University of Exeter Business School...
Transcript of University of Exeter Business School...
Welcome Back!!
Issue 8
Spring 2009
Grass Routes Challenge Champions
3
What’s On this term?
4
Seeing to stand out from the crowd...
5
What did you do last summer?
5
What could YOU do this summer: spotlight on Shell STEP
7
What did you do last year?
8
Rachel Torr’s Office Hours
10
Business School Study Skills
10
Graduate Recruit-ment: Top Tips on Strengthening Your Applications
2
Inside this issue:
University of Exeter Business School
Employability |Newsletter—Spring 2009|
Welcome back and a very happy 2009!
I hope that you all had a very good holiday. The spring 2009 issue of the Uni-
versity of Exeter Business School Employability Newsletter is bursting with useful
and interesting articles – most of which have not been written by me!
If you are wondering how to strengthen your applications to and interviews with
graduate level employers, Dr Dawn Lees, the University of Exeter Employability
Officer provides some ‘top tips’ to help you on page 2. On page 3, Elizabeth
Jones, Associate Teaching Fellow in Economics, reports on the magnificent win
that a team of first year undergraduate students secured at the 2008 Grass
Routes Challenge last November – well done to all who participated!
As you’ll see on page 4, the Business School Employability Spring 2009 Events
programme contains a range of useful skills sessions and employer presenta-
tions. If there isn’t enough in that programme to keep you occupied, don’t for-
get that the University of Exeter Careers & Employment Service offers many
more employability related sessions that you can participate in - information
about how to find out about these particular sessions appears on page 4.
Pages 5 to 9 contain a number of articles that have been written by current stu-
dents in the Business School who have been engaging in activities that have
enhanced their employability. In this issue, Nicholas Robbins (BA Business &
Management), Stephen le Roux (MSc Economics) and Malcolm Farnan (BA Busi-
ness & Management) write about the placements that they completed last sum-
mer. In addition, Dale Potter (BA Business Economics with European Study) and
Alex Mullaly (BA Accounting & Finance with European Study) write about the
year that they spent in Grenoble and Barcelona respectively as part of their de-
gree. Information about how YOU can contribute to this section of future issues
appears on page 5.
Finally, just in case you have forgotten during the holidays, you’ll find a re-
minder of my office hours and where to find electronic Business School Employ-
ability information on page 10 along with details of the Business School Under-
graduate Study Skills Spring programme.
Enjoy!
I would like to say a very BIG ‘thank you’ to all of the students and members of
staff who have written articles for this issue of the newsletter.
I am very keen to hear from anyone who has any ideas for items for future is-
sues or who is willing to write a short article. If you would like to contact me
about contributing ideas and/or a short article please email me:
[email protected] . If I don’t hear from you, you might hear from me, so be
wise and make the first move!!
Dr Rachel Torr School Employability Officer The University of Exeter Business School
Graduate Recruitment:
Top Tips for Strengthening Your Applications
The current down-turn in the economy is likely to have a negative effect on
the graduate recruitment market and students will have to adapt accordingly.
What can you do in order to try to stand out from the crowd?
In order to ‘recession-proof’ yourself, there are a few key things you need to do:
1. You must take an interest in your own career development. If you don’t, who will? Drop in to see Ra-chel Torr, Business School Employability Officer during her office hours for some starting points or make
an appointment to see a Careers Adviser to talk through the possibilities (see page 10 for further details)
2. Think about your personality. It’s the warm, outgoing types that can assert themselves without an-
tagonizing that will have a future in most companies.
3. Be a team player. You don’t have to be anonymous, rather point out what you have achieved and
provide the evidence for it.
4. Skills base. You need the specific skills the company values and also be a ‘flexible generalist’ to pick
up tasks outside your role. What does the company want? Do your research. In a tight job market, em-
ployers can hold out to appoint the perfect fit for the job. If you haven’t got the skills – develop them!
5. It’s all about marketing. By the time you are ready to interview, you should be able to identify and
discuss your skills, give examples of how you have used them and even suggest how you might use them
in the job you are applying for.
6. Think outside the box and consider applying for jobs not on your original preferred list. Increasing the sectors and geographical area you are willing to work in will increase the opportunities available to you.
7. Re-evaluate salary requirements. It’s better to start on a lower salary than anticipated than to have
no job at all.
8. Go to Employer Presentations to get advice from recruiters first hand. What are they really looking
for?
9. Follow up leads. Keep good records. A well written email or polite ‘phone conversation could give you
the foot in the door you need.
