Read on to see what our runner up Alexander has been up to since the UGOY awards!

Name: Alexander Mäkelä
University: University of Lancaster
Course: BA (Hons) Politics, Philosophy, and Economics

I felt that the Undergraduate Of The Year contest truly kicked in during the assessment center. It was thrilling and exposed me to an industry I’d never considered before. I’ll always fondly remember working on a business case for Armani fragrances as part of our individual tasks. Using creative thinking and applying things you learned at university felt so exhilarating. It sparked an interest, so when I found out that I’d been shortlisted as a Undergraduate Of The Year finalist and invited to attend the Grand Gala in London I felt proud.

The gala itself was an amazing experience and TARGETjobs couldn’t have organized a better event. It was great to be surrounded by young, ambitious, and bright people – the vibe and energy was certainly contagious! While I didn’t win I still saw reaching the final stage as an achievement and a treasured memory. I’m also glad I was able to ride on that feeling and the momentum far into the summer.

Fresh out of university, I welcomed the first guests to the refugee housing facility I’d been working on for bit over a year and I co-founded a new initiative focused on fostering innovation on a Nordic level through large scale incentive competitions. Trying to create a public-private partnership unlike anything attempted before. With this aim I attended two separate week long political festivals in both Denmark and Sweden with goal of gaining support. I’m happy to say that I was invited to present a proposal to national representatives from the Nordic countries at a Nordic Council meeting in Oslo just a few weeks back and the dream is very much still alive! Even as I’m writing this blog post, I’ve just returned from the Association of Space Explorers’ annual congress, oddly enough due to another contest I entered - trying new things and following your dreams can truly bring you to unexpected places!

Apart from that, as a finalist of the Undergraduate Of The Year I was offered a placement within the L’Oréal group - one that I gladly accepted. After the summer, I ended up within the commercial development team at The Body Shop. So far the job has been great, plenty of new things to learn (especially as I’m working with new makeup products – as a guy that’s not easy I’ll tell you!). Plus living in London and getting to explore the city has been a fantastic experience so far and I’ve only gotten started!

I’d say take bold steps as you’ll never know where you’ll end up and who you’ll meet during your journey. For me, the experiences I got with Undergraduate Of The Year opened new opportunities and paths I could never have imagined before. I live and work in one of the most vibrant cities on the planet. Every day as I walk to work I think to myself, I live in a city that almost has as many people as my home country. It always baffles me, it’s simply amazing and I can’t thank TARGETjobs and Undergraduate Of The Year enough for that feeling.

Pre-register for the 2016 Undergraduate of the Year Awards now.

We caught up with our 2015 UGOY Future CFO winner to see what he's been up to!

With the summer coming to an end I can truly say that winning an Undergraduate of the Year Award has had a huge impact on me the past few months. I’ve not had much of a break over the summer break but I suppose it is worth it in the long run! Alongside my trip to Shanghai, I also interned at Grant Thornton and TalkTalk, the second being the internship I won with the award. Both internships were brilliant at exposing me to the world of finance. Coming from a mathematics background, it has been an excellent opportunity to discover finance in practice and also in industry.

At Grant Thornton, I spent four weeks in the audit division. I learned about how the process takes place and I was able to look into different stages of the audit for a number of clients. However, I spent most of my four weeks at a larger client, and was able to see the transition from the middle of the audit, nearing to completion. This was a great opportunity as it meant that my work was varied, and I was able to gain more exposure. Also, spending most of my time at a single client gave me a glimpse into the real life of an auditor. I worked with a great team of people who were always willing to help despite my lack of financial knowledge!

I won the internship with TalkTalk through ACCA, and I was very excited to work at such a large company. I did not know much about telecommunications, but working at TalkTalk has shown me that it is an interesting and lively industry. I was looking forward to it from the beginning as it would be an insight into the other side of finance, being in industry. I was lucky enough to gain an insight into different parts of the company through finance, the main two departments being overheads and accounts payable. I enjoyed the internship very much as I was able to find out all the work that goes into producing financial statements. I never had much exposure to financial statements before this summer, but the internships have really helped me discover how not only to understand them but also the information about the company you can gain from them! Also, my internship timed with their half year end, and I was able to take part in several meetings with the managers and finance controllers, which was really interesting as it gave me a flavour of the transition from finance to business, and how financial information can be used to make business decisions.

