happy new year! - university of exeter business...

Welcome back and a very happy 2010!

I hope that you all had a very good holiday. The spring 2010 issue of the

University of Exeter Business School Employability Newsletter is bursting

with useful and interesting articles!

As you’ll see on page 2, the Business School Employability Spring 2010

Events programme contains a range of useful skills sessions and presenta-

tions. If there isn’t enough in that programme to keep you occupied, don’t

forget that the University of Exeter Careers & Employment Service offers

many more employability related sessions that you can participate in - infor-

mation about how to find out about these particular sessions appears on

page 3.

Page 4 turns the spotlight onto Community Action in this issue’s ‘Society

News’ section and pages 5 to 9 contain a number of articles that have been

written by current students in the Business School who have been engaging

in study abroad and work placement activities that have enhanced their em-

ployability. Information about how YOU can contribute to this section in fu-

ture issues appears on page 5.

Some ‘insights’ and tips from two recent graduates appear on pages 10-12

and, finally, just in case you have forgotten during the holidays, you’ll find a

reminder of the Business School Employability Team’s office hours and

where to find electronic Business School Employability information on page

11 .

As usual, I would like to say a very BIG ‘thank you’ to everyone who has

written an article for this issue of the newsletter.

Dr Rachel Torr

School Employability Officer, The University of Exeter Business School

Happy New Year!

Issue 11

Spring 2010

What’s On This Term? 2

Society News 4

Seeking to Stand Out From the Crowd

5

Getting In & Getting On: Insights into Alumni Ca-reers

10

Business School Employ-ability Office Hours

11

Inside this issue:

University of Exeter Business School

Employability |Newsletter—Spring 2010|

Issue 11

Business School Employability

EVENTS

A brief list of the spring 2010

School-based employability

events that have been con-

firmed to date appears below

BUT for the most up-to-date

information during the term,

including how to register for

events, see the Business School

Employability site on web-ct and

weekly ‘What’s On’ emails. If

you have any queries email:

Business-School-

[email protected]

26.01.10

Planning your CV - David

Pritchard

1300-1400

28.01.10

Getting in & Getting on: Insights

into being a Finance Director

with David Marshall, Centre for

Leadership Studies, University

of Exeter Business School

1200-1300

28.01.10

Careers Clinic - David Pritchard

1340-1640

02.02.10

Careers Clinic - David Pritchard

1000-1300

03.02.10

Mock Interviews with Ernst &

Young

1000-1600

04.02.10


into Business Recovery and

Turnaround, Corporate Finance

and Property Investment with

Robert Ware Chief Executive,

Conygar Investment Company

PLC and Simon Poulton, Inde-

pendent Executive

1200-1300

08.02.09

University of Exeter Business

School Student & Alumni Net-

working Event

1800-2045

09.02.09

Careers Clinic - David Pritchard,

1000-1200

09.02.10

I don't know what to do and I

don't know where to find it -

David Pritchard

1300-1400

09.02.10

PricewaterhouseCoopers: Risk

Assurance Business Game

1800-2000

10.02.10

ICAEW Business Game - Kindly

hosted by the Institute of Char-

tered Accountants in England &

Wales (ICAEW)

1400-1600

11.02.10


into global management with

Kevin Morgan, Global Head of

Exchange Data, Thomson

Reuters

1200-1300

15.02.10

Mock Interviews with Accenture

1100-1600

16.02.10

Shell Step Summer Placements

1300-1400

16.02.10


1340-1640

18.02.09


into the actuarial profession

with Terry Webster, Pension

Scheme Actuary, JLT Benefit

Solutions

1200-1300

18.02.10

PricewaterhouseCoopers Drop-in

@ The Business School Under-

graduate Student Services En-

trance Area

1500-1700

22.02.10

Women in Leadership Roles, Em-

ployability Networking Event

1800-2045

23.02.10

Interview Techniques - David

Pritchard

1300-1400

25.02.10


University of Exeter Careers &

Employment Service

1000-1300

25.02.10


into Investment Management

with Justin Bickle, Senior Vice

President, Oaktree Capital Man-

agement Limited

1200-1300

01.03.10

Backstage '10 - Events and Media

Management Industry Network-

ing Evening

1800-2030

02.03.10


1000-1300

04.03.10


into Operations Management with

Julian Bird, Chief Operating Of-

ficer, Tate

1200-1300

09.03.10

Understanding Psychometric

Testing - David Pritchard

1300-1400

Business School Employability —What’s on this term?

