up in the morning and getting your brain engaged? Well maybe you should check this app out! Wake up every morning to a simple maths question to engage your brain and allow it to slowly wake up and function. What more do you want at 6am in the morning!
Have you got a song stuck in your head and you can’t think who it is by? Or have you just heard a really good tune and want to know who it is by? Well Shazam may be able to help. All you need to do is tap the Shazam button and it will listen to the song and instantly identify it for you!
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Name: Eilidh McAlister: Technology and Operations Graduate
Keeping the bank running activities include embedding a control model within business as usual processes, quality control of services provided and managing the budget. The aim is to optimise processes, quality and to reduce cost. T&O are also responsible for introducing new services, adhering to new regulatory requirements and improving operational and technological risk. How would you summarise your division? Data Security: The team’s responsibility is to provide advice and oversight to Santander UK on data privacy matters. This largely focuses on the secure transfer of customer and other personal information, for both internal and external data transfers. We are also involved in the supplier management cycle ensuring third parties are compliant with data security standards prior to an award of contract being made. CIO- Applications Map: The group is responsible for creating and maintaining an Inventory of all IT applications used within the bank. The Application Map project is a fairly new venture with new objectives and functions constantly evolving. The main purpose is to identify and manage operational and technological risk with a particular focus on tracking technical obsolescence. As the Application Map forms part of the global model there are regular catch ups with the team in Madrid to share ideas and discuss the future direction. A new IT tool, Orbis, has recently been developed to provide an interactive Application Map for business users. This is updated by the team regularly and also provides information regarding IT incidents. SIM Control Team (Santander ISA Managers): The SIM Control Team provides oversight and monitoring of all transactions and services carried out by third party providers in relation to investment products. We are responsible for ensuring service providers comply with risk controls, pass quality checks and meet service level agreements. The aim is to ensure regulatory requirements are met and an excellent customer experience is provided. What responsibilities do you have? Data Security: Responsibilities include providing advice to different business areas within Santander UK on data privacy matters. Queries were often received when new projects were undertaken to ensure all the activities would be carried out in compliance with the
Data Movement Standard. Additionally, business areas were required to complete a Customer Data Security Workbook on a half yearly basis to ensure each division was compliant with the bank’s standards. The Workbooks were reviewed upon completion and resulting action points were managed and tracked through to resolution.
act within a team and respond to challenges, as well as reflection on what you want from your own career and what action you can take to achieve it. Peer feedback and sharing of experiences was also a very valuable outcome of the events. It was an excellent opportunity to get to know Grads from other areas of the business.
The role also involved ensuring any potential third party suppliers were vetted for compliance with our data security standards prior to an award of contract being made. Where suppliers did not meet our requirements intervention was required to stop or alter services until a secure solution could be established. Site visits to supplier premises were also completed for providers handling or processing highly sensitive data.
Have you been involved in any interesting projects? I have been involved in a project set up to resolve an incident reported to the FCA. It involves supporting resolution activities of affected customer cases, reviewing current procedures to identify areas of improvement, identifying gaps in the current control framework and introducing new measures. Input and liaison has been required from multiple stakeholders including Geoban, complaints, comms, service delivery, compliance and risk. The aim is to enhance the customer experience going forward, as well as ensuring the incident cannot be repeated. Regular updates are provided to the FCA advising of progress in the resolution activities and the additional measures implemented to improve the customer journey.
Application Map: This role involved working within a very small team to manage an internal inventory of all IT applications used within the bank. Half yearly assessments were conducted to identify any applications which posed an operational or technological risk. The findings of the assessments were presented to the Operational and Technological Risk Committee who agreed required actions to address the identified risks. During this placement a new IT tool was under development which created an interactive version of the Application Map in a user friendly format for internal customers. This required work to ensure data uploads were accurate and complete. An exercise was also undertaken to link applications with other repositories, including Remedy to provide visibility of IT incidents to business users. This meant close liaison with two of Santander’s IT companies, as well as IT engagement managers from across T&O. SIM Controls: This role requires the delivery of day-to-day tasks within agreed timescales. This includes daily oversight and weekly monitoring activities to ensure all services provided by our suppliers are carried out accurately, appropriately and in compliance with procedures. A review of the SIM control framework is also being undertaken. The review is looking to ensure all current controls are both required and effective as well as implementing new measures if appropriate. The exercise will be carried out with input from service providers to identify areas to be improved. What do you think has been your most valuable experience so far? The most valuable experience of the Graduate Programme so far has been the development activities which took place in Cumbria. The Workshops and two ‘Festivals of Learning’ have been useful in not only increasing my knowledge of management and leadership techniques but more importantly increasing own self-awareness. This ranges from awareness of how you
company profile
The Technology and Operations division is responsible for both ‘keeping the bank running’ as well as creating and implementing change.
