From dissertations to exams, planning a graduation fit and looking for a graduate job or scheme, we know there’s loads to think about. So to help you get on top of your applications and secure that all-important role, we’ve created your ultimate graduate job timeline.

Inside you’ll find all the key dates and top tips. Click below! It’s free.

Graduate Tips

Once you’ve downloaded your timeline check out all the advice below to help you slay the graduation application process like an absolute boss.

A Guide to Graduate Jobs

Find out everything there is to know about graduate jobs and schemes, the difference, who’s hiring and how to apply.

Writing a Graduate CV

Your staring point: a CV that shows off your skills and grabs an employer’s attention. We’ve also included a free template!

Writing a Graduate Cover Letter

A good CV comes with a great cover letter. Here’s how to write one.

Be Interview Ready

Have you been invited to an interview? That’s great! Here’s everything you should expect including commonly asked questions and how to answer them.

Feeling ready to jump in? We have over 300 graduate roles waiting for your application. Click below to get started.

The post The Ultimate Graduate Job Timeline appeared first on RateMyPlacement.

It’s easy to compare yourself with your friends, who may have landed a placement within the first few months of applying. But for others, they may be on their 100th application. That’s okay. If you fall into one of these categories, this is for you.

There are hundreds of other opportunities out there just for you, whether it feels like it right now or not. You just need to do a little bit of digging – but that’s where we come in. 

Let’s get into it

• Reach out to your university
• Look for alternatives
• Upskilling yourself in other ways
• Focus on your studies

Reach out to your university

If you didn’t manage to secure a placement year, your first point of call is your university.

If your university course has a compulsory placement year, there should be support there to help you every step of the way, whether that’s looking at other options or other ways of helping out.

They may look to see if there are any campus-based opportunities or projects you can take on as part of your placement year.

You’ll still gain the necessary experience you need to snap up a role after graduation.

Don’t assume that your university won’t help you, all university career departments should be, all hands on deck when these unexpected situations happen.

It’s hard not to get wrapped up in emotions application season. Let’s talk.

Look for alternatives

Finding a placement is HARD (speaking from experience). According to the Institute of Student Employers, there are around 91 applicants per role, so it’s super competitive.

If you do miss out, think about the things you were going to gain through doing a placement year and how you can achieve them without doing one.

Ask yourself these questions: 

• Did you have any goals you would’ve liked to set yourself? 
• Was there a certain skill you wanted to learn?
• Did you want to get over your fear of presenting in front of people?
• Was there an area of the business that you were excited about learning about?

Your main goal should of course to be enhance your employability with relevant industry knowledge and real-life work experience. 

So, what can you do to gain this without a placement year? Read on to find out.

Upskilling yourself in other ways

Not doing a placement year isn’t the end of the world, but you’ll need to find ways to stand out above the rest.

Here are some other ways you can gain the skills and industry knowledge without having to do a placement.

These are all great ways to make sure you’re getting the experience you need. You need to make sure you are doing things that other candidates aren’t necessarily doing.

This way you’ll have;

• more experiences and skills to add to your CV
• more to discuss in your interview
• more of a chance to impress your employer.

Go and take control of your career progression, because it’s only you that can make it happen.

Depending on what time you’re reading this, it’s potentially not too late to apply for a placement either. Most of our roles go live between September and February. Check out what’s still available.

Focus on your studies

If your placement isn’t compulsory, you may just have to return to university to complete your final year. Which isn’t a bad thing at all.

With no placement disrupting your university mindset, you can focus on being an academic weapon and spend more time on your readings, essays, coursework, exam prep and of course your big dissertation.

Try and bridge the experience gap by doing as well as you can.

REMINDER

Focus on applying for graduate roles right away. Many students don’t realise that they start to open in early September. Here are some examples of transferable skills that you’ll need to include in your application.

So you’ve now found out about the available opportunities. What are your next steps? Whether that’s looking into insight schemes or reaching out to do some volunteer work, we want you to know.

