The UCL Jobs Market 2016 is coming up on 8^th June: a chance to meet employers with jobs, internships and training opportunities available with a Summer/Autumn start!

From big prestigious graduate schemes to smaller organisations and recruitment agencies offering a diverse variety of graduate jobs within finance, consulting, engineering, technology, media, sales & marketing and charities & non-profits.

When: Wednesday 8th June, 2:00-4:00pm

Where: Mahatma Gandhi Hall, Indian YMCA – 41 Fitzroy Square (near Warren Street Tube)

Employer confirmed so far include:

AlphaSights

Costello Medical Consulting

Deloitte

DWP

EG.1

EY

Frontier

Gorkana

Sapient Nitro

TeachFirst

We Think Ahead

…plus many more.

 To stay up to date with new employers as they are added, check our website at http://www.ucl.ac.uk/careers/events/jobsmarket

No registration is required! If you wish to attend, simply turn up at any time while the event is running but be prepared to queue to get in as the event will be popular.
 As this event is only open to current UCL students and recent graduates, please remember to bring valid UCL ID with you as you won’t get in without it. For information about valid UCL ID, please visit www.ucl.ac.uk/careers/eligibility.

 

Guest blog post by Claire Kilroy from Inspiring Interns

If you spent time abroad as part of your degree, hopefully the first thing that springs to mind when asked about it is what a great time you had. Since coming home, you’ve been bursting with stories about the amazing things you saw and did; in fact, you probably can’t remember the last time you told an anecdote that didn’t start with the words ‘When I was in…’

But it’s one thing to talk about your time abroad to family and friends; it’s another to try and explain to an interviewer why your experiences overseas make you the perfect hire. However, your year abroad can help you stand out from the crowd when applying for graduate jobs. Recent graduates are limited in terms of their work history, so having a range of other experiences you can draw on to illustrate your skills and competencies is vital.

Plus, in an increasingly internationalised work economy, many employers are on the hunt for global graduates. This means someone who will instinctively consider a wide range of perspectives and international influences when approaching an issue. If you’ve done a year abroad, you no doubt fall in this category. You just need to be able to prove it.

So, how should you go about it? Here’s some advice about how to change the way you think and talk about your year abroad to boost your employability:

Break it down

It’s easy to fall into generalisations when talking about your year abroad. So much will have happened that sometimes all you think to say is “It was awesome” – but that doesn’t tell the interviewer anything substantial about your experiences. Somehow, you need to organise your thoughts so that you can speak about specific events or subjects effectively.

Start off by asking yourself some simple questions. These might come up in an interview, but more importantly they provide a focus for your thoughts. Try to think of at least two or three points for each answer.

• Why did you choose to do a year abroad in the first place? What were you hoping to get out of it?
• Did you have to apply to go abroad? What steps did you take?
• What did you have to do before you went abroad? Did you have to set up a foreign bank account? Find accommodation? Did you encounter any difficulties?
• Did you do anything differently? Like join different societies, take up a new hobby, get a new interest?
• What was most daunting about going overseas? How did you cope?
• What were the most significant similarities / differences between the country you went to and here? What did you miss most about home and what do you now miss most from overseas?
• What was the highlight of your year abroad? Why?
• Do you think the experience changed you in any significant ways? Why / why not?
• Did you find it difficult adjusting to being home again?

Lead by example

In an interview, it’s not enough to claim you have a skill or throw around buzzwords like ‘international mindset’; it’s all about using examples drawn from your previous experiences to prove you’ve got the goods.

So take time to consider the competencies you want to show off at interview, and what experiences you can draw on from your year abroad. These might include:

Adaptability: this should pose no challenges in terms of coming up with examples – after all, you adapted to living in a different country. That means successfully navigating anything and everything from a confusing public transport system to a radically different academic system to simply a different pace of life. If you can manage that, you can manage change in a work environment. To give your answer depth, consider what you found most challenging about adapting, and how you overcame it.

