What makes me special? Writing an internship application.

At one point, every student will have to sit down and start writing applications. I find myself in that situation right now and as I try to puzzle together the right way to explain why I’m the best fit for this internship or this exchange-program, I’ve decided to run to my ‘productive procrastination’ method – blogging.

In all seriousness, how do you explain that you want a position and you are a great fit for it without sounding almost desperate and extremely cliché? How do I write an application without much work experience to fall back on? How do I find a suitable internship for me? I’m not an expert, but I have collected a couple of points that have helped me.

1. Collect your thoughts 

I’m laughing a bit about myself for writing this, because this is exactly what I try to do, but somehow always get distracted. Nevertheless, collecting your thoughts is important. The internship I’m applying for now, for example, had a couple of questions you were supposed to answer. Instead of just writing as I go, I have made a little mind map about positive attributes I have, which will be relevant to this particular internship. This method also includes collecting thoughts about why this particular attribute is relevant.

2. Inform yourself 

There are loads of possibilities out there in terms of internships, but if you just apply for the first ones you find, you might not find the most suitable internship for you. Pop by the Careers and Employability services and ask what they have available, check what is available through your course and think outside the box. Valuable work experience is everywhere.

3. Lacking work experience 

Make up for it by explaining what skills your course/volunteering/societies have given you. These are things we often forget, but even having done sports in the past can be valuable. For example, playing handball taught me how to play on a team and possess good team spirit, whilst playing tennis has taught me to work independently. Through my course we learn extensively about critical thinking, how to see cases from new perspectives and how to discipline ourselves/plan ahead and take responsibility for getting work done.

A picture of campus is always appropriate – especially when the light (and weather) is this nice as it was last week.

These are just a couple of things that might help when you write your applications. You might have read fellow blogger Emma’s blog post on how to tackle an interview. As she also mentioned, the University’s Career and Employability Services located in Building 37 on Highfield Campus are one of the many perks of being a student here at Southampton. You can go there to get advice on your CV, writing your application, what you can do with your degree, how to turn your idea into a business and so many other things. They also run regular workshops which are definitely worth having a look at.

Alexandra

The big interview

At the start of November I heard about a job opening with the Office for National Statistics as a graduate statistician. For me, this was a pretty big deal since the ONS is one of the best places to work in my field and it’s essentially my dream job.

It turns out that applying for a real job is a lot harder than just handing round your CV and having a 20 minute interview. The application process for the ONS required days just to fill in the initial application. They were assessing us on six competencies, which we had to prove we were capable of in 250 word paragraphs.

I’ve spent my time at University taking part in so much, and working really hard in order to build experience relevant for jobs like this one. However, none of that really matters if you can’t get it across on the page.

I met with my personal tutor who helped me come up with ideas for what examples to give in the application, and then I spent three days writing and re-writing various parts of the application.

However, that work paid off and I was lucky enough to get through to the interview stage. At first I was thrilled that I got the interview, but then the reality that I would actually have to go to an interview dawned and I came back down to earth. Earlier this week I went to the interview, and it was absolutely terrifying, and I will be kicking myself for the questions that I messed up on for weeks. A competency-based interview is not something I have ever experienced before; they don’t ask the general questions you might expect such as ‘what are your core values?’ and ‘what can you bring to the team?’, but rather focus on the same six competencies that they assessed in the initial application.

I wish I hadn’t told anyone that I was going to an interview, because of course when I got back everyone was asking me how it went and I really didn’t want to talk that much about it. How do you tell people that it just didn’t go that well?

The best thing to come of the whole process really is simply the experience. As much as I wish that someone would just come along and offer me a job without me having to put any effort into applying, that’s just not going to happen. Without going along to interviews I will never be able to improve how I respond to them. There were definitely some key lessons that I picked up just from this first one:


1. Prep like crazy. I fell down on one part of the interview because I just couldn’t remember the answer to a technical question; not because it was difficult, but because it was easy. It was a topic that I hadn’t covered since first year and I just assumed I would be able to answer their questions, resulting in me feeling pretty foolish when I couldn’t remember the answer.

