Welcome to growing. Feel free to scroll through the page as you would normally, or use the table of contents below to jump straight to what you want to know.
Getting work experience.
Work experience is one of the most important things that employers look for in potential employees (even if it’s not directly related to the job). It not only shows them that you have the skills that they’re looking for, but it can also help you decide whether it’s the right job for you.
There are lots of different opportunities to develop work experience during your time at university. The important thing to remember is employers are interested in the quality of experience rather than the quantity – in many cases a part-time job or short internship provide as many examples to use in applications and interviews as a full placement year.
In this section, we give an overview of everything we think you'll find useful to acheive your employability goals.
The Employability Opportunities Fund.
All undergraduate bursary holders can apply for up to £300 towards employability opportunities like interviews, work shadowing, training courses and assessment centres. We can reimburse expenses such as travel costs, professional clothing or technical equipment.
Further information about eligibility and how to apply is on the Discover Your Future webpage. If you’ve got any questions, please contact dyf@sheffield.ac.uk.
How do I find opportunities?
If you want to do an internship, placement year or a graduate scheme, you'll have to find opportunities to apply for. Luckily, there are several things you can do:
Career Connect – the University's vacancy website available via your MUSE account (particularly good for smaller and/or local organisations).
Ratemyplacement and TargetJobs – used by most of the well-known employers.
LinkedIn – more and more employers are using this platform to advertise opportunities.
Bright Network – collects vacancies for internships, placements and graduate schemes alongside providing useful resources to help with securing offers. They also have run employability events in the past, so make sure you keep checking their website.
Use your contacts – More and more graduates are finding jobs through speaking to their contacts. This could be friends, family, their friends and family… as well as other Sheffield graduates and people at a careers event or talk. They may be aware of opportunities within their organisation that are looking for new employees.
Set up your preferences to get alerts for placements in particular industries or locations. Also look out for the SEED newsletter in your email inbox that will contain vacancies that might be of particular interest to Economics students. You can find past editions in the SEED newsletter archives. Once you've found a placement you'd like to apply for, check out the "achieve your goals" section for advice on how to write good applications and prepare for interviews.
Tell me more about LinkedIn.
Sure. LinkedIn is one of the best platforms for building and expanding your network is LinkedIn. We recommend that students create a profile and start to connect with each other, as well as with staff in the department. You can then use your profile to connect with people working in areas that are of interest to you – this is what is different about LinkedIn to other social media platforms, it’s not usual to ask someone to connect with you if you haven’t met them before. You can also view their profile without being connected.
Some employers also now advertise jobs on LinkedIn, so even if you don’t want to ask people about potential vacancies, you can use your profile to find them.
Check out this website for tips on how to set up (or update) your LinkedIn profile.
You can be sure at some stage the recruitment team will be checking out your LinkedIn profile. Here are some of the key reasons why you should be creating and updating your LinkedIn profile:
• Build professional relationships/networks
• Showcase your skills, work experience and achievements
• Find jobs and internships
• Share career knowledge and experience
• To showcase all your certificates and achievements
Throughout your time at The University of Sheffield, you will be allowed to get involved with extracurricular activities such as networking events, talks and trips to some of the country’s top employers. LinkedIn serves not only as a great research platform but also as a great way to follow up conversations with professionals you meet along the way. How your profile is set up is important.
Once you have set up your profile, why not try searching for people who are associated with The University of Sheffield. You might be surprised as to who you find. You can use the search bar at the top left of the screen to search for people, companies, jobs/internships/placements, groups, schools (including Universities), events, courses, and services. LinkedIn is undoubtedly an extremely valuable tool for networking. It is common to reach out to people from a company you want to apply to ask for relevant insights that can be useful to your application. What opportunities might your networking lead to?
The Careers Service regularly puts on events covering topics such as How to Use LinkedIn Effectively - browse through the events and recorded content to find out more.
When's the best time to start looking for placements?
Employers usually start advertising placement opportunities in October/November for the following year - some may do this slightly earlier or much later (particularly if they are a small business). Advice from previous placement year students is to spend the summer thinking about what type of placement you'd like to do and set up your email alerts, so that you're ready to start applying in the autumn.
Many students are surprised to find out that applications to some of the bigger, well-known employers close by Christmas. This doesn't mean that if you haven't decided by then you won't find one, but if you have your heart set on working for a Top 100 company then you need to be prepared to apply within the first few months of your second year.
What you need to know about applications & CVs.
Every organisation will have a slightly different recruitment process, so it’s important to check this information before you start applying. Usually, the first stage will be an application form or CV and cover letter. There are no absolute “right” or “wrong” ways to approach these, but there are definitely a few things that you should always consider:
Make sure what you write is relevant to the job description (which is usually included in the advert – it may also be referred to as a person specification). Employers will often receive a large number of applications and they will want to see how you meet their criteria.