Not finding a placement is only a small bump in the road, it’s not something you massively need to worry over, either. Just do your best, as that’s all that anyone can ask for.

Remember things happen for a reason, there may be your dream grad role still waiting for you after your final year.

Good Luck!

The post What Happens If I Don’t Get A Placement? appeared first on RateMyPlacement.

This is your guide to the highest-paid work experience schemes in the UK.

• The average salary for placements this year is £20,346 a year
• The average salary for interns this year is slightly higher, at £20,415 on a pro-rata basis

Keep reading for a breakdown of average salary by industry and region…

How did we work out the average salaries?

Last year, over 6,000 students submitted reviews on RateMyPlacement.co.uk about their undergraduate work experience.

In each review, they responded to a series of questions about their role, the company they worked for and the perks of their scheme.

Students also revealed their salary information*, enabling their peers to discover how much they would be paid if they worked for a particular employer, or on a similar scheme.

Using the data from the reviews, we were able to work the average salaries for jobs in different industries, and in various regions across the UK.

*around 5-10% is taken off the top and bottom figures to make averages more realistic.

Highest paid internships and placements

By industry

These are the highest-paying industries for placements and internships in the UK.

Who knew that you could earn over £30k by getting work experience?

Just imagine what you could do with that sort of money… you could be very sensible and put it all in the bank or book an all-expenses paid trip to Dubai.

Highest paid internships by industry

Highest paid placements by industry

By region

These are the average salaries for different regions in the UK. (Bear in mind that London tends to have higher average salaries because the cost of living is more expensive.)

Looking for work experience? Find out more about the Best Student Employers in the UK. They are the creme de la creme when it comes to paid placements and internships.

We believe ALL internships should be paid

At RateMyPlacement.co.uk, we believe that ALL interns and placement students should be paid a fair salary for their work.

During a work experience placement, you will effectively assume the responsibilities of a regular employee – so it’s only fair that you’re rewarded (and paid) like any other worker.

Most companies do now pay their interns a decent wage, and on our jobs page, we don’t advertise any unpaid internships in the UK.

If you have a spare 3.5 minutes, read our blog Why I Regret Doing an Unpaid Internship, written by a member of the RateMyPlacement.co.uk team who did four. Wow.

The post The Highest Paid Internships & Placements in the UK appeared first on RateMyPlacement.

So you’re back at uni, and into the swing of things. Only this time, you’ve got an application to get your head around too – your placement year application. 

We know how tough it is knowing what to apply for and when, especially with all those lectures and seminars popping up. So we’ve put together a placement year timeline to help you navigate your application journey with ease.

It’ll guide you through everything from application deadlines to interview prep, assessment centres to call-back days.

What’s in the timeline?

Well… many things. We’ve created this timeline to guide you through your placement year application, ramp up your employability and give you a step up on the career ladder.

Let’s take a sneak peek of what it all includes…

September – November: This is when we have the most roles live on RateMyPlacement. So now is the time to apply, apply, apply!

December – January: Every company differs, but most will invite you for first-stage interviews around this time. It can be tough, but our biggest advice is not to compare yourself to others. Everyone has a different journey to finding their placement.

February – April: You’ll start attending final interviews and assessment centres. Haven’t found your placement yet? There’s still time. We have roles going live all year round so keep your eyes peeled for any that take your fancy and apply as soon as you can.

May – August: Congrats! Now’s the time you’ll find out you’ve secured that placement. Next, you’ll need to find accommodation for the year ahead and apply for your maintenance loan.

Find all the information you need about what to do with your student finance and accommodation in our go-to guide to industrial placements.

The post The Ultimate Placement Year Timeline appeared first on RateMyPlacement.

A good mentor can provide advice, guidance and clarity at any stage of your career or life, whether you’re stuck on an assignment you just can’t get your head around or you’re an intern whose just taken your first step into the corporate world. 

But finding one is another story. So, where do you even begin? Before you just go and ask anyone to set up a random weekly call to chat about everything and anything, let’s look at what mentorship is, the benefits and how you can find one yourself.