2. Prep some more. Thinking up decent answers on the fly to questions you could have prepared answers for is just silly and for sure highlighted my naivety in the interview.

3. Know the company you are applying for, and think about what kind of person they want to hire. That way you can tailor your answers to make sure you are including the really key things that they are looking for in an employee, and showing knowledge about what they do will get the point across that you really are interested in working for them, and not just applying for the sake of it.


Remember that if you are struggling with your application, the University offers a career drop-in service where they can help you with the application process and give advice for how to proceed.

If anyone else has any key tips or pieces of advice that they have learned from interviews please do share in the comments, because I’m still figuring out the best way to go about it and other people’s experience and insight would be very helpful!

Emma

Summer plans and avoiding scams

This past week has been a bit of a strange one, I’m not going to lie. With lectures and general learning kicking back into play, it was full steam ahead on the organisation front, which obviously meant a whole lot of knuckling down and getting on with work. It also, however, meant I was finally in the right mindset to start thinking about the immediate future; most notably this coming summer.

With applications for graduate schemes flying around all over the place, I started to realise that, with a great deal of them not beginning until this coming September, I would have a whole three months to kill: one final summer before becoming a proper, fully-functioning adult. So of course, my attention turned to how to fill such an enormous chunk of time, and that age-old student solution swam right up to bite me: travelling.

Did you know that there are certain schemes that allow you to travel and work at the same time? So basically you can see the world whilst earning a decent wage and return home both culturally and financially richer. There are, no word of a lie, hundreds of companies devoted to bringing you this experience. The important point here though, is that some are far more legitimate than others. Something which I actually learned first-hand this week.

Travelling as a student is a great idea, and a great way to create lifelong memories. Like playing pat-a-cake on top of a mountain.

In the past I have looked up the possibilities of working in summer camps in the USA and had some great feedback from a family friend who had done so with a particular company recently. This year however, I decided that Europe seemed like a better option, and on a random job search, I came across a company that offered the opportunity to spend some time living in Berlin, whilst working on a travel guide of the city. The salary was listed as competitive, and the perks seemed to all be in place: it was a pretty exciting prospect.

When I dug a little deeper though, things seemed to get a little fishy. Firstly, and this was the biggest sign of something being wrong, I couldn’t find anyone who had completed the scheme in the past three years. There were testimonials on the company’s website, but being in a slightly cynical mindset, I figured these could easily be faked, and with no one that could be contacted to give their story firsthand anywhere on the internet (popular forum TheStudentRoom turned up precisely no leads), I took a bit of a step back.

Then came the invoices. I realised that living abroad would cost money; accommodation rarely comes cheap, but the fee the company were asking for was incredibly steep, and more importantly, there were no guarantees or contracts. I received an email literally just asking me to deposit a large amount of money into a particular bank account, hoping that I would accept such a move on blind trust. Also worthy of noting: by this stage, all mention of a salary had been dropped.

It’s probably pretty clear to see why I ended up dropping out of communication with this company in the end, and whilst it was disappointing to let such an awesome sounding opportunity go, it did teach me an awful lot about looking out for scams. The company seemed legitimate, their adverts and website reflected this, but in dealing with them, it just didn’t feel right. It may well have been perfectly fine, but if I wasn’t comfortable, I wasn’t ready to fork out a large amount of money.

Travelling when you’re a student is a great idea; there are few times in your life when you will have the freedom and the opportunity to do so. Travelling and working is even better; you can gain some incredible experience whilst abroad that can really beef up your CV no-end. Just be sensible with the companies you follow, and make sure to go in with your eyes open.

If you’re ever in any doubt about a scheme’s legitimacy, the Students' Union Advice Centre can help with any issues and most likely point you in the right direction. Don’t let this scare you; there are plenty of incredible opportunities out there, and with a bit of help you can seize them whole-heartedly.

Ben

Interviews, press conferences and transferrable skills

All of Rylyn’s talk about the careers fair and employability in general got me thinking about my own future this week, just in time for some rather exciting opportunities to float my way.