Business School Employability

EVENTS—Continued:

11.03.09

Getting in & Getting on: In-

sights into…(speaker TBC)

1200-1300

11.03.09

Business School International

Students: working in the UK

after your studies – support

available and visa information

1300-1500

16.03.10

Preparing for Work Experi-

ence: How to use your summer

placement to gain credit to-

wards your degree – For 2nd

Year Undergraduates Only

1300-1400

16.03.10

Careers Clinic - David

Pritchard

1340-1640

18.03.10

Getting in & Getting on: In-

sights into Customer Service

Management with Monica Read,

Customer Service Director,

South West Water

1200-1300

23.03.10

Careers Clinic - David

Pritchard

1000-1300

30.03.10

Mock Interviews with Pricewa-

terhouseCoopers

1100-1600

Issue 11

University of Exeter Careers & Employment Service Events:

For information about careers and employability events that are organised by the

University of Exeter Careers & Employment Service and open to all University of Exeter

students please go to:

www.exeter.ac.uk/employability/students/events/index.php

NB: Registration information for Business School Employability School-Based

Employability events also appears on this website

VOLUNTEERING IS : SIGN UP AND GET QUACKING!

Welcome to the wonderful world of CA 2009/10! CA exists to provide students with the opportunity to volunteer, enhancing their development and benefiting the wider community. Community Action acknowledges and embraces the unique personal development opportunities available through voluntary activities.

Whether you want to volunteer with young people, older people in the city with local charities and organisations or on one-off projects, we have a project for you! By volunteering with Community Action you will also have the opportunity to sit on our core teams: fundraising, publicity and recruitment and development. This will allow you to get really involved in the running of CA, from organising club nights to recruiting new volunteers. Life in CA is a fun-filled one, with plenty of socials, club nights and big events that you can not only attend but help organise! There is always the possibility to get more involved and expand your volunteering portfolio through CA. However, it is important to remember that you are at university first and foremost to get a degree, so the volunteering opportunities are very flexible so as not to impinge in your studies. The CA Officers are here for you! Whether you have any queries or concerns, or simply want to know how to get more involved! Whatever the question don’t hesitate to ask! Either drop us an email at [email protected] or pop into the office in Cornwall House. Make the most of your time at uni & get involved! Don’t forget to check out our website at www.ca.ex.ac.uk for more information about our projects, teams and upcoming socials. Just remember guys –volunteers don’t get paid, they are priceless! Huge CA love CA MANAGEMENT TEAM Sophie, Eirlys, Kate, Bee, Sarah. Anna, Roper, Danny, Georgie, Lewis, Callum and Charlotte.

Issue 11

Society News…Society News…Society News…Society News…One way to enhance your employability and have a lot of fun is to join

one of the Guild societies. There are literally hundreds of societies that you can join. In this issue, the

spotlight is on Community Action...

Lynsey Allen studies abroad at the University of Cantabria, SantanderLynsey Allen studies abroad at the University of Cantabria, SantanderLynsey Allen studies abroad at the University of Cantabria, SantanderLynsey Allen studies abroad at the University of Cantabria, Santander A major factor in my

decision to choose Exe-

ter University was the

fact that it offered a

study abroad option. I

always wanted to have

the opportunity to live

in a foreign country,

gaining first-hand ex-

perience of a new cul-

ture and language. Last

year I spent a year

studying at The Univer-

sity of Cantabria in

Santander (Northern

Spain). I can honestly

say that it has been

the best year of my

life. As well as it be-

ing a great topic of

conversation during job

interviews, it makes

you so much more inde-

pendent and it is great

fun meeting people from

all over the world.

I decided to visit

Santander during the

summer before my course

started in order to

find accommodation. I

shared a flat with two

French girls, which was

located ten minutes

from the best beaches

in Spain. The Univer-

sity was very helpful

in giving information

about flats to rent.

You have to use your

initiative and get in

contact with the land-

lords yourself, which

can be difficult if you

have no knowledge of

the language, however,

it’s all part of the

experience!

There was a wide range

of modules in the Busi-

ness School and I chose

to take all of my mod-

ules in Spanish to help

develop my fluency in

the language. I was al-

ready familiar with a

lot of the material

covered in lectures

from my experiences at

Exeter and the lectur-

ers gave me a lot of

support.

