So basically you’re nervous because you don’t fully know what you want to do (pragmatically you sound like you want to work in a reputable solid industry with good prospects but you also sound like you don’t have a very strong passion you want to pursue), you’re also worried about having the right CV to do well in graduate recruitment.
1) the career bit: this is very common and is probably most people, often times what most people do in these situations is apply to many avenues as a graduate and then go with the best opportunity. IMO, it is generally better to try and focus on something. I know you have mentioned finance & big-4 but these are compromised of many different types of jobs (you have time to explore but you will do better with a focused goal).
2) these employers do NOT expect much experience, they are offering entry level jobs, they want enthusiastic people who are: smart, motivated, hard working, good communicators, empathetic, integrity (basically fit company values & generally a highly capable person)
3) i. experience and internships will make a HUGE difference, yes placements are competitive but you can take control of the situation. In freshers week of second year go & meet with your unis careers team (take a cv with you), try and find some example placement year opportunities and perhaps even draw up a first take cover letter.
ii. You can go on websites such as
https://www.springpod.com/virtual-work-experience & theforage.com & do “virtual work experiences” today, and companies you have mentioned i.e. big 4 (ey, pwc, kpmg, deloitte) will ALL have these! These will give you some great stuff for your cv ahead of placement year & graduate job applications
iii start applying for placement years early, do a lot of prep for every virtual interview & online test (it is very tedious), you will get a lot of rejections & feelings of wasted time but it’s not, it’s just part of the process
iiii. Make sure you apply to different size companies: yes go for the big multinationals (but theybare crazy competitive) also apply to medium size companies, and regional boutique smaller ones. With a placement year you really looking to learn & develop and this is more important
v. Find all the networking & careers fairs going on at your university
vi. Maybe find a local charity or event going on & volunteer - this stuff really helps expand your understanding of the world, gives you stuff to talk about in interviews & looks good
Try not to worry, rather then feeling anxious or concerned use that as a fuel to push yourself into being a proactive person getting on with putting yourself in a better position. The fact you’re thinking of this stuff now puts you ahead of the curve on graduate recruitment.
Also check out:
Bright network
Gradcracker