10. Don’t submit substandard applications. Writing style, grammar and punctuation are essential ingredi-
ents for success.
Top tips provided by: Dr Dawn Lees,
University of Exeter Employability Officer,
University of Exeter Careers & Employment Service
Issue 8 Page 2
Issue 8
I travelled with a team of 6 first year students from the Business School to compete in the Grass Routes Challenge at The Royal Agricul-tural College in Cirencester. The event was fo-cused on the food industry and many of the other teams had students doing a degree in ag-riculture or another related discipline, but this
did not faze the team from Exeter.
They were given a business scenario that involved producing a mini, fast-growing cucumber, which required an investment of £25 million. They used Xing to develop their strategy and then had a num-ber of meetings with various experts from the food industry where they could ask questions and use the advice given. Throughout the morning, many of the other accompanying academics commented on our team and how well they were doing. When the experts arrived before the scheduled meetings and began an informal walk around, our team were the only students who took the initiative and actually sought out the experts whose advice they needed. This pro-active approach was noted by the experts and academics, and was undoubtedly one of the factors that led to their success.
The teams had several meetings throughout the afternoon with experts involved in different areas of business and this was their opportunity to ask spe-cific questions. They were assessed by the different experts they were meeting with, and this mark counted 50% towards the final outcome. After these meetings, I was able to join the team for half an hour before they had to give a 5 minute presenta-tion to the other teams and the experts, followed by 7 minutes of questioning about their strategy.
Their teamwork was brilliant leading up to the pres-entation and they decided that only two of them would actually make the presentation, but that they would all be involved in answering the questions. This worked very well and they all pulled together to ensure that everyone had an equal opportunity to respond to the questioning, which they all did with confidence and clarity. In the feedback, the experts commented on their confidence and on the detailed information they had gained from their very suc-cessful earlier meetings.
There were a total of 9 teams present and they were split into two groups (Exeter were competing
against 4 other Universities during the presentation part of the competition). Within each group a winner was selected based on the presentations, their re-sponses to the questions and the earlier meetings with the experts. The two winning teams then had to compete against each other for the title.
Before the two winners were announced, a ‘news bulletin’ was announced: Saudi Arabia’s oil supply was significantly smaller than what the world had been led to believe. As a result there were going to be massive limits on electricity and oil supplies for individuals and especially for businesses. Following this announcement, the winning teams were an-nounced: University of Exeter and Reading Univer-sity. These teams then had 15 minutes to prepare a 2 minute statement about how this announcement would affect their business. Both universities would then face the same questions and the experts would vote on which team deserved to win the title of Grass Routes Champions 2008 and the accompany-ing prize money.
Admittedly, panic did set in as the 15 minutes flew by, but the Business School students pulled together and produced a factual statement, which outlined the problems this announcement posed to their business and their solutions. Once again, their excellent team work was evident and they were all confident when answering the questions, making sure that everyone had an opportunity to reply. Following the announce-ment of Exeter as the winners, they were awarded the trophy and received a cheque for £600.
The organisers, experts and the other universities continued to comment on how well the students from Exeter did and that the right team won. The Busi-ness School is extremely proud of the effort and commitment these students showed throughout the whole day and would like to offer them our congratu-lations once more.
Team members: Thomas Coyte: BA Economics Rachel Trusler: BA Management with Leadership Steph Ley: BA Management with Leadership William Merton-Jones: BA Economics and Politics Daniel Borchert: BA Management with Leadership Ben Marchant: BA Management with Leadership. Report by: Elizabeth Jones, Associate Teaching Fellow in Economics
Page 3
University of Exeter Business School Students
Win the Grass Routes Challenge 2008
More Congratulations...
IBM Universities Business Challenge—This year’s IBM UBC is well under way and this year SIX of the sixteen Uni-
versity of Exeter Business School teams will be competing in semi finals in Portsmouth and London during February
2009. Well done to everyone who has participated this year, and congratulations and good luck to the six teams in the
semis—a full report on the University of Exeter’s performance in this year’s IBM UBC will appear in the next issue.
CV Prize Draw—University of Exeter Business School students won 4 of the 7 prizes in the University of Exeter Ca-
reers & Employment Service’s CV Prize draw—well done to: Mellissa Cooper – 8GB iPod-Touch, Emily Johnston –
8GB iPod-Touch, Qian Ji - £25 Apple voucher, Alexander Hughes - £25 Apple voucher.
