TARGETjobs career advice weekly roundup

Hello everyone, welcome to this week's career roundup post.

This week is going to be quite a small post but hopefully you will find the advice useful.

I do not have the usual graduate job or internship opportunities for you this week. However, I do have some great career advice articles you may be interested in reading.

Top tips on being successful when you apply for work experience or an internship. In many cases employers are looking for potential future graduate employees when recruiting students for their placements schemes. Find out more here 'Application advice for work experience placements and internships'

If you're a highly organised graduate with great interpersonal skills, you might be considering a career in management. If this is the career path you have chosen, have a read of our article 'How to get a graduate job in management' for all the hints and tips you need to pursue your dream job.

You've applied for a trainee management scheme and they've called you to interview. What questions might they ask and how do your prepare? Find out here 'How to answer interview questions for graduate management jobs'.

You may be considering your career options right now. If retail is the right path for you, have a read of our retails interview tips to advise you through the recruitment process 'Retail interview tip: study the retailers competition'.

If you aspire to work in the finance world this article is perfect for you 'Acing online application forms for insurance and retail banking graduate jobs' Insurance and retail banking employers' application forms ask you about your motivations for applying, what makes you right for the job and what you've learned over the past few years. Read our essential advice on answering those questions.

That's all from me this week, 

I hope you enjoy your weekend!

Roxanne

TARGETjobs career advice weekly roundup

Hello everyone, welcome to this week's weekly roundup post! 

Are you looking forward to the bank holiday?

This week I have decided to focus on CV advice, as well as sharing with you all the latest news.

So, let me start off with the internship and graduate job deadlines.

Internship deadlines

 Get some work experience on your CV: internships to apply for this week are here, apply now! 

Graduate job deadlines

There are some big deadlines this week, time's ticking and you don't want to miss out! Apply here for these graduate jobs. 

Writing your CV can be a difficult process. If you are struggling to perfect your CV, look no further. Watch our video ' The 6 step guide to perfecting your graduate CV' 

                    

 Here are some article which you may find useful to help you write your CV:

The 6-step guide to perfecting your graduate CV

The worried student's guide to creating a great graduate CV  

The graduates guide to job application forms

Writing CV's for different types of graduate jobs
 
Public service, charity and social work

Who you choose to work for will make a big difference: not only to your job itself but to the impact you work towards. Consider the different types of charities, roles and entry routes to help you make the best decision. Have a read of our article 'Choosing the right employer for your graduate career in the charity sector'.

Unpaid volunteering roles are commonplace in the charity and non-profit sector, but there are plenty of roles in charities that will reward graduates with a good starting salary. Have a read of our article 'What starting salary can I expect as a graduate working for a charity?'

Finance

Get your tactics right - know when to apply and what to say in online applications for graduate jobs in investment banking and investment management. For more information read our article 'Online applications for jobs and internships in investment banking and investment'.

 

Management and Business

You know you've got what it takes to be a great graduate manager but your CV doesn't show it. Here's how to get the management internship or work experience you need, to learn first-hand what it's like to be a manager. Find out more in our article 'Management internship: the experience you need and how to get it.' 

Career advice

 

If you don't know what to do with yourself now that you have graduated, then have a read of our helpful guide 'I have a degree, now what?' to get some ideas.

Find out which professions offer the highest starting salaries and see what's on offer from big recruiters in our article 'Which graduate career offers the best pay?'

Postgraduate study

Are you considering taking a postgraduate course? If you're unsure about what you want to do, have a read of our article ' Getting the most from a postgraduate fair' and find out how to make the most of the opportunities available to you.

That's all from me this week!

I hope you enjoyed the article, have a wonderful weekend!

Roxanne

Looking for a way to get ahead of the crowd when applying for grad schemes and internships next year? Senior Project Manager, Katy Phillips, has offers some key advice to stand out from the competition in a positive way when putting together applications.