Santander is a beauti-

ful city on the north

coast of Spain. My

friends and I spent

many afternoons on the

beach and in the eve-

nings the clubs stayed

open until six in the

morning.

One of the main chal-

lenges of my year abroad

was getting used to the

Spanish way of life where

everything’s done

“mañana”. I would recom-

mend trying to get Inter-

net sorted as soon as you

have found a flat as it

takes a good few weeks to

install!! Also setting up

things like bank accounts

and buying mobile phones

seemed to be more diffi-

cult than it would be in

the UK!

The year I spent in

Santander has definitely

made me more independent

and being able to write

on your CV that you’re

fluent in Spanish is a

major advantage when ap-

plying for jobs. I would

say that if you’re con-

sidering a year abroad

it’s likely to be the

best thing you ever do.

Lynsey Allen, BA Eco-

nomics WES, Year 4

Issue 11

The next few pages of the newsletter contain student written articles that highlight how students at the Uni-versity 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 enhance their employability…

In this issue, the spotlight is on study abroad and student work placement experiences. 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 challenges/business games, stu-

dent 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...

Chris Hodges’ 12 month Internship with Siemens AG in Erlangen, Germany

Issue 11

One of the reasons that I chose

Exeter was because of the option of

taking a year abroad as part of the

course. I thought that taking a year

abroad would be an excellent oppor-

tunity to live in and experience a dif-

ferent country, and to meet lots of

new people.

Originally I had applied to spend my

year in Germany studying at a Uni-

versity, however when an email came

from Siemens AG advertising a one

year internship in their marketing

communications department, I felt

that it was a chance too good to miss.

I spent a fair bit of time researching

the company before submitting a CV

and a covering letter in both English

and German. I had not even contem-

plated the idea of doing a work place-

ment on my year abroad before the

email came from Siemens AG.

After approximately 3 weeks I heard

back from Siemens, as they were

inviting me for a telephone interview.

The interview lasted roughly 20 min-

utes and was conducted in both Eng-

lish and German, which was a little

bit daunting, but not as bad as I ex-

pected. After another week I heard

from Siemens again and was offered

the job, I was over the moon and was

already looking forward to starting,

even thought it was a good 4 months

away!

Fortunately the intern who was there

at the time offered to sort out accom-

modation for me in the student halls

where he was living, giving me a

place to stay pretty much from the

off. I arrived 3 days before my intern-

ship started in order to have a look at

Erlangen, the town where my intern-

ship was based. During these 3 days I

managed to set up a German bank

account and a German mobile phone

number, while also getting a good

taste of the local nightlife.

I started work at Siemens on the

Monday morning and was introduced

to my colleagues. The previous intern

was staying for another 2 weeks, as a

cross over period, in order to show

me the ropes. Work started at a fran-

tic pace as preparations had just

started for the biggest tradeshow of

the year. It was very much a case of

having to ‘hit the ground running’.

Work for this trade show was varied

and interesting, and I was involved in

designing and implementing the web-

site, working on the booth plan and

working on the presentations being

given at the show. The biggest shock

to the system however, was speaking

German all day everyday. In the of-

fice the only language spoken was

German.

Outside of work another English in-

tern working for a different company,

took me along to the local football

team he was playing for. I immedi-

ately got on very well with the guys

in the team, and I ended up playing

for the team all year, and making

some of my best friends at the club.

This also helped me a great deal with

my German, again everything with

them was done in German. Once the

other previous interns had left, I met

a lot of new people through the guys

at the football club, and also spent a

lot of time with them.

As well as playing a lot of football

and doing many other things with the

team, one of the highlights of my

year, was a long weekend snow-

boarding in Ischgl, Austria with

them. We took a 4 hour coach jour-

ney, which was followed by a lot of

partying and a lot of snowboarding.

This was however not my only skiing

trip! My department at Siemens also

go on a yearly long weekend, to Tirol

in Italy. This was less of a party and

focused more on the skiing side of

things, but still terrific fun.

On the work front, we were very busy

with the final preparations for the

tradeshow that I mentioned earlier.

However on top of this I was also

working on a competitor analysis for

our branch. I was improving my Ger-

man on a day to day basis, while also

learning a lot from my direct line man-

agers.

