Experiencing the Undergraduate of the Year awards

Barnaby Lewis, finalist of this year's Engineering Undergraduate of the Year award, talks about his experience applying and attending the awards. Followed by a few words of wisdom. 

Sometime last year I received an email from TARGETjobs letting me know about a competition for the Engineering Undergraduate of the year award. Initially I dismissed this as irrelevant as I’m only in the top half of my year, there are 4 years of undergraduates across several engineering disciplines and many universities. Also, I don’t really enjoy public recognition so it didn’t really appeal to me.

Then in the midst of revision at Christmas I got another email telling me the deadline was at the end of the week after my final exam. Whilst I wanted to experience the sort of tests I’d have to take next year when applying for graduate jobs, I thought that was the last thing I wanted to do to celebrate my momentary freedom from exams. However on the day of my exam I got another email and their persistence paid off. I applied.

The application wasn’t really that hard (although perhaps it would have been more stressful if I had really wanted to win) some sections were very frustrating with tricky to answer questions.  I also had to write a few 300 word pieces set by Eon. After writing one of these as an acrostic poem – engineering is fun – I didn’t really expect the email inviting me to the assessment day at Eon’s technology centre at Easter.

The day consisted of an interview which went fairly well compared with previous attempts at gaining a placement. We also had a role play where we had to confront a member of staff about perceived failings in their department. This was a suitably awkward experience for a science student like myself. We also had to prepare a presentation on our ‘plan for Eon’s future’ which was followed by the presentation itself and a group discussion on which plan to take forwards.

I left thinking that it had been a positive experience and would help me in the future, but did not expect to get an invitation to the awards ceremony in Canary Wharf.

This was a rather surreal experience, with a string quartet in one corner, people offering you champagne, and Sir Trevor McDonald stood talking to fellow applicants. We had an amusing and inspiring talk from the man himself followed by the most expensive looking meal I think I will ever eat (caviar is over-rated).

Whilst I didn’t win the award (which would have been awkward considering I already had a placement year sorted with EnginSoft by then) I would say it has been a positive experience which will serve me well in the future.

My advice to fellow undergraduates would therefore be:

-          Take all the opportunities you can to practice interview skills (especially if a free lunch is involved).

-          Don’t worry too much about a particular job interview, being relaxed definitely helps.

-          Don’t give up before you’ve started.

-          Do try to get some work experience before leaving university (I applied to about 15 companies last year to get 3 interviews and 1 job offer).

FTo see all of this year's winners and finalist visit our Undergraduate of the Year website. And if you think you have what it takes to be next year's Undergraduate of the Year why not pre-register? 

How to get your foot in the fashion world

Spend five minutes with... Online Marketing Manager, Sophie Lockard from boohoo.com 

 What makes the fast-fashion industry so exciting?

It's the industry that I always wanted to work in so to end up where I am is a dream come true!  When you're inspired by the product you're marketing it naturally makes you more passionate about what you do and helps drive success for the company and your own career.  Working for a company such as boohoo is exciting because of the massive growth we've achieved, it means no two days are the same and you work at an incredibly fast pace which gives you a sense of personal fulfilment.

- Can you name three things that would really make a student's application for work experience stand out?

Employers see so many C.Vs so it really is important to grab the reader's attention.  The first thing I would recommend is making sure your general structure and layout is clear and easy to read - use bold headers, short descriptions and bullet point key information.  Make sure that your content is punchy and to the point.  For previous experience just a line or two about the company, then split your experience into responsibilities and achievements.  Anyone can list their responsibilities but if you also detail achievements it evidences what you did well and the difference you made.  Obviously you are applying for work experience but if you can showcase any other internships or unpaid work this helps set you apart. Even if you keep a blog, put that on there too as it shows your extracurricular passion for fashion!

Secondly include a short summary at the top of your CV.  This should tell the employer more about your unique qualities and the role that you are looking for.  A summary helps an employer get an instant feel for what you're about and hopefully inspires them to read on.

Lastly I would say to be persistent.  Companies receive so many CVs.  Often the applicants that have stood out to me have been the ones who have chased HR or emailed me directly through Linkedin.

-   What types of entry-level jobs should a recent graduate aim for?

It really depends on the company but generally graduate, internships or assistant roles across the business.  There are all types of careers you can move into including marketing, ecommerce, buying, merchandising, studio, design and more!

-  What key skills do you need to get into marketing in fashion?

