National award SPONSORS IBM Society of the Year [University of Manchester] www.ibm.com/jobs/uk/graduate
contents
RPC Event of the Year [Time with Industry - Staffordshire University] www.rpc.co.uk/manifesto
Editor’s letter p3 If you had a superpower, what would it be and why? p4-5 Getting from point A to point B p6-7
Siemens Collaboration Award [Staffordshire University] www.siemens.co.uk/careers
STEM - UK Student Challenge p8 My placement at Bright Futures p10-11 Tough interview questions p12-13
Advorto Fastest Growing Society [King’s College, London] www.advorto.com
Stand out in the job hunting crowd p14-15 I have a degree - now what? p16-17 The review room p18
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Company profiles p19 p20: Bank of England p21: Thales p22: TK Maxx p23: Bechtel p24: Domestic & General p25: Centrica p26: PwC p27: Pinsent Masons p28: Hiscox p29: RPC
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Rolls-Royce President of the Year [Chris Milborrow - University of Strathclyde] www.rolls-royce.com/careers
Words are the most powerful drug used by mankind. Rudyard Kipling
editor's letter I’ve travelled far and wide over the past month to meet with a whole new cohort of Bright Futures committee members, all ready and raring to go with fantastic ideas to put into action for events this coming academic year. For some, this year is still yet to coming to a close, for others it is the end of an era. One campus I visited I saw girls running from (I can only presume) their final exam screaming...
“We’re FREE! It’s all over! We’re finally FREE!” I chuckled to myself, thinking – this is just the beginning. If you’re graduating then you might be thinking “I have a degree, now what?” well, you won’t be the only one. We found a great article written by Leanne on the CareerGeekBlog that discusses just this so we have featured it on pages 16-17. If you don’t even know where to start or how to get there, it doesn’t matter; see pages 4-5 for a little inspiration from author Seth Goddin. If you still have a year or few to go, then why not consider getting more significantly involved in the Bright Futures Society on campus – or even setting up your own if you don’t have one. If you want to stand out from the crowd, now is the time to start (see pages 14-15). As ever, we’ve jammed the e-zine with tonnes of tips for you to read at your leisure, not to mention the huge range of employer insights written by them just for you! And as the summer is still yet to get into full swing, I am sure many of you will be considering searching for the sunshine and we have three top mobile apps to help you get your summer on! And last, but most definitely not least, we also say farewell to our fantastic placement student, Danielle, who leaves us after one year of wholehearted service to enjoy her summer and head back to uni for her final year. She has written us a brilliant article about her experiences finding and securing a placement, so check it out on pages 10-11. Ciao for now!
Jackie HirEd Editor www.brightfutures.co.uk
e-zine
*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!
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Jackie wrote: to fly at “I’d definitely want around super speed. Getting sier and would be so much ea much I’d be able to get so ention nip more done! Not to m the day to to the Bahamas for catch some sun!”
Daniel wrote: “I would like to be ab le to triple jump, shoo t fire out of my hands and be ab le to mount a green dinosaur. Just because I’m about M ario’s height and wei gh t and reckon it would be a fair fig ht if I had those abili ties”
Anisa wrote: ve to view different “Time Travel - I’d lo ” of history first hand
eras
Hasif wrote: “INVISIBILITY - Do w
hat I want, when I w
ant :D”
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If you are a marketing geek, you may well have heard of Seth Godin. He is a marketing guru, and some call him “America’s Greatest Marketer”. He’s written numerous bestselling books on ideas, quitting, leadership, change and more, translated into more than thirty languages. It’s probable that right now you are procrastinating over your exams, your essays, securing a placement, or applying for a graduate job. So I thought I would give you a tiny bit of inspiration written by Seth in his blog:
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Life is full of holes • Every scrutinized historical event fails to hold up to serious inspection. • There’s missing evidence. How did he get from point A to point B? Where’s the document or the eyewitness or the proof? • Your future opportunities are like this as well. Even at the hottest part of the 1998 Internet run up, skeptics wanted more proof that the internet wasn’t merely a waste of time. They wanted all the dots connected, and were happy to keep collecting dots until they were. • For a train to get from one city to another, it makes countless tiny leaps, crossing microscopic chasms that would easily show up if you looked closely enough. That doesn’t keep you from getting there, though. • I don’t think the right question is, “is the path perfect?” It’s probably, “Is this somewhere I’d like to go?” • It’s significantly easier to cross a gap when you have direction and momentum.
