Graduate story: SBCS to QTemps success

Hi! I’m Piriyah and I graduated this year from Queen Mary with a biomedical sciences degree and am currently working in a temporary role as a Data Administrator. At the time of graduation I had decided that I wanted to follow the traditional path of a life sciences graduate and pursue a career in research. Now you may be wondering why I decided to apply for this role….

It was during my final year, that I came to realise that my ideal job would be one in which I could spend the entire day working in the lab. This is because I thoroughly enjoyed carrying out a lab-based research project for my final year dissertation, which unlike most students, I would say was one of the highlights of my 3 years at uni.

Not only was I able to work alongside researchers, who are experts in their fields, but I was also able to get a full experience of all the components that comprise research in academia. Although the project was challenging, I had really enjoyed my time working in the lab, to the extent that I made the decision to pursue a career in research!

By the time that graduation arrived I had an idea of what sort of job I wanted but I hadn’t planned on how I was going to enter into the field of scientific research. My immediate options were to apply for further study, to look for entry-level laboratory based roles or training placements such as in hospitals.

However, these options weren’t straightforward. With applying for a masters, I couldn’t decide on which field of science that I would like to specialise in. I wanted to make sure that the masters I applied for would feed into the sort of subject that I would be interested in possibly carrying out further research in.

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Student story: Louisa – Advertising Unlocked

Mother gives students a whole new definition of creativity

Louisa Dorothea Loehrig, MSc Marketing

Think BIG, thing TV, think attention-grabbing adverts that you can’t zap away. If you’ve lived in the UK (and not in a cave) you would’ve felt EPIC when seeing moneysupermarket’s Dave thrust his bubble butt whilst strutting in fabulous high heels,  unconsciously sang along to Boot’s iconic “here come the giiiiiiirls”, and/or thought about how you could become your own interior designer after falling in love with IKEA’s homey solutions. Meet the company responsible for all this: meet Mother.

Along with around 20 other students, I had the amazing opportunity to meet Mother in person – or in the many persons this company is. This was my chance to find out all about how exactly these masterpieces are created. Nothing, not even the miserable rain on the day, could dampen my excitement, and let me tell you – I was not disappointed!

After receiving a warm welcome, coffee and snacks, and taking in the impressive space, we sat down on the big concrete staircase, eager to learn what was to come. Katie Mackay, Mother’s joint head of strategy I was über eager to meet (not just to see her choice of outfit), kick started the event by giving an overview of the company. Pictures of employees’ proud mothers adorned the presentation and the walls next to us – a reminder, not only of the company’s mission to take care of projects as a mother would, but also to make their own mothers proud of their work.

Student story: My Summer Internship at Legance

My name is Maria Luisa and I am going into my third year in Politics and Business Management at Queen Mary. This summer I had the chance to spend two months interning at Legance, an independent Italian law firm with offices in Rome, Milan and London. I was lucky enough to be based in the office in Rome which is also my home city!

At first, I was a bit intimidated about working in a fast paced environment and in the corporate world but, after the first week, I managed to adapt easily thanks to the supportive environment that I found. Since day one, I have been assigned very stimulating tasks and have been involved in a great variety of activities of the firm which is the thing that I liked the most about my internship. In particular, I primarily dealt with doing research, helping write reports and interviews, translating documents from Italian into English, working with the Corporate Social Responsibility Sector, attending meetings and reporting back to the office.

If I have to describe my internship in 3 words I will definitely choose: challenging, as I had to come across to new topics that for me were unknown, engaging because since the beginning I felt very welcomed by all my colleagues and constructive, as I enriched my knowledge and improved my skills.

Student blog: Spring Week Success

Yesterday we heard from Arjun, who has just finished his 1st year studying Business Management. He shared his advice about the importance of Spring Weeks – read on for part 2 and his thoughts on what to do before applications open…

What should I be doing in the meantime?

Find what you’re interested in – are you interested in the fast-paced markets? Looking for an advisory or client facing role? Keen to work with numbers? Most firms will provide good insight into their respective business areas on their dedicated careers page – so I recommend checking it out and exploring the potential opportunities available to you.