Give examples to demonstrate your knowledge, skills and experience – don’t presume it is explicit from the job/degree title. It's also not enough to say you are good at something, you need to be able to back this up with evidence (as you would an academic piece of writing).
Avoid generic statements – everyone says they want to work for a world-leading organisation! Try to find something that makes your application stand out.
Motivation is key – why do you want to work for them, and how does this make you stand out from other candidates? Again, avoid generic statements and do some research to find out something interesting about them that appeals to you.
Finance CV guides
Students that are interested in a career in finance should explore the below CV templates.
Investment Banking Resume Template - Proven Formula | Mergers and Inquisitions
Resumes & Cover Letters - Templates, Guides, & Best Practices | Corporate Finance Institute
The Use of Keywords in Applications and Statements
No matter whether you're applying for your dream job, a short internship, or anything in between, you will be competing with other top students. How are you going to stand out from the crowd? Here we will share some tips on written statements and the use of keywords to help you become more successful when applying for opportunities.
Recruiters will be looking for keywords in your CV and/or written statements.
It might feel like an arduous task to re-write your statement for every opportunity. A good way to manage this effort would be to keep bulk sections of your “master statement” on a separate copy and personalise each application around this.
Let’s look at part of a brief for an internship at The University of Sheffield.
“This project involves collecting student feedback on the services they provide through focus groups and/or interviews with current and prospective students. It aims to explore ways of improving current support services and encourage student engagement.”
Now let’s pick out the keywords.
“This project involves collecting student feedback on the services they provide through focus groups and/or interviews with current and prospective students. It aims to explore ways of improving current support services and encourage student engagement.”
Here’s an example of how someone might tailor their written statement given the above brief.
“During my time at University, I was a Student Ambassador working in the Economics department. Part of my work revolved around student engagement, collecting student feedback and analysing data to suggest improvements to services offered. This included interviewing students in focus groups, expanding on their comments to explore ways of improving Economics support services for current and prospective students.”
Some companies (especially larger employers) will use an automated recruitment system. This system will specifically scan applications for keywords. This simple yet highly effective keyword matching technique will get you noticed and increase your success rate in applications.
More information on Applicant Tracking Systems and support around making good quality applications can be found on our Careers Service pages.
Further support
Before writing an application form, CV or cover letter, we recommend using these two websites to find out more about how to present and format them:
The University has also created a short online course called How to Succeed at Writing Applications.
What you need to know about interviews.
If you have been offered an interview, you should feel confident that the employer thinks that you can do the job. The purpose of the interview is to show them that you are the best candidate.
Every organisation will have a slightly different interview process, so it’s important to check the information that has been provided to you in the invite. This should confirm whether you have to do a presentation or other assessment activities, as well as who will be interviewing you.
Most people will admit to feeling nervous before an interview, even those in very senior jobs! There are a couple of things you can do to prepare:
Do your research – make sure you have a good understanding of the role and how it fits with the organisation’s business and and their overall strategy. This will help you to identify the types of questions they might ask you.
Consider your best examples – which ones will demonstrate that you have the skills, knowledge and experience to do the job?
Try not to over-rehearse – this can often lead to candidates not listening to the questions they have been asked and giving answers that they have already practiced.
Don’t panic if they ask you something you hadn’t thought of before – if you have done your research and know what your best examples are, then you will be able to give an answer.
Think of some questions to ask them at the end – this shows your motivation for applying and that you have done your research. Avoid asking questions that should be obvious from the job advert, as well as any that are about salary or working patterns. These are usually discussed after you have been offered the job.
Control the things that you can – such as knowing how to find the employer and what you will wear.
“Do you have any questions for us”?
This is your turn to interview the potential employer(s). An interview is a two-way process. You should have thoroughly researched the company so this is your opportunity to a) find out more information that is important to you and b) show that you are commercially aware.
You should have a few pre-planned questions as some may be answered during the interview. You might identify areas of interest during the interview that you may also like to circle back around to. Feel free to take prepared questions with you in a folder or notepad.
You must use this time effectively and ask exploratory questions about the company, such as working environment, team dynamics, and company revenue rather than questions that may be available on the job advert or company websites such as pay scale and working hours. Some questions are best left until after the interview. These questions should be related to you, your research, and the specific company and mean something to your decision-making process at the end of the interview.
Your questions should be open questions (Who, What, Where, Why, When and How. “Tell me” Can also be used) and you should avoid asking closed questions unless you are looking for a yes/no answer. Open questions will keep a conversation flowing more easily while closed questions can close a conversation down.
