Placements - BBS Careers

A lot of our students are right in the thick of it for applications - applying to placements, internships and graduate roles, the lot! For those of you who might not be sure where to get started, one of our final year students Joanne who has just come back from her placement year with Unilever and a summer internship with Standard Chartered shares her top tips and advice!

As everyone I am sure knows by now, I am always incredibly proud of our BBS students but its projects like the below that make me even more proud to showcase the incredible work they achieve whilst here! Super excited to say that due to the hard work of a very talented group of BBS students, the UoB HR Society is back up and running with a full committee and incredible upcoming event series! If you are a UOB student connected to me who is interested in HR, check out their LinkedIn page below and also follow them so you don’t miss out on upcoming events. Such a great way to meet likeminded people too - I am so proud of all the committees hard work! UoB HR Society #HR #StudentSocieties Placements - BBS Careers Maja Chamczynska Olivia Randhawa Faisa Syahla Sabila Ria Agrawal

We have had lots of new first year students following our page starting their journey at UoB which is so exciting and we know a lot of you are already thinking about ways to boost your employability including Spring Insight Weeks and deciding on whether to apply or not! So with that in mind, one of our brilliant final year students Joanne Amoah has shared some of her advice on making the most out of Spring Weeks!

We can’t believe how time has flown but last week, we had the privilege to celebrate and welcome back our 2023-2024 placement students!! It was amazing to catch up with everyone and re-connect you to each other and the Business School. This year felt even more special as we welcomed back our first cohort of Economics and Accounting and Finance students too. It's been amazing to watch our Placement programme grow and see the amazing impact you have all had and will continue to have on businesses and teams- thank you Yao Yao and Helen Brain for your support. Huge thank you to Kelly Smith for sharing your advice and words with the final years and Tripp Martin for welcoming everyone back. Excited to see where this year takes you all and we look forward to continuing to catch up and support you in your final year and beyond!

It's Welcome Week! Such an exciting and busy time welcoming our students arriving at UoB to officially kickstart their University experience! The BBS Careers Team are on hand throughout your time here to advise and support you on your employability journey! Whether that be applying for roles, connecting with employers or simply just a careers chat to figure out what might be next - we are here to help! Although campus is a little drizzly today and doesn't quite look like the gorgeous photo below, we hope all of our incoming first year students have a brilliant week ahead and we look forward to meeting you over the year!

Key graduate role/placement year/internship resources below as the new recruitment cycle starts: Reminder to all BBS students, you can book an appointment with the team through Careers Connect! https://lnkd.in/e8aggT94

Next in our graduate spotlight series is Jemima Dover, one of our 2023 graduates who completed a placement with Sony Electronics! Not only was it a jam-packed role but she utilised her experience and exposure to then secure a graduate role with the7stars and is already a year into her time there. She shares why she would always recommend a placement year to anyone and everyone! 'My placement role was in Product Marketing at Sony Electronics Europe, within their Video & Sound team. In a nutshell, my team worked on the marketing journey of Sony headphones, earphones, speakers and soundbars/systems from their initial product development, to launch date, to monitoring their performance post-launch. Working for Sony Europe meant that my team supported the marketing teams across Europe, allowing me to have excellent first-hand experience in cross-cultural communication. On a day to day basis, my placement largely involved working with product samples - testing them out to check their quality, organising the logistics of shipping them out to regional Sony marketing teams for dealer events, and supporting the organisation of dealer events in the UK. On top of this, I reported on how accurately products were launched onto retailer websites across Europe (e.g. checking if Amazon Spain had uploaded the correct pictures/product description of newly launched headphones) and checking for any key product reviews to flag to my team. My placement highlight was flying out to Germany to promote the Sony Linkbuds at a gaming convention in Munich! I had an incredible year at Sony and learned so much about the role of a marketer in the business world. Whilst it was sometimes difficult to balance Uni work and placement applications in 2nd year, it was absolutely worth it to gain a year of first-hand industry experience in an environment where you are supported by your team and the amazing BBS Careers team. The organisational, professionalism and leadership skills I developed from my placement year were instrumental to me gaining a First in final year and obtaining my dream Graduate role, as a Media Planner at the7stars. Most of all, I became so much more confident in myself and my ability to succeed in Marketing and I would strongly recommend to anyone considering doing a Placement year - you won’t regret it!!'