As well as playing football every week-

end, I tried to get away and see as much

as possible. A highlight was a weekend

to Vienna. Along with a mixture of 6

German and English friends we took 2

cars and spent the weekend looking at

the sights, and the evening highlights,

of what I think is one of the nicest

European cities.

Other highlights of my year, were being

able to experience the world famous

Munich Beer Festival, or the Oktober-

fest as it is known in Germany, as well

as a more low key local version in Er-

langen.

I also managed to fit in a weekend long

music festival in Nürnberg, as well as

going to Dublin for St. Patrick’s day

with a number of colleagues.

I think that having undertaken an in-

ternship on my year abroad will benefit

me in numerous ways in the future. I

learnt a lot, and managed to put my

studies into practice. I believe that I

have enhanced my employability as I

have had an experience that not many

people will have had, while also prov-

ing that I am adaptable to new environ-

ments, and am comfortable living in

foreign countries.

When I look back, there are so many

things to remember, I never imagined

that I would be able to fit so much into

one year. However the year went so

quickly. I have so many awesome

memories of my year in Erlangen, and

have made many friends for life, who I

hope to stay in contact with, and have

every intention of visiting whenever I

get the chance.

I would wholeheartedly recommend

anyone to take a year abroad and even

more so to do an industrial placement.

Chris Hodges, BA Business Economics

WES, year 4

Dirk Ter-Haar’s 12 month placement with Psyma, Nuremberg, Germany

Issue 11

I had wanted to spend a

year of my degree abroad

because I felt that it

would enhance my employ-

ability and help me to

stand out in the job market

when I graduated. I had

personal reasons for choos-

ing Germany, and more spe-

cifically, Nuremberg in Ba-

varia, for my year abroad

– my girlfriend lives there

and I wanted to ‘test’ liv-

ing there myself. I decided

that I wanted to spend my

year abroad on a placement

rather than studying as I

thought that it would en-

able me to get a more ‘real

world’ insight into living

in Germany.

I had studied beginners and

intermediate German during

the first two years of my

degree – I had no German

before I started at the

University of Exeter. Al-

though knowledge of German

was not required for the

job that I performed, it

was very useful to help me

with the general day-to-day

living over there.

Securing the job required

quite a lot initiative. I

knew that I wanted to work

in the area of marketing or

market research and so I

tried to do what seemed to

be the most obvious things

to me – ie sending off job

applications to any rele-

vant firms in the area and

seeking out and looking at

German job websites. The

geographical limitations

that I had set myself made

the job search quite diffi-

cult but, eventually, I did

manage to secure a job

working in the e-business

division of Psyma.

The job required an English

speaker and it was a sup-

portive role in a team that

was responsible for con-

ducting benchmarking exer-

cises on specific websites

for market research pur-

poses. I didn’t have a

great deal of market re-

search experience before I

started the job but I soon

picked things up through on

the job training. My col-

leagues were great, I

learned an enormous amount

on the job and I really en-

joyed being able to do

‘real work’ and to do it

well.

Some of the biggest chal-

lenges were being organised

enough to keep to the time-

scales required for embark-

ing on my year abroad and

being prepared for all of

the bureaucracy that I

faced with official paperwork

etc. Finding accommodation can

be difficult and you do need

to make sure that you make

time to look for a suitable

place to live when you are

abroad.

Nuremberg was great. It had a

very good transport system

and, historically and cultur-

ally, it was fascinating. It

was a clean city with a low

crime rate. I did manage to

travel a bit during the year –

for example, I went skiing in

the Alps and I made a trip to

Munich.

The key things that I got out

of my year abroad were: prac-

tical experience of working in

an office environment; learn-

ing how an office/company op-

erates; learning how to cope

with living and working in a

different country and learning

how to get on with people from

a different culture.

My advice to anyone who has

the chance to spend a year

abroad as part of their degree

is – GO FOR IT!!! It is a

great way to enhance your CV

and there are options avail-

able for those who do not have

a second language.

Dirk Ter-Haar, BA Business &

Management WES, year 4

What could YOU do in your third year…how about spending it abroad? 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 , via [email protected] or call in to speak to him in person in Room 3 Streatham

Court...NOW!!

Olivia and Charlotte and the PricewatehouseCoopers LLP Placement Schemes...

Issue 11

I joined PricewaterhouseCoopers

LLP (PwC) on their Gap year

scheme in 2006 for a 7 month

placement in London, and conse-

quently two summer placements. I

wanted to join PwC to gain firsthand

experience of working within a pro-

fessional services firm and to be ex-

posed to a business environment.