Open version - “How does this role fit in with your expansion plans”?
Closed version - “Does this role fit in with your expansion plans”?
Examples Questions
• I have seen that the company is looking to grow by 33% this year. What do you think is integral to this target being met and how would you see this role assisting in delivering this growth?
• While researching you, I saw in your company values that integrity was a key part of how you operate. This is something that I find important to the way I work also. How does that translate to day-to-day operations in the company?
• On your social media pages, I saw you support “X” charity. I also would be interested in supporting them in any way I can. What type of things could I get involved with?
• Out of everything we have discussed, what three main points would you say are instrumental to the success of the project?
• As we have discussed, I’m happy working autonomously and also as part of a group. Who would I be working with when collaborating and what kind of personalities are in the team?
• If I was successful in my application, how do you see me progressing in the company over the next few years?
Further guidance and support on interviews can be found on the Careers Service pages.
You can also enrol on the award-winning Future Learn course on How to Succeed at Interviews.
The University has also created a short, online course on How to Succeed at Interviews.
What you need to know about assessment centres and online tests.
Online tests
Some employers will let you take a practice test before you complete the real one. You will find some are easier than others, and everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses so don’t be disheartened if you find them challenging at times. The types of test will vary depending on the role and employer preferences, so if you know you find a particular style of test difficult you should attempt a couple of practice ones beforehand.
As a University of Sheffield student, you have access to the Graduates First portal, which has lots of different types of tests you can use (for free!) It also has assessment centre exercises and virtual interview software.
The Careers Service also runs mock assessment activities every semester – look out for emails confirming dates.
Assessment centres
Some companies will include an assessment centre as part of their recruitment activities – it is particularly common for the large, well-known organisations.
Assessment centres can seem like a daunting prospect, but they don’t have to be. You can prepare for them in the same way as a face-to-face or video interview. The Careers Service has some really good resources, which include tips on how to prepare, examples of assessment centre formats and exercises, and what to expect afterwards.
Understanding commercial awareness will help you with your applications.
“Commercial awareness” isn’t often listed as one of the skills that employers are looking for, but it’s incredibly important when trying to secure a job. Employers want to see that you have an understanding of their business and the industry in which they operate. This includes political, economic, social and technological factors.
You can show that you have commercial awareness by:
demonstrating you have done your research before applying (tip: don’t just repeat facts back to them that they already know)
ensuring you have fully read the job description and understand where it sits in the organisation structure/business
linking your research to your motivation for applying
thinking of questions to ask them during an interview
Throughout the year, we are going to be adding to this section to include suggestions on how you can develop your commercial awareness regardless of the industry or sector. In the meantime, watch the video below to learn more.
Our top 5 opportunities for practical skills development.
Sign up for this free online course ‘Programming for Everybody (Getting Started with Python)’ to learn some basic coding.
Complete a virtual project through the University’s Forage platform (you may need to be logged into your University account to access this).
Sign up for this free online course on how to use Excel to analyse and present data effectively (you may also be interested in this beginners course as well).
Make the most of your free month of “LinkedIn Learning” and take the ‘Project Management: Simplified” course. You can access this from the top toolbar in your profile.
Sign up for the free ‘Data Analytics Basics for Everyone’ course.
How can I get alternative experience?
Choosing to do a placement year or summer internship isn't the right option for everyone. There are plenty of other opportunities available to develop the skills and experience you'll need for your future career. The important thing to remember is employers are interested in the quality of experience rather than the quantity - in many cases a part-time job or short internship provide as many examples to use in applications and interviews as a full placement year.
There are plenty of ways of getting experience to help with your applications that doesn't involve undertaking an internship or a placement year. We've included some key ways below:
Part-time job
Sheffield is a big city, and there are lots of opportunities to work part-time alongside your studies. If you work for a organisation that has multiple stores, you could ask for a transfer during term-time, or apply for job through the University's Student Jobshop. It might not seem that this is a way to develop skills for graduate jobs, but most employers are looking for potential rather than heaps of previous experience.
Societies
Did you know there are over 350 clubs, societies and committees that you could join? Like volunteering, having an active role in how they are run will help you to develop the communication, teamwork and leadership skills that all employers are looking for. Check out the SU website for the full list of groups you could join. If you're already part of a society, why don't you see if you could get a role on the organising committee or offer to coordinate an event for other members.
Volunteering
A common misunderstanding is employers are only interested in paid work experience, however this is most definitely not true! Volunteering is an excellent way to develop skills and also give back to the local community. Most charities are desperate for additional support - you could either check out the opportunities being advertised on the Sheffield Volunteering website or approach a particular charity you'd like to help out.
Use mySkills, become self-aware.