• What is mentorship?
• Why it can be important for your career
• How to find a mentor
• Setting goals and expectations
• What do students say about their mentors

What is mentorship?

A mentorship is where a mentor, helps to support an individual with either personal or professional growth. Essentially, someone you can go to for advice, feedback and a general chit-chat about work.

You might already be familiar with mentoring already and have had some sort of mentoring whether with a lecturer or even your classmates or students in the years above you.

There are many different types of mentorships, let’s take a look at a few:

Group mentoring

A mentor works with multiple mentees in a group, meeting regularly to discuss relevant topics.

Peer mentoring

Working with someone of the same level to offer feedback, assess one another or even grading each other in certain assignments. 

Reverse mentoring

A two-way relationship where both the mentee and mentor benefit. It can help people gain confidence, try new experiences, and broaden their ideas.

Traditional mentoring

A more experienced mentor provides ongoing advice to a mentee, including guidance on career decisions and challenges.

So now you know what mentorship is, how will it help you? Let’s get into it.

Thinking about applying for placements in September? Here are:

Why it can be important for your career

Having a mentor can positively impact your career development, in more ways than you may think.

You want to make sure you’re taking full advantage of your placement year. Whether that’s learning loads, networking and setting yourself goals that you can achieve throughout your journey. A mentor will help with that.

General Support and Guidance 

Starting your placement is a DAUNTING experience, imposter syndrome is in full swing and you’re constantly doubting yourself in all facets.

Having a mentor for these exact reasons alone should convince you to look into finding one. 

A great mentor will:

• Provide a different perspective when you are being your biggest self-critic
• Motivate you to ask any enquiries you may have
• Push you to shout about new ideas
• Encourage you to be your passionate self. 

Think of a mentor as your personal agony aunt. Having this confidence to push yourself out of your comfort zone will not only leave you with more chances to get involved in so many key business projects but even more experiences and opportunities to talk about, in your coursework, in interviews and to put on your CV!

How to find a mentor

Firstly, think about whether you actually need a mentor. There are plenty of ways to decide this. You should always consider what you want from your work experience. Ask yourself some of the following questions…

• Are you someone who can flourish on your own or would you prefer a little guidance?
• Do you have the means to actively find out about other parts of the business, without a mentor?
• Are you going to learn something new?
• Do you think you’ll need advice during your work experience?

It may be a good idea to speak with your manager and see if they have anyone in mind who would be good to mentor you. You may find that some of your colleagues did a placement year themselves which is a really good starting point when deciding who to ask.

What to look for in a mentor and how to reach out

Explore possible mentors, a way to do this is to always have it in the back of your mind when meeting new people that you work with, will you be able to learn from them? Is there specific knowledge I can gain from talking with them?

Ask someone you also think you’ll get along with. We 100% don’t want awkward meetings or your mentoring sessions being something you dread. So our advice is to base it on friendships or positive connections you’ve made within the company. But equally don’t choose someone you talk to every day.

Reaching out is the easy part! The worst that could happen is they’ll say no, BUT at least you tried.

Don’t forget, they’ll only ever say no if they feel as though they don’t have the time – it’s not you, it’s them.

Setting goals and expectations

You may be thinking, what can I expect from a mentor if I get one? Setting goals is a great way to start mentorship meetings, these goals could be around:

• What would you like to get out of your placement or internship?
• Are there certain metrics you’d like to hit in the year?
• Is there a fear you want to get over? For example, public speaking

You can then treat these meetings as catch-ups on where you are at with your goals, and if there’s anything your mentor can do to ensure they are achievable. 

Make sure that these goals fit the SMART Objectives format for the best chance of success. Discussing them with your mentor will not only allow you to set the right goals for you but will also hold you accountable.

Here’s what SMART Objectives stands for: 

S – Specific 

M – Measurable

A – Achievable

R – Relevant

T – Time Based

TOP TIP
Make sure to write these goals down, so that when it comes to writing your university coursework or updating your CV you can remember what you’ve achieved throughout your work experience.