Fashion is difficult to break in to so you will need to show that you are organised, a team player, have good communication skills, can think creatively and that you have drive, motivation and lots of enthusiasm.

-  Would you expect a student or graduate who wants to work in marketing in fashion to be using social media, and in what ways?

It depends what area you want to work in, if it's social media then definitely!  Anyone who can show they have a sound knowledge and interest in social channels will definitely set themselves apart.  If you have  a fashion blog that will help too as it shows you have a committed interest in fashion.

-  Aside from fashion and fashion marketing degrees, are there other degrees that would make an application stand out?

Within our marketing team we've had people qualify from a range of degrees including business, launguages and journalism.  I did Business at University as I wasn't entirely sure what I wanted to do, it was a great course and gave me insight into business entirely which I think has been really useful.

-  Any motivational words for students aspiring to become marketers in this very competitive industry.

Be determined and get as much experience as you can - even if it's unpaid.  Once you get a foot in the door sometimes it's all you need!  Be tenacious and follow up on applications.  Good luck!

Interested in fashion? See if boohoo.com is hiring now. 

For more info on making it in marketing visit our marketing career pages. 

Would you ever consider unpaid work experience to further your career?

This week we are skipping the weekly graduate news round up in favour of some interesting data we have gathered through our online poll.

We were quite surprised to find out that 86% of you would take on unpaid work experience if the benefits outweighed being paid.

These results come from our latest online poll. When asked if you would consider unpaid work experience, 45% responded positively, letting us know that work experience potentially is more important to you than being paid. 41% replied more cautiously: ‘Yes, if it was absolutely necessary’, but only 14% answered no, implying that you don’t want to be ‘exploited’.

The majority of graduates and students are willing to sacrifice the chance of paid work in order to get experience that will help them climb the career ladder. This demonstrates how keen they are to make themselves more employable and shows the strength of their work ethic. But the statistics raise some big red flags.

Although there can be benefits to unpaid work experience, which is clearly why so many would consider it, in some cases it may actually be illegal. Employers are not required to pay volunteers, but anyone who counts as a worker is entitled to the national minimum wage.

This is a grey area legally as it is not always easy to establish when someone counts as a worker. But any graduate who undertakes a lengthy unpaid internship where they are effectively doing a job will be in this category.

For those considering going unpaid for the sake of experience the National Council for Work Experience has produced guidelines to help decide whether an unpaid work experience is worthwhile. These guidelines include:

-          Ensure the placement is valuable – does it give insight into a particular industry? Will it give you particular skills or clarify career aspirations?

-          Discuss the possibilities of any future paid work with the employer.

-          Discuss the purpose of the internship and clarify expectations from the start.

For more guidelines and to understand the law on unpaid internships read our full article on unpaid internships and how to decide if they are worth it.

The potential benefits of work experience in the industry you are interested in are significant. It’s no wonder many of you are willing to consider unpaid work placements:

-          An opportunity to build your network and connections with industry professionals. You never know what doors this may open.

-          Learn new skills and put theory into practice.

-          Build your commercial awareness.

-          An opportunity that may lead into a job.

So would you consider unpaid short-term work experience in order to gain these benefits? And if so, how long for?  Two weeks? A month?

If unpaid work experience isn’t for you why not search our site for paid work experience. 

(The survey was conducted on our social media channels and website. The poll had a total of 114 participants) 

Travel the world and get paid - Meet TEFL

What’s TEFL?

TEFL stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language. With over 1 billion English learners worldwide it’s a growing industry and many graduates are now doing it as a way to get paid and travel at the same time.

Where can I go?

If you have a degree, you can TEFL in most countries – but, of course, there is a higher demand for English teachers in some areas than others. Popular options for those with no previous teaching experience include Thailand, South Korea, China and Spain.

Who’s this handsome fella?

Ryan is a Lancaster University student who spent 10 months teaching English, travelling (and getting paid) in China. He’ll tell you what TEFL is really all about!

So Ryan…What inspired you to TEFL?

I was in my last year at University when the travel bug bit me. But, like lots of students in their final year, my piggy bank wasn’t exactly filled with money. I started to think if only there was a way for me to get paid for my gap year. Then I came across i-to-i!

Why China?

Ever since I was young I’ve been fascinated by Chinese culture and their way of life. Also, the demand for English teachers in China is huge and it was really easy to find a job as soon I’d graduated and done my TEFL course.

How did you actually find your TEFL job?