Santander
What is Technology and Operations all about?
Have you had any challenging moments during your time on the Graduate Programme? I completed both the CIOBS Banking Diploma and ILM qualification within the first year of my Graduate Programme, which although it was quite challenging to manage alongside my full time role, it was a great opportunity to develop my knowledge and skills. Graduate schemes at Santander are also rotational so I needed to be flexible. You may be required to relocate to a number of different sites across the UK up to three times within a year. A role with Technology and Operations provides a unique, 360° understanding of how one of the world’s leading banks actually works. You’ll embark on several rotations, giving you with the opportunity to get involved in major change projects, with real responsibility early on. This could be anything from the latest business acquisitions to the launch of brand new products and services. We’re looking for hands-on people who can collaborate with colleagues across all areas of the bank and share their own ideas on how we can use innovative processes and technology to improve our business. Put our Technology and Operations opportunities at the top of your list. Please visit www.santanderearlyincareer.co.uk to find out more about our Graduate or Internship roles and to apply.
To find out more and apply please visit www.santanderukgraduates.com
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PwC
We have opportunities to join us in 2015
company profile
Whatever year you’re in we have work experience and graduate opportunities available to join us in 2015. Talent academies Get a unique insight into what we do and how we do it on one of our Talent Academies for undergraduates. From Oil & Gas to Women in Business and Belfast to the UK, you’ll develop valuable business skills and discover where your strengths and interests lie. Women in business During this paid placement, you’ll shadow one of our female leaders on a one week experience. You’ll choose which office you’d like to come to and which area of the
business you’re interested in. Our national opportunities will be running over the Christmas, Easter and summer holidays (restrictions for some areas). Open to first and second year students. Tech week During this week-long paid placement, you’ll shadow members of our Technology team spanning across Technology Consulting, Data Analytics, IT Risk Assurance and Cyber Security. Open to all undergraduate students. On all our work experience programmes, impress us during the week and following a final interview, you could earn a place on one of our summer internships, work placements or graduate roles for the following year.
one of our 27 regional offices. We have roles available across all of our key business areas: Assurance, Consulting, Deals, Tax and Technology in our regional offices, including: Aberdeen, Belfast, Liverpool, Sheffield, East Midlands, Milton Keynes, Swansea, Cambridge and Norwich. Already graduated? We have vacancies starting in April in our offices in Scotland, the North and the South East to join us in Assurance so tell your family and friends that have already graduated.
Take the opportunity of a lifetime.
pwc.com/uk/work-experience
Graduating in 2015? We’re recruiting over 1400 graduates this year and over 700 of these people will join
Take the opportunity of a lifetime. pwc.com/uk/careers facebook.com/PwCCareersUK @PwC_UK_Careers 18
It takes a team of more than 27,000 employees to keep London moving so investing in our people is as important as investing in our network. And our employees are as diverse as the city we serve – our Capital is a truly global city with around eight million people originating from 150 countries and speaking 300 different languages. It’s an exciting place to be. Graduates will get the opportunity to see how their work impacts the city. They could be engineers or quantity surveyors; work in general, project or information management; have the analytical skills for transport planning or traffic control; or support the business through procurement and
marketing. And we give successful applicants responsibility early on, no matter which scheme they choose. We are in the midst of one of our greatest periods of investment so there are many exciting projects to become involved with. Whether graduates want to dig, design, plan, manage or explore, they can expect to receive all the personal and professional development they need at TfL.
Year in Industry Architecture Commercial Procurement Facilities Management Information Management Quantity Surveying
company profile
Transport for London (TfL) is a leader in innovation and our services are recognised across the world. From red buses and black cabs to Tube trains, we are responsible for virtually every mode of transport in the Capital.
TFL
Graduate, Year in Industry and Summer Placement Opportunities
Summer Placement Quantity Surveying
The majority of our schemes have now closed for applications but the following graduate, year in industry and summer placement opportunities are still available:Graduate Scheme Architecture Commercial Property Surveying Electrical Engineering Quantity Surveying Road Space Management
More details are available at tfl.gov.uk/graduates Choose wisely as you can only make one application per year. 19
Teach First
We are a charity working to end educational inequality. We believe inspirational teaching and leadership is key to helping every child succeed, regardless of their background.
company profile
In the UK today, the link between how much your family earn and how well you do in school and in life is stronger than almost anywhere in the developed world. It doesn’t have to be this way.
change and develop leaders for the future. Put simply, they know that graduates who can engage, stimulate and inspire in the classroom can handle pretty much any situation in any organisation.