Getting wrapped up in the University itself is always a fun and rewarding experience, and my course alone has given me plenty to keep busy with; but every now and then, especially now that I’m hurtling through my final year here, thoughts seem to shift towards what on earth I’m going to do when I leave. I’ll be honest, it’s a scary prospect - anyone who said otherwise would very likely be lying - but this week I came to the conclusion that almost everything I’m doing will have some worth when I’m out in the big wide world, hunting through the job market.

On a more basic level, the social experience of University has certainly had an overwhelming effect on how I engage with other adults in general, and sticking to numerous deadlines - whether they are for assignments, my own projects, or even this here blog - has definitely helped to master those pesky organisation skills.

More obviously though, I’ve been given the opportunity over the past week to embark on a couple of exciting ventures which, in themselves, have proven to be more directly useful in tooling me up for that eventual job hunt.

The first of these opportunities came in off the back of my coverage of this year’s London Film Festival for The Edge - which I talked about in more detail in my last post - wherein I somehow ended up in a room with some of the film industry’s most celebrated figures, to support the release of Universal’s new film Steve Jobs.

A press conference for the new Steve Jobs film proved incredibly star-studded.

Maintaining your cool and suppressing the urge to ‘fanboy’ whilst staring in total awe at Danny Boyle, Kate Winslet, Aaron Sorkin and Michael Fassbender is surprisingly difficult, but somehow I managed it.

It quickly became an exercise in professionalism; if I wanted to really pursue a career chasing film (which I very obviously do) then being casual around some of the industry’s current greats would no doubt be expected.

In fact, after a while it grew a lot easier, as it became clear that these individuals were just people after all, and for all the fame and glamour that surrounds their lives, they are - on the most basic level imaginable - simply just other human beings doing their jobs; following their own careers. Lesson well and truly learned.

Accidentally bumped into the man himself outside afterwards. 

Professionalism was maintained, fear not.

Exciting venture #2 then came just a few short days later in the form of more journalism-based fun, when I was given the chance to chat with even more interesting people currently working in film in a few shorter one-on-one interviews. Whereas it was slightly easier to remain calm here since the “talent” (apparently this is industry speak for ‘person of interest’) were a lot more low-key and everything was done over the phone, such things did present some new challenges.

Chatting to someone you’ve never met before at length one-on-one can be pretty tough, especially when you can’t see their face, so this one became all about communication: being as precise and clear with my questions as possible. Whilst, at the same time, juggling a phone in one hand, a semi-ancient voice recorder in another, and shouting as audibly as possible into both.

Rest assured, things seemed to go relatively smoothly - other than the fact that mere minutes before one was due to take place, the fire alarm in the Student’s Union building went off leading to some mad dashing around. Luckily, Highfield Campus has plenty of quiet spots though and I managed to duck into the University’s Valley Gardens. Despite apparently breeding busy-ness by its very nature, silence is never far away here in Southampton.

The glorious Valley Gardens (photo courtesy of ex-blogger Joanne’s old post - found here)

These experiences definitely gave me a wider insight into what may prove to be my future career, and it was a nice release from the stresses of course reading, ahead of the impending first round of assignments. Maybe job-hunting won’t be so scary after all.

Ben

Advice from the Business Fair and the Careers and Employability Festival

Yesterday I had the opportunity to meet some of the country’s Top 100 graduate employers at the University’s Business Fair 2015. The Business Fair is part of the Careers and Employability Festival, which is running on campus until 3rd November and involves career fairs, workshops, talks and presentations. The festival is open to all undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Careers fairs in particular are a really good way to meet companies and their student recruitment teams.

You can turn up to the event without booking a place and you’re welcome to spend as much or as little time there as you want. As soon as I walked in it was packed with students eager to chat to prospective employers, and it was clear that the employers and their representatives were just as eager to chat to the students too which was incredibly encouraging.

The PWC stand… proud sponsors of the Business Fair! 

Preparing for the fair…

I got a lot of excellent advice at the ‘Prepare for the Fair’ workshop that the Careers and Employability team ran. What I took away from the workshop boosted my confidence in approaching the exhibitors today: these companies have actively booked to attend the fair – they really do want to see you!