Click here to visit Seth’s blog 7
Employers: GET INVOLVED! ...
STEM n o s i s u e Foc
Th
This is a new & innovative one-day STEM focused event brought to you by Bright Futures, in partnership with award winning challenge design company Northstar Events. A one-day event where students studying STEM related subjects in their 1st, 2nd or 3rd year of study, are placed into teams of four to tackle four unique challenges designed to develop and demonstrate their key personal and business skills. The challenges are innovative, observable, fun, scored using bespoke electronic software and enable students to showcase their competitive edge with prizes awarded to the best performers. You’ll be in the heart of the action with multiple opportunities to spot talent, network and gain direct access to high performing students with a view to future hires for your graduate scheme or internship programs. Align yourself closely with the pre-event marketing on campus and through the UK’s largest student network, Bright Futures, and enjoy post-event placements on the event website and promotional video.
To find out how to get involved please contact Claire Libby on 01242 236415.
National Conferences
Insight Days We can run specially tailored insight events just for you and your target audience, either onsite or out in the wilderness!
Live Webinars
On-Campus Promotions
Bright Futures empowers students to develop their own employability to stand out in the competitive job market; this is done via the largest network of career-focused student-led societies in over 50 universities across England, Scotland and Wales. Sponsored by over 40 of UKs top FTSE companies, Bright Futures also enables employers to target & recruit the best intern & graduate talent. To find out more, please visit our website.
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www.brightfutures.co.uk
My Placement How I came across Bright Futures A typical student in my second year, I was sat in a placement presentation being told by the Careers Service that we all needed to start placement hunting. I just saw it as an inconvenience – from my point of view, with assignments due in every week, I struggled to see where I would get the time to apply for any jobs. Also, why did I need a placement anyway, as it meant more debt and quitting my current job! Initially, I tried to get out of doing a placement, but after speaking to students who had already done theirs, I soon changed my mind. They said it was the best experience and that they are so much more employable with it. I also listened to students who had not and were, as a result, now struggling to get a job without any experience. So I decided to start looking. I was very lucky with opportunities and managed to secure a number of placements in the USA. This time last year I was getting ready for a year’s placement in America, yet within a month of being there, I decided America definitely wasn’t for me and came home with no placement in sight! After 3 weeks and numerous interviews later, I had secured a job promoted on our placements website with Bright Futures as a Society Support Executive. As you can imagine, I was relieved, but also scared and hoped I would like the job!
My initial opinion I can honestly say I struggled in my first 2 months of my placement. I was so used to being a waitress and being on my feet all day, which made shifting to a “9-5” (actually 5.30pm) and being sat down all day was a challenge! I thought everyone in the office was being lazy whilst I kept walking around and couldn’t sit still! The (very) mini heat wave we had didn’t help either! On top of the culture change I had never been part of a society, so I was really out of my depth. I felt so stupid because I didn’t know basic things about university life (despite being a student!) and also had to learn about a whole new organisation. Despite all this, I quickly got used to my job role, the services we provided and also what was expected of me. I began to feel more confident and I started to see the benefits of a “9-5”!
What was my job role? The purpose of my job is to work alongside the Society Manager (Jackie Jobes) to help grow the student-led society, whilst supporting each committee throughout their academic year to host great employability focused events. I also responsible for helping organise three National Conferences a year, along with promoting Bright Futures across schools and universities and via social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter and Blogging. 10
t at The future To achieve these roles I had to build solid relationships with the students and over time to become their first point of contact by having regular catch up calls, helping with event planning and be there to support them at all times. I created monthly articles for the emagazine and also planned articles and information for other social media platforms.