Brush up on your CV – I cannot stress enough how much a clear and concise CV will be the make or break of recruiters taking you further in the process. On average, recruiters spend only a couple of seconds skimming a CV to know if they are interested in a candidate. So to ensure you make it through that stage, you must:

• Ensure any past work experience and volunteering focuses on what you have contributed and/or achieved in a short bullet point or two per role
• Make sure each job states the organisation, location, date and your job title
• Make sure your formatting, layout and grammar is consistent and clear
• Remove unnecessary details like gender, photo date of birth or personal ID numbers (oh – and that embarrassing and totally unprofessional email address you made when you were 13? Yes, get rid of it and replace it with a professional one!)

For business and finance, your CV should be no longer than 1 page – recruiters do not like long CVs, so play around with the margins, summarise your secondary school grades and remove things that add little value. Show your CV to a close friend, family member for their comments or why not book an appointment at the Careers & Enterprise Centre? I would thoroughly recommend it! I got advice and tips on my CV that helped highlight inconsistencies and improve my general layout.

Student blog: The importance of Spring Weeks

Calling all First Year students: Let’s talk about the importance of Spring Weeks…

Arjun Jethwa, 2nd year Business Management

If you’re interested in a career within Investment Banking, Asset Management, Accounting or Consultancy – this excellent springboard will give you the competitive edge when it comes to getting fast tracked into some of most prestigious internships in the city. I went through the process last year and gained a Spring Week and I thoroughly recommend you do the same!  Here’s some short tips and information I would recommend for fellow incoming first years…

What are they?

Some may already know about them, most probably do not, but every April a few hundred curious, ambitious and well-driven first year students enter some of the prestigious European and American banking institutions in the city, and leave having secured summer internships that will get them ahead of the competition and closer to their dream job once graduating.  Ranging from a week to a couple of days, many banking institutions provide students with the opportunity to experience what it is like to work for their firm through work shadowing, practical work and networking opportunities to some of the most senior individuals and graduates who were only just recently in your same position – they are hugely beneficial for anyone interested in this profession and makes your CV really stand out, especially when opportunities for first years are so limited.

Student story: My QConsult experience (applications open now!)

Thinking about autumn term already? Don’t forget that QConsult starts again in September and applications are open NOW. 

Carola (2nd from left) & her QConsult team

Carola Bigogno (2^nd Year Biomedical Sciences student) took part in the spring round of QConsult, working on a project for a local housing charity. Here’s what she had to say about her experience on the programme:

Why did you get involved with QConsult?

When I found out about QConsult I was thrilled. I thought it would be a great chance to improve my skills and gain new transferable ones, to learn more about a particular job profile – consultant, which I found extremely interesting, and also give back to the community in a different, but still valuable way.  And I was definitely not wrong, the overall experience was incredible!

Did you enjoy the programme?

The best part, for me, was working together in a team: putting together ideas and opinions and using our skills to present to our client and write up the best report possible. I think that I’ve always worked pretty well in a team, however, working with other people can be extremely challenging. Luckily enough, everyone in my group was very professional. We also became friends, sharing not only the experiences of the programme but socialising together too.

WATCH: Isabel’s QConsult Story (& apply for the autumn round)

Looking to get some work experience on your CV?

Want to do more than photocopy and make the tea?

Why not apply to the autumn round of QConsult?

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The QConsult programme involves students working in a team of 5 to conduct a research/consultancy project on behalf of a business or charity, helping to solve a real problem and working as a team to conduct research and analysis before presenting their recommendations to the client. Past projects have involved research, marketing, product development and evaluation.

To hear more about what it’s like to be on the programme, see previous QConsultant Isabel’s video below, where she tells us about her experience and gives her top tips for those thinking of applying. Read on for more details about the programme …

The programme will take place over 9 weeks in the autumn term, from 18 Sep – 17 Nov. Students work part-time and are paid London Living Wage (£9.75/hr) for 20 hours of project work, with additional training sessions on top. All undergraduate students are eligible to apply for the programme and we welcome applications from all schools.

We will also be releasing two video diaries from students who just finished the summer QConsult programme. Follow us on Twitter (@qmcareers) to catch diary updates throughout August.

To find out more about the programme and apply visit careers.qmul.ac.uk/qconsult.

Applications close at 9am on Tuesday 29^th August.