What to wear and how to prepare for TARGETjobs Events!

I have been at TARGETjobs Events for just over two years and the two questions we always get asked about our events are: What should I wear? and Do I need to do anything to prepare?

For our events we recommend that you dress as you would for a job interview. Get your outfit together and try it on in advance in front of a full-length mirror. Your outfit doesn’t have to be a plain black suit and white shirt – colour is fine. Nor do you have to go completely against your personality in terms of appearance – you’re looking for a good match between who you are and your potential employer.

The most common mistake we see? Footwear! Some of our events can involve a lot of walking and some of the venues we go to have a lot of stairs, so make sure you can walk in your shoes. On the other hand, don’t even consider wearing trainers (not even black ones!). We had someone turn up to an event in bright green trainers once, and needless to say, we turned him away. Ladies: if you want to wear high heels, there’s nothing wrong with bringing a smart pair of flat shoes in your bag as back-up – we do it all the time!

Men: wear a suit, shirt and tie (make sure they have both been ironed!) and wear matching socks.

Ladies: skirts or dresses should be no shorter than just above the knee and make sure you check the length is still OK when you sit down! Always try to avoid chipped nail polish, too.

Finally, keep any piercings discreet, and it is more than OK to wear religious dress.

What should I do to prepare for the event? Our top three things: research, research, research!

The most common misconception that our attendees have about events is that attending one is a fast-track to a grad scheme or internship. Our events are an introduction to an employer, so the more you put in to prepare, the more you are going to get out of it!

Recruiters are not there to answer the simple questions that you find on their websites. Hopefully you will have already done some research into the companies for your interview so attending the event is now your chance to find out the nitty gritty. Demonstrating your knowledge of a company will not only help you come across as someone who knows what you are talking about, but enables you to have better conversations and hopefully be more memorable. Remember there could be 50+ other students in the room that they will also talk to!

Have a list of questions written down in your pocket so you don’t leave the event thinking ‘I wish I’d asked that’. A few students also bring business cards. It’s not at all essential, but it can make you look professional and on the ball. It’s particularly helpful in networking situations if you meet people you’d like to stay in touch with.

Check out all of our upcoming events on the TARGETjobs Events website.

Best of luck and I can't wait to meet you at our next event!

Katie

Top tips for the TARGETjobs Events application process

Hi, I’m Nakita and I’m a junior project manager at TARGETjobs Events. I’ve been at TARGETjobs for just over a year and I have some great tips for the TARGETjobs events application process.

The application process for attending a TARGETjobs Event is pretty straightforward. You will be required to complete an online application form and, if you fit the criteria, have a telephone interview. The two stages have been broken down below to help you gain a better understanding of both stages.

Application form

• Before submitting your application form it is important that you read the application criteria, usually found on the overview page of each event’s website. You also need to ensure that your CV is no more than two pages long.
• The application form is the first step of the application process. It consists of providing personal details, your current university details and your predicted/achieved grade. The next section involves a 200 word covering letter. This is probably the most important section as it usually determines whether you will be invited to attend a telephone interview. You have been given the chance to show why you would like to attend so take advantage of it! This should include how you will make the most of the opportunity and what work experience or activities you have done to show your passion for the specific sector you are interested in.
• Once you have submitted your application form, one of the TARGETjobs Events team will be in touch via email, letting you know whether you have been successful.   
• If you have been unsuccessful, do not be discouraged from applying again. Our events are usually very popular and it is more than likely we will have more than one per year.

Telephone interview

• If you have been invited to attend a telephone interview, – well done!
• Our snazzy interview booking tool allows you to choose an interview time that suits you, which means we're expecting you to be prepared and ready for our call.
• How you answer the phone sets the tone instantly for the interview, as it's our first interaction with you as a person, not just as a CV. Consider your greeting;: beginning with 'good morning/afternoon, this is Nakita speaking' will instantly make you sound prepared and confident, and create a much better first impression than a 'hey' or, as I have experienced, 'what?'. Not the best way to start. Equally, you want to finish your interview on a positive note, so have a question or two prepared (but not 'when will I hear from you?') and thank the interviewer for their time. Most importantly, be yourself! You’ve been offered this chance because you’re the kind of person the interviewer is looking for, so relax, be confident and let your knowledge and motivation for the job/event/sector shine through!
• The interview will usually consist of questions regarding why you would like to attend and what you have done previously to show your passion for the specific sector you’ are interested in.

Our events are an amazing opportunity for you to meet some fantastic companies and graduate recruiters – don’t miss out and apply today! Check out all of our upcoming events on the TARGETjobs Events website.

Capital One were at our last IT's not just for the boys! on Friday. Katy joined Capital One 6 months ago on their grad scheme, read about her experiences here!