What I learnt I would say the biggest thing I have learnt on placement is: what it means to be employable and what you have to do to be employable along with other key skills. • Time management Before I worked at Bright Futures I always said there was no excuse for a delay. Well, one year on and in my day to day life I prepare for delays. In business, time management is essential. I was given numerous projects and had to work to various deadlines and also give a reasonable expectation of when I could get things done. • People skills I will be the first to admit I was not the most tactful of people and preferred ‘telling’ rather than ‘asking’. However, when working with students and clients I quickly learnt that ‘telling’ was not appreciated and there are techniques, with subtle communication and influencing ability, which can be easily applied to make people want to do something for you (even if it is there role!).
Also, when going out on campus I had to attract and motivate students so that I could get them passionate about Bright Futures. Ultimately, I needed to make them realise the great opportunity I had to offer and then encourage them to take the next step to get involved.
• Written and oral skills Unfortunately, the generation we live in is very much “hey wuu2 2night wna go out l8er” so my written skills have never been exceptional! But after 11 months sending thousands of email’s, writing articles and tweeting on a daily basis, I have improved my literacy skills dramatically! This will help me when it comes to my final year reports as I will be so much more aware of literacy mistakes and my writing skills will be that little bit better.
What ever my future holds I know a big part will be down to my placement. It has made me so much more employable and also made me realise that, in the future, I want to work in a smallmedium size company where I can evolve, have a real sense of autonomy and develop solid project management skills. Having done a placement, I know it will help me when it comes to applying for graduate jobs and give me a great talking point in an interview.
So if you have the option of doing a placement year all I can say is... DO IT!
Danielle
• An insight into the world of work I study Events and Tourism Management and I know I don’t want to work in tourism, what I do want to do is preferably work in corporate event management. Now I have firsthand insight into the real world of work which students who don’t do a placement won’t get. I also, thanks to the industry Bright Futures is in, know what employers looks for and all the mistakes students can make when job hunting! 11
Chris wrote:
Q: A:
“Of all the candidates in the last 10 of UGOTY, who should win?” (Not including yourself). I was honest, made observation about the person I chose and referred them back to how I recognised that they had some strengths I’d say I have, too.
Robin wrote:
Q: “If you were to die, what would be on your gravestone?”
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@Diversityukjobs wrote:
Q: A:
“What TV do you like to watch?” I really struggled with this - what could possibly be the right answer??
Sarah wrote:
Q:
“Where do you want to be in 5 years time?” Ok so this is quite a typical one, but it still isn’t easy to answer when the world is such a fast-paced and ever-changing environment. And then when they ask you the follow up question... “So what do I need to do as your manager to get you there?”
Ashley wrote:
Q: A:
“If you were an inanimate object, what would you be and why?” I would be a battery; I keep going and going, powering life into everything I do, until the day I die.
Duncan (Designer of the BF e-zine) wrote: As a recruiter, this is one of my fave questions to ask of someone when they come to an interview, I want to see their personalities.
Q:
“What did you have for breakfast this morning?”
My logic: once answered I ask “why?”, describe why that breakfast makes you feel good and how it helps set you up for what’s coming in the day”, then I add “can you describe the packaging of.... (such cereals, butter, milk carton) can you sketch it?”. This helps define from the outset a lot of skills but also puts them at ease... If they haven’t or don’t eat breakfast, I reprimand them (laughing) and tell them if they got this job they need to have breakfast to have enough energy for the workload in the mornings lol. 13
Explore. Develop. Inspire. Stand out in the job hunting crowd. If you’re a first or second year at university we want to hear from you. You’re likely to be mulling over your future, but you know you need to do more to stand out and secure a great graduate job or placement. But what can offer you the opportunity to explore your career options, develop your skills, harness relationships and inspire yourself and others to achieve above and beyond expectation???
