Firstly, what is an undergraduate placement? A placement is usually a 12-month paid sandwich year in your degree in which you gain real world experience working for a company. Unsure whether to apply for one? Developing your personal, academic, and professional skills will profoundly impact not only your grades in your final years of university, but also your future job, giving you a strong foundation for a successful career in your chosen field.
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Helping You Find a Job Role That Suits You
Picking a career path after university can be daunting, feeling like a pivotal moment in your life. One major incentive to a placement is the opportunity to figure out which profession and environment suits you. By working in an authentic environment combined with academic study you will be able to see how your educational interests translate into a professional career. A full-time work experience allows you to discover all aspects of a job role, becoming invested in projects, exploring what you enjoy over a prolonged period and naturally finding your niche along the way.
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“Studying English Language and Literature at university offers such a broad range of career prospects. I was confused about what job I wanted to do after completing my degree. My placement year was the best way to get an idea of what I enjoy doing full time as I got to explore Marketing’s many aspects from digital marketing to events planning to copy writing.” Lydia Rowles, Senior Marketing Executive (Marketing & PR Support: 2019/20) |
Becoming a Better You
For many, a year in industry may be your first time working in a corporate environment. Starting a new job anywhere requires adaptability and proactivity as you get settled into a routine and your company’s character. A by-product of this year will be the development of soft skills in addition to job-specific expertise.
Your day-to-day will require excellent timekeeping, organisation, and communication, from arriving punctually to attending meetings. Whilst these skills may sound obvious, they are often overlooked despite being fundamental to the success of job applications and university assessments.
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“Over my placement year I quickly learned the value of soft skills like time management and workload prioritisation. I returned to university with these skills as second nature, able to complete my assessments and liaise with my tutors with a confidence and self-assuredness that really benefitted me.” Francesca Carter (Marketing Support 2021/22) |
Proven to Improve Your Academic Performance
Students who choose a year in industry show a greater increase in grades from year two to year three in comparison with those who do not. How? Over the year you will likely undertake many projects as part of a larger group, working with people both inside and outside your business. With the guidance of your team, you will learn how to efficiently communicate, being able to address problems and resolve issues, improving your collaboration.
You will leave your placement with a broadened perspective though gained expertise in your field as well as an understanding of how to approach varying seniorities. Learning valuable interpersonal skills, managing expectations, and problem solving, will be vital when researching for your dissertation, asking for guidance from your tutors, reaching deadlines, and managing stress in navigating your busiest year yet.
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“At no point did I feel like a student. I was trusted with my work and offered full support with many tasks and projects. There's only so much you can learn at university; I returned to complete my degree with renewed confidence and knowledge.” Anna Sava, Group Management Accountant, (Finance Support 2013/14) |
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“My placement gave me a practical understanding of working processes which I could apply to my Business and Management degree. With a year of full-time work experience behind me I returned to university better equipped to handle my deadlines and workload, achieving my best grades so far.” Ben Smith, Senior Account Support, (Client Account Support 2020/21) |
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Check out our 2024 brochure here. Or, continue reading below.
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Laying the Foundations for Your Professional Career
Standing Out and Getting Your Foot in the Door
Whilst good grades are important in securing a job after university, in an increasingly crowded job market with stiff competition for top spots, a placement becomes the perfect way to differentiate yourself from the rest and get your foot in the door. Having industry level experience before graduation vastly enhances your CV, adding demonstrable experience and skills. Prospective employers are far more likely to pick a candidate who has gained the skills mentioned above through a placement and will therefore excel in a graduate position compared to someone who has not.
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“Academic results are obviously important, but we tend to find that those team members who have a completed a placement year are the ones who adapt to professional life most successfully.” Stuart Winstone, Group CEO |
Instilling the Confidence to Ace the Interview
A placement is invaluable as “students are more confident in their approach to graduate applications”, able to create considered and articulated answers to interview questions. Following your year in industry, you will appreciate how the application process works, being prepared from writing a cover letter to sitting the interview. Unlike other graduate candidates, this won’t be your first rodeo – you can refine your previous applications, paired with your refreshed understanding of the corporate world. You will be able to draw on real life experiences to accurately and persuasively communicate your skills, showing your professional development.
Forging Lasting Connections to Climb Your Career Ladder
Creating the Basis for Growth Within a Company
Choosing your first job can have an enduring impact on your career trajectory as professionals often use their first job role as a footing for their career ladder. Nike’s CEO Elliot Hill is an excellent example of this. He had humble beginnings as an apparel sales representative intern before filling 19 different positions over his time. A graduate role can be the ideal start to access the career you want as you are able to work your way up through a company, gaining a complex understanding of every level, proven by Hill who’s been at Nike for 32 years and commended for his “deep understanding of [Nike’s] industry and partners”.
Whilst Hill’s career path may appear as a rare phenomenon, 37% of top graduate positions are filled by those who already have work experience within the organisation, ideal as lots of companies offering placements also provide the option to return to their business through graduate schemes and incentives.
At SilverDoor, we have 11 former placement students in permanent roles within our business, one of which being our now Vice President Finance, Jon Goldthorpe. Although Jon hasn’t been working with us for over 30 years like Hill, he started his finance career as a placement in 2011 as Accounts and Finance Support, working his way up over 10 years.
Leveraging Your Connections to Achieve Your Goals
According to a 2017 LinkedIn study, 79% of professionals attribute networking as a main contributor to their success. Furthermore, 70% of people in 2016 were hired at a company where they had a connection.
Whilst you may not begin your placement in your niche, remember that it’s as much a trial in a role as a company. There will be opportunities to collaborate with different areas of business, learning from and connecting with people skilled in their field. Knowing someone who can point you in the right direction and give you advice on how to break into the career you do want is invaluable.
SilverDoor’s very own Niall Ward began his career in our Client Account Management team before realising that his interests lay in finance. He is now a fully chartered Management Accountant, since re-joining in 2018.
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“Having worked with SilverDoor in account management, I knew that this was a company I would enjoy working for, but in a different role. I was able to start my career in finance and sit my accounting exams with their support, knowing that I had a path ahead of me.” Niall Ward, Management Accountant, 2018-present |
Whether you grow your network through LinkedIn, partner familiarisation trips, or secondment schemes, why turn down this avenue opening opportunities paramount to your career progression.
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Hopefully from reading this your only thought now is ‘why would I not apply for a placement?’ From the personal, academic and professional development in skills to the network you will form there really are only benefits to this year.
Looking for a place to start? Working for a sector leader is the perfect place to begin. The SilverDoor Academy has been running since 2008 with 152 previous placements so far – find out more about what they have to say here. Or check out our 2024 academy brochure for more information and where to begin the application.
Kickstart your career now and apply today.