Counting down the days to move back to university? Attending freshers and careers fairs might be the last thing on your mind. But here’s Why You Should Go to A Careers Fair

What do students say about their mentors?

“Having a mentor has been a game changer. It’s great for someone like me who has a million questions that may sound “too stupid” to ask in meetings. I’ve asked my mentor just about everything from how a certain software works to what to wear to the work party.

They’re fantastic for getting to grips with the company culture, how things operate, and who does what. Especially if you’re on a placement year, their pot of experience is going to be so much fuller than yours and you’ll end up learning things 10x faster!“

Rhea, RateMyPlacement Campaigns Placement Student

“Getting a mentor is so much easier than I thought it would be, literally asked him and he agreed. It’s so useful to have someone outside of your direct working circle to address any struggles or celebrate successes as they act like a third body.

I would definitely recommend getting one as you can learn about things you wouldn’t necessarily have otherwise if they are in a different team. And most importantly, it’s just nice to have someone else to rely on and ask those silly questions you don’t feel you can ask anyone else.”

Lucy, RateMyPlacement Marketing Placement Student

There are 1001 bits to tick off your list when it comes to preparing for work experience, make sure that finding a mentor is one of your top priorities – it’ll make your experience extra special. 

Good luck!

The post What Is A Mentor And How To Find One appeared first on RateMyPlacement.

Firstly, breathe and remember why you applied for a placement (and beat 100s of other students) in the first place…to gain top-tier work experience.

While you may feel as though your first week will be super daunting, we’ve expertly picked five things you should do, to make sure you thrive. Read on to find out more. 

• Don’t stress
• Reach out to previous placement students
• Meet as many people as possible 
• Find your way
• Ask questions! 

Don’t stress 

Your first week will be about inductions, training and settling in. You won’t be expected to come in all guns blazing, with wild ideas on how you could change the business. You’ll simply just be expected to arrive, be yourself and be eager to learn everything you can. 

I know. I know. It’s easy to overthink, especially when it comes to totally new experiences like your first interview, moving out for the first time or stepping into the corporate world for your placement year or grad role. 

Of course, you’re going to be nervous, and believe you and me so was I. It’s just the not-so-little things like work experience that we need to push ourselves to personally and professionally grow!

You’ve got this.

Feeling nervous about starting work experience? Give this a read:

Reaching out to previous placement students

Whether it’s the previous placement student at the company you’re about to start with or one from another company, drop them a message on LinkedIn for some last-minute advice!

The worst that will happen is that you won’t receive a reply, but in most cases, past and present placement students will be super up for giving out advice and tips for your first week.

Your message could go something like this:

If you can’t find the previous placement student from your company, I would always recommend finding someone who went to your university, it always makes it easier to connect with someone who already has something in common with you.

Meet as many people as possible 

Especially during the first few weeks/months of your placement, get involved in as many key projects, meetings and socials as possible. I said to myself, especially when working from home a lot, to try to message someone new every day, whether that’s to say hi, ask about an issue you’re having or reach out to find out more about a certain aspect of the business. 

When in the office, introduce yourself to people and start new conversations. Throughout the year, I’ve found that the more people you meet and interact with, the more opportunities you’ll have coming your way, within different departments too!

Obviously, say yes to as many of these opportunities as possible, but also know that you are totally okay to push a deadline back if you find that your workload is too busy, or even say no.

REMINDER: 

Throughout these meetings or social events keep in mind who you would want to mentor you!

Having a mentor during your placement can be a key highlight of your year. This will be someone who can guide you, encourage new ideas and act as a place to discuss any concerns or queries you may have. It’s totally worth it.

Not doing a placement year, but hoping to do a summer internship? 

Find your way

Take every opportunity that comes your way, but also don’t be afraid to create opportunities for yourself. 

You could do this by:

• Asking to sit in or shadow in certain meetings
• Setting up calls with people you want to learn more from
• Expressing your interest in wanting to develop new skills such as presenting 
• Setting goals outside of your normal day-to-day responsibilities to push for more varied work
• Reaching out to different departments to acknowledge that you are happy to support new projects.

