UCL Careers Fairs 2019: Engineering & Built Environment Fair

By skye.aitken, on 14 October 2019

Considering a career in Engineering?

The UCL Careers Engineering & Built Environment Fair features some of the top employers from the fields of chemical, civil and environmental, electronic and electrical, and mechanical engineering, as well as construction and the built environment.

Employers will be hiring for permanent graduate positions as well as internships and placements so this fair is mainly aimed at final year and penultimate year Engineering, Bartlett or related students.

All students are welcome to attend in order to research companies, but there may not be suitable structured programmes on offer.

When: Monday 21 October 2019 | 5:30pm – 8pm

Where: North and South Cloisters, Wilkins Building

Some employers attending include:

·      Mott Macdonald

·      RAF

·      GSK

·      Atkins

·      Bouygues UK

·      Eurostar

·      Berkley Group

·      Ministry of Defence

Plus many more!

For a full list of employers attending the fair, visit:

Engineering & Built Environment Fair

You do not need to book to attend our Careers Fairs, but you must bring valid UCL ID to gain entry.

For more information on about the fair and how to prepare, visit: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/careers/about/events/careers-fairs

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By skye.aitken, on 14 October 2019

Jargon You Should Know To Get Ahead When Applying For Fin-Tech

By skye.aitken, on 11 October 2019

Deciding on a career path can be an overwhelming experience but fear not, you are probably not the only student stressing about which career path to choose. Often the industry jargon that crops up during career research and investigations can be downright terrifying. But here is the good news – you are not alone! As a student putting feelers out, you are in the best possible position to get a head start on learning the technical jargon and positioning yourself as an up-and-coming expert in your chosen field, long before any of your “competitors” (sorry, those are unfortunately your classmates) do.

You’re in the right place, especially if you are looking to get a handle on Fin-Tech technical jargon. Before you can start applying for roles, you need to know what the industry pros are talking about (and referring to), without having to ask them – so I am going to share with you what I’ve learned along the way. Let’s jump right in…

• Fin-Tech

It is good to know what Fin-Tech stands for – it almost certainly will come up in an interview. Think of an interviewer asking “So, what is your understanding of the term Fin-Tech?”

It is basically an abbreviation of ‘financial’ and ‘technology’. Any business that works with technology that manages and controls finances is considered a Fin-Tech company. Fin-Tech can refer to several different financial areas, such as cryptocurrency, banking applications, money management tools, automated investment programs and apps, and so on.

• Sandbox

“Sandbox” is a bit of lingo that refers to regulation. When someone in Fin-Tech speaks of a sandbox, they are referring to a “safe space” or a controlled environment where Fin-Tech companies can try out new tech. The Fin-Tech community has started eagerly trying to implement “sandboxes” where tech innovators can present their new tech aimed at the financial services industry. This way of testing provides both tech designers and companies operating in the financial sector the opportunity to uncover potential glitches as well as regulation problems that might arise from using the tech. It also helps both parties to figure out if they are a good “match” for each other.

• Blockchain

This is tech software that underpinned Bitcoin. In some instances, industry pros might refer to it as DLT which stands for Distributed Ledger Technology. The software provides industry professionals with access to shared info records, which are regularly updated by computers (a network).

• Robo-Advice

This is the term used for advice that is provided via a computer algorithm instead of an actual live human. A robo-advisor will be able to invest a client’s money on their behalf. The investments are done in portfolios that are made up of several small funds that are exchange-traded.

• Future Proofing

This is the process of ensuring that the product or Fin-Tech innovation is more than just a passing fad. This will require testing, market research and projections.

• Marketplace Lending

A marketplace lender is an alternative financial service (not a bank) that uses technology to evaluate loan requests. The data gathered is used to match lenders with borrowers. Marketplace lenders are efficient with cost-cutting and can streamline loan approvals.

• Bootstrapping

An entrepreneur is said to be bootstrapping when he attempts to found and build a company with little capital or from personal finances or the operating revenues of the new company– like playing it by ear with no back-up finance.

• Proof of Burn

This term can also refer to “proof of work” and basically means that someone is bootstrapping (when an entrepreneur starts a business with little capital) one cryptocurrency for another. When someone mentions “proof of burn”, they are implying that crypto miners should prove that they burned some of the currency they acquired. The proof required is showing that currency has been sent to an un-spendable address that is verified.

• Open Banking

This is something that the non-bank financial lending sector is pushing for in the UK. While not many banks embrace the concept, there are some that are creating such platforms. Open Banking is a concept that entails banks sharing their data with third parties, to ensure that there is more competition and choice in the financial lending sector and to improve on transparency. The idea is to benefit consumers. Fin-Tech companies wish to create applications (or one application) that presents multiple bank account information within one app. This will make financial management easier and quicker.

Last Word

These are just some of the tech terms that are hot in the Fin-Tech industry right now. Brush up on your jargon knowledge before applying for any Fin-Tech roles. One of the requirements of an expert in the field is to have your finger to the pulse of all things tech related – the jargon included. Good luck!

This is a guest blog post written by Alice Farren. Alice is a financial journalist, fin-tech and SME specialist with a passion for promoting the talents and success stories of emerging entrepreneurs.

SME Loans is a business finance brokerage specialising in alternative funding solutions for small and medium-sized enterprises.

