SCHOOL OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS CAREERS AND EMPLOYABILITY CASE STUDIES Read student and graduate case studies from the School of Computer Science and Mathematics
2 CAREERS AND EMPLOYABILITY CASE STUDIES
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The technical knowledge I gained on placement was another valuable element alongside the connections I made with colleagues, with some having become really good friends.
SCHOOL OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS
The initial stage involved submitting my CV. I made sure that my CV was focused on the requirements outlined on the job specification. Although I didn’t have relevant previous experience, I tried to demonstrate skills and interests that could be classed as valuable, and also showed initiative and eagerness to learn - not only from a knowledge standpoint but a personal standpoint by developing myself. I researched similar job roles online and even watched videos of people doing the job to get a feeling of what working in this position would be like. I also used the Careers Zone, which provides a lot of resources that I could use to my advantage, and met with Andy Byrne, the careers consultant for my course, before my interview to discuss strategies I could use within the interview such as the STAR technique.
FOLLOWING HIS 12-MONTH PLACEMENT AS A SERVICE DESK ANALYST AT TORUS DURING HIS COMPUTER STUDIES DEGREE, LIAM HARRIS WAS OFFERED A FULL-TIME ROLE AS A SUPPORT DESK ANALYST WITH THE COMPANY AFTER GRADUATING IN 2021. CASE STUDY PLACEMENT CASE STUDY
How do you feel that the placement has benefitted you? Taking a placement has allowed me to secure a full-time job with Torus after university while also working part-time through my final year.
It has provided me with much more confidence in real-life situations and allowed me to become a professional inside and outside of work. During placement, you are assigned a tutor who you meet with to discuss your progress. Mine suggested that I carry the skills learnt on placement into my final year –my time management skills had been quite poor, but through working in a different environment I was able to improve upon these.
How do you feel the placement has benefitted you? The placement was an amazing thing to do and has allowed me to develop my skills to a high level. It has allowed me to expand my knowledge into a different area that I would not have considered such as digital marketing. It also gave me a chance to gain real world experiences. A lot of companies require you to have experience and the placement has put me in a better position for securing a graduate job. What advice would you give other students to improve their employability? Doing a year-out massively improves your employability. I was able to sit in on interviews and noticed other managers commenting on a lack of experience in candidates. A placement puts you ahead of other candidates who haven't completed one. Whilst university work is important, it shows great potential when candidates have done additional work to expand their knowledge within the field they want to work in. A placement can really help with ideas for your dissertation. It gives you an opportunity to develop something which could be used within that company.
What did the application/selection process involve and how did you prepare?
RACHEL BURKE GRADUATED FROM THE COMPUTER STUDIES COURSE AND SECURED A GRADUATE ROLE AT PREMIER EPOS AFTER COMPLETING A YEARLONG PLACEMENT AT THE COMPANY
What placement role did you secure and what did this involve on a day-to-day basis? My role was within the Web Development team. Work on a day to day basis consisted of: Creating websites for clients, liaising with them regularly to understand their requirements for the website which were produced on content management systems such as Joomla and WordPress. Integrating products between the clients’ EPOS and their website, mainly using MySQL to send data between the EPOS database and the website database. The second year module on databases came in really handy for this. Creating marketing campaigns to use on Google and Facebook, looking at target audiences as well as putting together the media used for the campaigns. Developing attractive websites landing pages. These are generally hard coded using HTML, PHP, JQuery, and CSS
Source: TARGETjobs IT & Technology 2021 CAREERS IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
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What advice would you give other students to improve their employability? If you are sceptical about taking a placement like I was, then I would advise you just to go for it if you find the right one. Even if you feel there are none that appeal to you, I’d still apply for the experience of going through a recruitment process as it can be harder than you think. Before you apply, do as much research as you can, and try to engage with the Careers Zone for additional help. I got rejected from two placement positions before I spoke with an adviser in the Careers Zone - I’m not saying they’re the reason I got the final one, but they definitely helped me in tackling the interview. If you do secure a placement, remember you’re still a student so just enjoy it for while it lasts. www.ljmu.ac.uk/studentfutures
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What help or support did you access from the Careers, Employability & Start-Up Team at LJMU? I was very unsure if I was going to do a placement. For me, being able to access support and ask questions helped me feel more relaxed and not overly stressed about finding a placement. Students should access the support provided by the team to help them prepare CVs and prepare for interviews and practise their technique. It is important to get extra help, such as an Adviser reading over your CV and suggesting changes or providing advice on how to answer certain interview questions. This will help improve the chances of getting a placement or graduate job. What did your placement involve on a day-to-day basis? My role involved playing a part within the company’s internal 1st line IT team that provided support to over 500 users initially, increasing to 1500 due to an amalgamation by January 2020. 1st line support is the first point of contact for a customer and usually would entail various methods of troubleshooting to resolve issues raised through a ticketing system; tickets that cannot be resolved at 1st line are escalated up to 2nd and 3rd line.
SCHOOL OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICSwww.ljmu.ac.uk/studentfutures 3CAREERS AND EMPLOYABILITY CASE STUDIES THURSDAY 13 OCTOBER, 9AM - 12PM, BRITANNIA ADELPHI HOTEL This event is highly regarded by employers and students alike and has a diverse range of employers in attendance. This event is open to ALL students within the Faculty. All companies attending will be looking to promote their placement and/or graduate opportunities. Do not miss out! IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, EMAIL ANGELA CLARKE AT: FACULTY ENGINEERINGOF & TECHNOLOGY RECRUITMENT FAIR Faculty of Engineering and Technology Student Futures: Careers, Employability & Start-Up Service FETplacements@ljmu.ac.uk
ENGINEERING GRADUATE HARRY RHODES UNDERTOOK A PLACEMENT YEAR WITH VODAFONE. ROBBY MCCAMMON GRADUATED FROM THE SOFTWARE ENGINEERING PROGRAMME IN 2021. HE SHARES HIS EXPERIENCE FROM HIS 12-MONTH PLACEMENT AS AN IT DEVELOPER FOR CHESTER-BASED INSURANCE COMPANY RED INSURE. PLACEMENT CASE STUDY PLACEMENT CASE STUDY SCHOOL OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS www.ljmu.ac.uk/studentfutures 4 CAREERS AND EMPLOYABILITY CASE STUDIES
Did you receive any support from the Careers, Employability & Start-Up Team at LJMU and how was this useful?
I didn’t myself, although some of my friends did, stating that the Careers, Employability & Start-Up Team were extremely helpful in terms of critiquing their CVs and giving them advice on how to improve them. How did the Covid situation affect your role and daily work and how did you manage this situation?