Issue 8
Business School Employability
EVENTS:
Tuesday 20th January
School Careers Clinic
1000-1200, Streatham Court
Room 2
Thursday 22nd January
Communicating with the re-
cruiter: CV design and covering
letters
1200-1300, Newman D
Monday 2nd February
‘Getting In & Getting On’:
Insights into Banking & Tax
Advising
1800-1900, Xfi 2
Tuesday 3rd February
I don’t know what to do and I
don’t know where to find it
1200-1300 Harrison 209
Thursday 5th February
PwC: Developing Commercial
Awareness
1830-2030, Xfi 1&2
Monday 9th February
Securing a Career in Banking &
Finance during a Financial Crisis
– Simon Dixon of Benedix
(organized by the Business
School but open to all students)
1830-1930, venue: TBC
Wednesday 11th February
Capgemini Management Consul-
tancy Presentation
1800-2000 Xfi 1
Thursday 12th February
School Careers Clinic
1330-1630, Streatham Court
Room 2
Wednesday 18th February
‘The Backstage Event’ - Events
& Media Industry Day
(organized by the Business
School but open to all students)
1800-2030, Xfi Atrium
Thursday 19th February
Interview Skills
1200-1300 Newman B
Tuesday 24th February
Mock Interviews with
Accenture
1200-1700, Xfi Boardroom
Tuesday 24th February
Accenture: What do Recruiters
Look For?
1800-1930, Xfi 1
Wednesday 25th February
Deloitte: Presentation Skills
1200-1300, Amory 128
Thursday 26th February
School Careers Clinic
1000-1200, Streatham Court
Room 2
Thursday 26th February
PwC: Risk Assurance Challenge
(Business Game)
1830-2030, Xfi 1&2
Monday 2nd March
Procter & Gamble: TBC
1800-1900, Xfi 1
Tuesday 3rd March
Mock Interviews with Procter &
Gamble
Time TBC, Xfi A
Wednesday 4th March
The Interview Experience
1300-1600, Newman D
Friday 6th March
International Students—
Careers & Employability: Op-
tions & Support
1200-1400, Xfi Lecture Theatre
Thursday 12th February
School Careers Clinic
1330-1630, Streatham Court
Room 2
For more information about any
of the Business School Employ-
ability events, including how to
register for them, please look
at the Business School Employ-
ability site on web-ct and look
out for the weekly Business
School Employability ‘What’s
On’ reminder emails. If you
have any queries please email
University of Exeter Careers &
Employment Service EVENTS:
Here are just a taster of the sessions
and events available on campus this
term.
For more information about any of
these events, and details on how to
register please go to:
www.exeter.ac.uk/employability
Accenture: Corporate Social Respon-
sibility
Monday 9th February
What does consulting actually in-
volve and how important is it to be
socially responsible in the corporate
world? Come along to this workshop
and find out more.
Widen Your Options Career Fair
Wednesday February 18th
The Widen Your Options Careers
Fair will showcase a variety of career
and volunteering opportunities, pro-
viding you with the chance to gain
access to information on a wider
range of career opportunities – not
just those traditional pathways.
Mock Interviews
Monday 23rd February—Friday 6th
March
The opportunity to participate in a
mock interview with an employer is
a valuable experience, providing the
chance to improve your interview
skills and help you prepare for the
“real thing”. The University of Exe-
ter Careers & Employment Service
has run these sessions for many
years and they have proved to be an
enjoyable and useful experience for
both students and employers.
Business School Employability —What’s on this term?
Page 4
Issue 8
The next few pages of the newsletter contain student written articles that highlight how cur-rent students in the University of Exeter Business School are striving to make sure that they
stand out from the crowd when it comes to securing a graduate level job by engaging in activities that will en-
hance their employability...so read on folks and be inspired…!
Please note: I am very keen to hear from anyone who would like to contribute an article for this section of future issues of the newsletter. If you would like to share any of your employability-enhancing experiences with others please email me: [email protected]. Articles can be on any topic that relates to something that you
have done that has enhanced your employability, for example, volunteering, participating in student team chal-
lenges/business games, student societies, part-time work, a placement scheme or a company insight day/week/academy...the list is endless…!
Seeking To Stand Out From The Crowd...
Page 5
What did you do last summer…? Nicholas Robbins and the Nestlé Sales Internship Scheme
My desire to ensure that I equip myself with the type of skills and experience that will give me the best chance of securing a good job when I graduate, gave me the incentive to get ahead of the game and look for an internship at the end of my second year. I knew that at least it would make my CV stand out from others and there was the possibility of obtain-ing a place on a graduate scheme with most companies if I im-pressed. I carefully selected which companies I applied for and after a couple of interviews and an as-sessment day at Nestlé I was of-fered a 10 week sales internship.