Problem-solving: no doubt you encountered obstacles during your year abroad. These might be problems that required a long-term strategy – like needing to secure funding before you left – or ones that required you to think on the spot – like getting totally lost in a foreign city. Accommodation-related problems are also common, although hopefully you won’t have experienced anything quite as dramatic as one young man who came home to find all his furniture was gone because of a misunderstanding with the landlord.

Resilience: this is easily linked to your examples about problem solving. Resilience refers to how you cope under difficult circumstances or after suffering a setback – you want to show that you where able to keep moving forwards and maintained a positive attitude. Aside from practical challenges you could also talk more generally about coping with homesickness.

Communication: this is undoubtedly the foundation of a successful year abroad. Whether you were operating a foreign language or your native one, you’ll have come across numerous situations where you had to rely on your ability to communicate. Your landlord, your professors, your fellow exchange students, your friends… the list is endless.

Networking: though closely linked with communication skills, this is a chance to show off your ability to build and maintain strong relationships with those you met. Even just knowing you have people to stay with if you go back is a point in your favour, and you never know who might prove unexpectedly helpful in the future.

Goal-orientation: think about what you set out to do during your time away, and what you did to achieve this. You might have wanted to become fluent in the language, and taken extra classes or have chosen to stay with a host family that spoke no English. Or maybe you wanted to travel and see as much of the country as possible, and needed to be very organised with your time and budget.

Working collaboratively with people from diverse backgrounds and countries: employers consider this the most important ‘global competency’; they want to hire graduates who understand the complexity of cultural relationships and act accordingly. To have lived in and integrated into a foreign culture will set you apart from other graduates.

Apply your thoughts

Having structured your thinking about your year abroad, you should now find it easier to approach the type of questions you’ll face in an interview. Some questions might ask directly about your year abroad, while other more general questions might provide the perfect opportunity to bring in your experiences. Remember, you want to offer your interviewer answers with real substance, but that doesn’t mean you can’t show your enthusiasm for the topic!

 

Claire Kilroy is a content writer for the UK’s leading graduate recruitment agency, Inspiring Interns. Check out their website for listings of graduate jobs and internships, or head to their blog for more graduate careers advice.

 

Many organisations across a number of different sectors now use aptitude tests to assess the skills of applicants as part of the recruitment process. Frequently used in entry level positions, these tests are designed to evaluate applicant capabilities in numerical, problem solving, critical thinking, behavioural and communication tasks so that they can recruit the highest calibre candidates. All of the tests are completed under exam conditions and in some businesses, particularly those which are extremely competitive, the pass mark is high. If you are to succeed in the recruitment process, preparatory work is absolutely essential for any type of aptitude test.

Preparation is Key

As with any other assessments, there are no shortcuts to passing aptitude tests. Success requires time, patience and practice. The first step in the preparation process is to research the type of test that you will be asked to complete. This is usually provided in your confirmation letter or email sent by the recruiter. There are many different types of aptitude tests including verbal reasoning, numerical reasoning and logical reasoning. Each of these tests will include slightly different questions so you must ensure that you prepare for the right test or tests.

Test Questions

Once you have an idea about the type of test that you will be asked to complete, there are a number of resources online to help you practice for your aptitude test. It is strongly recommended that you make use of these practice websites to sit as many tests as you can work through. As you progress you will notice that you will improve your speed and accuracy so you can approach the actual aptitude tests with more confidence.

Instructions

With all assessments you will be provided with a set of instructions. It is really important that you read these thoroughly before you begin as there have been some instances of candidates misunderstanding the instructions and approaching the test incorrectly. Overlooking important details in the instruction information at the beginning can have a detrimental impact on your score, so always read them carefully.

