The Student Room Group

Placement Year

I'm in first year and have been told to begin considering my 3rd year placement. Any tips and advice to secure a good placement?Thanks.
Original post by TheWinterSoilder
I'm in first year and have been told to begin considering my 3rd year placement. Any tips and advice to secure a good placement?Thanks.

Hi @TheWinterSoilder

It's great you are already thinking about your placement year!

Here are some tips that were passed on to me and now I am passing them on to you:
1. perfect your CV - make sure it is up to date
2. research the industry you would like to get into after you graduate
3. look at job descriptions for different roles and see what would suit you
4. use your careers service at your university - they may have links with businesses
5. stay positive
6. no dream is too big

I hope this helps.

Let me know how it goes

Hasnai :h:
Original post by London Met Uni official student rep
Hi @TheWinterSoilder

It's great you are already thinking about your placement year!

Here are some tips that were passed on to me and now I am passing them on to you:
1. perfect your CV - make sure it is up to date
2. research the industry you would like to get into after you graduate
3. look at job descriptions for different roles and see what would suit you
4. use your careers service at your university - they may have links with businesses
5. stay positive
6. no dream is too big

I hope this helps.

Let me know how it goes

Hasnai :h:

Hi, thanks for the reply, do you think job experience plays a large role in who companies select?
Original post by TheWinterSoilder
Hi, thanks for the reply, do you think job experience plays a large role in who companies select?

Hi @TheWinterSoilder

If you are applying for a placement, companies know that you may not have a lot of work experience. Take note of all the skills you are gaining while studying at university, for example, the skills you gain from group work, was there a sticky situation you had to deal with, how did you overcome it? Communication skills and collaborative working are also good skills. You will be using all these skills in everyday life when you graduate and start working.

If you are worried about not having enough work experience you can volunteer one day a week in a local business, or email companies and ask them if it would be possible to shadow one of their employees one day a week.

What industry are you interested in getting into?

I hope this helps.

Hasnai :h:
Original post by TheWinterSoilder
I'm in first year and have been told to begin considering my 3rd year placement. Any tips and advice to secure a good placement?Thanks.

Hey!
I'm glad to hear you are thinking ahead about your placement year as if it is left too late it can be very stressful! I have just completed my placement year and have now just returned to university. I was a really great experience and you really do learn so much! Which course are you doing? I do Business Studies and the advice I would give you would be to start looking at which companies you would like to work for and where you feel you would fit in best! Drop into the careers and employabaity centre and get them to have a look at your CV, even if its not finished they can give you great advice. You can even attend practice interviews and mock assessment centres to get you prepared for the real ones! Start applying as early as you can to avoid the stress of leaving it too late! :smile:
I hope this helps!
Sophia
If you can, do extracurricular projects.

Most importantly though, be a likeable person, I've seen lots of people miss out on placements or get worse placements than they otherwise could've got because they didn't act like a human being in interview. Equally I've seen people punching above their academic and extracurricular weight because they did.
Reply 6
Best advice I have is to ignore all the people who will undoubtedly tell you that "1st year doesn't matter!". First year DOES matter- particularly if you are wanting to do a placement, as your 1st year grades are what potential employers have to look at.

Also learn how to write a "skills" CV :smile:
Original post by rose:)
Best advice I have is to ignore all the people who will undoubtedly tell you that "1st year doesn't matter!". First year DOES matter- particularly if you are wanting to do a placement, as your 1st year grades are what potential employers have to look at.

Also learn how to write a "skills" CV :smile:

Wow, thank you for that! You're right, everyone told me that this year is going to be a breeze and doesn't count towards anything.

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