This is your year, make the most of learning from industry professionals.

When researching placements, I also looked at days in the life to get a grasp as to what my day could look like, check out mine here!

Ask questions! 

Asking questions is the only way you’ll learn and overcome certain tasks and projects. I think as placement students especially we step into our year of work hoping we’ll just know and pick up on how to do everything straight away.

Of course, this isn’t the case. You will have to get people to go over what they mean by “ROI” or “USP”, which is how they’ll learn to know what you’ll need more support on and how you’ll actively learn what you’d like to learn more about!

Asking these questions will show enthusiasm and your passion for the role, so ask away!

We hope you are feeling a little bit more relaxed about the thought of starting your placement or internship.

Just remember who you are, what you’ve already achieved and that the employers want YOU.

Good Luck!

The post Your Guide to Thriving in the First Week of Your Placement appeared first on RateMyPlacement.

There are probably a whole bunch of questions swirling around your head right now: How do I do it? When can I fit in me-time? What role did I apply for again? Trust me, I asked myself all these questions, and more, when I was applying for a placement.

It’s so important to take the time to plan so you don’t stress yourself out. Read on for some tips on how to slay your uni life and manage your placement applications.

• Know What You Want
• Know Your Uni Deadlines
• Company Cheat Sheet
• Don’t Compete with Those Around You
• Schedule Time for Your Friends, Family and Yourself

Know What You Want

Have a look around and see which companies you like the look of.

RateMyPlacement’s ‘Register Your Interest’ feature is a great place to start. You’ll see jobs before anyone’s for roles that take your fancy, and we’ll let you know when the application period goes live. We also regularly post stories with current ‘Register Your Interest’ Roles on our Instagram @RateMyPlacement_offical (give us a follow while you’re over there!). 

This can help you prepare your application ahead of time so as soon as that window opens you can submit your application.

Also, you’re allowed to be selective! Don’t just apply for a company because you can think about yourself in that role and environment. Would you enjoy it? If the answer is no, there’s probably a role a lot more fitting for you out there.

Know Your Uni Deadlines

Deadlines tend to creep up on you. To avoid the jumpscare, as soon as you know when you have to hand in your assignments or do an exam, write it down. Have a list of them above your desk, have them down on your calendar, and do whatever you need to do to make sure you don’t forget about them. 

Make a plan of action for when you do want to start writing your assignments or revising for your exams. There’s never any harm in starting early either.

If you’ve got a RateMyPlacement account (which we 20000% recommend, obvi), you can keep track of all your applications and your saved companies and roles all in the same place. 

I know I STRUGGLED to keep track of where all my applications were, even more so if it was a portal that needed a login and password (also my fault for never writing down the passwords).

If you’re still struggling with stress, read our blog on how to manage stress during university.

Company Cheat Sheet

It’s really easy to lose track of what the company does, what values they hold and what you’ve applied for. And, what makes the whole process even harder is that sometimes you have to wait months in between application stages which can result in you forgetting what you’ve applied for.

So to help you keep track, we’ve put together a FREE company cheat sheet for you to fill in during your job search. We’ve included an example to get you started, don’t forget to delete it before you fill it in.

Some key things to keep note of about a company you’re applying for:

• What do they do?
• What are their values and how do they align with your own?
• What is the role you’re applying for?
• What does this role entail and how would your experience help you do it?
• Where is their office based?

Keeping a cheat sheet will make your application journey go so much smoother and you’ll be able to better manage those quick turnarounds! 

Don’t Compete with Those Around You

Being around people who are also placement hunting is a double-edged sword. On one side, you get to share the highs and lows with those around you, but on the other, it might be hard to not see them as your competition. 

Just because one person secured their placement in September doesn’t mean you are behind. Always do your best, but don’t push yourself to be at someone else’s best.