Since 2002 over 7000 graduates have joined our Leadership Development Programme (LDP) across England and Wales and helped change the lives of thousands of young people.
After two years, our participants become ambassadors. More than half continue to teach and many move into middle and senior leadership positions in schools. Others move into other positions in government, businesses, social enterprise and the third sector, where they continue to influence change for young people in the UK. No matter what they choose to do next, each has the belief and commitment that together we can end educational inequality. They work in communities across the UK to lead real change.
Our LDP is a personalised programme encompassing high-quality training, supportive coaching, work experience and a PGCE qualification. The skills and experience gained can be taken forward into any career. That’s why many businesses recognise our programme’s ability to effect
Find out more at: • • • • 20 24
Some people join us knowing they want to stay in education; some are sure that they don’t; and others are uncertain about their plans. All of them find the experience of our Leadership Development Programme to be powerful, rewarding and enlightening. And all are changed by it. Apply now for the 2015 cohort and join 2000 other graduates committed to ending educational inequality. Education has the power to transform lives. So do you. Change their lives. Change yours.
www.teachfirst.org.uk/ graduates.teachfirst.org.uk/our-programme www.youtube.com/user/TeachFirstUK www.twitter.com/Teachfirst
My summer placement was spent building schools in south east London. My Industrial Placement was a split placement; with the first 6 months being spent in the Work Winning team at Costain’s head office, followed by 6 months spent working on Crossrail’s Paddington
Station. The knowledge and ‘reallife’ experience gained from these placements led to a successful final year at university, enabling me to secure a permanent job with Costain following my graduation. I am now placed back in Paddington in the Project Controls team. The department focused on producing a Project Dashboard, a complex report, which was used to keep the client updated in terms of anticipated final cost, forecast target, earned value, and forecast expenditure, amongst others. Alongside my day job, I am currently in the second year of Costain’s Graduate Development Programme. This includes attending a number of training programmes over a three year period aimed
company profile
During my final year at college I decided I wanted to pursue a degree in Quantity Surveying & Commercial Management. Through research gathered including employers’ statistics from ‘TheJobCrowd.com’, I decided to apply to Costain. My successful interview process with Costain and subsequent sponsorship kick-started my career ensuring that I would gain the necessary experience I needed through summer and Industrial placements.
Costain
High Expectations, Recognition and Reward by Carlos Carvalho at promoting professional development whilst providing a focus on attaining Chartership. Thanks for my wide and diverse range of professional skills and experiences accumulated to date are due largely to Costain’s highly flexible graduate scheme which allows individuals the opportunity to move between departments and sectors in order to boost their progress in their chosen fields of work. High working expectations by the company are met with an appropriate recognition of individuals’ contribution, strengths and merits; I would thoroughly recommend a career with Costain.
Visit: www.costain.com Summer Placements and Graduate vacancies are live. 21
Want a graduate role where you can make a difference? KPMG
company profile
Being part of one of KPMG’s Public Sector business advisory teams could offer you the perfect career balance in both helping our public services to make a real impact on individuals and our communities, whilst also providing you with a challenging yet rewarding career. KPMG’s Public Sector Audit team works with education, local government, social housing and not-for-profits such as charities and
regulators where their remit is wider than the straightforward auditing of financial statements; they also work to help organisations make the best use of taxpayers’ funds, grants and donations, and to support the delivery of improved public services.
Sector Audit practice will allow you to further develop your technical skills, gain valuable work experience in a broad range of different Public Sector organisations as well as attaining further professional qualifications, all whilst knowing your individual contribution is making a difference to society.
Whether preparing presentations for meetings, producing proposals for pieces of work, or carrying out risk checks on clients, a role in KPMG’s Public
KPMG have Public Sector vacancies nationwide; for more information and to apply, please click here. 22
“Strengths” are something you are good at, love to do and use a lot. There are many strengths that a person can have and there are also wide differences in strengths between people. Some may have many, some only a few. Some people may even have the same strength as others but to varying degrees in energy or performance. My point is this; your strengths are unique to you. So how do you find them out?
Firstly, if you actually think about it, I’m sure most of you could come up with a couple of strengths you think you might possess, but if you can’t or want to know your full package there is one simple way to find out. On jobmi the “My Strengths” assessment is specifically tailored for this purpose. It doesn’t take long to complete, and afterwards you get a personal report back about your strengths!
do is very important in life, and knowing what you are good at will give you direction and guidance on what activities and roles you will be good at and love to do.