It is acceptable to attend the event not knowing every single detail about the exhibitors. However, since there are 100 stands, having done some research on the companies helped narrow down who I wanted to visit. This meant I had more time to make the most of seeing those I was truly interested in and ask them some pre-prepared questions – questions that the company website can’t answer for me.

Nick and Ali – part of the Careers and Employability Services team who organised the event! 

The University’s Careers and Employability Services team said this year was one of the busiest they’ve had. The service plays a pivotal role by working closely with students, staff and potential employers to enhance student employability skills. If you’re uncertain about your future, these are the guys to chat to!

 

What should you research?

 

I clicked on five or six company websites the night before and checked out their company values. I looked for buzzwords on their recruitment pages to get an insight of what a company is looking for in graduates. I found that ‘technology’, ‘independence’, ‘teamwork’, ‘confidence’ and ‘client-facing’ appear a few times online as well as being mentioned by the recruiters I chatted to yesterday. This was an easy way to find out if the company’s values fit in with yours.

I also considered what it really is that I want to get out of the Fair. For me, it was to see whether or not there were any graduate opportunities for me in the business industry as a Politics student. I have found that, actually, not having a degree with Maths, Science or Management is not a hindrance. A few of the exhibitors I spoke to did History, Psychology, English and Sports Science at university and still landed jobs in companies that are Business focused. Of course, different students have different objectives for attending and it is true that you won’t always get what you want, but this is the opportunity to start that.

The INEOS stand. INEOS is a global producer of petrochemicals and speciality chemicals, and looks for opportunities to make a company achieve further through acquisitions. 

My top 4 general questions were:

1. I study Politics – will I be able to fit in with you with my background?
2. Why did you choose to work for this organisation?
3. What skills do you look for in a graduate applicant?
4. How can I apply and when are the deadlines?

Some recruiters such as INEOS are especially looking for students with a background in finance and technology. I spoke to Hannah who has been working for INEOS for a number of years now. She had a background in the sciences that aren’t particularly focused on petrochemicals. She was the treasurer of her canoe society back at her university and she mentioned that it may have helped satisfy the mathematical requirements of the job application! When I asked Hannah what the top thing is that they are looking for in a graduate she gave me two answers: someone who is independent and someone who thrives on a challenge.

The Excel Programme stand. 

The Excel Southampton Internship Programme stand caught my eye. Their schemes offer a wide range of paid internships during term time, Easter and summer holidays based both on campus and within a variety of external organisations. It’s fantastic to see the University of Southampton teaming up with local and nationwide businesses.

I also had the pleasure to chat to Natalie and Hayley who were volunteering at the Target Jobs stand. Target Jobs has a large choice of internships, placements and graduate jobs. They also give expert advice on how to get hired. I myself am subscribed to their mailing list and it is incredible how many work experience opportunities are out there for us students.

Natalie and Hayley at the Target Jobs stand. Natalie is a 2nd year Psychology student and Hayley is a 4th year doing History, both study here at the University of Southampton. 

Ultimately, attending the Fair is a two-way process; you need to find an organisation where you can work at your best, so you really need to understand why you might want to work for a company.
What is it about them that attracts you? Is it their values, profit, clientele, or company benefits?

Overall, I think chatting to company team members is going to be helpful in my job applications. It has given me a good indication of what type of people employers are looking for. What’s more, some graduate recruiters did actually attend the event today – who knows, they could be the ones deciding whether or not to hire you! Just remember to check out the application deadlines for internships and graduate jobs. Some close in November which, when you think about it, is incredibly close. Quite frankly, I would not have known about this had I not gone to the Fair, so I’m glad I went.

Hooray for freebies!!

Go ahead and impress employers with your preparation and enthusiasm.

See you at the next Careers Fair!

Rylyn

Catching up with Southampton Alumni

Recently, I have had the pleasure to chat to two people who graduated from the University of Southampton. I spoke to Pete and Rachel about memories of being a student. Both now work for the Civil Service and both absolutely loved their time here!

Here’s what we chatted about:

Name: Rachel Councell

Graduated: 1989

Studied: Mathematics 

So, where did you stay in Southampton?