Pace

One of the great things about carrying out practice aptitude tests is that it gives you the opportunity to perfect your technique. Aptitude tests are very fast paced, with approximately 30 seconds allocated to each question so the more practice and preparation you carry out, the faster you can progress through each question. One of the main challenges within any of the aptitude tests is to evaluate how well candidates can think when working under pressure. However, it is really important to read the question properly and provide a prompt answer. Don’t spend too long thinking over a question; if it is too difficult move on and then you can always return to it at the end.

Trick Questions or Answers

Aptitude tests are designed to make you think. By familiarising yourself with the questions you will be able to identify whether the question is designed to confuse you or are designed specifically to make you think. The majority of test questions are quite straightforward but there will be some sprinkled throughout the test which require a little more thought.

Top Tips for Aptitude Tests

We have put together a list of top tips that can help you prepare for aptitude tests and increase your chances of securing an interview or progressing to the next stage in the recruitment process;

#1 Practice, Practice, Practice

Aptitude tests are often completed through an online assessment system, so practice these as much as you can online to familiarise yourself with the way in which they are structured.

#2 Materials

If permitted, take with you the necessary tools for your test. This could include blank sheets of paper, pens, a watch and a calculator

#3 Time

One of the main problems associated with aptitude tests is getting the timing right; candidates need to learn how to work quickly and accurately to progress through the test.

#4 Location

When you practice the aptitude tests ensure that you are in a suitable environment and free from distractions.

#5 Practice Tests

On the day of your actual aptitude test the assessor may issue you with a set of optional practice questions. Never pass this opportunity by as it is a great way for you to familiarise yourself with the style of the test before you begin.

#6 Guidance

Always read through any accompanying notes or guidance that you are provided with in the test. These could offer vital pieces of information to complete the test correctly.

#7 If in doubt move on

Don’t spend too long answering a single question. Aptitude tests are designed to be fast paced so you don’t have time to spend more than 30 seconds on each question. If you find a question difficult, move on to the next one and then return to it at the end if you have time.

#8 Make Notes

Depending on the type of aptitude test it is always advised that you have a piece of A4 paper to hand so that you can make quick notes or write down calculations rather than trying to work it out using the corner of your assessment paper or on screen.

#9 Calculator

It may seem trivial but use a good calculator that you are familiar with so you can work out your answers quickly.

#10 Feedback

After the aptitude test always ask for feedback particularly if you didn’t make it to the interview stage. Ask the assessor if you can have a copy of your paper and answers to see where you went wrong and the areas which require improvement. Feedback is a great way to see where you can improve.

 

Guest blog post contributed by Edward Mellett, WikiJob

 

With the summer approaching, it is important to understand that value-adding employability activities for students do not start and end with internships alone. Indeed, some of you will have been fortunate to secure work-based opportunities already and will be looking forward to the challenges, and benefits, that they provide. But for those students who haven’t reached this stage yet, or who perhaps aren’t looking for an internship opportunity, there are plenty of other useful ways to spend the summer months.

Part time work

From an employers point of view, all work is good work as long as you are able to be reflective about your experiences, and understand (and sell) the transferable skills that you developed along the way. Don’t be quick to write off opportunities because they don’t align with your career aims. Aside from the very practical benefit of earning money, however, part time work can also be very relevant – the summer can be a great time to explore opportunities within the temping market, giving you exposure to new industries whilst developing office based experience.

Volunteering

Whilst it may not have the glamour of an internship, volunteering can be a very practical way of developing work related skills in a whole range of industry areas. This is not just for people looking to develop careers in the charity sector. Opportunities can cover a whole range of commercially relevant activities like marketing, business development, finance and technology. Try UCLU Volunteering or browse the Do It website to see what’s out there for you.

Research

The key to all good decision making lies in the planning and careers is no different. Use your time off from university to get to grips with the job market, to understand where your degree can take you, and to familiarise yourself with the difference career choices available. Websites such as Prospects and TARGETjobs are a great starting point for information but don’t forget to utilise in-house resources such as JobOnline to see the variety of jobs on offer and to identify what employers are asking for, in terms of skills and experience. You’ll have a head-start come September.

