Placements & Internships

What, When, How & Why

Jennifer Jones
Careers Adviser
 Session Objectives
What is a placement?
What is an internship?
When do I complete a placement or internship?
When do I apply by?
Why are they important?
Why should I do a placement/internship?
How do I find one?
How do I make a good application?
How to make the most of the opportunity?

What other support is available?

 What are Placements & Internships?
Placement
Short term unpaid work experience
e.g. shadowing
Or
Work Placement, sometimes
completed as part of your course. Can
be taken as part of a sandwich year.
Longer term placements should be
paid.
Internship
A period of work experience lasting for
a fixed period of time anywhere
between a week and 12 months.
Summer internships
Graduate internships
Paid or unpaid depending on the
project.
 What else?
Virtual Work Experience

Opportunity to complete work experience from home.

Requires a laptop/computer and stable internet connection.

Usually short-term, unpaid. Some charge a fee.

Examples include:
Forage
Barclays Life Skills
Bright Network Internship Experience UK 2024
Santander Open Academy
Springpod
 What else?
Pre-Internships & Insight Schemes

Opportunity to understand a business in more detail

Still require a formal application

A great way to build up confidence and skills before applying for more
formal work experience.

Can be called other names such as “Student Leadership Experience” or

“Career Discovery Programmes”

Usually short-term, unpaid.

 When should I participate?
As soon as you can!

Placement years often take place between 2 nd & 3rd year UG.

Summer Internships are often aimed at students about to enter their final
year.

However, you can complete work experience whenever it suits you – the
earlier the better!

Some virtual experiences can be done at your own pace over a few
hours.

Graduate Internships are aimed at fresh graduates.

 When do I need to apply?
Apply early!

Sept – Dec is when majority of paid

opportunities will advertise for opportunities
taking place from the following summer onwards.

Competitive opportunities advertise up to

18 months in advance!

Send speculative applications for work shadowing placements which can be

arranged within a shorter timeframe.

Some opportunities may still be open a few months before their start
date.
 Why are they important?

Just having your degree is not enough.

Develop skills, independence, and confidence.

They can help you fast-track company talent pipelines.

A chance to network and be mentored.

 Why should I consider one?

Help you decide which career path you want to pursue.

A chance to put theory into practice in a supported environment.

A safe environment to ask questions, make mistakes and learn.

Work experience will help you develop emotional intelligence and

maturity – it shows employers you’re ready to work!

Graduates with work experience are more employable than those

without.
How do I find a placement or internship?

Speculative
approaches
Employer Social
Websites Media

Current Finding Salford Uni

Network Work Placements
Teams
Experience

Events &
Jobs
Careers
Boards
Fairs
Handshake
 Jobs Boards
Searches job sites and collates vacancies. Generic Student & Grad Sites:

Examples of general jobs boards: www.targetjobs.co.uk

Indeed Totaljobs www.gradcracker.com
Adzuna CV Library
www.milkround.com
JobRapido Fish4Jobs
www.studentjob.co.uk
www.brightnetwork.co.uk
Top Tips:
www.ratemyplacement.co.uk
 Use the Advanced Search tool
www.prospects.ac.uk
 Set up job alerts
 Handshake Scan me to
register on
Handshake!

 Create a Handshake Profile to attract employers to your

account.
 Tailor your Handshake experience to be shown the jobs that suit
you.
 Engage in 1 to 1 chats with employers before you apply for a
job to create a great first impression before you’ve even
submitted your application.
 Use the website or download the app!
 Employer Websites & Social Media

 Companies may not advertise their jobs anywhere else

 Register your interest page: Grad schemes / Internships / Placements
 Don’t stop at their website: check social media & LinkedIn
 Create a target list to check regularly
 Submit Speculative Applications to smaller employers without student / graduate
programmes
 Using Social Media
 Create a professional online presence – Google yourself!
 Active LinkedIn profile with pictures are much more likely to attract recruiters
 Use key words carefully in your LinkedIn headline
 Follow business pages and their recruiters

(employability coordinator, talent acquisition, sourcing specialist, staffing manager, recruitment consultant,
graduate engagement, student recruitment)

 Follow alumni working in your chosen area

 Send personalised message connections with LinkedIn requests
Hidden Jobs / Opportunities

 Not all roles are widely advertised

 Not all sectors have standard work experience
but may be open to shadowing
 Word-of-mouth, networking
 Make it known what you’re interested in
 Utilise social media
 Make the most of your network at uni
 How do I apply?