Of course I was extremely appre-hensive before starting my role, I did not want to be making cups of coffee for the whole summer, however as I made my way to the head office I just kept in mind that I’m making good money and it’s only 10 weeks. After just a few days of inductions I was thrown straight in at the deep end. My task for the 10 weeks was to take ownership of a project that in-volved Nestlé’s biggest brand and most important retail account. This was incredibly daunting at first, however it was invaluable in providing me with key business skills and experiences. The pro-ject was of real importance to the business, aspects of it were im-plemented while I was there and investment has been made to build on the work I conducted. Throughout the internship I got the opportunity to attend various skills workshops and at the end of
the 10 weeks I had to present my project to members of the senior management team, which was fantastic exposure for me and a real opportunity to make a lasting impression on the right people.
After working in the business envi-ronment you suddenly realise how much you still have to learn and the Business Project module in my final year has allowed me to relate my academic studies to real business situations. When I left my role this summer I felt as if I had so much more to do and with this module I have the opportunity to not only take this further but take the project in my own direc-tion.
Fortunately at the end of my in-ternship I was offered a place on the Nestlé Graduate Scheme, so I went into my final year knowing I already have a job. I would en-courage anyone to apply for an internship, especially at Nestlé. With the economic climate the way it is and the increasing com-petition from other graduates, it is essential to get in early and stand out to potential employers.
Nicholas Robbins, Final Year BA Business & Man-agement Student
What is the
Business Project Module?
This is a level three Manage-
ment module (BEM3005) that is
based on a placement of four
weeks minimum with a company,
to help develop its organisation,
its management or its opera-
tions, or to specifically solve a
problem by means of writing a
business project report with
suitable recommendations. Ide-
ally this “Recommendations Re-
port” should be presented to
the employer (Guideline 2000
words + Appendices), this is
then to be included with an ex-
tended, analytical “Business
Project Report” for university
degree purposes. The latter to
be academically of dissertation
standard and must be com-
pleted by the following Easter
(Guideline 7500 -10000 words +
Appendices). The placement
must take place in the summer
vacation between the second
and final year. Longer and pre-
vious employment can also be
used as a basis. This module can
be taken in conjunction with a
Shell STEP programme, but not
if Independent Work Experi-
ence module is taken.
What did you do last summer…? Malcolm Farnan and the PricewaterhouseCoopers Summer Internship Scheme
I completed
an 8 week
internship
with
Pricewater-
houseCoopers
(PwC) in the
assurance
sector of
their Cambridge office dur-
ing summer 2008.
I wanted to make the most
of the summer between my
penultimate and final years
and the internship fitted
perfectly, leaving more
than enough time to still
enjoy the summer. It’s a
great way to get a job se-
cured early; I was one of
over 90% of PwC interns who
had a graduate job secured
before the start of their
final year. Even if I did-
n’t get the job offer it
would’ve made applying for
a post in my final year far
less daunting and given me
another thing to talk about
in my interviews.
It was a challenging ex-
perience; I got treated as
one of their graduates and
I was paid accordingly. For
the first week they sent
all interns to a really
good hotel and we got well
looked after. In return,
we had to put in 9-5 days
of class work which was to
prepare every intern for
what to expect and to bring
students from all disci-
plines to the same stan-
dard.
The other 7 weeks consisted
of travelling to large and
small clients all around
the south east as well as
spending time in the of-
fice. I worked in big and
small audit teams and by
the end of the 7 weeks I
was walking around the of-
fice feeling comfortable in
my own job, knew everyone’s
names and most importantly
was enjoying the work I was
doing.
The most pleasing part of
the internship was seeing
how all the work I’d done
at university was actually
helping me progress in a
career, for example, by at-
taining exemptions from
professional qualifications
and it started to put all
the hard work at Exeter
into context. If you want
to know what an audit is,
how it happens and whether
it’s what you want to do
when you leave university
the best way of finding out
is to go and try it. I
found that the employees
were intelligent and confi-
dent, which created a great
environment to work in.