CAREERS IN SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
Due to Covid, we had to work from home from the end of March/ start of April 2020. It was up to me and the other IT developer, who was also on placement, to find the best remote desktop software to ensure everyone could work smoothly from home. Teamwork was more difficult than in an office environment, as we had to go through emails instead of being able to talk face-to-face. Working from home didn’t make the general day-to-day work too difficult though, as I was able to access my work PC from my home PC, which made it pretty easy to complete work. SOFTWARE
What placement role did you secure and what did this involve on a day-to-day basis? My placement role was a DevOps Engineer in the RCS messaging team at Vodafone Group. My daily focus was creating scalable cloud-based solutions and automation frameworks using CI/CD tools such as Jenkins. I got to work on a wide range of topics and was given freedom to apply my knowledge from my Software Engineering degree as well as learn brand new and state of the art technologies. What did the application / selection process involve? The application process involved an online cognitive ability test, an online video interview and an in-person assessment centre. To prepare, I compiled a list of possible questions (which I researched through Glassdoor and other online sites) and mocked up answers for each of them, backing up each with a detailed example/scenario to further emphasise my point. I read up on technical knowledge as well in case of a technical interview; however this was not needed too much for the Vodafone assessment centre.
How do you feel that the placement has benefitted you? My confidence and trust in my abilities has grown tenfold. I was given some amazing opportunities, responsibility and exposure, such as presenting to very senior people within the company. I was the first intern to ever present my work to the CTO (Chief Technical Officer) of the company. Technically, I gained complete knowledge of the development cycle of an application and learnt how software engineering fits into this. My placement allowed me to find out what I do/do not want to do as a career and guided me through my final year. I was also able to collaborate with my placement provider on my final-year project as well as getting paid to do it. This allowed me to stay focused on my final year without having the distractions part-time work can sometimes bring. What advice would you give other students to improve their employability?
How do you feel that the placement has benefitted you?
At first it was rather strange, but as time went on, it became rather beneficial, as there was more time to relax outside of work and I didn’t have to commute into London. The main way I managed this break of face-to-face interactions was having more short calls using software such as Teams to replace “quick” chats which I might have had with people around the office. What are your plans for after graduation – work, travel or further study? I have been offered a position at Vodafone which effectively “skips” the graduate scheme. What placement role did you secure and what did this involve on a day-to-day basis?
The placement gave me an insight into the role of an IT developer within a company that isn’t a dedicated software house. It showed me what that role involved and helped me to realise that I don’t really want to go down that route for my future career and that I would prefer working in a dedicated software house. This helped me be more focused with my applications for graduate roles. What advice would you give other students to improve their employability? Make sure you include every little IT-related thing you have done in your CV, no matter how small. The Careers, Employability & StartUp Team supported me with my placement applications by providing me with feedback on my CV, which helped me secure my interview with Red Insure. Also try to come across as enthusiastic in both your CV and interviews to show the employer that you are very interested in the role. How did the Covid situation affect your role and daily work and how did you manage this situation?
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Make sure your CV is clear, concise, relevant and professional in its wording. Use your spare time to up-skill yourself with side projects. Even if you don’t complete them all, they make excellent talking points in an interview. Get involved in events were possible (ie hackathons or career days for large companies). It will give you a feel for what big companies are about. Keep yourself motivated and be persistent during the application process for placements. I applied for over 30 placements, some of which didn’t even get back to me. Learn from your mistakes and shortcomings - instead of feeling disappointed, use it as motivation for your next opportunity. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket, but apply for as many opportunities as possible.
Initially, I worked on the company’s database system which ran on Microsoft Access so I used Visual Basic. In the second half of my placement, I was tasked with coding their website. Throughout my placement, I also supported employees with any IT-related problems they were experiencing.
The placement has contributed immeasurably to my future career prospects giving me hands-on experience in working within a development team, working to industry standards and learning cutting edge skills, techniques and new languages along the way. It made me feel more than confident in tackling my final year head-on and applying for future jobs within the industry. What advice would you give other students to improve their employability? I would advise other students to create some personal projects (websites, apps, IoT) as this shows interest in tech and also builds skills away from the classroom. If I was a first year student again, I would experiment with a lot of different personal projects, and also try to get an internship every summer. This would give me the most experience possible.
What placement role did you secure and what did this involve on a day-to-day basis? My role was a Systems Analyst at Eli Lilly and Company. IT roles will usually be either more business focused, technical focused or somewhere in-between, my role of systems analyst was in-between. I worked on many global projects throughout the year, my day-to-day activities included managing the projects I was leading myself, organising and attending meetings, the majority of which would be online video conferences. I would carry out project work such as creating IT documents, planning projects, coordinating work with other professionals, gathering requirements, developing applications and data analytics solutions.
HASIB AHMED TELLS US ABOUT HIS ROLE AS A TECHNOLOGY PLACEMENT STUDENT AT THE MET OFFICE PLACEMENT CASE STUDY
COMPUTER SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICSwww.ljmu.ac.uk/studentfutures 5CAREERS AND EMPLOYABILITY CASE STUDIES
What did the application / selection process involve? I sent my CV in for review and was invited for a 1st round interview at Byrom Street which was a standard competencybased interview, talking about my previous work and university experience. I was invited to one of their sites in Erl Wood near London, this started with another competency-based interview, which delved deeper into my CV and experiences, after this I was presented with a technical challenge which I completed along side the other interviewees, we had to use a gyro ball and direct It through a maze.
SOFTWARE ENGINEERING GRADUATE ALISTAIR SAXBY TELLS US ABOUT HIS PLACEMENT AS A SYSTEMS ANALYST AT ELI LILLY AND COMPANY PLACEMENT CASE STUDY OF
I secured a role as a Technology Placement student at the Met Office, and was placed in a developer team in the Data Services area. My day to day activities were mainly around programming, reviewing code, designing architectures to form solutions with the team, daily stand-up meetings and meeting with other teams to complete projects.
How do you feel that the placement has benefitted you? The placement gave me valuable insight into how IT is applied in industry and developed many of my skills such as isinexperiencesalsomanySuite,analytics,management,communication,teamwork,projectdataMicrosoftPowerpresentationsandmoresoftskills.Itgavemeplentyoftotalkaboutfutureinterviewswhichinvaluable.
What did the application / selection process involve?
How do you feel that the placement has benefitted you?
I received support from the team in the form of helping me with my CV and cover letter, and also doing mock interviews with Andy which helped me immensely with being confident for the final interview.
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Did you receive any support from the Careers, Employability & Start-Up Team at LJMU and how was this useful?