UCL Careers Global Interns Photo Competition Winners 2019

By skye.aitken, on 11 October 2019

Congratulations to the winners of our inaugural #UCLGlobalInterns photo competition! We had some excellent entries and it was great to see what students have been up to during their overseas summer internship.

In third place was Yagmur Arica who undertook an internship at a women’s university in Tokyo. With the caption “I feel love” we felt her photo captured the beauty of Japan, particularly with the use of vibrant colour to showcase a traditional Japanese outfit.

In second place, we liked the simplicity of Dorothy Tong’s photo from Shanghai. Dorothy says, “I experienced a different culture both socially and professionally and gained valuable analytical and communication skills. I chose to work in Shanghai as there are so many job opportunities and it is the global hub for many businesses around the world.”

In joint first place, we enjoyed the photos and captions from Anna Sarasiti and Florence Fowkes. Anna highlighted how one of the things she took away from her internship in Berlin was in fact something more associated with London! She said, “In one of the most international cities in the world, Brit, Greek and Maltese comrades have a butcher’s at the Soviet War Memorial. Of all the things I have learnt in Berlin, I was not expecting to return to London having improved my cockney rhyming slang.” We also enjoyed the adventurous side of Florence’s photo from Delhi and she encourages others to undertake an international internship: “From culture, language, work ethic to the fantastic food, I learnt an incredible amount. Could not recommend an overseas internship more. Be proactive and send out those emails!”

Would you like to undertake a summer internship outside of the UK? Take a look at the Global Internships Programme webpages and keen an eye out for upcoming communications throughout the autumn term.

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By skye.aitken, on 8 October 2019

UCL Careers Themed Weeks: Government & Policy Week 2019

By skye.aitken, on 8 October 2019

21 – 24 October 2019

UCL Careers Fairs 2019: IT & Technology

By skye.aitken, on 8 October 2019

Want to find out more about careers within IT and Technology?

The UCL Careers IT & Technology Fair features some of the top employers in consultancy, big data, software, cloud computing, telecommunications, financial technology and many more.

Employers will be hiring for permanent graduate positions, internships and, in some cases, 1^st year spring programmes.

The fair is open to all year groups but there may not be structured programmes on offer for all students. Some roles will be open to students studying computer science or a related technical discipline, but others will be open to all with an interest in technology.

When: Wednesday 16 and Thursday 17 October | 5:30pm – 8pm

Where: North and South Cloisters, Wilkins Building and Jeremy Bentham room on Day 1.

Some employers attending include:

Plus many more!

For a full list of employers attending the fair, visit:

IT & Technology Fair Day 1

IT & Technology Fair Day 2

You do not need to book to attend our Careers Fairs, but you must bring valid UCL ID to gain entry.

For more information on about the fair and how to prepare, visit: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/careers/about/events/careers-fairs

The IT and Technology Fair 2019 is kindly sponsored by Cisco (Day 2).

One-to-one Employer-led Coaching With Graduate Recruiters

By skye.aitken, on 1 October 2019

UCL Careers have invited a wide range of graduate recruiters, who have volunteered to offer one-to-one coaching on writing applications (CVs, cover letters, personal statements etc.) and preparing for interviews through role-playing based practice interview sessions.

• All one-to-one employer-led coaching must be booked in advance through your myUCLCareers account.
• Bookings for each session will open two weeks before it is due to take place.
• A returnable £10 cash deposit will need to be left at UCL Careers before you are able to book a place at any coaching session online

For more information, visit the one-to-one coaching page on our website.

For email alerts on when you can book a place at specific events, we recommend that you update your myUCLCareers email preferences to sign up for our  ‘Event update’ emails. You can also subscribe to our Newsletter.

UCL Careers Fairs 2019: Banking, Finance and Economics

By skye.aitken, on 1 October 2019

Interested in a career working in Banking, Finance, or Economics?

The UCL Careers Banking, Finance, & Economics Fair features some of the top employers from a wide variety of sectors including Investment Banking, Professional Services, Retail and Corporate Banking, Economics, Consulting, Investment Management Actuarial, Insurance and many more.

Employers will be hiring for permanent graduate positions, internships and, in some cases, 1^st year spring programmes.

The fair is open to all year groups but there may not be structured programmes on offer for all students.

When: Tuesday 8 and Wednesday 9 October | 5:30pm – 8pm

Where: North and South Cloisters, Wilkins Building

Economics zone on Day 1 only
The zone will ONLY be open to Economics students from 5.30 -7.00pm. If you are an Economics student/graduate visiting this section of the Fair please join the queue at the north end of the North Cloister where  you will be asked to show your ID card.

The rest of the Fair will be open to all current UCL students and graduates from the past 2 years from 5:30pm – 8:00pm.

Some employers attending include:

Plus many more!

For a full list of employers attending the fair, visit:

Banking, Finance and Economics Fair Day 1
Banking, Finance and Economics Fair Day 2

You do not need to book to attend our Careers Fairs, but you must bring valid UCL ID to gain entry.

For more information on about the fair and how to prepare, visit: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/careers/about/events/careers-fairs

The Banking, Finance & Economics Fair 2019 is kindly sponsored Greensill (Day 2).

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By skye.aitken, on 1 October 2019