Networking

Can you hand-on-heart say to are doing everything to you can to utilise the networks you have around you? This is still a leading way to find work in the UK so make sure you are using your summer to talk to people you know about opportunities they may know. Attend networking events, speak to people about the jobs they do to increase your understanding of the world of work. Get LinkedIn savvy and start growing your web of contacts. Dip into the UCL Alumni Careers Mentoring Network to see if there is anyone there who can help you.

So don’t let the summer pass you by without making the most of the opportunities that it affords you. This is the time to get ahead, whether through practical exposure, defining what you want or widening your sphere of influence. Set yourself some summer goals to work towards so that your post-graduation plans are a step closer.

#LEMONADE the Visual Album. https://t.co/8LM6jOwNKe pic.twitter.com/eV32dUg7Pj

— BEYONCÉ (@Beyonce) 24 April 2016

Like, how flipping good is the new Beyoncé album? Am I right? Yes.

But which track is your fave? The haunting, poetic, heart-rending opener, “Pray you catch me”?  Or are you more into the loud, rocky, hell-hath-no-fury-type number “Don’t Hurt Yourself”?

It turns out the answer could say a lot about you. David Greenberg, a Cambridge PhD student, has been researching the underpinnings of musical taste. And he found certain ‘cognitive styles’, or ways of thinking, are associated with a preference for distinct music types.

People with a greater ability to understand thoughts and feelings in themselves and others, labelled “empathisers”, tend to prefer mellow, melancholy music like R&B and soul. Whereas ‘systemisers’, those better at spotting patterns and understanding the workings of systems, prefer loud, intense, ‘fun’ genres like punk and hard rock.

Interesting stuff in itself. But at UCL Careers we just can’t resist looking for ways to help you with your career thinking. And we figure if you’re the type of person who loves putting people in boxes (and don’t we all enjoy that a little sometimes?), you might want to take your musical tastes into account when considering your future career. Systemisers are likely to be good at analytical, mathematical and scientific problem-solving jobs. So if you’re a grindcore lover, perhaps you’ll make a fine economist. Whereas empathisers may prefer working with people, especially if the role involves understanding emotions and behaviour. So if you like a bit of soft rock or smooth soul, maybe you’ll enjoy being a counsellor.

And if checking your Spotify playlist hasn’t solved all your career woes (which I very much doubt it has), there are more sophisticated job-matching tools out there, like Prospects Planner or Plotr. Shockingly, they don’t ask whether you prefer Adele to Slipknot, but they do make you think about what motivates you in your work, and the type of environment you’d be happiest in.

A word of caution: Although these algorithms will churn out a list of jobs for you, they’re unlikely to offer a firm and final answer to your career choice. We all change and develop over time, and as you gain more work experience you’ll learn more about your preferences. This means your answers may vary at different points in your life. See these tools as more of a starting point to help identify a few careers worth investigating further.

And a second word of caution: Sometimes people are frustrated or even offended when their top job match is something they would never consider doing, or would have to retrain completely to achieve. But in these cases it’s worth evaluating the top 10-20 answers. Taken together they can help you spot patterns in the type of role you may enjoy. If you’re finding it tough to do this on your own, why not bring the list along to a one-to-one careers appointment to use as a basis for a discussion?

 

 

N.B. Bey’s new album works so well in its entirety, so it’s kind of tricky to pick a favourite. But my current stand-out tracks are ‘Sorry’ and ‘All Night’. Just FYI.

 

 

Image taken from Justien Van Zele

Have you seen that new Scapchat filter that makes the bottom of your face really thin so you have a huge forehead and a teeny tiny pin mouth? Yeah, well that particular bit of social media probably isn’t going to help you get a job. But believe it or not the ol’ internet can be quite useful.