Even though the first year does not count towards your degree, if you want a placement year then you must get preferably a 1st or a 2.1 classification as that was a requirement for the placement. Also, any IT-related projects you do in your own time is helpful as it gives you something to talk about and helps you stand out from other applicants. What are your plans for after graduation – work, travel or further study? I have been successful for a graduate scheme with QVC as an associate engineer.
What advice would you give other students to improve their employability?
What placement role did you secure and what did this involve on a day-to-day basis?
The application process was 3 stages - an online application; then a telephone interview with the Placement Co-ordinator to see if you would be a good fit for the role; and, finally, a faceto-face interview. This was a general interview with a couple of technical interview questions (no coding though!). I prepared by using Glass Door and looking at the company website, along with brushing up on some technical skills using LeetCode.
2021 COMPUTER FORENSICS GRADUATE HANNAH MCGARRELL COMPLETED HER PLACEMENT YEAR AS INTERNATIONAL SECURITY INTERN AT THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY IN THEIR LONDON HAMMERSMITH OFFICE. PLACEMENT CASE STUDY SCHOOL OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS www.ljmu.ac.uk/studentfutures 6 CAREERS AND EMPLOYABILITY CASE STUDIES
The job was advertised through university during the summer between my second and third year. After submitting my CV via email, I was invited to an interview at the company’s offices. I prepared by going over information about the organisation as well as practising my answers to common interview questions such as “Give me an example of your problem-solving skills” or “When have you applied constructive feedback to your work”. How has the placement benefited you? It helped me to adapt my work ethic to be more professional and efficient, as well as giving me a more appropriate idea of what to expect when going into the IT industry. Although the role was not exclusively related to computer security, it still helped to shape my understanding of common IT infrastructures that I would find in most organisations and developed my professional team-working skills that will be essential later in my career. It also benefited me when returning to university for my final year. Without going on this placement I do believe that I would not have achieved a First Class overall mark for my degree.
What did the application / selection process involve?
My day-to-day role involved monitoring the ticket-based incident system of my workplace and resolving any issues arising throughout the day, ranging from very standard password resets/account creations to the more complicated jobs such as creating entire network diagrams for infrastructure remodelling or planning company-wide system upgrades.
How did the Covid situation affect your role and daily work and how did you manage this? As part of the IT team for my organisation, I was responsible for creating all of the homeworking kits operating system images and had to go into the office to ensure that all these machines were available for our staff and doctors before the first lockdown started. Once we achieved this, I was working from home for the remainder of my placement, which I actually found worked much better for me, as it gave me more time to focus on projects instead of being interrupted every 10 minutes when working in an office. I would say that the worst part about the whole situation was that it was not mentally heathy for me to be locked inside my single room apartment without any friends/family for weeks during the first lockdown; however once restrictions were eased I was able to visit friends and relax a bit more after that. What are your plans for after graduation?
What advice would you give other students to improve their employability?
I have secured a graduate role as a Junior Cyber Security Analyst at Boohoo.
The process was typical of a work placement, and included an application form, an informal phone interview, and a formal final interview. The final interview included a 15-minute presentation about the biggest security threats to organisations. The selection process for many placements also includes an assessment centre, however, this was not the case for this specific Disney post.
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What advice would you give other students to improve their employability? I would advise students to complete a yearlong placement, or alternatively, there are many other programmes available, such as summer internships. These experiences will help you to develop not only technical skills, but essential workplace skills such as communication, organisation, and critical thinking, as well as how to behave appropriately in a professional environment. A work placement is also an excellent place for networking, and some placements even result in a graduate job offer.
SERVICES CAREERS IN CYBER SECURITY AND FORENSICS
How do you feel that the placement has benefitted you?
Over the 16 months, my confidence grew massively, as well as my technical skills, and above all my work ethic. I had the opportunity to work with industry professionals based all over the world, many of whom I am still in contact with, so the networking aspect of the placement was great. The work experience I gained also helped significantly during my applications for graduate roles.
What placement role did you secure and what did this involve on a day-to-day basis?
What did the application / selection process involve?
Having a well written CV will definitely help you to present a good first impression. Also, be confident in your cover letter (if needed) and answer all interview questions honestly and as accurately as you can. I have found that if you are unable to answer a question, it is better to admit this than to try and waffle or blag an answer.
What placement role did you secure and what did this involve on a day-to-day basis? As an intern in the International Security Team, I was responsible for cybersecurity across the EMEA and LATAM region (Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Latin America). This was a 12-month internship, however, my contract was extended for a further four months, so I spent 16 months in total at the company. Our team’s core responsibilities included thirdparty assessments, third-party vendor management, risk assessments, control violation management, vulnerability management, information security attestations, and promoting InfoSec awareness. We had four team members based in London, and our director and leadership team were based in Burbank, California.
WHILE STUDYING ON THE COMPUTER SECURITY PROGRAMME, EWAN OSBORNE UNDERTOOK A 12-MONTH PLACEMENT AS AN IT SYSTEMS ASSISTANT AT PRIMARY CARE 24. CASE STUDY
Did you receive any support from the Careers, Employability & StartUp Team at LJMU and how was this useful? The Careers, Employability & Start-Up Team was a great help with my placement applications. They provided me with resources on CV building and interviews, and I also attended a one-on-one CV review and mock interview. In my final year, during my applications for graduate roles, the Careers Team provided a one-to-one session to help me prepare for the assessment centre for Fujitsu. While you are still in uni, make use of the Careers Team. They are very helpful and how lots of useful resources for you. How did the Covid situation affect your role and daily work and how did you manage this? As a result of COVID-19 restrictions, I worked from home for around six months. Although this was not ideal, it did not affect my role, and I still had the same responsibilities. It was a good experience learning to work effectively from home, especially now that many organisations are moving to a hybrid approach to working both on site and from home. The company provided me with a laptop and headset, and any other hardware/software needed to facilitate working from home. What are your plans for after graduation? I recently accepted a role as a Cyber Security Consultant for Fujitsu.
What did the application / selection process involve?
Without my placement I feel I would be at a disadvantage when it came to applying for jobs after uni. What advice would you give other students to improve their employability? My advice for first year students would be to take advantage of all the resources that LJMU provide, for example the Careers, Employability & Start-Up Team helped me understand how to make my cover letter and CV look more employable. Also, personally having a part time job really helped me in my interviews as I had more than just University to talk about. I would also say to just be yourself in an interview because the company are looking to get to know you and if you’re a good fit for their team. What are your plans for after graduation – work, travel or further study? My plan for after graduation is to continue working at EY Riverview Law. Luckily, my placement asked me to say on with them for two days a week in my final year of University. I now have plans to go back with them after my degree and further my career from there.
