Applying for a placement opportunity
EEE in the real world 13 December 2017
After numerous applications, heated interviews and frequent visits to the university careers department, I have finally started my industrial placement year. I am one month into working at Arup, an engineering consulting company, and I am loving it just as much as being at university.
Why, you might ask? The freedom. It may sound weird that working allows you as much freedom as being a student, but it’s true. When you are working, you don’t take coursework home with you or spend your weekend in the library. You can work strictly 9:00am to 5:30pm.
n any case, a placement year is a great way to explore the subject you are studying in more depth as you begin to consider what to do after graduation. So here are some of what I believe are top tips for securing an industrial placement:
Start yesterday
You are probably going to hear this piece of advice from anyone you talk to about applying for an industrial placement but it can make the difference between securing your dream role and settling for a less favourable position. Many top engineering companies fill their opportunities on a rolling basis. This means they review the applications as they receive them, so you should apply as early as possible to avoid disappointment.
You don’t want to miss out on any great opportunities, so start looking at applications as soon as the year begins. Applying early also gives you more time to concoct the perfect formulae for an award-winning cover letter and CV.
I was at almost every workshop and careers fair trying to accumulate as many tricks and tips to perfect my CV as possible, so don’t be shy and start attending all those fairs you see advertised. Which leads me to the next tip:
Become acquainted with the careers department
The whole careers department knew me by name by the end of my application process. It was like I was a celebrity, with all the careers advisors wanting to play their part in helping me draft this so-called award-winning CV.
Okay I’m exaggerating, but I’d like to believe I wasn’t far off. The university has an award-winning careers service so it would be absurd not to take full advantage of it. Not only can they help check your CV and cover letter, but you can also arrange to have a mock interview session to help calm those pre-interview nerves. And I mustn’t leave out the mock assessment centres that the department runs to help you prepare for any assessments you may need to attend.
Research until you know the CEO’s favourite meal
Researching the company you are potentially or already applying to is vital, and although it may sound ludicrous to do enough research to uncover the CEO’s favourite meal, it is comparable to how much research you should do.
Researching a company is mutually beneficial for you and the company. For you, it could help you decide if the values and culture of the company align with the type of environment you would like to work in. For the company, meanwhile, it is a good indication of your genuine interest in what the company does.
I remember at my first placement interview I was asked what work the company had done to make me want to apply. My first instinct was to panic and make something up, but lucky for me I had spent the train ride to the interview reading different articles about the company’s work, so I had plenty to talk about.
My application process wasn’t as easy to ‘conquer’ as I had imagined, but with hard work and support from the careers department, I was able to secure a placement that suited my career path.
I hope these tips are useful when you are applying for internships or placements and when you are writing your own award-winning CV. If your CV does win any awards, don’t forget to give me some credit for steering you in the right direction.
Roberta
Image – Caleb Roenigk
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