Jobvite’s most recent Recruiter Nation survey shows that 92% of US employers use social media to support recruitment. This number is much lower, at only about 40%, in the UK. But that’s still a significant chunk of employers, and with a third of those surveyed planning to up their spend on social media recruitment, we reckon it’s worth a blog post.

So here are a few things to keep in mind for maximising the career-potential of social media:

 

Social media is an information goldmine

You know how you can ‘like’ Justin Bieber on Facebook and ‘follow’ Kanye West’s latest rants on Twitter? Well you can do the same for lots of employers too. And it doesn’t really matter which industry you’re into either. Organisations have twitter accounts, Facebook pages and LinkedIn profiles to connect with clients and future employees, and larger organisations will often have accounts dedicated to just their graduate schemes.

You’ll find vacancy, event and deadline details through these channels, and they’ll also help you increase your ‘commercial awareness’, that elusive competency so many employers call for – which basically means that you understand how their company and the wider sector work. Joining relevant groups on LinkedIn or Facebook is another brilliant way to keep up to date with industry news.

And it doesn’t stop there. You could actually contact people and ask some questions. Weird, right? But on LinkedIn it’s totally normal. Not just normal, it’s kind of the whole point, networking and such. There’s no better way to find out what it’s like to work in a certain role or organisation than by asking the people doing just that. It’ll help you determine which roles are right for you, and show motivation and initiative.

Importantly, although LinkedIn is great for making new contacts and may seem like the most ‘professional’ network (and it certainly appears to be in the US), 75% of UK recruiters report Facebook as their most popular channel for selecting candidates, with LinkedIn coming in third place after Twitter. So try not to view these platforms as simply ‘social’ social networks. For example, at UCL Careers we’re totally hip and down-with-the-kids and whatnot. We have a Facebook page and a general careers, researcher careers, graduate, and TalentBank twitter account. Follow us for details of our events programmes and to hear about job opportunities.

 

Build yourself an ‘online brand’

Just as you may use social media to build your awareness of employers, employers may do the same right back at you. Use this to your advantage. On the most direct end of the scale, we know some recruiters use LinkedIn to proactively contact people with desired skillsets. Make sure they don’t miss you by having an up-to-date LinkedIn profile which clearly states any solid desirable skills you possess, such as specific programming and spoken languages.

But building an online brand can be a more nuanced process. 93% of US employers will check a candidate’s social media presence before bringing them in to interview. Although Jobvite’s UK employer survey didn’t address this exact question, wouldn’t you google someone you were about to interview? I sure would. The UK survey did tell us that 61% of recruiters would be more likely to re-think a hiring decision based on seeing positive content on a candidate’s social media.

Image taken from The Jobvite UK Social Recrutiment Survey 2015

So give yourself a google. What do you find? Is it easy to locate your social media profiles? And do they speak to your target employers? Hopefully you’ve joined relevant interest groups and followed key accounts (see section above), but why not comment on posts or post something interesting yourself? Producing relevant content for blogs or student newspapers, or even making your own website to showcase your work (especially if you’re a creative) can also be a great way of improving the employability of your Google results.

 

An online brand isn’t always a good thing!

Nothing in this kooky mixed-up world of ours is perfect. And the internet is no different. The wrong kind of online brand can be a difficult thing to live down. Social media has had disastrous employment consequences for some. To name but a few examples, Justine Sacco and Paris Brown lost their jobs, and Professor Geoffrey Miller put his at risk, because of misjudged tweets.

These stories of social media woe hit the headlines, but there are subtler ways your online brand could be received badly. Remember how that employer you’ve contacted is probably going to google you? And how great it will be if they find a really positive professional online presence? Well Jobvite’s survey tells us it works both ways. 65% of UK employers will judge you negatively if your online profiles contain references to marijuana use, 55% if you mess up your spelling and grammar, and 46% if they see snaps of you drinking alcohol. US employers are even more judgemental, with those figures at 75%, 72% and 54% respectively!