As a team, we view thousands of applications each year from students looking to attend our events. Because spaces are limited and demand high, we ask each candidate to submit a CV and a 200 word paragraph on why they want to attend. This is a great opportunity to practice the key skills needed when applying for jobs and placements later in the year and also gives us an insight into the applicant and whether they’re a good fit.  

 Here are my top five tips on how to put together an application that’s memorable for the right reasons!

   

1. Spelling
     This is number 1 for a reason! I simply cannot put enough emphasis on how important spelling, punctuation and grammar are. An application is a first introduction to you and first impressions count! Make sure you proofread in addition to using spell check to look for any auto-correct errors such as ‘from’ being auto-corrected to ‘form’.

2. Attention to detail

Most application forms will ask for key information, and you can be sure this is for a good reason! All our events ask for a CV which is 2 sides of A4 and contains details of your latest grades. When you’re competition is high, attention to detail about seemingly small matters like this can go a long way!

3. Check the criteria

You wouldn’t believe how many boys tried their luck at applying for our female only events last year, or those who spent time on tests and questions for the Undergraduate of the year awards only to be told that they didn’t fit the criteria outlined on the initial website. Reading this through before you apply could save you a lot of time, and also tell you exactly what the recruiters are looking for, allowing you to really tailor your application. This brings us nicely to…

4. Sell yourself

I’m yet to come across an application that doesn’t offer an opportunity to write a little about yourself and why you wish to apply. This is your opportunity to display passion, knowledge and drive to the reviewer. Your text should always be tailored to the opportunity you’re applying to. If it’s a job, write why the company and the role interests you, if it’s an event, look at which companies are attending and explain a little about what it was which sparked your interest. Try to use as much of the word count (if given) as possible and avoid one sentence answers like ‘I want to apply because it looks like a good opportunity’, we know it’s a great opportunity, but why do you think so?

5.Ask the experts

Websites like TARGETjobs are great for gaining ideas and advice on what to include on your CV, and perfecting more complicated employer application forms. There’s a plethora of information available if you take the time to look for it, for example here: http://targetjobs.co.uk/careers-advice/applications-and-cvs

Applications for our autumn series of events are open now and I’m sure if you follow the advice above you’ll be well on your way to the next stage, which for us involves a telephone interview - but that’s another blog…

Since winning the Undergraduate of The Year Award for Commercial Excellence 2014 Miklos tell us what he's been up to...

Since winning the Undergraduate of The Year Award for Commercial Excellence on the 25^th of April, I have mostly worked on finishing my placement at Morgan Stanley and my third year at university, while staying in touch with Nestle and Raleigh to finalise the details of my trip to Borneo and the start date of my summer internship. I’ll be going to Borneo during the summer of 2015, while my internship was to commence on the 23^rd of June 2014. I took a week’s holiday after my placement, while I became more and more excited as the date approached …

… Finally, on the 23^rd of June, I began my internship at Nestle in York. I have moved down from Edinburgh the weekend before into a local university’s accommodation, to ensure I have some time to explore the area, find local shops and a gym to go to. All the marketing, sales, supply chain, manufacturing, finance and HR interns were up in York for the first two days, as we had our initial training on Monday/Tuesday. I was assigned to marketing within the confectioneries area, which is headquartered in York – there are two of us here and another four down in Gatwick.

The first day was mostly about getting to know each other as well as the company, icebreakers, and a friendly competition among pre-organised teams. It was also the time I found out what exact project I’ll be working on: I was assigned to work within the seasonal team to find new ways to personalise and premiumise Quality Street. I’m really happy with my project as I do not only love the product, but it’s also a complex and interesting one to sink my teeth into.

On the second day, everyone had training specific to their area. For example, all the marketing interns had a long session with senior marketers in the firm, after which we were given the results to the insights personality test that we had to complete before our first day. I found out that I’m mostly red, with quite a bit of blue and yellow as well. We also had a two-page description of our personality, which was incredibly accurate considering it was based on 25 multiple choice questions we completed. We also did some activities in our groups, the takeaway from which was that every team needs a personality from each type in order to operate most efficiently, and that we should always strive to be aware other people’s preferences as they might be very different from ours.