For the placement I attended a week-

long residential induction at Latimer

House, a conference centre and hotel

in Buckinghamshire. This gave us

quite an intense introduction into

basic accounting, auditing and IT.

Not only that, but it offered me a

chance to ask questions, go through

business scenarios and meet people

on the scheme. It was a good way to

prepare us for what the work would

entail. However the best way to learn

was through experience and though

this seemed challenging at the time, it

meant that I had to step up my game.

Unlike other fields of business, the

work which placement students un-

dertake is the same grade as first year

graduates, which can be taxing at

times but very rewarding. It becomes

clear that after the rigorous applica-

tion process you have been through,

you have been chosen as someone

who can deal with these challenges

effectively.

During my placement I enjoyed get-

ting to know my audit teams. The

teams varied in size and sometimes

involved senior members of the com-

pany. Every time I was placed with a

new client there was always someone

to coach you through the work and

then review your documentation.

However I was pleasantly surprised

by the level of responsibility place-

ment students are given, the work

that you submit is integral to the

overall team’s progress. One of the

things I liked the most about PwC is

that you are really made to feel like

you are part of the company. They

involve you in every aspect of the

work and social events, such as audit

meals, drinks and charitable team

projects as a way to get to know your

team/colleagues and to reward you

for your work.

Throughout your placement you will

have to face challenges for example

following up on grey areas with the

client, building on your professional

confidence, and meeting deadlines. I

was able to deal with these challenges

through the support offered by my

team, by communicating any issues

as and when they arose and having

the confidence to ask questions.

From my placement at PwC I have

realised that I thrive on new chal-

lenges and I enjoy positions of re-

sponsibility. My experience has en-

abled me to gain a better understand-

ing of professional services and the

nature of the work involved and also

the different clients that you work

with. I have enjoyed building rela-

tionships with colleagues and as a

result hope to secure a place with the

firm when I leave university. PwC

has enhanced my employability skills

dramatically allowing me to experi-

ence working in a large company,

giving me positions of responsibility

and forcing me to use my initiative

whilst facing challenges along the

way.

I would highly advise undergraduates

to consider doing an internship with

PwC, not only because it’s one of the

largest professional services firms

with a variety of work on offer, but

also because it gives you the opportu-

nity to gain knowledge and experi-

ence in what could become your fu-

ture career. It may also give you the

chance to secure a future graduate

position when you finish university,

allowing you to enter your third year

with the reassurance of having se-

cured a full time job when you leave.

Olivia, BA Economics, year 3

Having started my career with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

(PwC) during my Gap Year, I

have had the privilege of explor-ing many different departments

and sectors within the firm. There is a common misconception

that to become an accountant will involve being stuck in an office all

day tapping away at a calculator –

however, this could not be further from the truth. My time spent so far

with PwC has been within their As-surance department and I have had

the opportunity to work with clients

in the Public Sector, Entertainment and Media, Investment Management

and Banking and Capital Markets. Seeing such a vast array of compa-

nies and meeting so many different clients has given me a fantastic

grounding and knowledge of not only

finance, but also many other enter-prises and industries.

Aside from the obvious benefits of

improving your CV, gaining a place-ment with PwC also helps you to de-

velop key employability skills which

are essential in today’s economic climate. In addition, this experience

helps people to advance their social skills, team-working skills and all

other key competencies that employ-

ers will be looking for throughout the job application process.

Furthermore, the 1NSIGHT Interna-

tional Internship that I was lucky enough to embark upon during my

summer placement, gave me the opportunity to explore an entirely

different working culture in New

York. This also enabled me to make connections with PwC staff in an of-

fice abroad – without the placement, none of this would have been possi-

ble. Through working with PwC, I

cannot emphasise enough how many different opportunities there are

available within the firm. A place-ment is a fantastic way to get an in-

sight into what PwC do and the

amount of support that would be available throughout your career.

Charlotte, BA Accounting & Finance, year 3

I am Scott FI am Scott FI am Scott FI am Scott Fennell, a third year undergraduate studying for a BA in Business and Management. For the last two summer holidays away ennell, a third year undergraduate studying for a BA in Business and Management. For the last two summer holidays away ennell, a third year undergraduate studying for a BA in Business and Management. For the last two summer holidays away ennell, a third year undergraduate studying for a BA in Business and Management. For the last two summer holidays away

from university I have been working in the USA as a counsellor at a Summer Camp in the USA. from university I have been working in the USA as a counsellor at a Summer Camp in the USA. from university I have been working in the USA as a counsellor at a Summer Camp in the USA. from university I have been working in the USA as a counsellor at a Summer Camp in the USA. I had attended a talk about Summer

Camps in America in my first year through careers and employability and I was hooked on the idea straight away.

