Can you please tell me a little bit about yourself? (briefly about what you are studying etc)
I’m originally from Sheffield and relocated to London to study for a degree in Business Management. I’m currently on my placement year and secured an Internship with Hewlett Packard in Enterprise Servers, Storage and Networking Sales, based in London. I am a highly motivated student and have always taken advantage of the university career development service with the end goal of boosting my employability for graduation. In addition to my placement at Hewlett Packard, I have also completed a summer internship at the Barclays Bank HQ after my first year.
How did you decide to study at Westminster Business School?
I transferred to the Westminster Business School after my first year at another institution. But when initially choosing a university, employability was my priority so I narrowed my options to London to increase my chances of securing work placement opportunities in this vast employment market. Over other London business schools, Westminster attracted me primarily for it’s very central location and reputation but particularly because the course content reflected a focus on employability with the option to take language modules.
How did you get an HP placement program? Can you briefly talk us through.
My first port of call when sourcing a placement was the university ‘prospects net’ webpage and here, I saw an advert for the post at HP. The application process begun with CV submission, then a telephone interview, followed by a face-to-face interview. I believe the secret that gave me an advantage over the other candidates was my confidence and personality. My confidence came from knowing I had worked hard on strengthening my CV since starting university and in turn, I felt relaxed and my personality shone through in the interviews. If you can make your interviewers smile or laugh, you’re getting extra points in the selection process!
What were the main challenges to be in the work environment?
Working in a high-pressured IT Sales environment differs immensely from university. Adapting to the 9 to 5 routine, always being early and remembering to charge my work phone was initially challenging. However, I found learning the vocabulary of the industry and company-specific jargon particularly mind-boggling. Also, developing the correct business etiquette and acclimatising to HP’s culture, especially when socialising with colleagues of varying levels of seniority over after-work drinks! Additionally, I quickly learnt that sales people have little time for detail. Where you would perfectly format a report for a senior manager, at times, copy and pasting the raw data was all that was necessary – anything more would be a hindrance. It’s about knowing when less is more.
What skills have you gained through the work placement program?
I have further developed my confidence whilst in a corporate setting and when communicating in person, over email or by telephone. Being an intern in a fast-paced environment you have to be the ‘oil’ and ‘glue’ of the team and ensure information is delivered between stakeholders efficiently and accurately. Consequently, I have become highly organised and proficient with Microsoft Outlook Email and Calendar! I have learnt how to use a number of systems and programs including salesforce.com and inherently about the stages of the sales process. I also received training on advanced excel functions for reporting, which I am looking forward to using in my final year studies!
Everyone is talking about employability skills what do you think is the best way to increase your employability skills during your academic studies?
The first key to boosting employability is to have a strong CV – knowing how to really pull out your strengths and where you have demonstrated these in employment and extra curricular activities. If you’re struggling to refer to examples there is a wealth of clubs and societies you can join at the university to start with. I believe getting exposure to your area of interest is important, during my first year I signed up to the Business Mentoring Scheme and was paired with a mentor at a bank in Canary Wharf. Dressing formally and meeting my mentor at his place of work was a useful insight into the corporate world and gave me a head start on what to expect and deliver.
If you were asked to give one piece of advice to students then what would it be?
Treat your studies like a full time job – so in addition to the 12 hours or so you spend in lectures and seminars, spend at least another 25 hours per week working hard on your assignments. No, you will not take your degree with you to the afterlife, however you will keep it for the rest of your life. It’s only 3 years so you may as well give it all you’ve got!
How do you relax out of school work? What are your interests/leisure activities?
While I have assignments looming I struggle to relax but realise it’s very important to chill! I aim to have at least Saturday or Sunday free to do the things I enjoy such as spending time with my partner and friends, going out to eat, to the cinema or theatre, ice skating or even just hanging out. Out of term time I do my best to take a trip somewhere new and interesting so that I can learn about other cultures, which really underpins the international and cultural aspects of my studies and also helps me put a fresh perspective on life.
What does the future hold? Where do you see yourself in five years time?
In this technological age 5 years is a very long time; jobs and industries are disappearing as new ones emerge! So it would be unrealistic to say I’m going to be a Social Media & Digital Marketing Manager for Apple, for example. I haven’t yet found my ideal career so in the near future I can see myself working hard in different roles that suit my skill set and that I enjoy. Eventually I will find that perfect job, or I may not, I may continue exploring. What ever happens, so long as I continue pursuing growth and happiness, the future looks bright!
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