The University of Kent Careers Advisory Service Summer Vacation Work - Internships and Beyond 24th November 2010 The slides from this presentation are available at

What is an internship? Short-term position, usually in summer vacation Career-related Usually (but not always) restricted to penultimate-year students Structured Aims to give a taste of the work you would be doing as a graduate recruit – and to encourage you to apply in final year!

Why do an internship? Gives you better idea of career options Increases business awareness Improves your chances of being offered a graduate position with that employer Makes you more attractive to other employers Demonstrates work-related skills

Some employers who offer internships: Manufacturing BP IBM www-05.ibm.com/employment/uk/extreme-blue/index.html Nestlé Procter & Gamble Shell Unilever

Student experiences “ I was given the lead for the organization of a webinar covering a number of Western European countries. I was responsible for liaison with the external provider about the content and the PC requirements for the webinar, for advertising the session within P&G, communicating with the participants and gaining feedback afterwards”. Procter & Gamble HR Intern

Some employers who offer internships : Finance Deutsche Bank Ernst & Young Financial Services Authority HSBC Mercer Pricewaterhousecoopers Lloyds Banking Group

Student experiences … “ The tasks I was able to complete within just a few weeks ranged from running charts, creating and updating quarterly reports and summarising the latest economic and investment research for colleagues ” (Mercer Investment Consulting intern)

Student experiences … “ I did an internship at the branch in Reading and had real responsibilities from day one. In my second week, I was organising team meetings. By the end of my stay there, I had been placed in charge of customer satisfaction ” (HSBC summer intern, now Executive Management trainee)

Some employers who offer internships: Law For listings of firms offering law placements see: Law Careers Net Target Work Experience Law Most law firms are keen to recruit graduates in subjects other than law, but non-law students may not be eligible to apply for a vacation scheme until their final year.

Student experiences … “I helped to compile a report for the Competitions Commission and had to do some research on pubs! In the commercial department I helped draft some terms and conditions and attended client meetings.. the work I was given was always appropriate for someone who had not done a law degree”

Some employers who offer internships : Research Roke Manor Research DSTL (Defence Science and Technology Laboratory) Universities, e.g. Birkbeck Nottingham MBDA Procter & Gamble Biosciences

Student experiences … “In my project, I cloned the Dyt1 gene to make a fusion protein GST, expressed it in bacteria and attempted to purify it. I learnt many new skills, including a formal course in confocal microscopy that will help me directly in the future in a career in science. ” (Summer student, London Research Institute, Cancer Research UK)

Student experiences “The whole of my academic life has been focused on laboratory work. This was the first time I had to present the benefits of the product already developed in the laboratory in simple semi- technical terms to the consumers. This is a kind of work I always wanted to do which involves linking of ‘science’ to the consumer”. Procter & Gamble R&D Intern

Some employers who offer internships : Public and voluntary sectors Civil Service Diversity Summer Programme Internships/Home/ New Local Government Network Transport for London British Red Cross Oxfam

Student experiences … My internship involved working on a project about the factors affecting staff and volunteer recruitment and retention. Coming from an arts background as a student, working on the project was initially very challenging but I soon got to grips with it. I also become involved in a project in promoting student fundraising with the Youth Strategy Team, allowing me to build on the volunteering experiences and knowledge I had from University. Former Oxfam intern, now on a graduate HR management scheme

Some more employers who offer internships – or other work experience: Accenture BBC – all areas, from production to finance Centrica Four Communications Penguin Publishing Metaswitch Networks Sainsburys www2.sainsburys.co.uk/graduates/placements/

Student experiences … “I worked in the Online Marketing Division, looking at social media and how this can be used by British Gas. This meant many hours of ‘hard work’ trawling Twitter and other social media tools to find out how British Gas is talked about online. I’m very proud of the Internal Buzz Monitoring Tool that I invented (and invested many hours developing), which will allow the team to have a real- time look at the ‘buzz’ surrounding the British Gas brand”. Student on the Centrica summer scheme

Student experiences … “I did a couple of weeks work experience on Dragons' Den while I was still at university and I got the chance to do a variety of things. I dealt with applications, sought free press to advertise we were looking for applicants, looked for new entrepreneurs on the internet, and learned how to use a DV camera to film auditions (something I had never done before because I hadn't done a practical media course). After I graduated, they rang me to come back to do a couple of weeks casual work for Mastermind and this has since been extended “ BBC runner

Other career areas Not all potential graduate recruiters offer “internships” … … although many do offer career- related work experience … even though this may not be advertised widely (or advertised at all) … and could be unpaid

The Creative Career Search To get work experience in advertising, TV, film, journalism, public relations, etc … you need to make the first approach … and to be persistent See for more advice and information

Getting a work placement is just the beginning … When you do obtain work experience, be willing to help out no matter how challenging or menial the task. Talk to everyone, and get yourself known so that they remember you. Be yourself, friendly and approachable

STEP PROGRAMME - placements in small/medium organisations in all sectors Offers project work that will help these organisations to develop. 8 week summer placement programme for 2nd year undergraduates. Pay: about £210 pw 1400 projects, open to students of any subject Will launch in January

Student experiences … “I researched the markets and major contractors in the healthcare and education industries. I also worked on the design of marketing materials for these sectors, helping the company develop a pro-active approach to marketing and liaising with the sales team and did some work on the company’s new website, helping them to utilize it as an effective marketing tool”. Step student working with signage company

Student experiences … Jenny researched the food sector to develop a new snack product, tested recipes and successfully presented the idea to a major company supplying Marks & Spencer. “It was a steep learning curve as I didn’t have a background in business or food science but I won second prize in the Shell Step national final for the most enterprising student”

Finding Local Employers Employers often prefer local graduates for placements: No accommodation worries May want to work in the area after graduation Kent – includes KentGrads database Elsewhere in the UK

How to apply CV and covering letter – speculative applications and small companies. Application form – usually online for major graduate recruiters You need to put as much time and effort into applying for an internship as you would to apply for a permanent position For help see

Finding out about internships and other summer work experience Careers Advisory Service Vacancy Database Speculative applications Graduate directories and websites e.g. Prospects.ac.uk and Target Step Programme National Council for Work Experience RateMyPlacement

What happens if I want an internship but can’t get one? Don’t panic! Any work experience can help to develop your people, teamwork or organising skills, or just make your CV more interesting For example: work with children; sales work; work abroad; voluntary work Getting a lower-level position in an organisation can help you to get a different perspective and make contacts Use open days, careers fairs and events to get an insight into your chosen sector

What will employers think? “Volunteering is well regarded: candidates are given a higher score within the recruitment process if they have done volunteering” (Large accountancy firm) “We are aware that students can’t always afford to spend a month doing unpaid work experience or shadowing, therefore we value other activities like stacking supermarket shelves” (Law firm)

Other points Get actively involved in University life, so that you have evidence of teamwork, organising, leadership etc. skills for your CV Apply early – closing dates for the most popular employers are often in December or January

Duty Careers Adviser A Duty Careers Adviser is available to help with queries between am p.m. and p.m. every weekday.Duty Careers Adviser No appointment needed - just drop in.

Where to find the Careers Service Opening Hours: 9-5, Mon - Fri