Work from home during pandemic & Placement Year

In April 2020, I got a job offer from a global company in the automotive industry. A dream come true, I thought. And then everything changed a couple of months into lockdown and the pandemic. Most exciting things I heard about during the interview weren't going to happen – due to the pandemic.

I got my hardware sent to my home address, and the company had to cancel all abroad events I would attend. Also, I still have no idea how the office looks.

Anyway, five months have passed, haven't met my colleagues in person yet, but it's been a fascinating journey.

• I have collaborated with teams across the whole globe.
• I have learned how to create web pages and update content on it.
• I helped with business financial updates.
• Made a presentation for our stakeholders, which will help them to gain new customers.
• I took part in the website transfer and content translation.
• I have planned and supervised merchandise delivery across Europe.
• I have worked with design agencies to create appropriate branding for the show or graphic designs for other projects.

All of this and many more were possible to do from home.

So, if you choose to do a placement year, I have only one piece of advice.

DO IT.

You'll gain valuable experience and maturity before the big final year.

I will advise you on what to look for in placement job adverts, what to expect during an interview and a few more.

First and foremost, tidy up your CV. Make it a maximum of two pages long (someone with plenty of experience and holds PhD degree is allowed to have more than two pages long CV – that's what they told me in one of these vast NY marketing companies).

Search Indeed and LinkedIn for job offers related to your degree, for example, "Marketing Assistant". When you find Sandwich Year Student or a Placement Year role even better, this offer will be a job role for a fixed-term contract of twelve months. That's what you need.

Learn more about the company before applying for a job (company values are a good start). That will help eliminate companies and industries you wish to avoid working in.

APPLY ONLY FOR THE ONES YOU LIKE. It's no point applying for every single offer. You're just going to waste your time. Even if you get a job offer, you won't take it because, for example, you don't want to work for a company that tests on animals, produce tons of waste, and don't recycle, doesn't offer free doughnuts during lunch breaks and other crucial for you requirements.

My advice is to pay attention to less glamorous job offers. It would be best to read the job role description before writing it off. I know someone who loves their marketing job at the company which produces bricks.

The more experience you can get from placement, the better for you. Look for specific tasks you will do, "supporting marketing team" is quite general. What hides behind it? The more explicit the job role, the bigger chance you will find it attractive because it explains what you will learn.

The recruitment process is quite similar across the UK. First, send a CV, and then you will receive an email with the link to several assessments (I had logical, mathematical and abstract reasoning tests) or jump straight into the interview.

It might be a video interview where you won't see anyone on the other side need to answer questions and record your answers or a more interactive face-to-face interview (it could still be a video call due to the pandemic).

I took part in the recruiting process for a placement student, and I can tell you the more YOU in the interview, the better. Wear something smart but comfortable, smile, breathe and listen. Be honest. Nothing puts off more than bragging about something, and when asked about the project details, you barely understood what you were doing there.

Regarding your experience, talk about what you have learned from the previous project or the job role, what brings that spark in you, what you have done wrong, and how you fixed it. Finally, what would you do differently?

These are important. For example, due to my job role nature, I was asked, "You are the only one responsible for our stand in Italy during the boat show. Yet, on the show's first day, you missed the flight. So, what do you do?"

For an employer, how you are coping in stressful situations is crucial. There might come a time when they will rely on you, and the employer wants to ensure you won't panic.

Applying for a job is a job in itself. It takes time, but the rewards are more significant than the time spent on the job search. I hope some of my advice and tips will help you on your education journey.

Good luck!

Bye for a week