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Bright Futures can. 32% of businesses failed to fill their graduate vacancies due to lack of applicants with the right skills. [AGR, 2012] By becoming a committee member, you will: • Explore your career options and develop valuable relevant skills • Generate ideas, host events and attend exclusive conferences just for committee members • Personally meet and network directly with employers from a range of sectors and industries • Be part of an ever-growing national network focused on developing tomorrow’s business leaders • Ultimately ‘stand out’ in your job hunting as a graduate with much more than just a degree
According to a graduate employer survey… Taking a lead role in a student society is seen by employers as the number 2 way to develop the skills they want (with the number one being an internship). By becoming a committee member, you will also receive huge support from the national team... • Your very own website with a powerful database behind it for you to communicate with all your members • A national support network to help you start, run and grow your Society • We will train and coach you on how to run the best Society • A weekly e-newsletter with tips and exclusive invites, plus
a monthly e-magazine to all student members about job opportunities, news, advice, events, and company insight • The ability to find out about exclusive national events via the Bright Futures website • Links from the national site to your own Bright Futures site, university page or Facebook group. Ultimately be ‘talent spotted’ by the best employers! If you want to find out how you can get involved in your local committee, contact us on society@brightfutures.co.uk and we will put you in touch with the current committee or help you set up your own society!
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On Friday 12th October 2012, I was at the Graduate Recruitment Fair at London Olympia. I was providing careers information, advice and guidance at the Careers Advice Clinic. I did expect to have busy periods, however, I totally underestimated the number of people wanting/needing careers advice. As well as myself, there were 3 other advisers and we had a waiting time of over 40mins for almost the entire six hours we were there. I was amazed to see so many graduates who had finished their degree and still had no idea what they wanted to do as a career. Not only did many of the graduates I saw have no idea what they wanted to do as a career, they also had no idea how to find out or where to go to get help or what to do next. My first question to these “lost” graduates was if they had visited their university’s Careers Service. To my surprise, most of them said they had and that the only help they had received was a review of their CV. It occurred to me that there must be so many more graduates out there desperate for some practical advice and guidance, so I thought in this article I would share some of the tips I shared with the graduates I saw at the Recruitment Fair:
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• Think about the aspects of your degree you enjoyed – think about which modules you enjoyed most studying to really understand which sector you would enjoy working in most. • Consider your interests and core values – think about what you like to do in your spare time. This will help you to at least identify a sector you may like to work in or the types of companies you would like to work for. • Look for work experience opportunities – many of the graduates I spoke to were feeling frustrated because they had a degree but were being asked for work experience. Understandably, many graduates were hoping to graduate and go straight into a paid graduate job. Unfortunately, in the current climate, this is no longer the case. Try to find work experience opportunities, either through volunteering, internships, or freelancing. • Consider entry level jobs as well as traditional graduate schemes – for many graduates, the idea of going into an entry level job that is not necessarily a graduate role is far from appealing, especially after investing so much time and money into getting a degree. However, places on graduate schemes are extremely competitive and it can be more beneficial to have 12-months’ experience in an entry level role at a good company on your CV, rather than a gap of 12 months. • Make looking for a job a full time job – competition for jobs is fierce and to secure a job interview, you have to put in the work and become extremely resilient. Keep a record of all the jobs you apply for, including closing date, submission date, contact details for the vacancy, description of the role, as well as which CV and cover letter sent, if appropriate. • Visit agencies – of the graduates I spoke to that had joined agencies, not one person had actually gone into the agency. It is essential to visit your agency so they can put a face to the name, see your determination, and so you can start building a rapport with them. Once you have gone in, ensure you contact the agency at least weekly to find out what new vacancies have become available and visit them occasionally so they remember you.
• Sign up to LinkedIn – Employers are using LinkedIn more and more to find potential candidates for jobs. Ensure you have a professional looking photograph and that your profile tells a potential employer what skills, strengths and experience you have and what you are looking for. Also, use the groups and discussions as an opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge, experience and expertise in your specific field by making valuable contributions. • Network – This can be both an extension to LinkedIn and independent of LinkedIn. LinkedIn can be a great place to start getting to know people in the field and sector you are in or want to get into. Once you have built a strong enough relationship online, you can then meet in person, if appropriate. Additionally, traditional networking is still worthwhile. You can attend talks, seminars and conferences where you can gain valuable knowledge as well as network with other professionals in the field. • Create a plan – This is probably the most important tip. None of the graduates I saw had a plan. Most had not focused on a particular sector and many had not even chosen a field. The graduates I spoke to seemed to think applying for everything would give them a better chance of getting a job, regardless if the job was related to what they wanted to do or was in an industry they were even interested in. To be frank, they were desperate and the problem with that is that unbeknown to them, their desperation is often reflected in their applications. If you have no genuine interest in a job or industry, it is challenging to write a genuine and convincing application. You may read this article and feel like following the above tips is a lot of additional work. The truth is, if you’re not doing these things and your application or CV is much the same as every other person’s that graduated at the same time as you, you do not really have a chance. Think of it as an investment – an investment in your future and an investment in your career.