I have worked as both a general counsellor and a group leader at camp. As a group leader I was working with a group of eight year

olds directly in my care, being a member of staff taking them and supervising at a range of activities, getting involved with evening

programs and sorting out any issues that arose in the bunk. This last summer I was

promoted to Group Leader in charge of 42 twelve year olds and the general counsellors

working for me. Every day I had to sort out the staff rotas for the activities that my

campus was designated for the day and arrange any specific evening activities that we

had scheduled for that night. In both of these jobs you are seen by the children as an

older sibling, a parent, a cheerleader and a role model, and so a huge amount of re-

sponsibility is placed upon you every day. The camp I was placed at was in New York

State and although it felt like you were in a forest in the middle of nowhere it was

easy to get a train into Manhattan on your days off and part of the placement is the

possibility to travel and experience a lot of the North American culture, after the camp

placement your visa entitles you to another month in the USA to travel.

I was placed through BUNAC a non-profit organisation that offers work and travel experiences, and one of those offered is the Summer

Camp USA. I thought it would be a lot of hassle to do this but everything was sorted out for me, the process was easy and painless,

and, most importantly for me as a student, it wasn’t expensive.

Working and being around children is a pretty amazing experience, however, it can be challenging at times. I have further developed

many of my skills through my camp experience. You have to be confident, a good role model to the children, good at communicating

and assessing the environment you are in. Through my role as group leader I was given a large amount of responsibility and my leader-

ship skills were tested on many occasions. It is hard but very enjoyable work and I can’t wait to get back to camp this summer and

continue where I left off.

With all of the skills and experiences that I have gained from camp I believe that I have enhanced my employability immensely. I truly

believe that working at camp is a great way to improve your communication and leadership skills as they are necessary in the day to

day work. In interviews that I have gone to with potential employers, I have always noticed that I can use my experience at camp to

express many of the skills that they are looking for .

I would advise any current undergraduate to go ahead and do one of these programs while the opportunity is available to them and to

be open to the amazing experience that camp brings.

Scott Fennell, BA Business & Management, year 3

Issue 11

Scott Fennell and the BUNAC summer placement scheme...

Issue 11

‘Getting In & Getting On’: Insights into Alumni Careers...

This section of the newsletter is set aside for contributions from University of Exeter Business School (formerly the

School of Business & Economics or ‘SoBE’) Alumni who have very kindly agreed to reflect on their careers—or any par-

ticular aspect(s) of their careers— since their graduation.

Please note: I am very keen to hear from any alumni who would like to contribute an article for this section of future

issues of the newsletter. If you would like to share any aspects of your experiences in your career in order to provide

some insights to students who might be considering similar pathways please email me—Rachel Torr—at Business-

[email protected]

Seven years is a long time to spend in Univer-sity, I could techni-cally be qualified as a Doc-

tor by now, however I am not. I am working as a trainee stockbro-ker with Redmayne-Bentley in Exeter. Let me first begin to tell my story after I finished my Irish Leaving Cert or as it is called in the UK the A Level’s. My marks were average spread across a range of subjects from Physics to Economics. I undertook a Higher National Diploma in Business Studies at University of Ulster Jor-danstown, just outside Belfast. I knew I wanted to go into busi-ness, but didn’t know what ex-actly. The HND was three years with one year work placement, which I spent at 3M in Bangor Co. Down. This work placement really helped me to mature as an indi-vidual and prepared me for life after University, however I hadn’t finished in University yet! After completing the HND, I wanted to specialise in Finance, so I undertook a BSc in Finance and Investment at the University of Ulster Coleraine, near the Gi-ant’s Causeway. After having just completed the HND, I jumped straight into the second year of the three year course, this course was great and I had found the area I wanted to be in. I was now near the top of my class and after