After I got my TEFL certificate, I applied for several jobs all over China. Before I knew it I had a set of interviews lined up, which took place over Skype. I finally decided to accept a six month job contract in Tianjin, which is a quite a big city just south of Beijing.

What were the Chinese students like?

In China, getting a good education is really, really important! This meant that most of my students were very willing to learn – lots of them even watch English TV or read English books in their free time.

Tell us a funny story about your time in China...

One really hot day, I took a bunch of my students out to the park for a practical English lesson. When we were out there we saw a load of monkeys hanging out and relaxing in the trees. I LOVE monkeys so I tried to climb the tree and pet them…well, the next thing that happened was crazy..the monkeys went totally mad and started chasing me (and my students). There were about 10 of them and they kept trying to grab us as we ran screaming away! Thankfully, we escaped but for the rest of the year the students used to draw pictures of monkeys or write stories about monkeys every chance that they got!

How much do you get paid?

In China, most people earn about $1000 a month. Saying that, China is really cheap compared to England. If you still want to earn more, then head to South Korea or Japan. Lots of my friends did a second year teaching there!

How did your time in China change you?

I think my time in China has made me see the world differently, and I’m much more open-minded since coming back. I’ve done things, seen things and eaten things that I never would have done otherwise! Not to mention, teaching children has also taught me what kind of parent I do - or rather don’t - want to be!

What advice would you give to somebody thinking about TEFL?

I’d say - go for it. Loads of people say to me that they’d love to do what I’ve done... then go out and do it! You’ll have a great time, and because you’re working whilst you’re over there you don’t have to be a millionaire. Hopefully you won’t get chased by any monkeys either!

If you want more information on taking a gap year and other volunteering opportunities why not visit our gap year pages. 

Applying for Future Business Leader of the Year

Alasdair Drennan, 2013 finalist of the Future Business Leader of the Year award talks about his experience.

‘Future Business Leader of the Year’… sounds far too impressive… I’ve definitely got no chance. Well, that’s what I thought. In spite of this, you’ve got absolutely no chance at winning unless you apply so one night, on the train from London to Edinburgh, I filled out the application form and sent it off. The questions were reasonably straightforward and were honestly quite interesting. After sending away the application and completing the online tests I put it to the back of my mind, once again I thought, ‘I’ve got no chance’. I study History and I’d been the editor of The Student (the newspaper at Edinburgh University), although I’m really interested in business, I didn’t think my experience was enough to be considered for such a prestigious award. In the coming weeks I was in for a very pleasant surprise.

I was invited to a first round interview at the Mars Petcare Headquarters near Melton Mowbray. The first round consisted of an interview and a case study. The case study was challenging but it was an excellent way to demonstrate to Mars, and myself, that my interest in business translated into skills. It was also a genuinely fun day with plenty of Mars chocolate supplied! As well as interviews, it was a great opportunity to find out more about how Mars operated as a business from its current grads – who were all lovely and incredibly welcoming. On the drive home I received a call to tell me I’d made it through to the final stage – I was over the moon.

The final assessment day, less than a fortnight later, took me back down to Melton and was simultaneously nerve-racking and great fun. The day began delivering my pre-prepared presentation and before taking part in a group exercise and final interview. Once again, it was a great opportunity to demonstrate and develop what I had to offer. Additionally, it was great to meet the other finalists from across the UK. Back at home there was nothing else to do but wait until the awards ceremony in April.

Reuben Ayley, Sir Trevor McDonald and
Alasdair Drennan at the UGOTY Awards

The whole day of the ceremony was a great experience we were first given a tour of the enormous M&M World on Leicester Square (which smells amazing) before heading out to Canary Warf to the champagne reception and lunch. Here we met the finalists from the 11 other awards and loads of other people from Mars who had incredible stories to tell from their very varied careers. The awards were presented by the one and only Sir Trevor McDonald, which was incredibly exciting for my inner news geek. It was a fantastic day which allowed me to meet so many interesting and inspirational people – I won’t be forgetting it anytime soon. Although I didn’t win (congratulations Giovanna), the entire experience was incredibly rewarding and I would do it all again at the drop of a hat.

So if you’re reading this thinking the awards aren’t for you, that you don’t have the right experience, or that there will be too much competition, I would say apply anyway. The initial application questions are focused on what you think as opposed to what you’ve done, so you’ve got every chance and it’s such an amazing opportunity that you don’t want to miss. Good luck!