The main challenges I faced
were punctuality and a
steep learning curve. Being
on time took a lot of ef-
fort, for example, when I
had to be at a client in
central London for nine in
the morning, I’d have to
book a taxi then book a
train and tube ticket then
on the day make it to each
of the three on time which
at rush hour wasn’t easy
especially when I wasn’t
familiar with the area. The
learning curve is something
you just get use to, the
company pushes everyone and
you end up enjoying facing
new challenges on a daily
basis.
The biggest surprise was
realising just how many
different ways I benefited
from the whole experience:
the relevant work experi-
ence, the job offer, the
enthusiasm I gained to-
wards related work, the
networking I achieved, the
confidence it gave me, the
assurance I got from know-
ing I was going to enjoy my
graduate job, the drive it
gave me to work even harder
towards the future job – in
short, the whole experience
was invaluable.
My advice is don’t miss out
on an opportunity to par-
ticipate in a summer place-
ment or internship scheme;
apply early, set aside time
to do a strong application
form. Go to the interviews
knowing why you want to
work for ‘that’ sector, in
‘that’ office, in ‘that’
firm and show enthusiasm
towards relevant stories in
the latest news and you
can’t go far wrong.
Malcolm Farnan,
Final Year BA Business &
Management Student
Issue 8 Page 6
Issue 8
I applied to the Government Eco-
nomic Service (GES) for a sum-
mer student placement using the
application provided on the GES
website (www.ges.gov.uk). The
application asks not only for your
academic qualifications and your
choice of department but also
gives you the opportunity to ex-
press your non-academic
strengths (e.g. work experience,
building productive relationships
and why you are considering a
career in the GES). Your aca-
demic qualifications should clearly
demonstrate your ability to attain
a 2:1 degree with at least 50%
economic modules. This will get
you in the door. Your non-
academic strengths will then get
you the interview.
I was informed at the start of
March that I was successful and
that my interview would be the
following week for a position at
the Department for Work and
Pensions (DWP). My preparation
included revising my first year
Principles of Economics course
and the first semester 2nd year
macro and micro. I also read ex-
tensively the Economist and daily
newspapers to ensure that I was
fully aware of current affairs, and
researched the DWP and current
issues affecting the department.
I believe that my preparation
along with my enthusiasm for eco-
nomics, the ability to apply eco-
nomics to real world problems and
demonstrate my non-academic
strengths allowed me to make a
good impression on my interview-
ers leading to a job offer.
In June I started as an Economic
Analyst in the Forecasting Divi-
sion of the DWP in the Pension
Credit and Pensions Service
Forecasting Team. My main task
over the summer was the revision
of the Pension Credit backdating
forecast model which forms part
of the overall model used to fore-
cast expenditure on Pension
Credit. This seemed like a very
daunting task at first but I soon
realized that I wasn’t expected to
master such a complex model
within a few days. First I had to do
a lot of background reading to un-
derstand how the benefit structure
worked, before starting to look at
the model section by section. By
the end of my placement I had
completed a comprehensive revi-
sion of the model, participated in
policy costing negotiations, as well
as producing a forecast that was
included in the Chancellor’s Pre-
Budget report.
I enjoyed the fact that I was given
real responsibility from very early
in my placement and it gave me
the opportunity to decide that I
wanted a career as a government
economist and to be successfully
interviewed for a post as an Assis-
tant Economist.
My tip to prospective government
economists would be that you
should be able to apply your eco-
nomic knowledge and skills to real
world problems as well as being
able to demonstrate your non-
academic skills. I used my leader-
ship of a team that took part in the
IBM challenge to great effect.
Stephen le Roux
MSc Economics Student
£200 a week - free of tax and NI last
summer) in a field of your choice
and an opportunity to deliver a
genuine project in a real working
environment.
Each year the programme places
ambitious second and penultimate
year undergraduates with organisa-
tions to undertake projects that re-
quire your skills. The confidence
and experience acquired during a
placement will make you more em-
ployable and put you ahead of the
competition on graduation.
The University of Exeter manages
the Shell Step agency across Devon,
Cornwall, Dorset and Somerset and
were awarded the 2008 Shell Step
Agency of the Year recently. Other
agencies manage areas throughout
the UK but you are not able to regis-
ter with two agencies but can ask for
your application to be moved at any time
should you wish. Placements are com-
petitive and as your application will be
seen by potential host organisations,
care must be taken on completion of the
form.
For more information and to register
your interest, go to
www.shellstep.org.uk or contact:
Careers & Employment Service
University of Exeter
AND THERE’S MORE…. Check out the placements and in-ternships area of the Business School Employability site on web-ct for links to relevant placement and internship websites...