On the Wednesday of week one, I met the people I’ll be working with, who were just in the middle of their Easter 2015 product presentation, so I already got to witness the seasonal team in action. On Thursday I had the opportunity to visit the After Eight and Quality Street factory in Halifax, which was amazing, as I finally got to see in person how chocolate is produced after having watched numerous episodes of ‘How It’s Made’! I spent Friday with gaining some ground on my project, which will over the ten weeks include doing market research to evaluate competition, coming up with ideas to personalise and premiumise seasonal sales of Quality Street, as well as working together with creative agencies, suppliers, finance, and sales to assess the costs of delivering the project and finding the correct price for the personalised product.

The next Monday I was asked if I wanted to go to our packaging supplier in Newcastle, to which of course I said yes! It was a very informative day, where I managed to get some insight on premium packaging that’s relevant to my project. I also took a picture (right) of the team visiting the factory, consisting of the Nescafe team from Gatwick and part of the Quality Street team from York – we looked great!

The rest of the week I’ll be working on finishing up the initial market research of my project and metting with different people from various areas of the company to get a wide range of ideas on for options to deliver my project.

So far my placement has been great, I was lucky to be able to visit two factories within two weeks. The atmosphere and culture are great at Nestle, so I’m up for a busy but great summer!

Think this could be you for 2015? Apply to the awards here: undergraduateoftheyear.com

Rebecca Hanson came to two TARGETjobs Events! Having now graduated, we catch up with her to find out what she gained from the experiences

Rebecca Hanson came to both IT's not just for the boys! and Future Female Engineers events last year. We catch up with her since graduating to find out why she decided to come to both events and what she gained from the experience...

I graduated with a 2:1 BSc in Physics from the University of Warwick. I’m due to start on the Manufacturing Engineering graduate scheme at Jaguar Land Rover in September; however, it was only seven months prior that I had little idea of what I was going to do post-university. The great thing about studying a science is that while a future career may not always be directly applicable to your studies, you gain so many transferable skills that employers absolutely love, such as a strong numerical ability and a good attention to detail.

I initially heard of IT’s just not for the boys! through a departmental email, and couldn’t resist the chance to attend Bloomberg’s HQ. The event was a valuable opportunity to communicate directly with employers, many of whom I hadn’t previously considered applying for. The highlight of the event was being able to hear from two fantastic speakers – the happiness expert, Alexandra Watson, and Kathryn Parsons, co-founder of Decoded. The confidence and inspiration that they managed to instil in me that day remained with me throughout all my application processes.

However, the event also made me realise that a career in IT wasn’t for me – and that was okay. Knowing what I didn’t want to do in the future was just as valuable as knowing what I did. It was this thought I had in mind when I gratefully accepted an invitation to another event from TARGETjobs, Future Female Engineers, hosted at the Heritage Motor Centre. Again, this provided the opportunity to hear from key speakers, most notably Roma Agrawal, an award-winning structural engineer of the Shard.

The events had many similarities. Both allowed me to interact with representatives from major employers in a more relaxed setting than at a careers fair, for example. Furthermore, I met so many other women from universities across the country, all with their own stories and employer dilemmas – it was good to hear that I was in the same boat as others in not knowing what to do!

However, there were also differences between the two. IT’s not just for the boys was aimed at building confidence in women to apply for some of the larger IT companies such as Cisco, whereas Future Female Engineers provided more insight into the companies themselves via intimate group questions. Either way, the events provided me with invaluable advice, contacts and ideas that I wouldn’t have been able to get anywhere else.