I’ve secured a place at Lancaster University to study an GCHQ (NCSC) accredited MSc Cyber Security degree, along with a scholarship awarded based on my achievements and experiences at LJMU. After that I’m hoping to go into a technical role in Penetration Testing or as a Cyber Security Architect.
I was required to e-mail a cover letter and CV and I was then invited to an on-site interview that lasted 40 minutes and consisted of both technical (cyber security based) questions and personal skills/experience questions. I prepared by doing a lot of research on MIAA and more specifically, their Technology Risk Assurance department. This allowed me to tailor my cover letter, CV and interview answers accordingly to include keywords, experience and skills that aligned with their line of work and values.
I used LJMU’s Careers Zone to get my generic cover letters and CVs reviewed, multiple times, until it was at a quality that I was proud of and in a format that could be easily tailored to various job roles. This really helped me get that initial interview and I received great feedback on the quality of my cover letter and CV both from MIAA and other companies I applied for. I would also recommend using the mock interviews available at the LJMU Careers Zone. Although I didn’t use these myself and practiced at home, looking back, I feel performing in front of someone I didn’t know and getting constructive feedback from someone knowledgeable in interview techniques would likely have improved my overall interview performance/answers and confidence. What are your plans for after graduation – work, travel or further study?
What placement role did you secure and what did this involve on a day-to-day basis? I secured a placement as Technical Support at Riverview Law. My dayto-day role within the business was to support the implementation and configuration of no code technology platforms for large corporate clients. This includes tasks such as customer support, document creation and platform configuration. What did the application / selection process involve? The application process included sending a cover letter. I then received a phone interview, which led to an assessment day. The assessment day started with a test, face to face interview and a meet-and-greet with members of the team. I prepared my cover letter and CV by going to the Careers Zone in LJMU. I also prepared for the phone interview and assessment day by researching the company thoroughly beforehand. How do you feel that the placement has benefitted you? My placement has benefited my career in many ways. Firstly, it improved my confidence hugely by getting involved in a range of tasks from speaking to clients to holding training sessions. I also benefited from it being my first office job, I now understand what it takes to be a part of a hardworking team of people aiming for the same goal.
COMPUTER SECURITY GRADUATE JACK ROBERTS TELLS US ABOUT HIS PLACEMENT AT MERSEY INTERNAL AUDIT AGENCY (MIAA) AS A TECHNOLOGY RISK ASSURANCE AUDITOR.
www.ljmu.ac.uk/studentfutures 7CAREERS AND EMPLOYABILITY CASE STUDIES
Did you receive any support from the Careers, Employability & Start-Up Team at LJMU and how was this useful?
What placement role did you secure and what did this involve on a day-to-day basis?
How do you feel that the placement has benefitted you? The placement has benefitted me in many ways. It has provided me with a greater knowledge and appreciation of IT and cyber security within an organisational environment, allowed me to network with many industry relevant professionals, greatly improved my confidence and leadership/communication skills, better prepared me for the world of work and enhanced my employability prospects due to the references and connections I’ve obtained from MIAA. What advice would you give other students to improve their employability? My advice would be if you’re looking to do a placement:
❙ Take 1st year as seriously as any other year in your degree. This year lays the foundations for everything else you study and these are the only confirmed grades employers can go off when applying for placement.
I secured a placement at Mersey Internal Audit Agency (MIAA) as a Technology Risk Assurance Auditor. This role involved objectively reviewing and assessing the cyber-security controls and risk management processes in place surrounding a particular application/network/process for MIAA’s clients, which were mainly public sector organisations (e.g. NHS Trusts). I would then establish the potential risks, along with the business impact if these were to materialise, and then provide recommendations on how to mitigate or lessen the impact of an identified risk. This is then concluded with an objective overall assurance opinion (i.e. level of confidence) on the security/robustness of a reviewed system/network/process. On a day-by-day basis the job role mainly consisted of engaging with clients and arranging IT audits, team meetings, MIAA briefings, reviewing evidence provided by clients, and writing up assurance reports. Less often, but the most interesting part of the job role, was when I was out on-site with clients independently holding meetings with technical/senior IT staff members and reviewing systems and processes.
COMPUTER FORENSICS GRADUATE LEILA HUGHES TALKS ABOUT HER PLACEMENT AS TECHNICAL SUPPORT AT RIVERVIEW LAW. STUDY OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS
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❙ Use the resources and facilities available at LJMU (e.g. careers zone) to stand out during the application process.
❙ Try and have something extracurricular but subject relevant to talk about during interviews, such as a blog, pet-projects, attending conferences, society memberships, summer internships. This highlights genuine interest and passion for the subject and a willingness to learn.
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Moreover, I performed practice interviews with a partner mainly on personal skills/values/experience questions and solely relied up the content taught on my BSc course for the technical questions.
I worked as a programmer during my placement at Ripstone and I was responsible for implementing features and tasks according to the project’s plan What did the application process involve? I emailed my CV with a covering letter to the company, after which I was invited in for an informal chat with the Directors, and I completed a guided programming test with the lead developer. For this I researched a bit about the company and what they do and also revised advanced C++ topics to help me with the test
DAVID MUGLESTON GRADUATED FROM THE COMPUTER GAMES COURSE AND COMPLETED A YEAR-LONG PLACEMENT AT RIPSTONE CAREERS IN COMPUTER GAMES PLACEMENT CASE STUDY
The placement was massively beneficial to me, providing me with a huge amount of knowledge and experience which helped me enormously during my final year. What advice would you give other students to improve their employability?
How do you feel the placement has benefitted you?
What placement role did you secure and what did this involve on a day-to-day basis?
