Five reasons why I would recommend the Change 100 internship scheme: Helena

Hi, I’m Helena, I am a third-year Psychology student and I also work at the Careers Service as your Bristol Mentors Student Associate Intern.

This summer I took part in Change 100, a programme run by disability charity Leonard Cheshire. It supports students and recent graduates with disabilities to complete an internship. Students apply to the programme and, if successful, are paired with a partner organisation to complete a three-month summer internship.

A picture of the author, Helena, smiling with a cup of coffee

I was paired with IHG Hotels & Resorts in their Corporate Responsibility team.

I was new to the world of Corporate Responsibility and learnt a lot. However, I learnt just as much from taking part in the Change 100 process itself.

My experience of applying to the scheme, and being supported by the team there, was the most accessible I am yet to see in the workplace. They demonstrated how disability inclusivity can – and should – be done:

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Want a job in the UK? 6 tips for international students

Picture of Zubair Khan
Zubair Khan, Year 2 Accounting and Finance (BSc)

We recently held a panel event of international alumni working in the UK attended by:

  • Natalie Ng has a Master’s in Accounting, Finance, and Management and is now an Equity Rewards Advisory Tax Associate at Grant Thornton
  • Tony Zhang has an MEng in Computer Science and is an Agile Business Analyst at HSBC
  • Fei Jin has an MA in Film and Television and is a video photographer and editor at New Silk Route
  • Emelyn Shu Fang Tan has a degree in Law and is a Student Inclusion Intern at the University of Bristol

 

“Getting a job in the UK can seem daunting to international students. However, all you need to do to find your dream job in the UK is make an extra effort to stand out to employers”

Here are Zubair’s top take aways from the event: (more…)

CPSA case study: Bouncing back from rejections

Yun Wen Soh, Final year LLB Student and Career Peer Support Assistant

Thank you for your application for [job name] at [company].

However, after careful consideration we regret to inform you that you have not been successful…”

Emails like this are almost inevitable during your job search. Despite knowing that “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”, receiving rejections can feel crushing.

 

 

Here are some practical tips to get out of the rejection rut … (more…)

5 Careers Service resources you will wish you’d known about sooner!

I am Sammi and I am the Student Marketing and Comms Assistant at the Careers Service alongside doing my master’s in International Security. Working at Careers has opened my eyes to the amazing support on offer to students, so I thought I would share with you the five Careers resources, that I wish I had known about sooner, to help you get ahead of the game.

A picture Of Sammi Ciardi, writer of the article
Sammi Ciardi

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TARGETjobs Undergraduate of the Year Awards – Hello Finalists!

We are excited to announce that this year, six University of Bristol students have been chosen as finalists for the TARGETjobs Undergraduate of the Year Awards!   

The TARGETjobs Undergraduate of the Year Awards is an annual competition to celebrate the best undergraduates in the UK. Each award is partnered with a graduate recruiter who offers an amazing prize for the winner, including a paid internship, trips abroad, and other exclusive opportunities.  

via GIPHY

To become finalists, students first had to complete an application, including essay-style questions and online tests. Once passing that stage, students were either invited to a telephone interview or to take part in an assessment centre.

We caught up with our six nominees to hear more about their journeys to becoming finalists. (more…)

8 reasons why you should do the Bristol PLUS Award!

As the new academic year starts, we are so excited to welcome you all back and *drumroll pleaseopen the Bristol PLUS Award for registration!  (more…)

How I got my dream internship

Fourth year Economics student Pratik Popat writes for the Careers Service blog on his experiences of interviewing for Investment Banking firms and how learning from each application and networking ultimately helped him get his dream internship.

Since the start of my second year studying Economics, I have been applying for summer internships in the financial industry, specifically Investment Banking.

When I applied the first time, I felt very much out of my depth. Everyone I spoke to seemed to have much more of an idea of how to do interviews, and how to get to the interview stage in the first place. (more…)

My Internship Experience at HSBC

Joe Baldwin, a Chemistry student at Bristol, shares his experience as a Commercial Banking Summer Intern at HSBC.

My time as an HSBC  Intern started as I expect it does for many, concerned about possibility of not having a job to go to after graduation. My search for an internship wasn’t about finding the perfect internship, as I didn’t know what this would be. I wanted to get a flavour of the jobs available to chemists – one that doesn’t involve lab coats and safety goggles. (more…)

Using Video Resources at the Careers Service

The videos provided by the Careers Service are not a resource to be ignored – hearing from graduate recruiters themselves about what they are looking for in graduates is valuable information. The videos are split into several easy to understand sections; CVs & Cover Letters, Interview Techniques, Assessment Centre Advice, Job Hunting, Self-Employment, & more! Each video focuses on a specific aspect of employment, like ‘How to write Work Experience on a CV’, and features testimonials from the people who see hundreds of CVs and Cover Letters everyday – this is the information YOU need to know to land that dream graduate job!

video

In currently trying to land my dream graduate job and facing the prospect of scary assessment centres, I found the videos explaining what tasks and activities I should expect to happen at an assessment centre particularly useful. Assessment centres can vary widely in terms of what tasks they ask you to complete, from presentations and straightforward group tasks, to trying to convince others what celebrities to put in a hot air balloon! When tasks can be as strange as this it is important to understand what key skills employers are looking for: prioritisation, confidence, communication skills, listening skills, persuasion etc. Assessment centres aren’t just about how you compare against others, succeeding in the task is not always about being correct, it is about demonstrating your skills.

Another important tip I learnt from the videos is that you are being assessed outside of the assessment tasks too – from the moment you enter the centre to the moment you step out of the door to go home, your behaviour and how you communicate with others is being carefully analysed, even during coffee breaks! Make sure you have an in depth knowledge of the organisation, as well as their partners and competitors – having commercial awareness will help you stand out over other candidates.

I definitely feel more confident and prepared for my upcoming assessment centre now that I’ve received this advice from employers themselves. Whatever aspect of employment you’re struggling with, I recommend using the greatly informative videos provided by University of Bristol Careers Services.

https://careers.bristol.ac.uk/

Madeleine Dwyer, 3rd year Psychology student