“Thank you for setting up my mock interview with an employer. It was professional, constructive and the interviewer gave me so many tips. I understand now what the interviewer is looking for with certain questions, the best way to frame my strengths and how to present my weaknesses. I have come away gaining so much more from that half hour than many fruitless hours on the internet.”” Final Year Student, English

The EUOTC team represented Exeter at the National Finals in April 2009

“Having recently facilitated on the eXfactor, I was extremely impressed to see the investment the university is making in helping students to develop and appreciate the value of commercial awareness, personal effectiveness and enterprise skills. These essential competencies and knowledge-sets are required by all employers and will help Exeter students become the most employable in any employment sector!” Jo Binding, Head of Product Marketing, BSkyB

Aspiring to work for an SME (Small or Medium sized Enterprise) is becoming increasingly popular with graduates, as they recognise the direct impact they can make to a business and the breadth of work experience that can be gained. In this competitive market, the Exeter Award and Exeter Leader’s Award are excellent tools to help students develop the skills they need to become the enterprising employees that today’s small businesses require. Colin Fribbens Chairman of the Exeter Federation of Small Businesses

The Exeter Award is a fantastic opportunity for students to gain the hard and soft skills they need to move into graduate employment. It’s about setting themselves apart from the next candidate - having the Exeter Award on their CV demonstrates key skills and competencies that employers look for, such as work experience, teamwork skills and practical interview skills, which will help deliver better interviews for us the employers. Martyn Flynn Talent Acquisition Manager- South Wales & South West England, Enterprise Rent-A-Car

“The Exeter Award has been the perfect opportunity for me to gain official university recognition to the range of activities I have undertaken during my time at university, and will show employers the skills that I have sought to develop. It has played a pivotal role in teaching me how to highlight important skills and ultimately build up the best possible CV.” Final Year Student, School of Psychology

“I really enjoyed the eXfactor and feel like I learnt a lot of valuable skills as well as an insight into the business world.” Final Year Student, Modern Languages

‘I would fully encourage students to take part in the eXfactor. It has over the two days built my confidence for working life and helped to indentify my strengths and weaknesses.’ Final Year Student, English

“ I would recommend participation in The Exeter Award to all Exeter students regardless of subject or career intentions. Evidence of extra curricular activities and desire to develop your skills set is a valued attribute sought by employers of all size and type of business, yet involvement will undoubtedly be valuable to yourself personally as well.” Final Year Student, Business School

The Exeter Award is a fantastic achievement to work towards. As students, you can develop a range of new skills which should help you stand out from the crowd when you start to apply for jobs. It’s great to be able to experience lots of different employer events, to help point you in the right direction for when your studies are finished. Plus, having relevant work experience outside of your course shows prospective employers you’re committed to your career path. News Associates

The Exeter Award ensures that students have all the tools they need to give them the very best possible start to their career hunt. Linklaters

“The best part of the Exeter Award for me is that is enabled me to really learn about different areas of work, what I would like to focus in and how I could go about achieving this.” Year 2, Theology Student

“The Interview Experience made me more aware of the kind of thing employers are looking for and what you have to be able to demonstrate when applying for jobs.” Level 3, Flexible Combined Honours

“The graduate recruitment market has never been so competitive than it is currently. With as many as 80% of applicants failing at the application stage in some sectors, initiatives such as eXfactor are essential for students to ensure that they are able to effectively articulate their understanding and possession of key employability skills required by the graduate labour market.” Bob Athwal, HR Partner, RWE nPower and AGR Board Member

“Participating in the Award has taught me that it is extremely important to strive to reach your full potential even if this means pushing and challenging yourself beyond your comfort zone.” Year 2, Business School

“The XING Interactive Enterprise Game was very amazing. I would say I've learnt a lot of things. I've learnt how to work in a team, compromise with others, time management, presentation skills and so on. Surely, these kind of experiences will help me a lot in my future undertakings.”

“The Interview Experience was the best part of the Award! It was very useful to have a mock interview and get feedback from it, and I really felt that by observing other interviewees I could pick up tips on what to improve on. It wasn't so scary after all!” Year 4, Social Sciences and International Study

The Exeter award is an amazing opportunity for students to drastically improve their employability skills. This award will be seen as highly valuable by employers across a range of different sectors. Teach First

“The Exeter Award is an amazing idea and only those that have the drive and motivation to further their CV & employability prospects apply. It separates those who want to achieve great things from those who aren’t bothered”