SCHOOL OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS www.ljmu.ac.uk/studentfutures
2019 COMPUTER GAMES DEVELOPMENT GRADUATE KATIE ELLWOOD DISCUSSES HOW SHE BENEFITED FROM HER YEAR-LONG PLACEMENT AT ONTECA PLACEMENT CASE STUDY
I have interviewed hundreds, possibly thousands of candidates, and those who stand out are always those with life experiences. Candidates stand out if they can answer a question with a real life example and talk about how the example demonstrates their suitability. The other key thing is to do your research, not just on the company but on the person interviewing. Knowing the company philosophy, values, mission statement, operational plans, targets and achievements really helps make you stand out. I would advise getting as much experience as possible in any variety of jobs, paid or unpaid. It does not matter what job role you’re in as long as you can reflect on the skills and situations you have experienced. Create a LinkedIn profile and keep it updated. Attend any workshops or programmes run by your careers service as they can give you an amazing amount of advice and support with CVs and interviews. An employer says ... “ “
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What placement role did you secure and what did this involve on a day-to-day basis? I secured a placement at Onteca, an indie games development company here in Liverpool. My job title was Level Designer and 3D modeller and on a day-to-day basis I created assets and levels for a children’s mobile app. My employer was flexible about what software I used so I Used Blender3D to create the assets, the game engine the company used was Unity which is simple to switch over from Unreal Engine 4, which we use at uni. What did the application / selection process involve? How did you prepare for each stage? I sent out my CV to multiple games companies around Liverpool, whether they were advertising an opening or not. Onteca were not advertising and I still managed to get a job! I got three job offers and went with Onteca due to their informal interview process and office environment. How do you feel the placement has benefitted you? This placement has benefited me a lot. I didn’t know what area of games development I wanted to go into. When applying for jobs I realised where my strengths were and was able to gain skills in 3D modelling. Within a year I went from not knowing very much about 3D modelling to being able to create full human models. I got experience working in an office environment and became more confident in my work. What advice would you give other students to improve their employability? I would say go crazy with handing your CV out to companies, and email them even if they aren’t advertising an opening. Most small organisations may not specifically advertise a placement opening so it’s worth a shot. The worst that can happen is no reply or a decline which isn’t bad, and then you move onto the next one!
Interview skills are a must, especially if you’ve never done one before, and these can be practiced at the Careers Zone in Byrom Street. What did you do after you completed your course? I went travelling before resuming my position at Ripstone as a programmer.
Build a portfolio of your best work and focus it as if you have a specific job in mind. If you don’t have anything specific in mind try to include a good mix of things to show. Don’t hesitate to email or contact games companies even if you don’t see a job advertised, there’s so many positions that never get posted externally. Make sure you include projects in your portfolio that you’ve completed in your own time, even if it’s not a full game demo, perhaps just a sample of some specific mechanic or idea you’ve developed. Show ambition and passion and learn to use engine frameworks such as Unreal Engine 4 and/or Unity. If I was in first year again, I would work on building up my portfolio sooner. Again, your portfolio can convey so much more than a CV, without one you’ll find it extremely difficult to even get an interview.
What are your plans for after graduation – work, travel or further study? I have been working on 3D modelling and development projects with Imagin3D in Sensor City and I plan to continue to create 3D models and improve my skills. A dream job would be Jagex in Cambridge working on Old School Runescape!
What support should students access from the Careers, Employability & Start-Up Team?
IAN ROTHWELL, SWQA COMPATIBILITY MANAGER, SONY COMPUTERENTERTAINMENT EUROPE OFFERS SOME TIPS AND ADVICE TO STUDENTS ABOUT THE RECRUITMENT/SELECTION PROCESS
How do you feel that the placement has benefitted you?
What did the application / selection process involve? The first stage was an online application which includes sending my CV and covering letter. The next stage was an assessment centre including group activities and an individual interview. How has the placement experience benefitted you? The placement befitted me massively, giving me exposure to a structured working day which improved my work ethic and helped me when I returned to uni. I worked in both large and small teams, including multi-disciplinary teams from across the company. This was a great opportunity to engage with other members of staff and the company also had a “coffee with a stranger” initiative which gave you the chance to meet a range of other staff across grades and departments. I had to present my work at regular intervals showing my progress and I improved my knowledge of Python greatly through using it every day. I also worked a lot with databases and big data, particularly using SQL. The placement enabled me to become more self-reliant and motivated. What advice would you give other students to improve their employability? Do as many extra-curricular activities as you can. I competed in the Barclays Technology Challenge and also undertook an LJMU internship which involved working on a paid project for 20 days. If you have a particular interest try and develop this outside of university to show your passion in this area. Look for online courses to develop your skills such as Code Academy. In my own time I also develop websites for friends and family which has given me a portfolio to show potential employers. I would definitely recommend a placement as your whole attitude changes towards your studies and future career. Did you receive any support from the Careers, Employability & Start-Up Team at LJMU and how was this useful? I undertook a paid 20-day LJMU internship organised by the team which also led to a follow on project. When applying for placements I brought my CV and covering letter into the Careers Zone in Byrom Street for Advisers to review and provide feedback on. What have you done since completing your course? After graduation, I started a PhD at LJMU which focusses on developing AI systems for dementia care.
What did the application / selection process involve?
I was able to experience how a workplace actually works on a day-to-day basis and how to organise your workflow for different projects. I was able to speak to clients directly, and understand their needs and manage their expectations. I developed a good working knowledge of Perl and developed my knowledge of other software. Delivering presentations enabled me to gain more confidence with these and I worked in teams and worked towards project deadlines, having to react to unexpected events. It was also great receiving a regular wage!
What placement role did you secure and what did this involve on a day-to-day basis?
My role as a Software Engineering intern mainly involved working on workflow tasks in Perl, writing scripts. I was working on the systems behind the power distribution network using in-built tools within the system, and the configuration of the systems for clients.
What placement role did you secure and what did this involve on a day-to-day basis? I secured a placement working as a Data Scientist at Shop Direct which involved projects relating to cutting edge AI and machine learning (researching and developing automated systems). An example of a project involved the large volumes of customer feedback that Shop Direct receives and developing systems that would automatically process and analyse this information. This system would then help the business to identify any problem areas and put improvements in place if required. On a day-to-day basis the role involved coding in Python, testing systems and working with other teams across the company.
The application process involved an online application, followed by situational judgement tests, an automated video interview, and then finally a live (face-to-face) video interview.
What advice would you give other students to improve their employability?
As part of the placement I had the opportunity to visit Belgium to discuss projects with clients.
What are your plans for after graduation – work, travel or further study? I secured a role as a PHP Web Developer role at a purchasing consortium organisation in Manchester.
DURING HIS STUDIES, HE COMPLETED A SANDWICH PLACEMENT WITH GE POWER PLACEMENT CASE STUDY CAREERS IN COMPUTER SCIENCE
DAVID
BOARDMAN GRADUATED FROM THE COMPUTER SCIENCE COURSE AND COMPLETED A DATA SCIENTIST PLACEMENT AT SHOP DIRECT PLACEMENT CASE STUDY SCHOOL OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICSwww.ljmu.ac.uk/studentfutures 9CAREERS AND EMPLOYABILITY CASE STUDIES
Do a placement as it helps you to understand the workplace, develop your skills and looks great on your CV.
ROBERT LYONS GRADUATED FROM THE COMPUTER SCIENCE PROGRAMME IN 2019.
