I think meeting employers at the careers fair was useful in some ways as I applied for a placement with an accounting firm there and got an interview with them. But I would say for me Blackboard was a big help with all the placement vacancies advertised and emailed through on a regular basis.
My placement search was quite long as I applied for numerous placements. My placement secured at Haddow was advertised on the Blackboard undergraduate work placement year link – a great tool used by the Bradford School of Management Careers Services.
During my second year of Uni I was determined to get a placement for the following reasons:
- I wanted to gain industrial experience in accountancy
- I wanted a break from uni with all the one hundred exams
- I wanted to increase my future employability
- I wanted to enhance my skills
I have gone into accountancy working as a finance assistant and finance analyst, some of it is similar to what I have learnt at University and some it has been completely different!
Am I glad I took a year out of University and completed a placement? Yes, I’m really glad I did a placement because of the endless learning, being able to do things out of my comfort zone, and confidence I have gained from doing this. Not to mention finding out shortcuts in Excel from my colleague, being able to complete analysis work more easily which I had done before taking me more time.
So what have I been up to at work? I’ve been on holiday, and the other day I really enjoyed getting involved in a warehouse sale helping to sell clearance stock to customers putting in practise my selling and negotiation skills.
My biggest tip is to get a placement adding to your experience and enhancing your skills. I would also utilise your time whilst out on placement.
Here’s a few snaps of my holiday to India I thought I would share in the past month
Nice scenery
India Gate