Top 10 Tips to Securing That Placement

securing that placement

University life is busy but setting time aside to secure placements is not only essential for some courses but for many students, it forms an important building block and steps toward that first job.

A full year or summer placement with a well-known company at the very least will provide invaluable work experience and looks good on the CV. It also provides an income and can lead to the offer of a permanent job after university. Setting aside time to focus on this task is critical and approaching the challenge in the right way will make all the difference.

10 Important Steps and Tips to Securing your Placement

Here are 10 important steps and tips to securing your placement early so that you can make the most of your year ahead at university without the continual worry:

  1. Get your CV in shape before the university year commences. Think about the typical skills an employer will be looking for: Good communicator, team worker, organized, etc. and be sure to set out when and where you have gained this experience.
  2. Start applying/ looking for placements in September. Several placement deadlines are before Christmas, with only a few in January. Don’t let it drift or you will miss the boat as well as a chance to gain practice making applications and hopefully securing telephone and video interviews.
  3. Apply to several organizations taking your time with each application. Set aside 3-4 hours at least.
  4. Top placement sites are Ratemyplacement.com, targetjobs.co.uk, and prospects.ac.uk. Sign up immediately.
  5. Make a spreadsheet of all the placements you want to apply for/have and their current status and deadlines so that you can keep track of what’s happening.
  6. Create files of each job you have applied to so you can look back at what your application looked like. E.g. CV, cover letter, any interview questions they asked so that when you get to interview you have all of the relevant information available.
  7. Remember, changes need to be made to your CV for every application, it must be tailored to the role/company.
  8. Make sure you have an active LinkedIn profile so you can interact with the companies during the application process.
  9. Respond to any emails regarding your application as soon as possible. Communication is key.
  10. Finally, stay positive and hopeful as it can be a long process, and rejections are inevitable.

And when you are invited to the assessment centre / interviews:

  1. Research the company in-depth. Knowledge and enthusiasm about the company you are applying to is the key.
  2. Practice, practice, practice interview-style questions, including situational, strength-based, and competency-based. Businesses will tend to ask generic questions. Come up with a couple of examples that show the specific skills that are in the job description.
  3. Interaction/communication with anyone you come across on the day or via email is important. They might well be assessing you so make sure you set a good first impression.
  4. Prepare questions to ask at the interview, as this really shows your interest in the business.
  5. Dress according to their dress code.

Student job placements are an important part of a university experience. Preparing a high- quality CV, getting started early, and doing your research will go a long way to getting you that dream placement. Good luck!