“I graduated in 1989. I lived in Connaught Halls in my first year, down Burgess Road in my second and at Montefiore Halls in my third year. I liked both Connaught and Monte for different reasons, however I found Connaught great for the first year as it was nice to have meals cooked for me. Block B was an amazing place to live in – the rooms were very big.”

Did you have any favourite modules? 

“I enjoyed my statistics modules. My favourite ones were to design and analyse surveys. I’m fascinated by them and the way you can devise something to collect info and how choosing the right sample and asking right questions in a certain way has an impact.”

What did you do outside of academia whilst you were a student?

“I did some fundraising and I used to volunteer at the day nursery back then.”

What is your best memory of Southampton? 

“The nights out and the student discos at the main Students’ Union building. Jesters was alive in 1989…”

What can you remember from that?

"…Not a lot.

I also remember the Frog and Frigate pub near the docks. Back then we had no email, no social media… we relied on telephone calls and letters to schedule nights out. There was simply no way to meet people online.”

How did you get to where you are now in your career?

“Hard work. After I finished University I worked in retail, then I joined the Civil Service and became a temporary assistant statistician. After passing the Civil Service selection board fast stream I worked at the Department for Education and looked at 1st year primary school performance modules. I also undertook a part-time Masters.

What I learnt in my undergraduate degree has helped me as a statistician. We didn’t need IT skills that much when I was at University since we didn’t really use computers then. However, it helped to have learnt problem solving skills.”

If you could change one thing about your last year of University, what would it be? 

“I wouldn’t be so worried about getting the right job at the end of University. This is time to focus your mind. You can make mistakes – it’s OK to make mistakes. You don’t have to make everything perfect.”

Thanks Rachel!

Name: Peter Benwell

Graduated: 2009

Studied: Politics and International Relations 

Did you have any favourite modules?

“I found Russell Bentley’s American Power (PAIR2009) module really interesting. When I was at University, I enjoyed learning more about foreign politics more than British politics which is ironic since I work for the British Government now and just absolutely love it.”

Did you join any societies? 

“I was part of the Theatre Group (TG). I worked with different types of people and personalities during my time at the society. It proved to be really helpful since it taught me more about collaboration skills.”

If you could change one thing about your last year of University, what would it be?

“I would’ve started my dissertation earlier. You will get it done in the end but it helps to start as early as you can! Also, to make the most the student lifestyle. With your workload you can forget to have fun. Of course you can still go out and make friends when you graduate but your social life when you leave University is just not the same! I remember every Wednesday we used to have AU Nights…”

AU Nights?

“Athletic Union nights when drinks were at their cheapest!”

What advice would you give to students that you wish someone had told you when you were one? 

"To not expect to get the perfect job straight after uni… It’s not the end of the world if you don’t. And also to start your dissertation as early as you can! I cannot express how I wish I’d have done exactly that."

Thanks Pete!

Chatting to Pete and Rachel made me realise just how much I’m going to miss the University when I go next year. It was comforting, however, to hear them say that it would not be the end of the world if I don’t get my dream job straight after graduation. In fact, most people don’t. You could travel, continue onto a Master’s degree or take a gap year volunteering. Life is an ongoing development, not just about graduating and getting the perfect job.

As for me, my second week of the new term has been exciting to far. Here are the best bits:

I went to a Nepalese Momo Party…

Courtesy of the Nepalese Society

If you’re wondering what a “Momo” is, it is one of the most popular dishes in Nepal. It is dumplings stuffed with meat or vegetables and dipped in a variety of sauces. I chose the spiciest dip which, immediately after consumption, I realised to have been a grave mistake!

I went to a Burlesque and Cabaret Show at The Bridge…

A glass of wine, candlelight, and fun performances on stage: a perfect way to unwind with friends.

It was a luxurious evening with mime performances, classic burlesque dancing, and magic tricks.

And, I sang karaoke at The Stags…

Norah Jones here I come…

Thursday Karaoke at the Stags is very popular at the Union. It gets pretty packed and cheerful which is what makes it so good! It doesn’t matter if you’re not the best singer. Trust me, I’m not either but I still went up and slayed 'Don’t Stop Believing' (perhaps literally, even!).