What help or support did you access from LJMU’s Careers, Employability & Start-Up Team? I visited the Careers Zone to receive support with my placement applications and interviews.
What advice would you give to current students to develop their employability and make the most of their time at LJMU?
What did your placement involve on a day-to-day basis? I was a deskside support analyst for a small-medium managed service provider. However, when they found out about my skills in programming, I was given control of the company’s CRM database as well all other tasks involving code. Plan-Net was acquired by Acora a month before I started, so a lot of my tasks and day-to-day roles were actually more at the infrastructure level as I was involved in the integration of the two companies. Around the mid-way point, I started working for Acora where I continued my day-to-day tasks but was also on call for the Board of Directors to be a part of the team that would push out certain business objectives. For example, I was a part of an auditing team being sent to another company that Acora was acquiring to see what the company’s infrastructure was worth. What did the application / selection process involve? The application process involved sending my CV and then a quick phone interview followed by a face-to-face interview with a small knowledge test. To prepare, I researched the company to understand their client base and history, which impressed the interviewers. The other big thing was that I showed up in a full suit. This was very important to the interviewer, as (in their words) the tech industry is getting more informal by the day, and understanding how to dress formally is still an important part of any client-facing job. I was the only person to attend the interview wearing a full suit and from what I understand, that was the deciding factor between me and another applicant. What advice would you give other students to improve their employability? My advice would be work on your CV. Most employers are only looking at the CV for less than a minute, especially at the bigger companies, so the more unique it is the better. Also, if possible, try to contact the hiring manager to ask for further details about what they are looking for, as I found that the job listing is often done by someone in HR and more often than not has errors. Lastly, wear appropriate clothes for the interview. I found that a good way to figure out what to wear was to look at the ‘about us’ page of the company and try to find pictures of the senior executives of the company. Mirroring them in the level of formality as well as the rough colour scheme helps the recruiters feel like you’ll mix into the company better as you are already dressing like them.
Tell us about your duties and responsibilities during the placement.
How did the Covid situation affect your role and daily work and how did you manage this? The first Covid lockdown came into effect about halfway through my placement, so I spent six months in the office and six months working remotely at home. I was a part of the team who set up the remote working solution as well as setting up the offices for the postCovid return, so it certainly added to my workload. Other challenges included getting technical details over the phone from people who were not that technical. I did however save a lot of money in travel costs during Covid, which was an added bonus. What are your plans for after graduation?
How have you benefited from your placement year?
Gain as much experience as possible alongside your degree. The long summer break between your first and second year is a particularly good time to start this. Because I had been very proactive that summer volunteering in the community and completing some personal IT projects, I already had lots of experience to talk about during the application and interview stage for sandwich placements. Even after my placement year, I kept adding more experience to my CV and completed one of the funded LJMU internships in my final year. I always took a copy of my CV and portfolio along to interviews, which went down well with employers, as it demonstrates that you have gone above and beyond what was required. In interviews, try to be confident in your own abilities and show that you are eager to learn. I have also been a student rep throughout my degree, which is a great way to build up confidence and relevant skills that will impress employers. What careers support did you access at LJMU? The faculty placement team were very supportive both before and during my sandwich placement. In my final year, I spoke to Anja, one of the employability advisers in the Careers Zone, who gave me some feedback on my personal statements for my Masters applications. As a result, I received offers from both universities I applied to. It was great that I was able to make the final choice and look forward to starting an MSc in Advanced Computer Science at the University of Liverpool after the summer.
As part of a team of five developers, including two placement students, I worked on a hybrid app and mobile web platform, adding further functionality and applications. I was also involved in back-end and server-side development, working on databases, and assisting customers with queries and software problems in my role on the helpdesk. MIS only recruits placement students from LJMU, and I enjoyed mentoring the new placement students after my contract was extended by another couple of months following the end of my own 12-month placement.
2019 COMPUTER SCIENCE GRADUATE EAMON MAGDOUBI SHARES HIS EXPERIENCES FROM HIS PLACEMENT YEAR AS A DEVELOPER AT MIS ACTIVE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS BEFORE GRADUATING FROM THE COMPUTER SCIENCE PROGRAMME IN 2021, BRANDON DAWE COMPLETED A 12-MONTH PLACEMENT AS A DESKSIDE SUPPORT ANALYST FOR PLAN-NET. PLACEMENT CASE STUDY PLACEMENT CASE STUDY SCHOOL OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS www.ljmu.ac.uk/studentfutures 10 CAREERS AND EMPLOYABILITY CASE STUDIES
I learnt about industry standards for software development, which is difficult to teach at university, as technology constantly changes. The individualised training, support and task allocation made the transition from university into the workplace really smooth and easy. In addition to my technical skills and expertise, the placement also developed my transferable skills massively, and I am now professional and confident in time management, meeting skills, and delivering presentations in front of senior staff. Representing MIS during the faculty careers fair in the Adelphi Hotel in October and talking about my placement to current LJMU students was also a great learning experience.
I have already started my new role as a Graduate Consultant for a London-based Salesforce consultancy company called BrightGen.
DURING HER STUDIES, SHE COMPLETED A YEARLONG PLACEMENT AS A CREDIT RISK ANALYST AT THE VERY GROUP. CASE STUDY to compared to
What placement role did you secure and what did this involve on a day-to-day basis? I started my journey in the Scoring team, who build scorecards and develop bespoke models to help understand the risk level associated with potential customers. I spent almost four months working within this team, supporting pieces of work and completing a project. After this, I moved to the Applications team also within Credit Risk, where my role consisted of reporting on key metrics that the Applications team monitor alongside carrying out data analysis.
What did the application / selection process involve?
Did you receive any support from the Careers, Employability & Start-Up Team at LJMU and how was this useful? Yes during second year when I was applying to multiple placement opportunities, the team were really helpful in reviewing my CV and cover letter to ensure they were tailored to each specific role and highlighted my most relevant skills. How did the Covid situation affect your role and daily work and how did you manage this situation? Covid didn’t massively affect my placement experience. I was able to work from home comfortably as I was experienced within my role by the time work from home measures were implemented. My daily work never drastically changed as a result of the pandemic but it gave me the chance to adapt to using different methods of communication to continue learning virtually. When my final year of university ended up being delivered 100% virtually due to lockdown restrictions, my experience of working from home meant I felt comfortable and able to learn in this scenario.
One piece of advice that I received during my placement year was to push yourself out of your comfort zone at every opportunity and this will help you to develop - this is something that has stuck in my mind ever since and has been extremely beneficial for me. It is so important that you take every opportunity that comes your way as there will always be a positive learning outcome.
