{"id":505,"date":"2019-11-14T16:20:40","date_gmt":"2019-11-14T16:20:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/business-school\/?p=505"},"modified":"2019-11-14T16:21:33","modified_gmt":"2019-11-14T16:21:33","slug":"working-in-finance-my-placement-year-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/business-school\/2019\/11\/14\/working-in-finance-my-placement-year-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"Working in finance – my placement year experience"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Sam Jons, BSc Accounting & Finance (with a professional placement year) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sam Jons \u2013 Final year, BSc Accounting & Finance (with a professional placement year)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A placement year gives you the opportunity to gain practical experience in topics you learn on your course, with exposure to real-life business challenges, and an understanding of the different tasks people working in your chosen career path do on a day-to-day basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

I worked for a year in a small finance team within a company called Eurotherm who produce and sell energy management solutions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Applying for a placement job<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Workshops in the University\u2019s Careers and Employability Centre helped prepare me for the interview process: writing good CV\u2019s and personal statements, and how to succeed in assessment centres. The Business School placements team also helped me throughout the placement process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My placement was listed on CareerHub, and following a Skype interview with the Senior Financial Controller and his Finance Business Partner, I was invited to interview, where I was offered the job and discussed the role further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Setting my placement objective<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My main placement objective was to support different members of the finance team and gain exposure to all parts of the business. I began by learning how to refresh the databases and run weekly reports, distributing revenue and sales figures throughout the business. I was slowly exposed to more work and given more responsibility, including working with outsourced accounts payable and receivable teams, and participating in regular project reviews. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Eurotherm produce and sell energy management solutions. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Placement highlights<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The main highlight was working on a large project involving analysing global revenue, pricing, and discount data for the business\u2019 whole Product Portfolio. I worked closely with several members of senior management to produce detailed analysis, showing trends in certain regions and product categories, enabling them to make key business decisions. I also had the opportunity to present my work several times to senior management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the year I faced several challenges. When I joined the business, it was a steep learning curve, as my Excel knowledge was initially very basic and some of the files and reports I worked on were very complex. Prioritising and managing workflow was also a challenge, often working on several unrelated tasks at once for different members of the team. However, this forced me to learn quickly and I can comfortably say that my Excel and workload management skills grew hugely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The benefits of a placement year<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I would definitely recommend applying for a placement year. When you\u2019re applying for graduate roles, you will be far more employable than your peers that didn\u2019t undertake one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, on returning to university after working in a professional environment for a year, I feel I can relate course theories to real-life work situations much easier, allowing me to better understand key concepts. A placement also gives you the chance to build some useful connections and references for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Becoming a Student Mentor<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year I am a Student Mentor and Ambassador for the Business School, where I look forward to meeting students and offering advice on how to succeed in getting and completing placements, as well as mentoring in Accounting, Finance, and Business-related modules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I host a drop-in session every Thursday, 12pm-1pm in Jubilee G30. Come along with any questions I might be able to answer for you, or request mentoring<\/a> with myself or another student mentor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contact me<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can find me on LinkedIn<\/a>, or you can email me: sj336@sussex.ac.uk<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sam Jons \u2013 Final year, BSc Accounting & Finance (with a professional placement year) A placement year gives you the opportunity to gain practical experience in topics you learn on your course, with exposure to real-life business challenges, and an…<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more ›<\/a><\/div>\n

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