Are you looking for a
paid, challenging
summer work place-
ment that could make a real differ-
ence to your career prospects?
Would you like a taste of the real
world before you graduate?
Imagine how you would benefit from
an opportunity to experience a real
working environment and adapt your
academic knowledge to a practical
project.
Shell Step can provide this, a chance
to undertake a meaningful work
placement, acquire numerous indus-
try and business skills, boost your
confidence and earn some cash – all
in just 8 – 13 weeks over the summer.
Shell Step gives you a chance to se-
cure paid work (students were paid
Page 7
What did you do last summer…? Stephen le Roux and the Government Economic Service Summer Placement Scheme
What could YOU do this summer…?
What did you do last year…? Dale Potter’s experiences of European study in
The
ERASMUS
pro-
gramme
first
entered
my con-
sciousness thanks to the
film ‘L’auberge Espag-
nole’ which I remember
watching even before com-
ing to university. This
enjoyable film follows
the experiences of a
French ERASMUS student,
Xavier, who spends time
studying in Barcelona
and, although I was un-
aware at the time, is a
pretty accurate summary
of all that occurs abroad
for most students. How-
ever, it was in my first
year at the University of
Exeter that I took the
plunge, and it’s fair to
say I have hardly looked
back since! My primary
motivation was to improve
my linguistic skills, al-
though after meeting ex-
change students already
in Exeter and reviewing
my new favourite film, I
was already aware that
studying abroad would
yield much more than just
a good level of French:
it was the chance to
really experience another
culture; to travel to
places I had only previ-
ously seen on maps; to
meet people I would never
have met otherwise; as
well as to gain all the
stuff that employers love
such as being able to
adapt, cultural awareness
and international experi-
ence.
I chose to go to Greno-
ble, a medium sized city
in South-Eastern France,
near Lyon on the western
extremity of the Alps.
The city contained three
universities totalling
over 50,000 students and
really quite different to
Exeter. In the town there
were impressive mountains
all around, typical French
architecture all around,
cool trams and a scent of
gorgeous cheese and wine in
every piazza. At the uni-
versity campus, things
seemed somewhat less glam-
orous at times. Wooden
benches replaced comfy
seats and there were few
lectures with powerpoint
presentations, which was
quite a shock! However,
once the first few weeks
had passed and you settle
into lectures, all this
seems irrelevant and the
real ERASMUS experiences
begin: you start travel-
ling; go hiking in the snow
covered mountains; and
there are lots of interna-
tionally flavoured parties.
In fact, the paradox of
most ERASMUS experiences is
that meeting natives of the
country in which you now
live can be difficult, at
first in any case. With
new places, come new ideas
too: in November the whole
of the university was
blockaded for four weeks by
irate French students un-
happy with proposed reforms
to higher education.
By Christmas, it became
clear that that my level of
French was really improving
fast – by this time, you
can understand almost eve-
rything and begin being
able to speak with reason-
able fluency too. The
rest of my time in France
seems to have passed at
lightning speed. In the
spring, I travelled to six
countries in a month, went
hiking regularly and vis-
ited friends across Europe
- the majority of which on
the grant from the EU and
the increased student loan.
By the time the year is
over, comes not wanting to
leave after having gener-
ally had the year of your
life. Back in Exeter and
with an uncompromising
forth-year workload, ERAS-
MUS seems like a world
away. I look at the incom-
ing exchange students with
envy. And I’m jealous of
the first and second year
students too! You have what
is a very unique opportu-
nity in life: to plant
yourself in a foreign coun-
try with decent financial
support, to meet the most
amazing people, to travel
and gain so many new ex-
periences. Even language
skills are not obligatory:
most leave Exeter after an
intermediate or advanced
level foreign language
course - some even go, and
succeed, after just a be-
ginners course; and even no
language skills can take
you to Scandinavia and
other universities in
Europe where courses are
taught in English. There’s
no real reason not to do
ERASMUS and every reason to
embark on what will be the
experience of a lifetime!
Go for it!
Dale Potter
Final Year BA Business
Economics with European
Study
University of Exeter
Business School Students
in Grenoble 2007-2008
Issue 8 Page 8
Issue 8
Having been brought up in Paris, speaking French and English, it was an obvious choice for me to choose Spain as the location for my ERASMUS Year. To add a third language on top of a de-gree in Accounting & Finance from the University of Exeter would put extra weight on my C.V. when facing the job market. The choice between Barcelona and Valencia was not easy, but the reputation of Barcelona won out!