my first year in Coleraine I applied for a scholarship to study in Amer-ica, which was awarded by the British Council every year to over 100 individuals. Along with applying for the schol-arship, I had also been in close contact with the careers office, for advice on my CV, which I found extremely useful. After I had worked on my CV, I then started looking for internships with a stockbroker either in Belfast or Dublin. To this day I remember going through the yellow pages and calling up different stockbro-kers from a pay phone in Univer-sity. I didn’t get much luck from my calling, but Goodbody Stock-brokers in Dublin told me to send in my CV. I then received an email to say that they would keep my CV on file. Roughly one week later, I received another email from Goodbody’s to say that they would like me to attend a job in-terview. I got the job after doing much research on the company. After my internship with Good-body’s, I was off to study in Amer-ica. Knowing I only had a limited amount of time to see as much of America as I could, I undertook every travelling opportunity I could, including charity work with Habitat for Humanity in Chatta-nooga and relaxing on the beach in Miami on Christmas day. Upon my return from America, I undertook another placement at Goodbody’s before starting my final year in Coleraine. After com-pleting my final year I gained fur-ther work experience with Merrill Lynch in Dublin before applying

for and securing a place on the MSc in Financial Analysis and Fund Man-agement at the University of Exeter. The MSc was a step-up from under-graduate level and with the course geared towards completing levels 1 and 2 of the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) qualifications, it was chal-lenging. I think the support provided by the Postgraduate Team, our lec-tures and tutors made the journey a lot smoother than it might otherwise have been. An important part of the year for me was establishing friend-ships with people from all over the world, due to the multi cultural nature of our course. By April of last year, I realised that I needed to widen my job search in or-der to try to secure a post and I de-cided to visit local stockbrokers based in Exeter. Redmayne-Bentley was the first firm that I approached and immediately I was welcomed. After a chat and a cup of tea, it was agreed that I would send in my CV for the senior partner to review. I was offered a two week trial period and after a successful spell, I was offered a for-mal interview by Redmayne-Bentley in their head office in Leeds. I was fortunate to be told on the day that I had been offered a one year contract with Redmayne-Bentley based in Exe-ter as a Trainee Stockbroker. I would like to say that the hardest part was getting the job, however the hardest part is really just beginning. Since starting I have been to London on a number of occasions attending various courses geared towards achieving the SII certificate, this is a basic certificate that everybody stock-broker needs when starting out in the industry. I passed all three exams in

Insights from Kevin Boland at Redmayne-Bentley Stockbrokers…..

my first two months and am now qualified to take Execu-tion Only trades from clients and execute the trades directly with our dealers. The single most important part of being a successful stockbroker, like with most professions, is hav-ing a solid client base. This involves a lot of networking, time and effort. It is important to establish and build on rela-tionships with Solicitors, Ac-countants and IFA’s. Kevin Boland, MSc in Finan-cial Analysis and Fund Man-agement, 2009 Trainee Stockbroker, Red-mayne-Bentley Stockbrokers

Issue 11

If you have any careers

and employment queries

or are applying for work

experience, internships

or graduate jobs and

want some support then please email

us—Business-School-

[email protected]—or come

and see us in Room 2 Streatham Court

during office hours or by appointment for

some initial pointers to get you started.

Rachel Torr’s (School Employability

Officer) and Jenny Phillips’ (School

Work Placement Coordinator) office

hours for the Spring Term 2010 will be

advertised on the Business School Em-

ployability Team’s office door and in the

weekly ‘What’s On?’ emails that are sent

out to all Business School Students

Don’t forget— upcoming employability

events are advertised in the weekly

‘What’s On?’ emails as well and you can

find employability related information

and links to useful websites on the Busi-

ness School Employability site on web-

ct: http://exeter.blackboard.com

In addition, you should familiarise

yourself with the University of Exeter

central Careers & Employment Ser-

vice’s website:

www.exeter.ac.uk/employability

Please remember to make use of the

Business School Careers Clinics which

are held on a regular basis in Streatham

Court by Mary McCarthy and David

Pritchard. Details of these are avail-

able on pages 2-3 of this newsletter and

on the full Business School Employ-

ability Spring 2010 Employability

Events Programme on the Business

School Employability site on web-ct.

If you want a 20 minute 1-2-1 appoint-

ment with Mary or David during one of

the clinics you must sign up in advance

at the Undergraduate Student Services

Reception in Streatham Court.