Amazing to have reached 1000 followers on this page and we love to see so many of you engaging and sharing our content! The goal for this page was always to be student-led and to celebrate how brilliant our students and alumni are and we are excited to continue that on in the future!

Next in our graduate testimonials is from one of our 2023 graduates Katie Chung! Katie took on a brilliant placement with Sony and utilised her experience and transferable skills from that role as well as her own side venture to secure a place on the Mitchells & Butlers PLC graduate scheme! Katie was also awarded the Ambition value category earlier this year at our BBS Student Impact Awards! 'My placement year in Sony’s tax department provided my first glimpse into the corporate environment. I am extremely grateful for my time at Sony which facilitated my growth on both personal and professional fronts. I had the privilege of working within an incredible team, who helped me strengthen my communication skills and develop my relationship building ability. During my year in London, I experienced significant growth on my food Instagram page, Katiesgrubclub. Devoting time to nurture my Instagram page, opened doors to various opportunities which heightened my passion shaping the foodie I am today. Upon returning for my final year, I gravitated towards my passion for working in the food industry. Although initially nervous about transitioning to a new field, the support of Ruth and the BBS Careers placements team gave me the confidence to pursue my passion, drawing on the learnings from my placement year. Fast forward to now, I have just completed my first rotation in the Mitchells & Butlers marketing grad scheme. It has been fun and enlightening as I explore the world of food and hospitality. Choosing to pursue my passion in food, I'm grateful for the skills transferred from my time at Sony, which have proven invaluable in my current role.'

A week on from completing my internship in Sports Marketing at Nike London, I have had time to reflect on what I have learnt and achieved. It is safe to say that a running-mad 16-year-old me who was inspired to work at Nike after watching the ‘Breaking 2’ documentary would not believe the year I have had. I have learnt new skills, challenged myself outside of my comfort zone and built amazing relationships this year.   A few highlights include: Operational Lead for Nike UK Sports Performance Athlete Portfolio: -       Developed proficiency in SAP product management and ARAVO invoicing software to ensure timely deliveries and invoicing payments amid organisational transformation.  -       Planned product spends and placed orders for the UK Athletics Association, involving precise inventory management and dealing with gift of kit budget.   Athlete Appearance Management -       Supported Athlete Appearances at inaugural Nike Well Festival, creating an innovative event for 2000 Nike members to experience a new form of fitness and movement supported by Nike Talent. -       Product testing with Nike Global Development team – responsible for travelling with US-based Nike Development team and connecting them to UK Nike Track and Field athletes for insights and interviews on prototype products. -       Outrunners Marathon Academy launch – Led Nike athlete appearances as part of a cross-functional purpose-driven campaign alongside community partners to support diverse groups in London to complete their first ever marathon   Internal Software and Process Research -       Tasked with analysing Nike’s athlete-facing gift-of-kit software. Used initiative alongside qualitative and quantitative research methods to analyse problems and provide data-backed solutions in a business case that was raised to an EMEA director level.   Other incredible moments include: -       Representing Nike with Liverpool FC on their away Europa League fixture in Atalanta -       The Nike Premier Cup at St George’s Park supporting young female football athletes in a national competition -       Balancing my year at Nike with training, achieving a silver medal at British Universities Cross Country Championships and competing at Olympic Trials/British Athletics Championships   Alongside the personal and professional growth I have made, the greatest part of Nike is its people. I feel incredibly lucky to have met such a talented group of interns, of whom I have made friends and connections for life. I have also experienced a high-performing, inspiring and caring team in the form of Sports Marketing. I thank you all but a particular shoutout to Rich Callaway, Penny Reynolds and Adam Sutton for their leadership – you have made my dream job less daunting and more valuable than I could have ever imagined. The lessons I have learnt from this year will last a lifetime and I cannot wait for what the future holds.   Thank you Nike, you were a dream come true!✔️💫