Once you know your strengths this can be very empowering. Personally, after I uncovered my strengths I found myself using them more, I had more confidence in them and through that, my strengths became stronger. Having confidence in what you can
Speak Soon
company profile
Hi everyone, I hope you had an awesome Christmas and New Year and you’re ready for a strong start to this year! I use the word strong deliberately; I want to talk to you briefly about strengths.
Jobmi
Lets have a strong start to the New Year!
So my New Year advice to all of you would be this, find out your strengths, and in the coming year try to use them more, make them even stronger and trust me, you will reap the benefits!
Josh
Join us on Facebook www.Facebook.com/JobmiPlatform Follow us on Twitter @Jobmi_Platform 23
Deadline approaching for RPC London Summer Vacation Scheme applications – apply now! RPC
company profile
If you never go against the grain, always follow the well-trodden path and consistently take the safe option, you could find yourself sleepwalking into a predictable career with a traditional firm. If that’s how you see your future, we wish you every success. But please look away now. If you prefer the bold to the boring, however, and find the prospect of joining a different kind of law firm enticing, we’d love to talk to you.
We run summer vacation schemes each year to enable prospective trainees to spend time with us, getting a feel for what we do and what it’s like to work here. We want to break the mould, rewrite the rules and redefine the legal profession. Your mission could be to build the law firm of the future, today. And to define your career at the same time. If this sounds like the type of role for you, we want to hear from you.
www.rpc.co.uk/manifesto or follow us on twitter @LifeinaLawFirm 24
The closing date for our Vacation scheme is 31 January 2015.
My journey from struggling graduate to Tesco’s Finest
I first thought about applying to Tesco while I was on the phone to my brother. “Tesco have a good graduate scheme.” He said. He was wrong. Tesco actually has 21 Early Careers Programmes and I was torn between several options, eventually applying to the Digital Retailing Programme. What did I know about digital retail? Not much. It was the opportunity to rotate across four areas of the online business within a year that attracted me to the programme. It was a fast-track to gaining insight into an ever expanding part of the world’s third largest retailer. I walked into the assessment day, dressed as a ‘young professional’, keen to showcase my capabilities. But from the outset it was made explicit that we should demonstrate our personalities
too. Tesco is proud to be a ‘great place to work’ and the interview process was incredibly laid back considering Tesco’s scale. I even enjoyed it. The first four weeks of my programme were spent working in store, gaining insight into Tesco with my feet on the store floor. It was a chance to experience the intricacies of the day to day running of a store (believe me, there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes!) and to interact with the customers who are at the heart of what we do. The month flew by but I’d never worked in an office before and I felt a bit daunted on my first day there. Everyone seemed so knowledgeable. Conversations were hard to follow and crucial phrases were shortened into indeterminable acronyms. I felt as though I’d been dropped in at the deep end but at Tesco it is not a culture of ‘sink or swim’. There is a genuine interest in the success of each and every colleague and my line manager was trusting, empathetic and flexible from the start. For additional support each graduate was assigned a ‘buddy’ from the year above and
a mentor from a higher work level. With their backing, I quickly became a valued member of the team and my projects started making a tangible difference.
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On the cusp of gradulthood with a history degree and some bar work behind me, I didn’t have a clue where to look for a job or whether anyone would take me seriously.
Tesco
by Olivia Hall-Smith
As my confidence grew I took on extra responsibilities outside of my every day workload. I found that there were a multitude of things to immerse myself in and became the co-ordinator for the monthly Business Updates, a representative for Tesco charity events and I even helped plan the Christmas activities within the office. Starting a career is hard work but at Tesco it is also rewarding and enjoyable. I found others were keen to help and determined to be ‘better together’. I am constantly challenged and regularly given feedback so that I can test my abilities and improve my performance. I have developed as a professional and as a person and I am excited about my future. If you’re looking to start a career that is exciting and dynamic it’s worth remembering that Tesco don’t just have a good graduate scheme, they have great ones.
Twitter: @TescoEC Facebook: Tesco Early Careers Website: www.tesco-earlycareers.com 25
Barratt
The very first International Outstanding Achievement Awards, run by the Chartered Institute of Building, has recognised one of Barratt Developments’ Graduates, Alex Cook. The awards set out to discover the hidden heroes within project teams who have made an outstanding contribution and changed things for the better.