To make matters worse, a third of UK employers hate the humble selfie, that staple of social media! So what can you do? Short of completely taking all of the ‘social’ out of social media, you can get to know your privacy settings. Just because you have selfies and pictures at parties on your Facebook profile doesn’t mean they have to be publicly viewable. Another option would be to consider using a pseudonym for your more ‘fun’ profiles to prevent them coming up in your Google results.

I hope that hasn’t put you off the internet altogether! If you need more help look out for social media workshops in our events schedule, or have a careers consultant look over your LinkedIn profile in a one-to-one appointment.

“GCEP wasn’t all about learning the tricks to land yourself a job. It helped me understand the graduate jobs market, the recruitment process and my own strengths and aspirations. It taught me a few tricks too!” – 2015 Global Citizenship Employability Programme attendee

Finding a great job is not just about knowing what the employer wants from us, and delivering that. Its also about understanding our own drives, values, strengths and motivations. After all, one person’s perfect job is another person’s mistake.

On the Global Citizenship Employability Programme we will explore the graduate recruitment market, working to understand the employer better and what they are hoping to see in the application and interview process.

Through workshops, discussions and coaching, we will also be exploring aspirations and values developing a better understanding of what working environments and roles will be likely to suit us.

Stay tuned for the next Reasons You Should Attend GCEP blog posts, which will be posted over the upcoming weeks, all based on actual student feedback we received last year.  For more information on our Employability Pathway, please visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/global-citizenship/programme/pathways/employability or our website to register.

For more information on the general Global Citizenship Programme, please see https://www.ucl.ac.uk/global-citizenship/programme.

The following is based on the experiences of a Careers Consultant who has previously managed internship programmes in a range of sectors.

When you are hired as an intern, this is typically to complete a short-term project or task over a specific period of time. If you are an intern for an SME (Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise) you may find yourself getting very involved in a number of aspects of the business. Internships in SME’s and large organisations may sometimes lead to graduate jobs.

Your host organisation will expect you to get involved, begin contributing quickly and perform professionally to the standard they expect. Essentially, they expect to try before they buy! This is also a fantastic opportunity for you to see if the job and industry you thought you would go into as a career is really the right fit for you. With this in mind, here are some tips to help you get the best out of your internship:

• Set yourself objectives before you start: It’s good to have a think about what you would also like to get out of your time there (beyond being paid!). What are the skills and competency gaps in your CV? What 2 things do you want to leave the internship having achieved?
• Make sure you know what the expectation is: Interns are sometimes surprised when they learn at the end of the internship that all had not gone as smoothly as they had presumed. It is really important you know what your manager expects of you. If in doubt, ask!
• Making mistakes: How will you know when you’re making them? What can you put into place to avoid this happening again? Who will you approach for feedback (tip: don’t just rely on your manager for feedback).
• Managing workload effectively: Your work may come from multiple people so it’s important to remember to manage your time well, prioritise the most urgent work and manage their expectations. If you’re struggling to meet a deadline, you should be transparent about this and tell people in good time – 5pm on a Friday will not leave a good impression.
• Seizing opportunities: The most important thing to remember is that you have been recruited to do a specific job. Anything over and above this is a bonus but it’s worth mentioning anything you would like to be involved in with your manager. Generally, if you’re doing what is expected of you and what you want to do doesn’t impact on the work, managers tend to be flexible.
• Being proactive: In the unlikely event of any ‘down’ time, look for work. Mention to your manager that there is a break in your workload and suggest some potential pieces of work. Be realistic about what you can achieve, however!
• Build your network: One of the best things about being in an organisation is absorbing its culture and getting to know its people. After all, these might be your future colleagues! While you are there, take the opportunity to get to know your department and pretty much anyone you can. Remember to stay in touch, which you can do through email, Linkedin or by phone.