"I joined the Capital One team back in September 2013 as Graduate on their Technology Rotation Scheme. Although I haven’t worked here for too long I have excelled in my role and loved every minute of it! I currently work within the IPS team as a Service Manager, helping to resolve all kinds of incidents affecting service. This allows me to interact with loads of different people and my job brings something different to the table every day.

A typical day for me would involve a morning check-in with all the support teams we work with around the world. This allows us to communicate any service impact we may have had overnight, find out if there are any current issues and set actions for the relevant teams if needed. Depending on the day will depend on what meetings are planned – If it’s a Monday we’ll look into the past week and what, if anything has caused downtime to services. If it’s a Wednesday/Thursday we have support meetings with certain teams. These meetings look into any work we have ongoing and get updates on these.

A major part of my job is been able to react to the unexpected. An incident can happen at any time to anything and instantly takes priority. My job is to ensure the incident is resolved as quickly as possible with as little impact to the customer as possible. This requires creating a bridge between the relevant teams depending on the issue itself. For example, if there was an issue with the call centre – this would require engaging network resources. Once the issue is resolved the team then look into how to stop the issue from happening again in the future and what the true root cause was. This helps to stop common incidents occurring and if similar incidents happen in the future, the work done to solve the previous incident helps to highlight what areas to try and eliminate as cause first. The satisfaction you gain after been able to resolve something that is causing other people issues is great. The knowledge that you’ve been able to prevent that same issue from happening again in the future, well that’s something too.

The Capital One graduate scheme is an amazing opportunity to experience different job roles, be a valued member of a team and gain experience/understanding that can help you to produce higher levels of work in future roles. It is a pleasure to work for such an employee focused company, with an impressive history and excitingly bright future. This was just the first 6 months of my journey with this company, I can’t wait for the rest!"

Katy Rodwell 

Our programme of STEMinismUK events are now nearly over for this academic year, but keep an eye on our website www.targetjobsevents.co.uk when more events will be announced over the summer!

Read yet another success story from another great student who attended IT’s not just for the boys!!

Final year student Shabna is studying Computer Systems & Software Engineering at the University of Greenwich. Read about her day at the event and what’s in store for her when she’s graduated…..

I was lucky enough to attend the IT’s not just for the boys! event last November in the fabulous Bloomberg HQ Offices (I will never forget their canteen and all those snacks…) and I had an amazing time. Alexandra Watson was fabulous and really brightened up the day for me with her advice and Kathryn Parsons was very inspiring! I loved meeting all these ladies who were similar to me and the team challenge was really fun – especially as we interacted with recruiters too. The best part of the day was definitely the networking as everyone was so friendly and helpful, giving loads of advice. That very weekend I went away and started applying to graduate schemes.

This event was the first time I was drawn to The NET-A-PORTER Group and their technology department, I was always aware of their technology side but I didn’t realise they ran Grad schemes! I personally enjoy what the company does which gave me real motivation to apply for them. Hannah and Lucy were so friendly at the event and their stories about the office made me really want to look into it more. The NAPG application process was much simpler than most, with the focus being on a CV and covering letter rather than a million and one questions about every possible thing a person could ask (I’ve seen many applications like this!). I applied in January and the day after the deadline I got a call asking for a phone interview. Now I have had quite a few phone interviews so I wasn’t too nervous, and the guy who interviewed me was very friendly and easy to chat to. I thought the next step would be the standard assessments, which is where I usually fall, but surprisingly they book you in straight for the assessment centre. I was over the moon to be invited to the assessment centre! I did have a few tests to complete before this but I practised and did my best.

The night before the assessment day I was a bag of nerves. I was reading horror stories about the technical tests a lot of other companies use and was trying as hard as I could to find any hint of what happens at The NET-A-PORTER Group but there were no clues on the internet. On the day I made my way to Shepherds Bush Westfield, to the top floor and there I was looking at the most beautiful office! It really is a stunning place but the most amazing part was just how nice everyone was. We got a delicious breakfast and all the other candidates were lovely too. The day turned out to go amazingly well as it was so casual and fun that I relaxed and just went along with it. At the end of the day I was sad to leave because I so badly wanted to get the job! They were assessing 28 people for 8 spaces so I hoped for the best but I prepared myself for the worst.

The next week I got a call and I had got in! I am not even joking, I was in a state of shock. I haven’t had the best successes for the past few years so to get this job, I was SO proud of myself. I persevered and pushed until I got something – and I’m so glad I did. Now I get to work with some of the best technological minds in the industry and join one of the most fabulous companies in the world AND I’m one of the first Female Software Development Graduates to join the team. 

I have to give a huge thanks to Katy and everyone else involved with IT’s not just for the boys!. Without that event I wouldn’t have known to even apply to The NET-A-PORTER Group and I wouldn’t be where I am now. In my third year of Uni, stressing over the mountain of work but ready for my job starting in September.

Could this be you? We have our final IT’s not just for the boys! in March – APPLY NOW!