The Stages of your IY

As presented by previous Industrial Year Students

Alex• studying G401

• Worked for AREVA GmbH

• Nuclear Power Technologies Company

• Based in Erlangen, Germany

Helen• MEng Software Engineering

• Worked for CERN

• Particle Physics Research Labs

• Based near Geneva, Switzerland

Connor• MEng Software Engineering

• Worked for Renishaw plc

• Metrology & Spectroscopy Engineering Company

• Based in Wotton-Under-Edge

Jade• Studying G401

• Worked for Amadeus Germany GmbH

• Develop innovative travel solutions

• Based in Bad Homburg, Germany

Why an IY?• Relevant Experience

• Some of us have only been in the educational environment before now

• Earning Money

• Save money for future

• Afford life experiences

• Networking

• Training

• Future employment

The Stages of getting an IY

• Looking for placements

• Application

• Interviews and Assessments

• Getting to the Job

Looking for Placements

• IY Websites (gradcracker, milkround, target jobs)

• Check big companies’ websites…they may have opportunities on their careers page

• Careers service and departmental career lists

• CHECK YOUR EMAILS

• Don’t just apply for companies you’ve heard of

• and the ones you haven’t heard of…research!

• Or even just drop an email to companies and ask around friends, and talk to 3rd years and above!

The Application

• Don’t Panic

• You will fail….again….and again…and again

• But just keep trying

• You can still get offered a job in April, May, June…

Assessments• Online Assessments/Psychometric Tests

• Stay away from distractions

• Don’t worry about not finishing them, they’re there to test you to your limits

• Technical Interviews and Code Challenges

• Look for them online, and get an idea of what they’ll include

• Get the question idea and algorithm down…

• …the rest is trivial, and you’ve still shown you’re a structured worker who understands the problem

Telephone Interview • Have signal

• Don’t be scared to ask the department if you can use a landline

• You can even ask for a private room to take a call in

• Don’t worry if your signal cuts out…the company will probably call you back!

• Put on a shirt for skype interview…act like you’re in the room with them, even if there’s no video feed.

Assessment Days• If you are on an assessment day, stay calm; you’re

probably the top 10-20% of applicants already!

• Just know what the position should entail and research it before you go there

• Treat it like a networking event

• chat with current staff, your interviewers and your competitors

• Play nice

• they’ll be looking to see you work well with your competitors

In-Person Interviews• Have something non-tech related to talk about

• With evidence…”I like games” isn’t good, “I run ACOG gaming events” is

• And something non-course related that IS techy

• Put some stuff on GitHub, make your own website, join the robotics society…

• Research

• Know the company, know the industry, and know your own course

You’ve been given the offer!

• Congratulations!

• But don’t feel like you have to sign straight away

• there could be better choices, or some clause that makes you uncomfortable

• Decided you’ll take it? That’s the hard part done…now make sure you’ve got

• a house

• How will you get there, and get around once you are there?

• Look at your wage…what can you afford after rent and expenses?

If you’re going abroad…

• There will be a few more things to worry about

• Getting out there will be more expensive and you can bring less

• Housing will be different (ask your future employer to help)

• Look at your wage to living cost ratio

• Bank accounts are not fun, and neither are exchange rates

• people can help though

And since you are abroad…

Erasmus• You’ll need to apply early

http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/international/study-abroad/erasmus/

• It will help with money to get out there, and they offer support for language learning

• It requires legwork from the employee, the university and yourself…

• …but people are always accommodating, and it’s worth it!

The Language• Learning a language will help in work, your social life and

future employment

• It will be frustrating at first, but push through

• Many towns have a university that offers cheaper lessons for European students

• Having a social group with nationals and other learners can be a massive help

Travel• Take advantage of your new geographical location and

disposable income

• experience new cultures and traditions

• many places will be easier and cheaper to reach, relish the opportunity

You can contact us after today at afs10, clg11, heh14 or jhe2

or through the abercompsci facebook group

Any Questions?