Career Taster Review

We were taught the basic skills needed when applying to jobs and also given insight into options for both university and career choices. They did this by incorporating many ice-breaker tasks and activities into our daily agenda. A few examples would be giving presentations to fellow students and problem solving games to play.

I learnt how to better write a CV, personal statement and cover letter as well as developing existing skills such as teamwork, confidence and communication. They did this by individually giving us feedback on CV's we were given time to right and also personal statements. They also, pointed out the common mistakes made by people when writing a CV and also pointed out the mistakes which other students may have made in the room and explained how we could all improve.

I really enjoyed it as the mentors were very outgoing and entertaining and I managed to meet many new people both professional and student. Another reason I enjoyed it was because I was really given the opportunity to expand my skill set as well as improve on skills i may have already had which will I think will definitely be advantageous.

The programme was very well-structure in my opinion, as soon as everyone was in (at a punctual time) the staff knew exactly what we were doing and we were also informed of the agenda every morning, so we weren't left in the dark. Not only did this mean that the overall programme was structured, but I think it also allowed students to plan themselves what they were going to do during some of the stated activities, over the course of the 3-day time period. This meant that the programme was jam packed but also very efficient considering the limited time we had.

From personal experience I know for sure that I was given the help and advice I needed to carry out tasks during the day, and I was also responded to with prompt answers to any questions which I may have had at the time which I found very helpful, however I do recall some students mentioning the fact that they didn't receive much one to one time with the staff but that was understandable in my opinion considering the fact there were 40 students between two staff members in our 3 8 hour days.

The programme wasn't targeted at working towards a certain qualification however most people in the room were considering if not wanted to have a career in finance and we were certainly prompted with advice and information about the sector. We were given insight into day to day life and we got to speak to people who worked at the firm to see if Finance was the right career path for us which was really helpful. Also as stated above, we were taught useful skills to benefit us during the application process to apply for jobs in the sector in future maybe.

At the time I cannot answer this question as I have yet come across the opportunity to utilise the skills which I have approved upon, however in terms of day to day life, i have seen the programme massively boost my confidence and professional, social skills which is fundamental at this stage, as those skills are vital in an working environment.

At the programme we were informed of many extra-curricular programmes which we were running such as the LGBTQ Society in which people work towards making the topic socially normal. They also had programmes, which aim to help charities and I believe that is vital to get involved in as it is important.

Yes

Perhaps there are better programmes out there, however this programme truly allowed me to develop and also gain fundamental skills. It also allowed me to expand my network of connections which I feel will definitely benefit anyone else, which is why i recommended the programme to fellow peers at school.

My advice would be to be yourself, push yourself and to explore new things. Those three personal things really allowed me to be comfortable during the programme whilst also allowing me to focus on improving myself. I think that it also successfully got me through the application process as employers aren't looking for robots, they are looking for people.