As well as running her own Career Coaching company www.llcoaching.co.uk which helps professional women to create a career and life they love; Leanne coordinates and delivers Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) to young people, parents, secondary schools and other organisations in the UK. www.careergeekblog.com
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Tripadvisor
XECurrency
HopStop
Platforms: iPhone, Android, Windows, Nokia
Platforms: iPhone, Android, Windows, Blackberry, Online.
Platforms: iPhone, Android, Windows, Online
I could not live without this app abroad. You can download offline city guides (save hugely on data usage) and you can see millions of reviews from fellow travellers of where to eat, sleep, and play. Find the best hotels, restaurants and attractions in any destination.
This is a really easy to use currency calculator app. It’s FREE, AND it uses live currency rates so you know if you’re getting a bum deal. You can store your chosen currency so you don’t need to search for it each time and with access to over 180+ world currencies, I don’t think you’ll have a problem finding the one you need.
This app is a very slick way to plan any trip. Their recent flight booking update means it is even better on the go and has everything you need in one hit. It is fast and convenient with real time bookings and the ability to secure a last minute room for tonight if you needed. You can easily sort and search, collating all the best deals.
Price: FREE Website: www.tripadvisor.co.uk/apps
Price: FREE Website: www.xe.com/apps
Price: FREE Website: www.hopstop.com/mobile
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Bank of England
See the Bank Differently with our Summer Insight Days
We are really excited that the Bank will now be working with Bright Futures!
company profile
You probably already know that, as the UK’s central bank, the Bank plays a fundamental role in the UK economy. But what might surprise you is that you don’t need to be an economist to join us. If you’re bright, ambitious and ready to learn, there could be an opportunity here for you. This summer we are launching a range of new insight days to give groups of students an opportunity to visit us, explore what we do and see how things are changing for UK central banking.
The days on offer include: • Students with Disabilities (12th July) • Women in IT (19th July) • Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic Students (24th July) • Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Students (7th August) • Women (16th August)
So as long as you are working towards a 2:1 in any year or degree discipline and have interest in what we do you can apply. (Applications close on the 10th June) For more information on insight days and to apply Click Here
During the day you will meet senior managers and current graduates, discover what our different divisions do, find out how your career could develop at the Bank and get practical advice on how to make a strong application. It will be interactive, informative and fun!
Or to contact the recruitment team email: recruitment@bankofengland.co.uk www.bankofenglandgraduates.co.uk 20
Engineering and IT roles
Software Engineering In Software Engineering, we capture our clients’ requirements before creating programme and code software to meet them. Day to day, you’ll get involved in design implementation and software modules testing, as well as working alongside software line management
to ensure skills, technology and ways methods are developed. This is your chance to work with the latest technologies in an environment that thrives on variety, challenge and early responsibility. We’re looking for people who can complement their engineering or science background with strong IT skills. You’ll also need to understand programming and modelling and be able to put yourself in our customers’ shoes to understand their viewpoint.
company profile
We have graduate jobs, placements and internships on offer for students just like you. These roles range from Systems and Software Engineering to Cyber Security Practitioner and Research & Development Engineer. A snapshot of one our roles can be seen below.
Thales
As a major engineering and technology company, our work touches all of our lives – every single day. From BACS, the secure network communications system behind 3.7 billion secure electronic transactions every year, to in-flight entertainment systems for passenger planes and state-of-the-art equipment for military aircraft, the scope and scale of our problem-solving abilities knows no bounds. To watch a short video about who we are and what we do, click here
To give you an idea of the type of projects you can expect to work on, we’ve recently completed a £60m project for the Highways Agency which involves running the software in their central controls centre so they can manage roads all over the country. We’ve also created apps for checking train times which has been downloaded 30,000 times to date.
