Abigail Jefferson

Country of origin: United Kingdom

Placement: IBM

The sandwich degree structure was one of the features of the BBA degree that originally attracted me to it, so even if a placement year was not mandatory I would certainly have opted to do one. I wanted the experience on my CV once I left university, I was keen to improve my professionalism and my work ethic and I wanted the opportunity to establish if the ‘corporate world’ was what I wanted to focus my future on.

During the placement I worked within UKI Procurement. My job within procurement was centred on business controls and IBM policies and practices. I monitored the way business was conducted, ensuring best practice was followed and, when it wasn’t, finding the answer to why and how to prevent it re-occurring in the future.

I have enjoyed my placement year immensely. It has been a great learning experience which I would defiantly embark on again. I have learnt a lot about how to act in the work place, how to motivate yourself and manage priorities and it has given me a unique insight into what I want to do in the future. Aside from that, it has also been a great experience socially and I have made a lot of new friends and connections which will help me when it comes to applying for graduate roles.

The thing I have enjoyed most about my placement was learning about the job role, the department I worked in and about the people I worked with. Coming into work every day, I knew I was going to learn something new that would give me a greater understanding of my job role and my work surroundings. I enjoyed that the most, the unique feeling that colleagues confidence in your ability grows.

In my second year at university I found the weeklong placement preparation module to be enjoyable, it was great in terms of preparation for a dissertation and some of the tasks and talks were informative and relevant to the placement experience. Talking to 4th year students was also very useful, getting hints and tips on how to make your placement year one of the best you will have in University was essential. The careers team in the Management School were very good in terms of making students aware of what opportunities are out there and how to reach for them. For example, there was always drop in sessions and opportunities to review applications, CVs or discuss interview techniques.

Once I graduate, I intend to apply for a range of graduate jobs within different organisations. I believe my year placement will help me stand out among other graduates who may have less work experience. The experiences I have had on placement have given me a wealth of examples I can use to answer application and interview questions, which will demonstrate the skills I will bring into the workplace. In addition, whilst on placement I have attended workshops and worked with my managers to improve my performance in assessment centres, interviews and application writing. It gives you a unique insight talking through a previous application with someone who hired you, discussing what you did well and what you could have improved.