In order to get the best out of the year, I knew that it was im-portant to have a reasonable level of Spanish. I had studied Spanish for my bacalaureat in Paris, but the language lessons run by Exeter in years 1 & 2 were a necessary help. As a re-sult, I was reasonably fluent in the language before leaving for Barcelona.
Concerning other preparatory work before leaving, the check-list provided by the ERASMUS Department at Exeter was use-ful. I still made the mistake of not organising my accommoda-tion until I got to Barcelona to start my course. A trip in ad-vance to fix up accommodation would have avoided a great deal of stress on arrival!
My initial intention was to spend the full year at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra. I did spend the first three months there; the courses were interesting and the social life excellent! How-ever, I felt that perhaps I could get more out my ERASMUS year if I could obtain a full-time internship in an accounting firm as not only would this fine-tune
my business Spanish, but it would also provide a long (six months) internship in the work-ing environment of an accounting firm.
I discussed the idea with Mrs Anne Mayes, my ERASMUS co-ordinator back in Exeter. She approved the concept on the condition that the internship must be fully relevant to my uni-versity degree. It was my re-sponsibility to find an internship and I managed to secure an in-terview with Grant Thornton, one of the top international ac-counting firms in the world. I knew that a six-month intern-ship in their Barcelona office would be ideal.
If you are thinking about looking for a similar internship during your ERASMUS year abroad, a couple of points that are worth highlighting from my interview experience are:
- My interview was held in Span-ish, although the partner spoke fluent English. This was logical; I would not have been able to perform in the role if I could not communicate well.
- Research the firm before the interview and be ready to dis-cuss what you can “bring to the party” if you are offered a place.
Following the interview, I was
offered a six month internship.
Dressed in suit and tie, the “new boy” checked in for work on 10th January 2008. I was immediately incorporated into the audit de-partment and throughout my time there I was treated as any other junior beginning his/her career in an accounting firm. Most of my time was spent out of the office at clients’ offices where I was taught basic auditing procedures by the other members of my team. In total, I audited eleven different companies ranging from a pharmaceutical company to a publishing house.
The work was extremely interest-ing and informative and was a mar-vellous introduction to life in an accounting firm. I cannot thank the partners and staff of Grant Thornton, Barcelona, enough for having given me this first taste of professional life and the friendly way in which they looked after me.
I would encourage any other ERASMUS student to spend part of his/her year abroad on a work placement or an internship. How-ever, s/he must be prepared for hard work and be open-minded. An internship is a two-way agreement the intern must perform and, as I said above, “bring something to the party”. I understood this and, as a result, I came away with flu-ent business Spanish and some excellent professional experience, which I gained in one of the most exciting cities in the world!
Alex Mullaly Final Year BA Accounting & Finance Student
Page 9
What did you do last year…? Alex Mullaly combines university and an internship with Grant Thornton in Barcelona
What could YOU do in your third year…? Calling all FIRST YEAR students...
It’s never too early to start thinking ahead. If you are a first year undergraduate student and would like to explore the idea
of studying or working abroad for year during your degree contact Mike Robertson, in the Business School Student Ser-
vices Team, via [email protected] or call in to the Business School Undergraduate Student Services Centre to
speak to him in person...NOW!!
A Reminder of Business School Employability
Office Hours and Electronic Information
If you have any careers and em-
ployment queries or you are just
starting to think about applying for
work experience, internships or
graduate jobs and want some
support then please come and
see me, Rachel Torr, during my
office hours for some initial point-
ers to get you started. Generally
these will be:
Monday 1200-1300
Tuesday 1100-1200
Wednesday 1300-1400
Thursday 1200-1300
My office is Room 2, Streatham
Court
However, please check my door
as the hours may change occa-
sionally when I have other com-
mitments.
If you are unable to make my
office hours you can email me
for an appointment at a time that
is more convenient for you.
Don’t forget— you can find em-
ployability related information
and links to useful websites on
the Business School Employabil-
ity site on web-ct:
http://exeter.blackboard.com
In addition, you should familiar-
ise yourself with the University of
Exeter central Careers & Em-
ployment Service’s website:
www.exeter.ac.uk/employability
Also, please make use
of the Business School Careers Clin-
ics which are held fortnightly in
Streatham Court by Mary McCarthy.
Details of these are available on
page 4 of this newsletter and on the
full Business School Employability
Spring Events Programme on the
Business School Employability site
on web-ct. If you want a 20 minute
1-2-1 appointment with Mary during
one of the clinics you must sign up in
advance at the Undergraduate Stu-
dent Services Reception in Streat-
ham Court.