As I mentioned before, ACCA had kindly presented a trip to Shanghai as part of the award. This was a fabulous opportunity where I met with many financial leaders including CFOs! I was given the opportunity to shadow a CFO at Starwood Hotels Group, one of the largest hotel groups in China, and I learned more about the CFO role itself. I also had the opportunity to meet Grant Thornton in China, which was amazing having already worked at the company in the UK. Speaking to several partners, I learned about business strategies that were being implemented and I was pleased to see that the same values and ambitions in the UK were being resonated in China!

Speaking to the CFOs, I discovered the transition between being an accountant and being able to manage and lead the finance department, and the skills that are required to ensure the success of your career and the organisation. I learned how the ACCA qualification helps one achieve such a transition. Whether it’s here in the UK or in Shanghai, the qualification is looked upon highly, and it is throughout the world. It lets others know you have the technical knowledge needed for a business to operate successfully. The trip really opened my eyes to the recognition for such a qualification, I hope to one day become a qualified accountant myself!

The award has really opened up a lot of doors since I won in April. I’ve been able to expand my network internationally and I discovered more about China, a country I never imagined I would travel to anytime soon! Since ACCA and TARGETjobs are so well recognised, winning the award has really boosted my CV. Being able to take part in internships over the summer has also boosted my CV, but it has also helped me discover new skills that I may not have throughout my academic life. Being able to gain an insight into finance in both practice and industry has confirmed my ambitions to work in finance. The award has helped me decide where I would like my career to take me, and I do hope that I can one day become a CFO!

If there is even a small part of you that believes you can become an Undergraduate of the Year I would insist you apply. Not only is it amazing recognition, but you will get to take part in so many things that could have lasting impacts on your future. I never imagined I would be winning an award when I applied, but I also never imagined the opportunities that would come my way having done so. It has been a fantastic half year since I won, and I only hope the opportunities to learn and develop more keep coming my way!

Pre-register for the 2016 Undergraduate of the Year Awards now. 

Five top tips for students heading on a year abroad

If your course involves spending your third year abroad, let me just start by letting you know that you’ve hit the jackpot. I’m a Durham student who spent my third year abroad, working with the British Council in Paris. Whether you’re about to head abroad to Europe, South America or even the Middle East in the next month, there are a few tips you should follow to avoid disappointment or disaster!

1. Live with natives.

You’ve probably heard your lecturers banging on about the importance of having housemates who speak the “target language”. Yes, it’s definitely easier to sort out accommodation with a mate from your course, but as much as you swear to one another that you’ll both chat exclusively in the “TL”, you won’t – trust me, you just won’t. It might seem daunting at first, but living with locals is really the only way to truly experience the culture and fully develop your language skills.

2. Have money to set yourself up.

You’ll realistically need about €1,500 (about £1,100 or $1,700) to get everything sorted in the first few weeks ­­– the last thing you want to be stressed about is money, especially when you’re traipsing around unknown territories, trying to find flats that are only a little bit grimy (you know, in a charming kind of way). You’ll most likely need money for the first month’s rent, plus a deposit, money for a travel card, basic house supplies, and enough to tide you over until your Erasmus grant comes in or you get paid, either of which is unlikely to be before the end of your first month.

3. Be wary of the banks.

Not that they’ll try to swindle you, but you should be aware that their work culture is very different to that of the UK. Often, they tend to lack any sense of urgency with general admin procedures. You can expect those in France, Italy and Spain to close up shop for two hours on weekdays, and not to be open to the public on Mondays. They don’t like Mondays. In France, it is normal to pay an annual fee for a current account and to not have any interest rates in return. Research what system the banks use in the country in which you’ll be living before you go to get an idea of what’s normal and which banks have the best rates.

4. Make a to-do list.

You might experience a shock to the system to find yourself living in a foreign city where you don’t know a soul, having become accustomed to living with and being surrounded by friends approximately 24/7 at university for the past two years. It’s normal to get a bit lonely (*sob*) at first, so don’t panic if you feel it. A good thing to do is to make a list of all the fun things you want to do and places you want to visit during your time abroad before you go. Your year will fly past, and on days when you’re not sure what to do with yourself, it’s good to have a list of activities at hand.

5. Get Facebook stalking!

There are groups set up every year for Erasmus and other university students who are planning to spend a year abroad. Groups include those for students heading to a particular city, for students who will be working for the British Council in specific regions, and for students who will be spending a year studying at another university. These groups provide a great support network, and are a good way to meet people and learn about different events and parties that are taking place in your area for students. 

Good luck!

Article written by Ruth Thompson, TARGETjobs Editorial Intern. Connect with Ruth on LinkedIn.