Find out more about this role and all of our other graduate jobs and internships at www.ukgrads.thalesgroup.com But hurry, we work on rolling deadlines so once the roles are filled we won’t reopen this year. Our next deadline is Friday 14th June. 21
T.K.Maxx
Merchandising & Buying Graduate Programme with TK Maxx! Start our Programme in Dßsseldorf in September 2013 and by 2015 you could be spending our money on designer brands‌
company profile
The Merchandising & Buying Graduate Programme, like our Off-Price business model, is unconventional and unlike most other retailers. Our programme takes place in the two areas which are at the heart of making our concept work: Merchandising and Buying. Why so different? We source, plan and buy every day of the year and according to the market. So we must use every ounce of flexibility and fresh thinking we have. Our people are empowered to make their own decisions, even when it comes to spending the Company’s money to get the best deals. With over 700 people in the broader TJX Buying organisation and over 15,000 vendors globally it is essential that we identify and
develop talented Associates to become successful buyers of the future, especially considering the growth potential of our business. Spending time in our Merchandising function initially affords an understanding of the fundamentals of our business enabling Associates to be well equipped for future roles in both Merchandising and Buying.
The opportunities in our German business are growing all the time, just like our store base. With 59 stores today, and plans for up to 300 in Germany, this is a great place for ambitious graduates with both German and English language skills to develop their careers.
It is a structured career path with continuous training and progression opportunities into Merchandising or Buying. At TJX Europe we invest in our graduates, their development and careers. This will lead for some to careers in Merchandising, some in Buying and, ultimately, a potential future in Executive Management.
Applications are on-going with intakes in September 2013. Find out more and apply at: www.tjxeurope.com/careers 22
Bechtel
At Bechtel we pride ourselves on our challenging projects. If you want to be challenged, tested & developed, Bechtel is the company for you.
Crossrail A Bechtel-led team is overseeing construction of twin 13-mile (21-kilometer) tunnels beneath central London. This will be the centerpiece of Crossrail, a new railway that connects the city to commuter areas east and west. Dubbed “Super Tube,” the tunnels will join with Bechtel’s Crossrail and Reading project, to the east and west, to give some 1.5 million new riders easy access to Canary Wharf, the West End, Heathrow Airport, and central London. The 73-mile (118-kilometer) Crossrail system is scheduled to open in 2018.
Gatwick Airport Bechtel successfully completed several projects for Gatwick Airport Limited. These include the North Terminal extension to provide additional check-in areas. More than 4 million additional passengers a year will travel through the extension. At the South Terminal, Bechtel has managed the delivery of a new state-of-the-art security area, as well as the reconfiguration of the Pier 2 stands and gate rooms. The team carries out all of this work while maintaining an operational airport, which means every effort is made to avoid disruption to operations and to the 32 million passengers who use the facility annually.
company profile
Here is an overview of some of the exciting projects we’re involved with now and YOU could be in the future.
BP West Nile Delta Bechtel has commenced design of an onshore gas processing terminal project slated to process 1-billioncubic-feet (28.3-million-cubicmeters) per day. Jamnagar 3 Off-sites and Utilities Reliance is building the world’s largest petroleum coke gasification complex and a world-scale ethylene and petrochemicals facility at its Jamnagar site in India. Bechtel is providing the engineering and technical procurement services for the offsites and utilities for both complexes, along with two 250megawatt power stations and a new marine export jetty.
If you’d like to discover more visit: www.bechtel.com 23
Domestic & General
“Hi, I’m Mel... ...and I’m going to talk about an average day as a Domestic & General graduate and get down to the detail of what I am getting up to.