If you want to know more about internships: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/careers/information/options/internships

Carla King, UCL Careers Consultant

As part of our #UCLInspireMe series, Tarek Cheaib, Energy Consultant, talks to us about sustainability and renewable energy and shares some tips for UCL students who want to get into the sector. For more insights from recent graduates working for smaller organisations, visit https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/ucl-careers/ and search #SMEProfile.

How did you get into your role?

I trained as a Civil Engineer at UCL with a focus on sustainability and renewable energy in the built environment. I managed to connect everything I did at university with sustainability, whether it was transport planning, landscape architecture or business development. During university I worked with Engineers Without Borders, and soon after my graduation, I joined a sustainability consulting team that helped design energy efficient buildings. I now work in an investment advisory firm for sustainability and renewable energy.

What are the best things about working in your role?

You are always learning something new. No one’s ever thought about the environment as much as we do now. It’s not just about reducing the carbon footprint of your buildings and business. It’s also correlated to reducing your costs, making things more efficient and reducing risk (whether we are talking investment or employment rate). There is always something new and different to work on.

What are the biggest challenges you face in your work?

Trying to make sustainability sound “sexy”. Unfortunately, many people do not care about the greater good unless it directly involves them. We work to put a ‘number’ on sustainability, making it a tangible asset. The numbers are always in our favour, however it’s the scale of these that we need to address.

What top tips would you give to a student interested in this type of work?

You have to be passionate about sustainability. You can be at the forefront of change if you wanted to. Follow the news on climate change, energy policies and new clean technologies. Read about energy efficiency and more importantly think about how the subjects you are studying now can be related to sustainability.

Where do you work?

Longevity Partners, a multi-disciplinary energy and sustainability consultancy and investment business. It was established in 2015 to support the transition to a low carbon economy in the UK, Europe and worldwide.
www.longevity.co.uk
@longevityltd

With many of you now securing internships for summer, or working committedly towards this end, it is natural that your thoughts will be shifting to the forthcoming opportunity and what to expect from it. There are several rules to follow to ensure that you make the most of the experience.

Do your research
Nerves may be fraught on day one and that is to be expected but make this a more comfortable experience for yourself by doing prior research into the company and the particular department you are operating in. No one will expect you to know everything but having an idea of the challenges and priorities facing the organisation will get you off to a great start.

Observe the office ‘rules’
Each working environment comes with its own set of unwritten rules and norms. Watch those around you and observe their behaviours and actions. Some companies will be more formal than others but all will expect a level of professionalism. An internship can be best viewed, after all, a lengthy job interview.

Ask questions
Asking questions (within reason) does not make you look stupid, it makes you look smart and curious. You have been given a unique learning opportunity so be sure to use it. Learn from the expertise around you. If you don’t understand something, say so. Better to address it upfront than have to bluff your way through the following weeks.

Be proactive
Enthusiasm and eagerness go a long way and are what often make the difference between a good intern and a great intern. Don’t be afraid to make suggestions if you feel there is a better of clearer way of doing a task. Interns bring the benefit of a fresh pair of eyes to a work situation. Ask to get involved in extra projects or to sit in on particular meetings to learn more and immerse yourself in the experience.

Get connected – stay connected
Make the most of any mentors you are assigned to find out about their route into the industry, the challenges they have faced and the advice they can give. Be receptive to any feedback they give you. Whilst their input is invaluable be sure to stretch your networks wider still. Go out of your way to meet with other people in the organisation and connect with them on Linked In so the benefits may continue beyond the internship itself.

There is bound to be a certain amount of apprehension, particularly on your first day. But it is important to remind yourself that you have been selected for this opportunity, often in very competitive circumstances. And that is because the organisation believes you have something to offer.  But remember also, that something is not ‘the finished article’ – it is a student who is there to learn and develop. They are not expecting you to run the show but they are expecting you to listen and be willing.

 

By Hannah Morton-Hedges, Careers Consultant