To begin with, it was a typical application form requiring all personal details and three questions which required longer answers. After completing this, I was invited to an assessment centre. This involved working as part of a team on a group activity, which was then presented back to the other groups of students and staff members of The Very Group. A face-to-face interview formed the next and final stage of the process. I prepared by doing a lot of research about what assessment centre days typically consist of and tried to find out as much information as possible from The Very Group about what to expect. I also researched the company so I had a really good understanding of what they do, their mission, culture and values.
How do you feel that the placement has benefitted you?
OLIVIA ROUND GRADUATED FROM THE MATHS & FINANCE PROGRAMME IN 2021.
PLACEMENT
CAREERS IN APPLIED MATHEMATICS www.ljmu.ac.uk/postgraduate Whether you are looking to specialise, change direction, enhance your earning potential or boost your employability, staying at LJMU for postgraduate study is a great investment in your future success, with increased earnings of up
18% for postgraduates
graduates. Source: BBC GET A 20% DISCOUNT OFF YOUR LJMU POSTGRADUATE COURSE To discover more, call 0151 231 5090, or go to: SCHOOL OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICSwww.ljmu.ac.uk/studentfutures 11CAREERS AND EMPLOYABILITY CASE STUDIES
Firstly, from a professional and personal development perspective, it gave me experience of being a part of a big organisation while using the skills I gained at university and applying them in a real life scenario to obtain so much new knowledge. Secondly, it prepared me extremely well for the final year of my degree and the pressure that comes with it, as I was able to apply my working routine to my studies when I returned to university in September. Finally, it benefited my career, as it enabled me to secure a graduate role at The Very Group as a full-time Credit Risk Analyst. What advice would you give other students to improve their employability? Apply to as many different placement opportunities that sound interesting to you, and don’t close off any potential roles because it may turn out to be something really good. It is difficult to manage second-year university work alongside putting effort into placement year applications; however it is definitely worthwhile in the long run, especially if it helps you to secure a role for after university, as this massively eases pressure during third year. The Very Group rang me in January 2021 to offer me a role as a Credit Risk Analyst, and this allowed me to focus on my studies.
What advice would you give other students to improve their employability? Find out what you enjoy and take note of how you thrive in those situations - what do you find yourself naturally leading and naturally getting stuck into? This helped me find the career I wanted, as I was always relating things back to data and enjoying reading facts on how things perform etc. I also think speaking to people and gaining interview experience, even if you find that the job isn’t for you, is extremely important as it helps you understand both commonly-asked questions and those more specific to the job role.
What did your placement involve on a day-to-day basis? I completed weekly and monthly reporting for clients with ad-hoc requests on accounts when things seemed to look out of place with month and year comparisons. I also helped clients improve their strategy by giving particular insights.
What are your plans for after graduation? I have been offered a Junior PPC role at McCann.
Covid actually didn’t affect my role too much - we always had the option to work from home anyway. However, during lockdown, I worked from home all the time. This was a transition that people had to get used to, for example communicating via video calls and sharing screens etc., but it worked well. It was quite quiet for a bit since 70% of the office got furloughed. Other than that, it was still enjoyable as we had regular team catch-ups to keep in contact.
PLACEMENT CASE STUDY
2021 MATHS GRADUATE CAITLIN WILSON COMPLETED A YEARLONG DATA ANALYSIS PLACEMENT AT MCCANN DURING HER STUDIES AT LJMU.
Did you receive any advice support from the Careers, Employability & Start-Up Team and how was this helpful?
They reviewed my CV and cover letters a few times and they advised me how to improve it. I also let them know when I had interviews I was extremely excited about and they were available to help me if needed.
Apply for a placement and encourage your friends too! You develop in areas that you think you’re already competent in and have a great time - and get paid! Make sure you’ve researched the company as best as you can and be prepared for the question “Why do you want this role?”
CHARLEIGH BLYTH GRADUATED FROM THE MATHS PROGRAMME IN 2021. DURING HER STUDIES AT LJMU, SHE UNDERTOOK A 12-MONTH PLACEMENT AT VOLKSWAGEN. PLACEMENT CASE STUDY SCHOOL OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS www.ljmu.ac.uk/studentfutures 12 CAREERS AND EMPLOYABILITY CASE STUDIES
What did the application / selection process involve? I applied through Indeed providing a cover letter and CV and was then emailed some online tests to complete, including a logical test. A few weeks after attending an interview, they let me know that I had been successful. I prepared using the previous experience from placement interviews, as this happened to be my last one, and also used online resources from the university and other careers sites to develop experience in online tests. How do you feel that the placement has benefitted you? It has benefited my career, as I have secured a full-time position with the company. I kept working at McCann for one day a week whilst in my final year and was then offered a Junior PPC (pay-per-click) role. The placement provided me with experience in the office, and I found the career I wanted to go into, as I enjoyed every aspect of the daily routine. I am also a lot more prepared to change jobs when I’m ready, as I have the confidence to speak to people in a professional manner. The placement year has definitely shaped me up to start a career.
I originally applied for an undergraduate role in Risk Management, where I sent a CV and cover letter as my application. I then had a video interview where I recorded myself answering a number of questions, followed by a phone interview with a recruiter. I was then invited to an assessment centre day and discovered that the role I had applied for was not for me - I did not get the role I had initially applied for but had impressed another assessor on the day. That assessor recommended me for a totally different placement as the Campaign Development Undergraduate – after an interview I was offered that role. How do you feel that the placement has benefitted you? This video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yS4p8v6kiqQ) reflects why I and the other undergraduates speaking enjoyed our placements. There were 27 in my cohort in different departments from lots of different universities. I developed both personally and professionally during placement – I was not a shy student beforehand but I became a lot more assertive and now if I want to contact a company, I will email them without hesitating. Similarly I’m a lot happier answering unknown calls these days. My Excel, meeting and presentation skills developed as well, as I had to quickly become comfortable with presenting to a wide range of audiences. I was given overviews into a range of teams and departments from all over the business, which allowed me to network and gain lots of new contacts, and was also involved in recruiting the undergraduate that would replace me. It was really beneficial being part of the interview panel! What advice would you give other students to improve their employability?
How did the Covid situation affect your role and daily work and how did you manage this situation?
What did the application / selection process involve?
What placement role did you secure and what did this involve on a day-to-day basis?
Set up a profile on LinkedIn and stay on top of you CV – even if you’re not successful with a placement, remember any previous jobs/work experience/society roles are attractive to future employers and don’t be afraid to share or talk about your successes. How did the Covid situation affect your role and daily work and how did you manage this? At the beginning of Covid, I was put on furlough for a month (but still received full pay – Whopee!). I was then asked if I would be willing to support a team in the customer service division (virtually), which I was more than happy to do, as it allowed me to gain new skills and become familiar with new software. This was a really good opportunity and allowed me to network in another department. A month after being on ‘loan’ to customer services I was back with my team and training the undergraduate that would take over from me (still virtually).