There were many companies who contacted me after both of the events inviting me to apply to their graduate schemes, such as EMC, National Grid and EDF Energy – I had my pick! However, the Jaguar Land Rover representatives present at Future Female Engineers were clearly so passionate about their careers that I decided to apply for their Manufacturing Engineering graduate scheme soon after. After completing some initial verbal, numerical and diagrammatic reasoning tests, and a further situational judgement test, I was then invited to attend an assessment centre. This was by far the toughest aspect of the application process, as it involved a gruelling combination of interviews, in-tray and role-play exercises. My interviewer particularly took delight in hearing about Future Female Engineers and how it had inspired me to apply to the company, and it was one of the strongest aspects of the day. I was then further rewarded with a call the next morning informing me that I was successful!

I don’t know if I would have had such a clear sense of direction had I not attended IT’s not just for the boys! and Future Female Engineers. The events provided me with invaluable experience and opportunities, and I would strongly advise anyone considering the events to apply!

TARGETjobs career advice weekly roundup

Hello everyone, I hope you're all enjoying your summer break! 

Welcome to this week’s weekly roundup post!

So, as always I am going to start off with the internship and graduate job deadlines.

Secure an internship: don’t miss next week’s work experience deadlines – Find out my here.

Don't miss out on this week's upcoming graduate job deadlines; find out how to apply here. 

Now, onto this week's career advice

CV and covering letter advice

If you’re working on your CV and covering letter to apply for a specific graduate position then take a look at our hints and tips on how to better your prospects by producing a great CV.

Have a browse through these articles: 

Writing CV’s for different types of graduate jobs 

Dealing with gaps in graduate CV's and applications

Hospitality

The hospitality, leisure and travel sector is full of employers who don’t require a 2.1. Relevant work experience is often much more important to employers in these industries. If this is the area you aspire to work in have a read of our article ‘ Graduate employers who recruit students with 2:2s: the hospitality,travel and leisure sector.

Finance

The application form for a graduate scheme or internship at Deutsche Bank isn't a 30 minute job, as the employer asks applicants to answer pretty big questions with pretty small word counts – either 50 or 100 words. Have a read of our article ‘Deutsche Bank application: don’t let the word count limit you’

Retail

Tejal Raichura, a merchandiser for womenswear jersey with Next, shares her insider knowhow with us. She explains everything from the application process to what it’s really like being a graduate in merchandising. Read her story ‘Inside story: how to get a job in merchandising’

Engineering

Don’t have a job lined up for when you graduate, or just want to take a gap year? Use the time out to boost your employability for civil and structural engineering, construction and surveying jobs, say our panel of construction graduate recruiters. Have a read of their article here: Can’t find a construction job?What graduates can do with a year out to become more employable.

TARGETpostgrad

Postgraduate study is a way of taking your subject to a new level and can also provide the skills, knowledge and contacts for your chosen career but one obstacle may stand in the way – money. Have a read of our article ‘What’s the difference between masters and PhD funding’

Enjoy the rest of the week!

Roxanne

Having attended STEMinism presents Vodafone earlier this year, FOUR girls were offered internships! We speak to two of them to find out what life is like at Vodafone HQ!

1.    What made you want to apply to Vodafone?

Oishi: The STEMinism event at Vodafone HQ, where I had many insightful conversations with the recruiters and the graduate interns. I learned about the various roles on offer and found this is something suitable for me. Also, the most magnificent and amazing Vodafone campus made me more fond of it.  

Deja: Meeting people that drove the business encouraged me the most, at the STEMinism event I was able to speak to people that work there and also grads that maintain the system and on a daily basis push Vodafone to be one of the biggest telecoms company in the UK.

2.    Any funny stories from the application process you'd like to share?

 Oishi: The assessment day took place the day before my final exam, so I was bit stressed; it meant I had to plan my time effectively to get prepared for both! I only slept for few hours and the moment I finished my last exam I went home to prepare.

Deja: Me and Kamara sat on the train from Birmingham to Newbury in silence trying to prep for the presentation even though we had already done it, we were just nervous.