Self-awareness is key to being highly employable, because you need to be aware of your strengths and skills to articulate them to employers effectively. A survey of top graduate employers found that less than half of the students they interview demonstrate good self-awareness.
Employers are usually more interested in the skills themselves than the context in which you gained them, so your work experience doesn’t have to be directly related to still be relevant.
mySkills is a section of the University website within Career Connect that is designed to help you reflect on your time at university, plan your future, and access skills and employability tools including Careers Service advisor appointments.
I'd like to go into the financial services sector. What are some good websites I can look at?
The below links contain information about different financial services. The information contained below can be useful for job interviews that ask about contemporary economic issues, something that is especially prevalent in investment banking.
The Financial Times is a British daily newspaper printed on broadsheets and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs.
We regularly commission and publish reports as part of our work to address a wide range of issues and topics that affect the banking and finance industry. These include policy papers, thought-leadership pieces and research reports.
Experts from within our policy areas contribute to these reports regularly, often quarterly or yearly. Other publications are produced in reaction to changes within the banking and finance industry.
Top 25 Financial Magazines & Publications To Follow in 2022
The best financial magazines from thousands of magazines on the web are ranked by traffic, social media followers, domain authority and freshness.
24 Twitter finance profiles you might like to follow.
Official account of Forbes, the world’s leading voice for entrepreneurial success and free enterprise, and home to breaking news, business, money and more.
All the latest news about financial services from the BBC.
The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694 to act as the English Government's banker, and still one of the bankers for the Government of the United Kingdom, it is the world's eighth-oldest bank.
Bloomberg provides cutting edge news on financial markets - Bloomberg is used by professionals inside the Investment Banking industry almost exclusively. Summer interns can get a 3-month subscription for £0.99 which is very helpful when keeping up with market news.
Reuters is another website for keeping up with market news and macroeconomic trends. Its information is less cutting edge compared to Bloomberg, but Reuters has the advantage of being free to use with no subscription. Reuters is still used within the investment banking industry for colour and opinion pieces whereas BBG is used as a source of figures and direct market moves.
In order to secure an offer you'll need to deal with knockbacks and be resilient.
Everyone experiences knockbacks, whether at university or following graduation. It is to be expected.
Sometimes knockbacks can be deflating, especially for applications that consumed a lot of time and effort. This is where resilience comes in. Resilience is the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties.
Resilience is an attribute that is highly sought after by most employers and is often specifically mentioned in job adverts. Resilience forms part of the Sheffield Graduate Attributes under Myself > Personal Development > Resilience - Effectively re-framing, learning, and recovering quickly from difficulties and setbacks.
It is not unusual for there to be a ratio of 50 applications to 1 successful offer for graduate jobs. Some of the larger companies will receive thousands of applications each year.
There is a dedicated space on the LEAD blackboard pages where you can watch a recording of the presentation entitled Coping with Setbacks.
This presentation led by Emily Vickers from the Student Wellbeing Service and Dr Emma Parry will guide you through maintaining wellbeing throughout the recruitment process and provide you with the groundwork for some invaluable self-focussed skills. It covers:
Identifying the strengths of resilient people and recognise which of these strengths you have already
Recognising how the need for resilience varies in different occupational sectors
Understanding changing trends in the world of work
Identifying tactics for goal setting and overcoming setbacks
Working with a model for career resilience and developing personal resources
More information and support around applications can also be found on our Career Service pages.
A quick summary of online resources.
There’s lots of information and resources available to help you explore your career options and secure work experience opportunities. Below are some that we think all our students should be aware of, including a brief description of why they are particularly useful.
The Careers Service has an incredible amount of information on their website that covers all aspects of career planning and how to successfully apply for opportunities.
This is the University’s vacancy website, which advertises thousands of jobs every year – from part-time and voluntary work to internships, placements and graduate roles. It is particularly useful if you are interested in working for a small and/or local company, as they don’t usually advertise on the national recruitment websites.
This is a designated space to assess, record, build and reflect upon all the skills you are gaining during your time at University. Taking the time to do this regularly will really help when it comes to applying for jobs and preparing for interviews.
As a University of Sheffield student, you have free access to Graduates First, where you can practice taking numerical reasoning, logical reasoning, verbal reasoning and situational judgement tests (which are used by many of the well-known companies). They have also now added a section on practicing and preparing for video interviews.
The UK’s biggest graduate careers website – it has a particularly good section on job sectors and profiles, as well as quizzes to help you find out more about aligning your strengths and motivations to future careers.
You've reached the end of our growing content. Head over to bloomed once you've secured your offer.
Think this page is missing something? Contact us at seed@sheffield.ac.uk, and let us know.