During any assessment centres or interviews, be your authentic self. Your hiring managers want to get to know you and see who you are. If they ask you a question in an interview and you’re not sure, don’t lie or try to make up an answer – they’ll see straight through this. Instead say that you’re unsure of the answer at the moment, but you would love the opportunity to find out. Just be honest!
I was the Campaign Development Undergraduate at Volkswagen Financial Services UK. This involved a broad range of tasks such as supporting the campaign development team and the commercial department in developing the landscape of future campaigns and evaluating their success. “Campaigns” refers to the financial offers that provide attractive and competitive incentives aiding customers to lease or purchase a vehicle – so when you hear adverts on the radio or TV talking about deposit contributions or APRs, I was in the team that calculated those values. It was a really good role with too many activities to summarise!
What did the application / selection process involve?
How do you feel that the placement has benefitted you? My placement has rewarded me with new and improved transferable skills that have allowed me to grow as an individual, which I believe has helped massively when applying for graduate jobs. It’s allowed me to see what actually working for a business is like such as dealing with different teams, learning how to lead project meetings and manage deadlines, as well as how to overcome any problems I could be faced with in a professional setting. I’ve learnt how to use different software and coding languages and have also gained multiple certificates, which were so useful.
How did the Covid situation affect your role and daily work and how did you manage this situation?
ELLIE PARKER UNDERTOOK A 12-MONTH PLACEMENT AT BROOKSON WHILE STUDYING MATHS & FINANCE AT LJMU. SINCE GRADUATING IN 2021, SHE HAS WORKED FOR UNITED UTILITIES ON THEIR GRADUATE PROGRAMME IN BUSINESS INFORMATION MANAGEMENT. CASE STUDY SCHOOL OF COMPUTER SCIENCE
Firstly, I would say use the Careers resources at LJMU to perfect your CV and cover letter as this is what companies see first. Secondly, practise for any tests that may need to be taken. Careers Zone 24/7 provides free access to a range of tests, so you can familiarise yourself with the different types of questions asked and the time limit – this means you know what to expect in the real thing. Finally, be yourself! I think we can get so caught up into trying to be the perfect candidate when I believe most of the time employers use the interview process to see your personality as well as the skills you can offer. Don’t sound robotic – try and practise enough that you are prepared but ensure that your responses still sound natural.
I received support for both my CV and cover letter as well as my STAR answers. This was so helpful, especially when applying for my placement since my CV was stuck in the ‘high school’ times and the advice provided helped me to transform it to look professional and demonstrate my new graduate skills. In addition, I also learnt how to provide good examples for common interview questions using the STAR method to back up my responses with evidence.
PLACEMENT
The application process involved submitting a cover letter and CV followed by an in-person interview. To prepare, I made sure I read the job description and highlighted key requirements the company were asking for to demonstrate how I could bring this to the company. In addition, I also read the company website to learn as much as possible about the business and practised the general STAR questions to make sure I had clear examples backed up by evidence ready for the interview.
I secured a junior data analyst role, which involved anything from leading projects in process automation, building applications and dashboards to give business insights, to creating new products, as well as dealing with any bugs that could arise either in our applications or our data source.
CATERPILLAR. PLACEMENT CASE STUDY
Did you receive any support from the Careers, Employability & Start-Up Team at LJMU and how was this useful?
Did you receive any support from the Careers, Employability & Start-Up Team at LJMU and how was this useful? I had a module with Andy where we created a CV and template cover letter. We also looked at example interview questions, which have always come up in my interviews and as a result, I’ve always been ready to answer them perfectly. I also used the CV drop-in service to improve my CV. How did the Covid situation affect your role and daily work and how did you manage this situation? When Covid hit, we changed to working from home full-time. We already did a day or so at home per week anyway, so the transition was seamless and did not affect my role too much. I actually extended my placement with the company, as I no longer had any holidays planned, so I stayed until I went back to university. What are your plans for after graduation – work, travel or further study?
What placement role did you secure and what did this involve?
For around the last five months of my placement I was working from home and luckily working for Analytics, this was absolutely fine as we were still able to access the database and carry out our daily work. We had virtual meetings every morning to make sure the team were still catching up and nobody felt isolated, which was great. At times, I did find myself working past my hours as this was so easy to do. You’d think ‘oh just 15 more minutes’ and before you knew it, it had been an hour, but I learnt how to get the right balance of work and personal life, and overall I enjoyed working from home.
PLACEMENT YEAR
AND MATHEMATICSwww.ljmu.ac.uk/studentfutures 13CAREERS AND EMPLOYABILITY CASE STUDIES
2021 MATHS & FINANCE GRADUATE CAMERON BROWN REFLECTS ON
What placement role did you secure and what did this involve on a day-to-day basis? I secured a Finance Placement at Caterpillar, where I worked in the accounting team in Manchester from June 2019 to September 2020. I supported the finance team to conduct an accurate month-end close and financial analysis and forecasting, as well as daily sales reports and internal reconciliations between ledger systems. What did the application / selection process involve? The selection process was rather long and tough due to the volume of applicants. Firstly I submitted a CV and cover letter. I then had a phone interview, and once I passed this, I was invited to complete a maths and English test. The last stage involved an assessment centre in Peterborough. During the assessment day, I had a round of interviews with the senior managers, completed a team task and an Excel test, and presented to the other applicants and managers at the end of the day. I was notified after this that I had secured the job. The whole process took around six months. It was a long process but it was definitely worth it for the sense of achievement I had when I got it. How do you feel that the placement has benefitted you? This placement has benefited me in a number of ways. Firstly, coming out of university, it wasn’t hard to find a job. In fact, just setting up a professional LinkedIn profile was all that was needed to be approached multiple times for graduate roles. Also, working 9 to 5 for a year helped me save money, so I didn’t have to work during the final year of my degree and could concentrate on my studies. The placement also helped me improve my soft skills and confidence to network with senior professionals in the sector. I had an increased work rate from working long hours every week, so transferring this work rate to uni work was easy. What advice would you give other students to improve their employability? Network! Get a LinkedIn page, find some interests in the sector you want, talk to people, have a genuine enthusiasm for your career, and be approachable. Also be patient and persistent with applications; most people give up come the exam period.
I am hoping to complete a Masters in Investment or Finance starting in September 2021. HIS AT
What advice would you give students to improve their employability?
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