3.    What's been your favourite part of the job so far?

Oishi: My job role is Radio Access Network (RAN) Assurance. I really enjoyed learning the cell architecture, GSM Network, Channels in air interfaces etc. Also my manager took me to show a Base Transceiver Station (BTS) and explained each part of it.  The joy of learning so many new things has been the best part so far.

Deja: So far I have really enjoyed the meetings; everyone that works here is so kind and some of the meeting rooms look like living rooms! Seeing how decisions are made that impact the company has been intriguing as well as discussions with 3^rd party companies. (And the Starbucks’s and Costas in every building)

4. Can you sum up the Vodafone campus in three words?

Oishi: Attractive, relaxing, magnificent

Deja: AWESOME, peaceful, caffeinated.

5. What's your favourite gadget?

Oishi: My Samsung smartphone

Deja: I’d have to say smart phones (iPhones in particular) just because the variety of apps is amazing, there is literally an app for everything!

6. What did you want to be when you grew up?

Oishi: I love learning new things and also love sharing my knowledge. At some point I really want to become a Professor and would love to teach.

Deja:  I’ve always wanted to be a Rock star and I’m never going to give up on that dream.

7. What's the one thing you can't live without?

Oishi: For the time being, this current internship with Vodafone.

Deja: Smart TV! What is life without Netflix?

8 What’s the best piece of advice you've been given?

Oishi: Be yourself, don't try to be someone else. Give your full hard work on something you really want to achieve.

Deja: You create your own reality so think positive thoughts and by following your intuition you will end up exactly where you need to and want to be.

9. And the worst?

Oishi: Haven't got any bad advice so far!

Deja: Go where the money is.

10. What would be your top tip for girls who want to get ahead in IT?

Oishi: Go for IT, if you really want to. It's a very vast field and honestly it's difficult. If you love it, you are going to enjoy every bit of it.

Deja: TAKE RISKS!  If you’re interested in a job and you think “I can’t do that” do it anyway, you learn by taking chances and you come out with new skills. Learn to except and even celebrate failure because it’s only pointing you a step closer to a better opportunity.  

After the summer Oishi Deb will be starting her second year at the University of Leicester  studying Software and Electronics Engineering. Deja Cespedes is going into her final year at the University of Nottingham. She is studying Computer Science and Management Studies.

- Good luck ladies!

Visit www.targetjobsevents.co.uk to find out more out our events!

Ella Jakubowska won the Female Undergraduate of the Year Award in 2013! Read her final blog one year on...

After a whirlwind study abroad year at McGill University, followed by my incredible three month Rolls-Royce internship in Derby and Beijing, September 2013 finally rolled around, ushering me into my fourth and final year of undergraduate study at Leeds University. It was the most academically intense year of my life, and I developed a genuine passion for the dissertation I was writing. It focussed on representations of non-conventional masculinity in twentieth-century war literature, a somewhat niche but (genuinely!) fascinating area of study.

The academic year flew by; in October, I was surprised but very pleased to be awarded an Athena Swan ‘Woman of Achievement’ commendation from Leeds uni, which entailed a lovely ceremony and photo-shoot, so that was very exciting! Then at Christmas, I continued with my yearly family tradition of helping to run a Christmas homeless shelter as a key volunteer for Crisis, a charity that is still really close to my heart.

With the new year came new challenges at university, and so my next few months were mostly spent in a blur of visits to the library. After immersing myself in the challenging world of contemporary and millennial fiction for my Finals, I decided that I’d like to make the most of my last university summer by jumping onto a plane to Malaysia to visit my brother. I then spent six weeks backpacking through Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam, with a similar outlook to the one I’d had in Beijing: one that meant doing, trying and eating everything, even if it was out of my comfort zone. Thanks to some local guides, I got to experience local cultures and livelihoods in a really privileged, intimate way, although of course my trip also featured the obligatory backpacker hostels and parties!

