Could you please introduce yourself by telling us a little about yourself?
Hanna: My name is Hanna Gnanaseharam and I am the Postgraduate Programmes Coordinator for the Business Experience Team at Westminster Business School. I am passionate about seeing Postgraduate and MBA students fulfil their full potential and improve their future employability through taking part in the Postgraduate/MBA International Mentoring Programme or the Postgraduate/MBA Summer Internship Programme. In my spare time, I enjoy getting involved in various charity events within my local community, country walks and spending time with my family and friends.
Can you please describe your role in the registry in a few words?
Jaspreet: I am the Placements Coordinator for the Westminster Business School. Very briefly this involves looking after the Placements Programme which refers to a year in industry that can be taken between a Westminster Business School students second and final year. The main aspects of this role include raising awareness of the optional placement year, advertising placement vacancies, creating an employer presence on campus and other activities to support students in their search for a placement as well as support during their placement.
Hanna: I am responsible for coordinating both the Postgraduate/MBA International Mentoring Programme and the Postgraduate/MBA Summer Internship Programme. Looking to develop a career in London can be difficult, particularly if you are an international student and have not worked in the UK or the EU before. Therefore through attending group meetings, information sessions and 1-to-1 CV appointments, I will match you with a senior professional (mentor) in your field of expertise/interest. Through attending in-person mentoring meetings with your mentor, the programme aims to provide you with an insight into UK working practices and policies.
Over the past few years, we have also had many Postgraduates and MBA students enquire about the possibility of gaining some work experience in their chosen industry whilst they are living in London. As a result, the BET have been coordinating the Postgraduate/MBA Summer Internship Programme for several years and successfully place students in a range of internships within various small-medium enterprises or charities in London; popular business fields include Marketing, PR, Events, Finance, Accounting, Human Resources, Operations and Project Management.
Finally on an on-going basis, I actively promote both the Postgraduate/MBA Summer Internship Programme and the Postgraduate/MBA International Mentoring Programmes to our alumni and networking contacts to secure new and exciting internship and mentoring opportunities for our students.
What do you most frequently help students with?
Jaspreet: I help students by liaising with employers to advertise placement vacancies out to our students. I also help students understand the benefits of a placement year and provide them with advice and guidance on how to effectively find and secure a placement such as CV support and interview preparation. This support is provided through a variety of methods including one to one advice and guidance sessions and also through workshops. I also help students gain the opportunity to actually meet with employers through employer presentations that are incorporated into the workshops and also through the Annual Placements Fair where students can directly speak with top employers such as IBM, Bloomberg, the NHS and Enterprise Rent a Car. Together with the other members of the Business Experience Team, I also provide ongoing support to our placement students by ensuring we visit them at least once during their placement and by acting as the first point of contact for any placement related queries before, during and immediately after the placement.
Hanna: I am always at hand, to answer any queries students may have, no matter how big or small. I help students to improve their employment prospects through coordinating both the Postgraduate/MBA International Mentoring Programme and the Postgraduate/MBA Summer Internship Programme. For both programmes, students are required to attend group meetings with either myself or another member of the bet; during this time, I can review their CV and will advise them if they need to make any improvements; it is always useful to have someone who is impartial to review your CV. Students can also collect an Internship or Mentoring Seekers guide from the WBS Registry, which includes some handy information relating to CV and the other services provides by the Career Development Centre.
Finally, throughout their mentoring and/or internship experience, either myself or another member of the BET will contact you and your employer/mentor half way through to ensure that that everything is running smoothly.
What advice would you give our freshers/new starters this year?
Jaspreet: I would strongly advise any freshers/ newstarters to start thinking about a placement year now. It is never to early to start planning for your career and would advise that new starters visit the Career Development Centre to discuss career ambitions and pathways. There are numerous benefits to taking a placement, primarily the consistent finding that placements boost graduate employment prospects.
Hanna: I would advise all students to ensure they attend their Postgraduate/MBA orientation sessions; a member of the BET will be on hand to talk you through the different employability programmes and the deadlines for applications. As CVs in the UK are very different to those abroad, try to start working on your CV straight away. I would advise all students to have their CV checked with a Careers Consultant at the Career Development Centre by attending a ‘Quick Query’ Appointment as soon as possible. Finally, it’s fresher’s week, so make sure you get involved with all of the activities taking place on campus, become acquainted with the Student’s Union and make some new friends!
What events (if any) do you organise that students should look out for during the year?
Jaspreet: An introduction to the placement year induction session will be held during orientation week and all new starters are encouraged to come along to find out more about placements and how they can help you achieve your career goals. Placement workshops are run on a weekly basis that all students considering a placement year should look out for and attend in their second year to gain expert advice on how to search for and secure a placement. The Annual Placements Fair takes place in February and allows students to find out about placement opportunities directly from the employers themselves so that is definitely one event that is worth keeping an eye out for.
Hanna: If you are planning to apply for either Postgraduate/MBA International Mentoring Programme and/or the Postgraduate/MBA Summer Internship Programme, the BET will be arranging a couple of information and student training evenings throughout the coming year. Please check your University email address and Blackboard for updates closer to the time.