While in my International Marketing role, I was involved in our first ever pan-European launch with one of our largest clients, rolling out business in more than 20 countries across the continent. I was assisting from a central perspective, but working closely with our local offices in Madrid, Milan, Wiesbaden and Paris. My daily schedule was varied and could entail attending meetings with internal departments from underwriting through to operations, as well as external clients. As part of the products launch I worked on the marketing campaign – getting a chance to have a look at elements of artwork design was something that was new to me. With such a diverse project it meant I just had to get stuck in and some
days I even worked with the Web team to launch and test the new websites. This was a great opportunity as it meant no two days were the same and gave me the chance to develop my skills and get to know lots of people in other departments. During my second placement in IT as a Business Analyst, I have been working on several different projects and initiatives at one time which means my days tend to be more structured to ensure I am able to meet the varied deadlines. Again, I have been involved heavily with the international offices, meeting monthly with each office to discuss solutions to their IT issues and detailing their requirements for operational processes. These have been via both conference call and quarterly face to face meetings in the offices abroad. These days involve preparing for the meetings a few days in advance and getting up in the early hours to fly or catch the Eurostar to the offices. We would then deliver the presentations and enjoy the local cuisine at lunch giving us a chance to network with the local
office! We then joined local operational meetings to get up to speed with the latest news. I represented D&G at the Bright Futures annual conference at Aston Villa Football Club on 18th April, a great chance to meet so many under-graduates with such potential. Hard to believe that I was in exactly the same position this time last year! If you want to be where I am now this time next year, then go onto D&G’s careers website CLICK HERE and apply.
“
company profile
“
Actually, there’s no such thing as a ‘typical’ day in the Domestic & General graduate programme. Depending on the rotation, I could be in the office at 9am, checking emails and planning for the day ahead, or rising at 4am to catch a flight to one of our European offices. Here’s an overview.
Meanwhile, good luck to all of you who are doing your finals in the next few weeks – it will soon be all over!
How to get in touch with us If you’re interested in working with Domestic & General (the UK’s leading specialist warranty provider), you can register now on our graduate website careers website. We’ll be recruiting for the Management Trainee scheme which Mel is on, and also directly into a number of departments through our Business Stream scheme. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter 24
Centrica
Winner of Centrica’s Money Can’t Buy Competition 2013
“I am thrilled to know that I have been chosen as the winner of Centrica’s Grand Final! I have enjoyed every bit of the selection process – from meeting the excellent candidates to presenting in front of the panel of judges. The whole experience has been an excellent insight into Centrica and I am thoroughly looking forward to starting my tailored two weeks in the summer. Both Centrica and
company profile
Centrica ran a unique design your own internship competition in February and we are delighted to announce that the winner of the ‘Money Can’t Buy Competition’ is Omair Hazimi from the University of Warwick. When asked how he felt after winning 2 weeks work experience Omair said the following:
On-Campus Promotions made the selection process comfortable and engaging for which I am truly grateful. There is no doubt that I have been given a once in a lifetime opportunity which ‘Money Can’t Buy’!”
Want to find out how Omair gets on with his tailor made internship here at Centrica, or get live updates on when our 2014 summer placement and graduate opportunities opens for application? Stay in touch with us via Facebook & Twitter. We are now registering interest to our 2014 graduate and summer placement opportunities. Visit our website to sign up for notifications when our vacancies are live for application. www.centrica.com/graduates. 25
Work placement opportunities with PwC – 2013
PwC
Your career is just that; yours. You choose it. You live it. You make it happen. To get the best from it, you need the best opportunities. That’s why opportunities are at the heart of a career with us.
company profile
Our offer to you… Experience what it’s like to be part of the world’s leading professional services network and enjoy the benefits that come with that. You’ll work directly with big name clients where you’ll get to grips with the value they’re looking for by getting into the detail. We’ll provide an environment where you’ll be able to explore new opportunities, to help you grow and find your niche. And we’ll give you access to be best learning and development around. Work placements at PwC With exams almost over, it’s time to find the perfect placement. Get a unique insight into what we do and how we do it on one of our work placements for undergraduates. Develop valuable business skills. And discover where your strengths and interests lie.
We have opportunities in the following areas for talented individuals to join us: • Assurance work placement - Channel islands • Financial Advisory work placement - Belfast • Consulting work placement - Belfast • HR work placement- London • Technology work placement- Belfast What you’d do You’ll work on real projects, learn about our business and get exposure to a prestigious client list on an 11-month Work Placement in either our Assurance, Consulting, Financial advisory, or Technology practice. Or you could try out our HR sector specialising in Recruitment, Global Mobility, Learning and Development or Management Information. Work placements are
suitable for students who need to complete a placement as part of their degree, it could lead to a fulltime job offer. What you need to bring to us Your intellect, willingness to learn, ability to build relationships, put yourself in others’ shoes, while always making a positive impact with our clients and each other. • A 2:1 or above in any degree discipline (some programmes do require specific degrees) • A UCAS tariff of at least 300 (or equivalent) We’re proud, based on the opportunity we offer, that students have voted us the number one Graduate Employer in The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers survey for the last nine years.