On the final day of my travels, I received the news that I would, as hoped, be graduating from Leeds with First Class Honours after attaining a strong First for my dissertation, and an even stronger First for another extended essay. It was really rewarding to know that my hard work was paying off, awarding me among the strongest marks of my entire university career. Graduation was a surprisingly relaxing and enjoyable day; the ceremony itself was lovely, and it felt like such an achievement to have made my family so proud. It was not until I was saying goodbye to friends and getting ready to head back to London, however, that it really hit me that my time as an undergraduate, with all the amazing experiences it has given me, has really finished.

As for the future, I’m very glad I have the Customer Management graduate programme at Rolls-Royce to look forward to. My first placement, starting this September, will be in the Defence sector in Bristol, and my current house-hunting gives me something to keep me occupied! After how well my internship went, I think that I have quite a lot to live up to as I return to Rolls, but I couldn’t be more excited for the challenges to come, and for the opportunities to improve as a (business) person. Wish me luck!

Ella Jakubowska, English Language and Literature, University of Leeds

2013 Winner of the Female Undergraduate of the Year Award 2013 sponsored by Rolls-Royce

Weekly Career Round-up

Hello everyone, I hope you're all enjoying your summer break! 

Welcome to this week’s weekly roundup post!

So, as always I am going to start off with the internship and graduate job deadlines.

Secure an internship: don’t miss next week’s work experience deadlines – Find out my here.

Don't miss out on this week's upcoming graduate job deadlines, find out how to apply here. 

Now, onto this week's career advice

Internships

Whether you're trying to turn your internship into a graduate job offer or climb the career ladder in a permanent job, know how to increase your chances of success. Have a read of our article 'Career tactics for women: from internship to job to promotion' to find out more.

You have landed the internship that you had been working towards since your first year. Well done! But what's the best way to ensure that your placement leads to career success? Check out our article 'How to make the most of your investment banking internship' to find out how to further your career.

Want to learn how to avoid those common work experience blunders? Find out more here.

Law

Before attending a law assessment centre this summer, make sure you've read our top tips on how to perform at the group exercise element of the assessment day. We dispel the myth that everybody needs to prove they are a natural born leader; you can shine in other ways. Have a read of out article 'Be your best self in a law assessment centre group exercise'

Finance

If banking is your career of choice, have a read of our recent article 'Deutsche Bank application: don't let the word count limit you' to learn more about the application form for a graduate scheme or internship at Deutsche Bank. 

Retail

Whether you want a retail graduate job with your part-time employer or to join another retailer's graduate scheme, read our advice article on how to make your experience shine.‘Turn your part-time shop work into a graduate retail career’

We asked two graduate retail managers from Tesco, Luke Hammett and Claire Pickthall, to share insider tips from their job hunting experience. Have a read of the interview 'How to get a job in retail management' to gain insight into how to get the career you want in retail.

Engineering

If you want to be hired as a graduate civil or structural engineer, there are three decisions employers expect you to make before you apply. Find out what these three decisions are in our article 'Want a civil engineering job? Three career decisions you have to make'

That's all from me this week, good luck with your applications.

Enjoy your weekend!

Roxanne

Eight top tips to calm those interview jitters

To find out more have a read of our article 'Tips for graduates: how to deal with job interview nerves' 

Networking’s not so nerve-racking, promise...

I recently came across an article from the University of Manchester with the title ‘Networking? I’d rather eat my own shoes...’ Aside from being a very eye-catching headline, I think it sums up pretty neatly how most of us feel about networking: it doses us with feelings of dread, inadequacy, sweaty palms, eminent embarrassment and sometimes outright terror. 

If it’s meant to be the ‘key’ to finding a decent graduate job then why do we all seem to hate it?

I think it boils down to the fact that many of us have little self-confidence and approaching strangers to talk business is just too darn intimidating. University work is actually very solitary; you get an essay question via email or a virtual learning environment and you sit in front of a computer and get on with it. Later, you sit in silence in a big hall with an exam paper and you just get on with it. Professional social butterflies we are not.