Apply through jobs boards and vacancy portals.

Submit an online application through the employer’s website.

Send a speculative application with a CV and Cover Letter attached.

Think about what you have to offer – not just what you want to gain!
 Professional CVs
× Don’t include a photo
× Don’t include your date of birth
× Don’t include your marital status
× Don’t include your nationality
× Don’t go for clichés that recruiters have seen before

 Do include a Professional Profile paragraph

 Do prioritise your relevant experience and skills
 Do include your education in reverse order (most recent first)
 Do fill 1 – 2 pages maximum
 Do link to your portfolio if relevant
 How Do I Know What to Say?
What does the reader need to know about you?
What key messages do you want to tell them?
Analyse the Job advert / description / person specification
Research the organisation:
What sort of person works there?
How do my skills fit in? How can I be useful?
Check out their website
“About us”, “Our values”, “Our team”…
Use sites like prospects.ac.uk/ for lists of key skills for relevant job roles
Talk to people from the business – campus visits, job fairs etc.
Use Advantage & Handshake to find detail.
 Use convincing language
Not just what you did – how you did it.

Quantify results, outcomes, & feedback from others.

Use recent experiences – from all parts of your life.

Make an impact with your language:

Set up: founded, launched, introduced
Sorted out: reorganised, resolved, transformed
Made better: simplified, eliminated, improved
Made: Developed, created, designed

https://uk.indeed.com/career-advice/cvs-cover-letters/action-verbs-to-make-your-cv-stand-out
 STAR Method
For Cover Letters, Applications & Interview Questions

Situation Task Action Result

Explain the What were you What actions did Quantify your
situation to put trying to achieve? you take? How did outcomes. What
your example into What was the your contribution did you learn from
context – when purpose and why make a difference? it that you’ll apply
and where did this was it important? to your next role?
happen?

10- 10-
10% 60%
20% 20%

Also known as CAR method:

Context, Action, Result
https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/careers-advice/interview-advice/the-star-method
https://www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/interview-tips/competency-based-interviews
 CareerSet

 CareerSet utilises Artificial Intelligence technology to generate constructive feedback

 CV Feedback & Score
 Cover Letter Feedback & Score
 Targeted CV/Cover Letter – upload with a Job Description for more accurate feedback
 Available online, free, 24/7
 careerset.com/account-login.php
 Shortlist.Me

 Don’t let your job interview be your first interview! Practice makes perfect.
 Use pre-generated interviews from employers such as PwC, NHS, Virgin Media, Enterprise-
Rent-A-Car & many more!
 Get instant feedback and watch your answers back to help you improve
 https://go.shortlister.com/marketplace/uniofsalford
How do I make the most of a placement or internship?

 Get involved & be curious.

 Plan ahead which skills you want to develop and ask your manager how you can do so.
 Ask questions. People understand that you are still learning.
 Be open minded and offer to help with other things if you have capacity.
 Tell people when things don't make sense, even if you feel silly. It's better to understand the brief
before trying to do the job. And if you do your job well you will make a great impression.
 Be sociable but avoid office politics/gossiping.
 Keep in touch afterwards.
 Top Tips!
 Research widely and apply early!
 Use positive and convincing language in your applications
 Always tailor your all parts of your applications
 Consider alternative methods of gaining experience
 Use this learning tool to help you write a great CV:
https://alt-5ef7520cc59b1.blackboard.com/bbcswebdav/library/Library%20Content/professional-cv/index.html?source_domain=blackboard.salford.ac.uk#/

Speak to your Careers Team and Employability Teams!

 Free Careers Support for Life
We offer the following services:

1:1 Appointments Mock Interviews

Workshops Drop Ins
Handshake Careers Fairs
LinkedIn Learning Visit our Careers Hub

Find out more:

Visit our website: salford.ac.uk/careers
Email us: careers&enterprise@salford.ac.uk
Phone us: 0161 295 0023
Your Careers Hub
Get in touch!
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