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Alex was awarded ‘Outstanding Newcomer of the Year’ for his impact at Barratt. After only eight weeks in the business, he identified an opportunity to improve the process for contracting affordable housing. He took ownership for negotiating contracts for 29 homes. Managers at Barratt were so impressed with his work, he was asked to take on a further 19 homes. Alex’s rapid and impressive achievement is fitting, as he joined Barratt Developments on their ASPIRE Graduate Programme, one of two programmes available to ambitious graduates. The award winning programmes, designed for those who want to fast-track their careers, last between one and two years. Through a combination of development courses, onthe-job learning, coaching, and high level projects, , graduates acquire recognised professional qualifications, along with all the
practical experience they need to build the foundations for a career in housebuilding. Suzie Flynn is Barratt’s Graduate & Future Talent Manager. She says: “We’re really proud of Alex and what he’s achieved. He has set the benchmark for others joining our ASPIRE Graduate Programme.” Barratt has been rated the UK’s Top Company in the Job Crowd’s ‘Top 100 Companies for Graduates to work for’ rankings in 2014/15, so this is a significant accolade.
Given all this, it’s perhaps no surprise that Alex continues to break new ground. He has now been selected to join a strategic working group, alongside senior managers. Suzie Flynn says: “Alex’s contribution led management to create a role for him to specifically look at developing innovation on a full time basis.” He certainly sounds like the right man for the job.
Alex’s IOAA is not his only award. Suzie Flynn notes: “Not only was he runner-up in the Rising Star Category in the TARGETJobs National Graduate Recruitment Awards earlier in 2014, he’s now been crowned as Outstanding Newcomer.”
www.barrattfuturetalent.co.uk www.thejobcrowd.com/employer/barratt-developments/reviews www.buildingcareerstogether.co.uk/ Twitter - @barrattgrads 26
Life as a HSBC Graduate
I found myself supported by my colleagues from the outset. We now have an established forum which hopefully will be used as a point of contact for colleagues on my scheme going forward. I also am closely involved with volunteering projects and have recently been
I have already had the opportunity to sit in different teams throughout the UK with HSBC, having met colleagues from different segments of the business. I am currently based in a variety of branches throughout central London and have the privilege to be working in one of the largest branches in the UK. In my current placement I have the opportunity to work with small business customers and truly understand their needs; it is an exciting role to be involved in. Being on the HSBC Graduate scheme
presents you with a multitude of opportunities, guaranteeing that no day is the same and I have certainly widened my understanding since being a part of it�
HSBC
working closely with HSBC on the recruiting of new graduates, which allows me to visit universities throughout the country and convey the opportunities that HSBC has to offer in addition to mentoring new joiners within my business area.
Alexandra Kidson; Commercial 2014 Graduate
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“I have been on the HSBC Graduate scheme for nearly 8 months now. I can safely say that being on the scheme has been a whirl wind from the moment I arrived. From day 1 you are encouraged to get involved in any number of activities. Whether this is through participation in extracurricular activities or something related to the specific area that you work in. I personally took opportunity of this support from the bank and decided to set up a forum for our graduate scheme.
Opportunities still available. What happens next is up to you.
Visit our website for more information: www.hsbc.com/careers/studentsandgraduates www.youtube.com/user/HSBCNOW 27
M&S is renowned for providing millions of customers every day with outstanding fresh food. Guarding the safety, quality and legality of our food is the responsibility of our Food Technologists. Owen said yes to M&S. Now he’s doing a job where no two days are the same.
M&S
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Any retailer that aspires to have a great reputation for food has to have a great reputation for food technology – and M&S certainly has that. “M&S has always pushed the boundaries when it comes to food technology in terms of both products and innovation. In fact, I would say that M&S has historically set the ground rules for food technology in the industry,” Owen argues. So what do M&S Food Technologists do to maintain that reputation? Day to day, they work alongside buyers and product developers, taking new food products from initial concept in the kitchen into factory production and finally to the stores. All the time they’re learning on the job.
The job involves thinking scientifically, reacting to new trends and delivering something new to customers, and Owen believes there is no such thing as a typical day. “As a Food Technologist, I can be travelling around the world or the UK to meet suppliers or holding quality control panels to make sure our standards never fall.” Food Technologists are involved in lots of different projects to bring new products to market, some of which can be highly technical. You might have seen the new M&S runny Scotch egg advertised, but Owen has his own particular favourite: “I relaunched sushi. That was fascinating and challenging. I had to look into all the traditional ways of making it and then make it work on a factory scale.”
For graduate opportunities please visit: marksandspencergrads.com 28
But one day a year, you won’t find Owen trying to tempt the nation’s taste buds with something new. ”We’re encouraged to spend one day a year working with a charity,” he explains. “This year, I’m running a half-marathon in support of Macmillan Cancer Support. Wish me luck!” You can watch Owen’s video and find out more by visiting marksandspencergrads.com