So how can we boost our confidence and work up the nerve to network? Well there’s an amazing TED talk on body language by Amy Cuddy who gives some great advice: fake it until you make it. She explains it much better in the talk but the basic point is: if you’re not the confident go-getter, act the part of someone who is. So you could do this by thinking of someone you know who is chatty and confident and do what they would do. Eventually you’ll realise that you can do it, it’s not that scary and you’re a lot braver than you give yourself credit for.

Another thing to bear in mind is that ‘networking’ is just a buzzword and not as scary as it sounds. Really, all you have to do is have a chat with someone new and who’s never done that before? In the first seminars of your degree or when you joined that society, you managed to keep up a conversation with people you’d never met before – you were networking even if you didn't know it.

Top tips for networking success:

• Join LinkedIn and make connections with the people you meet.
• Keep in touch with lecturers – they usually know many people in their field.
• If you go to a guest lecture, go introduce yourself to the speaker afterwards.
• Talk to recruiters at careers fairs as well as graduates who are already employed at the company.
• Join a professional body for your career area and get involved in events and online discussions.
• Remember that it’s not about approaching someone and asking for a job outright – it’s about making yourself known so that when you do apply for a job, people already have a good impression.
• People love to talk about themselves so keep asking questions and listen to what people have to say and you’re already part of the way there.

Written by Jess Jennison 

Editorial Intern

TARGETjobs.co.uk

Want to know more about our events? Sanjana came last year and wants to apply again! All applications for TARGETjobs Events are now open!

When I got to know about IT's not just for the boys! event last year, I was really keen on attending it. After a very friendly interview, I was fortunate enough to be invited to attend. The event was held on the 18th October 2013 and it also marked my first visit to the Bloomberg, London office. The day started full of enthusiasm with a talk from a happiness expert and success mentor, Alexandra Watson; her short session bought immense positivity to the event. I still remember her words, which I always try to inculcate in my life; may it be "Confidence - Fake it till you make it!" or "Hide or Shine"! Afterwards we heard from Kathryn Parsons, the keynote speaker, who showed us the brighter side of being an entrepreneur by sharing her life experience as the co-founder of Decoded with all of us. Her session was really motivating and I am sure it must have given a lot of encouragement to women who are willing to start their own business and bring a massive change to the industry.

Other activities all through the day gave me a lot of chances to interact with other girls and get to know about their career aspirations and also make new friends. Moreover, I managed to make many professional contacts, as many recruiters from reputed companies also attended the event, which has proven to be useful for finding work placements. The advice given by various recruiters has definitely helped me to present myself as a confident girl in the industry, as it is also said, IT’s not just for the boys! In short, in one day you will gain many small experiences that will definitely help you with your future endeavours. 

The benefit of attending the event doesn’t end here. It is just the beginning. After the event, TargetJobs forwarded all the attendees’ resumes to all those companies that were present. This proved to be highly beneficial for me, as I was contacted by companies, like EMC, Morgan Stanley, BP, Bloomberg, etc about their roles and offering me their direct contacts for future references. Moreover, I was invited to attend a fast track event at EMC and was fortunate enough to receive a positive response regarding my graduate role.

I enhanced my communication skill during the event as I got an opportunity to interact with so many people under one roof. This one day event gave me a lot of confidence to face interviews and assessment centres for various companies. Eventually, I was successful at gaining an offer from Goldman Sachs and Schlumberger for the summer 2014. I decided to proceed with Schlumberger as per my interest.

Lastly, I look forward to applying for the 2014 event as I believe there is still a lot left to learn. If you are fortunate enough to get a chance to attend the day. Make full use of it.

Sanjana Narang is studying (MEng) Electronic & Communications Engineering at the University of Bristol attended IT's not just for the boys last autumn  

All our events for the 2014/2015 academic year are now OPEN to applications! We look forward to receiving applications from Sanjana and many more of you!