It was a good idea to simply indulge in more chilled nights out my friends since the readings and assignments will soon pile up one by one if I don’t get stuck in.

I hope you’re all settling in very well indeed!

Rylyn

Finding part-time work in Southampton

Freshers’ Week (or fortnight!) has sadly come to an end and the reality of another year at Southampton is dawning. For many this is the time to get serious about studying and sorting out your life here. For some, it also means looking for a job.

I have worked since I was 16 and I have always loved having a part-time job and earning my own money. When I first came to university working was a necessity, not an option. My student loan didn’t even cover my rent, let alone living expenses and I hate asking my parents for money, so that meant finding work.

In first year I had absolutely no idea how to apply for jobs, although I had worked since I was 16, I came from a small town where the two jobs I had were discovered through word of mouth, and needed no experience. So…where to look, what to apply for, how many hours could I afford to work a week, what did I need to be earning to survive, and what even was minimum wage for 18 year olds?!

SUSU 

I have never worked for SUSU but after walking round campus it’s obvious how many students they employ. From the SUSU Shop to The Bridge, SUSU could be a perfect way to fit employment in with your studies, especially since it works with term-time dates and around your timetable too.

Friends love the fact that SUSU will fit your hours around your timetable

Bars and Clubs

 

My first port of call in first year was Gumtree. Although admittedly not a great site for finding serious work, it’s actually pretty good for finding part time work, particularly in bars and clubs.

During my first year I worked in the coatroom of a local club. It meant getting to work for 10pm and leaving at 2/3am (if we were lucky), every Friday and Saturday. For the night owls amongst you this might sound ideal, but for me it was pure torture. It wiped out my entire weekend as I spent most of Saturday and Sunday in bed recovering from the late night, but I stuck at it, made friends amongst the staff and the pay kept me going. There are plenty of clubs and bars in the city to choose from if this seems like your kind of thing!

Restaurants

 

After finishing first year I decided that I wanted to stay in Southampton for the summer and find a job in the city, as I was unlikely to be able to find work back home. I headed out into the nearby high streets with my CV and a determined attitude. I spent one day handing out my CV and by the end of the day I had 3 job offers in various restaurants. For the next two years I was a waitress, working 20-25 hours a week (mainly at weekends), earned more than enough money to keep myself going and fortunately had a boss that understood that university came first.

I’d recommend handing in your CV by hand, and aim to go in the morning (10-11:30) or in the middle of the afternoon (3-3:30) on a weekday, not a weekend. You want to go when they are the quietest and the manager is most likely to be available. Don’t just hand your CV to a member of staff and then wander away - ask to talk to the manager, engage them in a conversation, show them that you are comfortable talking to strangers and are a friendly and approachable person. If you are not friendly and approachable, and don’t like strangers, then a job in the service industry isn’t for you.

Another important tip is to make you CV as short as possible, and avoid phrases like “I give 110%”, because it doesn’t read well. The CVs that stood out to us were the ones that fitted onto one page but still showed the key aspects of your personality and your achievements. Most restaurants (particularly chain restaurants) have their own training program and so don’t require previous experience. Don’t be afraid to go in and show them that you are capable of doing the job.

Tutoring

When I graduated from my undergraduate degree I no longer wanted to work at the restaurant - instead I wanted something that was more flexible where I could set my own hours, so I set up a profile for free on a website that connects tutors with potential tutees. I now have two regular students and have had more offers that I had to turn down due to a lack of time. Perhaps more suitable for postgraduate students (a certain level of expertise is required) than undergraduates, tutoring is actually super fun and a whole new set of skills. Plus the pay is fabulous; you set your own wage so you can expect to be earning £15-30 an hour, depending on your level of skill.

I love being able to set homework and write quizzes

 

Consultancy

For those interested in research, the University of Southampton has hundreds of active research projects which hire interns and consultants all year round, not just over the summer. Ask your lecturers and keep an ear out for what’s going on in your department. I currently work as a consultant for a Microsoft project run through ECS Partners and again, it lets me set my own wage and my own hours, and working from home is a treat compared to walking around a restaurant all day.