Keep doing what you need to do, attend your lectures, take time for yourself and apply for the roles that take your fancy. Never bring yourself down because you see other people handling placement applications and uni differently. There’s not one right way to deal with this year. 

Just keep going at the pace that works for you.

Schedule Time for Your Friends, Family and Most Importantly Yourself

Putting together a burnt-out job seeker and a burned-out student into one person is never ideal. These two negatives, unfortunately, don’t make a positive. 

So, it’s crucial that you make that time for yourself and the people you love. Even if it’s just going for coffee with your friend, calling your family on your journey back from uni, putting on your guilty pleasure film while you cook dinner or getting yourself a sweet treat for simply waking up (I recommend all of the above). 

Small acts of self-love go a long way so please prioritise them if you still find yourself struggling. Find out more:

Whatever you do, don’t be too hard on yourself. Placement hunting and going to uni is so difficult and as long as you’re making it through, that’s all that counts. 

Always reach out to your uni career officers, uni wellbeing team, friends and family for extra support if you need it. There’s never any shame in asking for help.

The post How to Balance Placement Hunting While at Uni appeared first on RateMyPlacement.

“Do you consider yourself to have a disability?“

You don’t know why the employer is asking you the question; or what the consequences will be if you say that you do have a disability; or what judgements will be made; or will they just reject you? And so you say that you don’t have a disability, even though you do. 

The reality is that employers are looking to recruit the very best talent, and they recognise that this includes individuals who have a disability or health condition. They want you to inform them about your disability or, more specifically, the support that you will need through the recruitment process so that you can demonstrate your potential.

Only you can decide whether you are going to be open. The following are 5 reasons that you may wish to tell an employer:

Reason #1: You can request the adjustments/support you need

The main reason for telling an employer that you have a disability is to obtain the adjustments and/or support that you require during the recruitment process. Obtaining this support will enable you to demonstrate your full potential and your suitability for the role. Without it, you may be rejected for a role that you are more than capable of doing.

Reason #2: You can discuss your disability positively with an employer

When you are open about your disability, you have full control over what information you share and the way your disability is perceived by others. This is your opportunity to present your disability positively to an employer.

By articulating the skills and strengths you have developed as a result of managing your disability on a day-to-day basis, you will leave the employer with a positive impression of your abilities.

Reason #3: You can draw on your disability to demonstrate the required competencies

During an interview, an employer will ask you questions about your competencies, skills and strengths, and ask you to provide examples of when you have demonstrated these. If you have been open about your disability, you will be able to draw on the unique skills and competencies that you have developed because of managing and adapting, to your disability.

These may include skills such as resilience, determination, flexibility and problem-solving which are qualities they are likely to be recruiting for.

Reason #4: You can be yourself

It makes sense to be open about your disability because it is part of who you are. Rather than trying to cover it up, being open about your disability with an employer can help you focus on being yourself and positively presenting your talents and abilities.

Equally, trying to keep a ‘secret’ takes a lot of effort. The effort you use trying to cover up your disability would be much better spent focused on demonstrating what a great candidate you are.

Reason #5: Your disability will help you stand out

Employers receive 1000s of applications every year for their student and graduate programmes. Standing out and ensuring you are remembered, for the right reasons, is hard for any applicant. However, as someone with a disability or health condition, you can positively use this to stand out in the crowd and be remembered by those who read your application and who interview you.

By articulating your achievements, despite having a disability and the barriers that this can present, you can stand out as an exceptional candidate and one who can add value and make a positive difference to the organisation you are applying to.

For more advice and information, become a member of www.myplusstudentsclub.com, for free, and explore our eBooks covering a range of topics such as disclosure, making an application and requesting adjustments.

MyPlus Students’ Club is a free online resource for students that offers comprehensive guidance on all aspects of applying for a job or internship with a disability, as well as providing connections to, and jobs with disability confident graduate employers.

Author: Helen Cooke, Director and Founder of MyPlus Students’ Club

The post Disclosing Your Disability to an Employer: 5 Reasons to be Open appeared first on RateMyPlacement.