Does the university you attend matter

Hi, i wanted to ask if the university i attend will matter to the employer, im preparing to attend hallam sheffield university. Will it have a negative effect ony future career opportunitys as im preparing to go into ACCA?

Hi there,
Don't let worries of getting your dream job affect your time at university. Should you attend Sheffield Hallam, I'm sure you will receive all the necessary support and inspiration to do well. Hallam puts a lot of emphasis on employability and continues to support graduates after they leave the uni. This includes opportunities for work experience, frequent networking fairs and contacts within the world of work. Employers these days don't just judge candidates based on what uni they went to, but by how they used their time in uni. If you can show that you went to extra lengths to build your experience whilst studying the theory, its a perfect combination for employers. By the end of your time at Hallam (if you have made the most of the opportunities given to you), you will surely have a CV that any employer will be impressed by. Good luck!
-Grace

Hi, ways to help your CV stand out after university are:

- sign up to volunteering opportunities while at university. There are lots of opportunities for this as Hallam, with the students union running 'give it a go' session doing lots of different volunteer work as well as holding more long standing volunteering opportunities. https://www.shu.ac.uk/careers/work-experience/volunteering
- You can become a course rep, and then a departmental rep. Doing these shows a lot of transferrable skills.
- You could become a treasurer for a society (one already existing or create your own), this could show you have experience handling finance.
- Work towards the gold Hallam award. You start at the bronze award, then silver, then last is gold. These showcase skills you have gained over your time at university. This is explained in detail here: https://www.shu.ac.uk/careers/work-experience/hallam-award
- Have a part time job relating to finance and accounting while at university. Hallam has a careers and employability service that you can access, where you can discuss and be given guidance as to what jobs would be suitable, they also help with CV writing and provide mock interviews. https://www.shu.ac.uk/careers
- be part of a society
- Take part in a 'GoGlobal' opportunity: https://www.shu.ac.uk/goglobal
- Take part in the students union elections, either as a candidate or in some role that needs financial expertise

As you can see, there are a multitude of ways to spend your time at university and highlight what you have learned there, showcasing your transferable skills and making you end CV stand out.

Enjoy your time at university, Hallam is great and Sheffield is a wonderful city. Just throw yourself into the university experience

- Rosie

Are you going to study Accounting and Finance? Some times people do non-finance degrees before they move on to ACCA. If you’re doing Accounting and Finance, you might want to consider doing a sandwich year, to get work experience. If you do, this will definitely put you in a good position once you’ve finished your degree. It would also be best if you make sure that you do modules that will get you exemptions from as many ACCA exams as possible.
If it helps, in the current organisation I work in, I got my first role here basically because I had experience using their finance system and was doing my ACCA exams (Did a non-finance degree so had to start from the first set of ACCA exams). I’ve been here about 5 years now, and have progressed up quite quickly, but I’m at the stage where I can’t go any higher without finishing my ACCA exam (just 2 left to do now), and my next step would be a Finance Manager/Senior Accountant role.
I would say the most important thing would be to finish your ACCA as quickly as possible and getting an entry level finance job after uni. If you pick the right module’s, then you should hopefully get 9 exam exemption, and you’ll only have your professional stage exams to

Ty veey much that was very useful, may i ask you something, if i take on a part time job in accounting instead of doing the sandwich year would that be fine?