There are also opportunities at the University's Temp Bank, and as a student ambassador too.

Right, that was a pretty comprehensive summary, and in reality there are so many jobs out there that you really don’t have to settle for something you aren’t comfortable with. While some people love working in bars and clubs (and there enough of those jobs out there), really think about whether or not it’s for you before committing yourself to it. Most importantly, make sure that your boss is aware that University needs to come first, and they can’t expect you to just cover someone’s shift if it’s at a time that you have specified you can’t work.

In my experience, finding a job has never been too difficult and as Southampton has a huge student population, many employers are used to hiring students and are understanding about them going home for the Easter break and working around their University timetable.

Happy job hunting!

Emma

Polishing my networking skills

The word networking alone was enough to make me cringe a while ago. I thought networking was all about putting myself out there when, actually, compared to other people I didn’t really have that much to offer them.

It’s safe to say that my networking was ‘not working’ at all!

My perceptions were flawed to say the least. Since then, I’ve learnt that networking doesn’t have to be such a hard task. The bottom line is it doesn’t have to be forced; all you really need is the curiosity to learn about what people do and it should come naturally. It doesn’t just have to be you taking things from people since you also have something to give to them. If you think about it, you’d be surprised that a connection with you has a lot to offer.

If you’re an undergraduate student, for example, your bargaining power is that you have what organisations need in their work force: young, fresh talent who can learn at a high level! So these past few weeks, I have had the chance to do some *gasp* real networking…

One of the events I went to was organised by the Civil Service. It was with fellow university students from all over the country who were taking part in their internship programme. It was initially daunting at first. Countless worries flooded my thoughts as soon as I entered the room. How do I approach a closely huddled group of people I’ve never met in my whole entire life? What if they ignore me because I don’t actually have anything exciting to say?

Yikes… Where to begin in a crowd like this? Safe to say that the lunch and coffee helped tremendously!

Now that I think about it, most of the people in the room were on the same boat as me. It really does help to keep in mind that everyone worries about these things too!

The most effective way I overcame these fears was by simply throwing myself out there with a welcoming smile and a simple “Hi, how are you finding it?” I found that this question invited a comfortable response as opposed to starting with a hasty declaration of who I am.

I have to admit that I did practice introducing myself a few times. Your introduction is like a selling point, if I have to be honest. Like an ‘elevator pitch’, it can’t be too long but needs to be short enough for you to open up the conversation and invite a reply. A good conversation tends to have a balance between the amount you talk and the other person talking.

I also read somewhere that body language is crucial to getting people to warm up to you. I tried to maintain an open posture (not arms crossed or looking down!) and a smile. You can pretty much go anywhere from there; for example, by asking them what university they go to, what course they do, and why they were at the event itself. The key thing here is to be open both with the types of questions you ask (asking questions that start with how, what or why) and your body language.

Key speakers in these events include Sir Jeremy Heywood, Head of the Civil Service (pictured above), former footballer Fabrice Muamba, university graduates now working for the organisation, and TV journalist Clive Myrie. 

One thing I wish I had done was a bit of research on keynote speakers at the events. These speakers are likely to take questions after their speech and it’s a good idea to know a little bit about their work. Most of them even stay a while to chat to people. The more you know about them, the more you feel prepared to go up to them and actually ask about what they do.

Students I’ve met at the Summer Diversity Internship Programme 2015

Another important thing about networking is to follow up. Normally this means sending them an ‘it-was-great-to-meet-you’ email but this isn’t always necessary. LinkedIn is perfect for setting up formal business connections on social media – it is a platform that is professional enough for you to re-connect with them after unlike other sites that may be too personal.

Don't forget that the Universrity of Southampton's Employability Service can help too, giving advice on interviews, networking and more!

I know the word ‘networking’ can sound daunting but, when you really think about it, it really is just talking to people. There are some things that the most intelligent search engines can’t answer for you. Sometimes human contact is the best way to find things out.

Rylyn