Alternatively, you can book an ap-

pointment to see a Careers Advisor at

any time in Reed Mews by calling:

01392 264420

A Reminder of Business School Employability

Office Hours and Electronic Information

Insights From Ala Tchalabi at the South West Regional Development Agency...Insights From Ala Tchalabi at the South West Regional Development Agency...Insights From Ala Tchalabi at the South West Regional Development Agency...Insights From Ala Tchalabi at the South West Regional Development Agency...

Issue 11

I graduated from the Uni-versity of Exe-ter Business School in 2009 with a degree in Eco-

nomics and Finance. Issues of Economic Development have al-ways been of interest to me as I was born and brought up in Syria - a developing country. After some travelling and working for two years, I decided to go to Univer-sity. I did a one year Access to Higher Education course in Bath College to enable myself to do so. During this year, I had to work full time to support myself whilst studying on a full-time course, it was never easy, but I was deter-mined to get back to education. My time at University was also challenging at times, but overall it was a good experience. I joined several societies and sports clubs and also volunteered to be a resi-dential tutor.

In my first year , I had no idea what career option I wanted to take. I was suddenly bombarded with the many career options that were out there. Some job titles sounded flashy, other jobs had attractive financial rewards earlier on. I got muddled and lost focus, I started to find it harder to choose a career

However, one of the most useful things that I did, especially in my third year, was to attend many career events and talks by exter-nal speakers. It helped me over-come the stereotypes associated with certain jobs. An email was circulated about a Government Economic Service (GES) open day at HM Treasury at the start of the third year. The minute I walked away from that open day I knew what I wanted to do, or at least were I would like to start—using economics to make a differ-ence and to affect policy making. I was aware however of the fierce competition and the very high standards required.

The recession kicked in and the

unemployment figures were mounting. I realised I was gradu-ating in difficult economic condi-tions and that difficulties were ly-ing ahead. Waking up to news about how it is the worst time to be a new graduate was depress-ing. I was convinced that I might need to fill in more than a hundred applications before securing a job or even an interview.

I decided not to get distracted and to concentrate on my exams. Dur-ing my final exams an email was circulated about a graduate place-ment in the South West RDA. Al-though it was what I wanted to do, I was hesitant after reading the job description. It was a long list of skills and competencies that I wasn’t very confident about matching up to. I had a closer look and realised most of it was skills I acquired on my degree, and from the jobs I did. I decided to apply and put a lot of effort into preparation despite having ex-ams. I had great advice from the careers office that helped me to prepare a targeted CV and cover-ing letter. I was very happy to hear I was invited for an interview, but was also very nervous as I was going to be interviewed by two senior economists. After the exams I spent about three weeks doing research and preparation. I listened to tips and advise from a friend who had secured a similar job at the GES. The interview went well and I was offered the job two weeks later. I was over the moon.

My current title is Economics As-sistant and my role involves sup-porting the Economics and Evi-dence team in the Strategy and policy directorate of the Agency. The Economics and Evidence team provides a wide range of analytical and data advice for the Board and Executive Team and other senior managers and exter-nal partners. Our team co-ordinates and undertakes most of the Agency’s research and intelli-gence work. We aim to build evi-dence based capacity and deci-sion making within the Agency.

My duties primarily concentrate on preparing and disseminating ana-lytical briefings on the South West economy and business environ-ment. I also develop and provide a range of economic and other evidence, including data, research, intelligence, appraisal and evalua-tion.

Since I started my job three months ago, I have been enjoying the experience immensely. I find it very challenging and find myself learning continuously. The main challenge is digesting a vast amount of information in a rela-tively small space of time. I am developing the skill of looking at huge sets of data, analyzing it and then writing a summary to describe it. I get great support from the team, and find it an enormous as-set to be working with a team with vast economic experience. The working environment is excellent and we have a flexible hours sys-tem, which is very convenient. I have already been asked to repre-sent the team in a prestigious award event, which was a great networking opportunity. We won ‘best publication’ in the South West for the Economics Review that we produce quarterly.

For the future, I hope to be able to pursue a career as an Economist and be able to work on Develop-ment Programs in my home coun-try later on in my career. For any-one wanting to follow a similar ca-reer path, my advice is, as well as applying for graduate programs in central government departments and large consultancies, look into regional and local ones as these particular schemes can give you great experience and exposure. My final advice is, never let any-one tell you that you are not good enough.

Ala Tchalabi, BA Economics & Finance, 2009 Economics Assistant, Economics & Evidence Team, South West Regional Development Agency

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