Alternatively, you can book an ap-
pointment to see a Careers Advisor
in Reed Mews at any time by calling:
01392 264420.
Business School Undergraduate Study Skills:
Repeat Sessions ‘skills for learning are also skills for earning’
If you missed the Business
School undergraduate study
skills sessions that took place in
autumn 2008 there’s no need to
panic as they will be repeated in
February and March 2009.
These sessions will not only help
you to improve skills that you
need to be successful in your
degree programme but will also
cover skills that are vital in em-
ployment. They are open to all
undergraduate students in the
Business School but are aimed
specifically at first year stu-
dents. The sessions focus on:
Essay Writing Skills (coursework essays) Monday 9th February 1000-1130 Repeated at 1400-1530 Essay Writing Skills (exam essays) Monday 16th February 1000-1130 Repeated at 1400-1530 Presentation Skills Monday 23rd February 1000-1130 Repeated at 1400-1530 IT Skills: Using Excel Monday 2nd March 1000-1200 Repeated at 1400-1600
Full details, including
information about how to sign
up, can be found in the study
skills area of the Business
School Undergraduate News and
Information site on web-ct: http://exeter.blackboard.com
Information about the services
that are provided for all stu-
dents in the University by the
central study skills team can be
found on the University of Exe-
ter Education Enhancement Unit
website:
http://as.exeter.ac.uk/eeu/stud
entskills/
Issue 8 Page 10
Backstage ‘09
If Events Management interests you this is a must!
Ever wondered what it is like:
• to be one of the “Crew” of a major event
• to organise a 100,000 person event
• to build massive temporary structures
• to design the marketing for nightclubs and dance music events
• to be responsible for sound for a complete world tour
• to be the person who lights the stages at major festivals
• to be a local promoter producing events every month
• to be an Events Project Manager who needs to control all of the above
• to control an entire VIP Village at world class sporting events
For One Night Only on February 18th in the Xfi Atrium at 18:00 you have the opportunity to meet, talk, and net-work with the people behind the scenes of some of Europe’s most renowned events. Backstage ‘09 will include, interactive projections, lighting, music and refreshments.
To reserve a place you must register in advance on the University of Exeter Careers & Employment Service Website:
www.exeter.ac.uk/employability (click on ‘forthcoming careers events’ on the right hand side of the webpage)
NB: This event has been organised by the Business School but is being advertised and is open to all Univer-
sity of Exeter students—spaces are limited so remember to sign up quickly to avoid disappointment
The Guests
1. Ralf Bergmann (MD TOC Madrid and ex world tour laser show designers / technicians– one of Europe’s most renowned lighting, laser, interactive environment and water screen designers, including Expo 2008 Zaragoza)
2. Paul Clayden (Freelance Professional Event Photographer, ex-project manager for MotivAction)
3. Jon Curtis (Technical Manager Phoenix Arts and Media Centre, Freelance Lighting technician for major UK Festivals including Big Chill, Sunrise)
4. Paul Giblin (Exeter Respect Summer Festival and Phonic FM Committee Member as well as being one of Exe-ter’s most active independent promoter working under the name of FSOE)
5. Chris Hall (Marketing and Sponsorship Specialist for Dance Music Events and Nightclubs including Gods Kitchen, Gatecrasher, Manumission, Kiss FM, No1 Leicester Square)
6. William Aldiss (M.D. of Clubshots and Lab247 which specialising in printing, media, pr for events and night-clubs across Europe)
7. John Hiley-Payne (Diverse Project Financial Acquirer, including Unite the student accommodation company)
8. Chris Iddon (Temporary Structure Project Manager Specialist working with companies including De Boer Inter-national and GL Events executing events including: ICC World Cup, Chelsea Flower Show, QE2 Terminal Dubai, Equestrian Olympics 08)
9. Peter Miles (CEO Sub.tv the exclusive UK University Media Network , ex World Tour Crew including Tina Turner, Supertramp, Pink Floyd and ex MD of The Spot Company Britain’s foremost moving head/mirror lighting company)
10. Jenny Shepherd (Project Manager MotivAction, clients include Barclays, Audi, KPMG, Apple, Del Monte, Unilever, JCB)
11. Rick Wolkers (Freelance Sound & Recording Engineer, clients include: Muse, Annie Lennox, Levellers, Twang, G-Cap Media)
Issue 8 Page 11