Take the opportunity of a lifetime. www.pwc.com/uk/careers Connect with us: www.facebook.com/PwCCareersUK Follow us: www.twitter.com/PwC_UK_Careers 2262
Pinsent Masons
Passing over the baton
The first term of the academic year is always the busiest for graduate employers as we journey up and down the UK attending law fairs, delivering skills sessions and running insight evenings in our offices. If your Bright Futures Society is interested in working with us in 2013/14 it is important you start to make contact with us now so we can start to discuss how we can make your members aware of the opportunities we have to offer.
We know that many of you will be holding elections for new committee members in the near future and as soon as these positions have been confirmed it would be great if you could get in touch at: graduate@pinsentmasons.com and let us know who the key contacts are going to be.
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Although we are still to complete our current recruitment round the Graduate Team at Pinsent Masons has already started to think about our campus activity for the next academic year.
We have enjoyed working with a number of societies this year and have Bright Futures Society Members joining us this summer on internships with a view to becoming Trainee Solicitors at the firm; but with a bit more planning I am confident next year we can be even more successful!
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For the crucial first move… Final Hiscox Graduate Operations Management 2013 positions available! Hiscox
Hiscox, a FTSE250 company, leads the pack when it comes to the world of specialist insurance. We are experts in protection of a wide range of personal and commercial risks, which are often too complex or too much trouble for other insurance companies to consider.
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We are on the lookout for intelligent, commercial and committed individuals to join our business. Whilst the majority of our international 2013 graduate roles are now filled we continue to look for exemplary individuals to join our UK Operations Management graduate scheme. These exciting roles, based in London, will oversee wide ranging projects across our operations function internationally. For a full description of the roles and to apply visit: www.hiscox.com/graduates before Friday, 21 June 2013. An assessment centre will take place in July 2013.
Our international two year graduate programme is designed to give you immediate hands-on exposure, gaining on the job training from highly-respected professionals. Whilst working in your allocated team you will undertake at least three secondments across the Group and overseas (to either the US, Europe or Bermuda) to enhance your commercial awareness, combined with professional study and a comprehensive training programme. If you’re interested to learn more about what makes Hiscox, and the insurance profession, interesting then visit: www.hiscox.com/graduates and select ‘Our People’ where you can watch a video of our current graduates.
To apply to our graduate scheme visit www.hiscox.com/graduates To apply to entry level roles visit www.hiscox.com/careers
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In addition to our graduate scheme we offer opportunities to join our business in entry level roles nationally all year round. A current focus is our new office in York, which opened in March 2013 and will grow to up to 500 people in the coming years. To view current vacancies across the Group visit: www.hiscox.com/careers
RPC Training Contract deadline is fast approaching: Apply now!
Headquartered in a state of the art site in the City of London, we also have offices in Bristol, Hong Kong and Singapore. We work in an open, collaborative
environment where knowledge is shared and access to partners is a reality. It brings out the best in our people and ensures that the service we offer our clients is second to none. We’re looking to appoint 20 trainees from a law or non-law background, on a full-time contract for two years. You’ll work closely with a partner and are given real responsibility as soon as you’re ready to handle it. Although proven academic ability is important (we require a 2.1
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We have some of the leading lawyers in their fields and great clients, both in the UK and overseas. We offer a depth of knowledge and creative approach to problem solving that few firms can rival, and are regularly praised in the leading directories for the quality of our training programmes.
RPC
RPC is a radically different, modern and progressive City law firm, offering clients extremely high levels of customer service, expertise and creativity.
degree or above) we also value energy, enthusiasm, business sense, commitment and the ability to communicate and relate well to others. The closing date to apply for a Training Contract with RPC in either our London or Bristol office is 31 July 2013.
www.rpc.co.uk/manifesto or follow us on twitter @LifeinaLawFirm
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