11 April 2024
How I used RateMyPlacement to find my Placement at ProspectSoft
Hey, I’m Issy, one of the Marketing Executive Placements at ProspectSoft.
After months of searching for the ideal placement role during my second year of university, I discovered the perfect fit for me at ProspectSoft with the assistance of RateMyPlacement.
Navigating through this experience can be quite challenging, from refining your CV to sifting through numerous job descriptions to find the best one for you.
Now, five months into my role, I can confidently say I’ve learned so much, gained and built on many skills and made some great new friends.
Read on to find out how I used RateMyPlacement to find my placement.
- Write a cracking CV
- Get your cover letter together
- What placement are you looking for?
- Read the student-written reviews
- Read interview advice
Write a cracking CV
If you haven’t already, I’d suggest starting with a powerful CV that you can be proud of, showcasing your skills and highlighting what you can offer a future employer. I think I rewrote my CV about 10 times to make it sound and look flawless.
Your CV is the first impression employers have of you, so it’s crucial to stand out. To help you do this, I recommend using the resources offered to you by your university and RateMyPlacement’s Application and Interview Tips page.
There are a range of blogs that walk you through writing your CV and what to include in it. They offer some top tips and guidance on how to turn your previous experience into your best-selling points, even if you think you have none.
Whatever you are struggling with the most when writing your CV, I can guarantee someone else is too, so ask your university for help and use the RateMyPlacement website to support you through this.
Not quite nailed down the perfect CV? Click below to get help
Get your cover letter together
Alongside an eye-catching CV, you must also include a cover letter addressing why you would like to work for the company.
This is where you can tailor your current skills to be a useful member of the team and highlight any areas of the company that you were drawn to.
While not always compulsory, cover letters can enhance your application, so I would always recommend writing one.
RateMyPlacement can assist you with this if you are struggling. Just like helping with your CV, the application tips page can help you write the best cover letter with tips from industry experts.
What placement are you looking for?
Once your CV and cover letter look polished, shift your focus to the placement role you desire and consider the skills you’d like to acquire or develop during your year in industry.
While I knew I wanted a marketing placement, distinguishing the specific role was a bit challenging. RateMyPlacement proved invaluable for navigating through various placements.
The Find a Placement page offers filters to tailor your search based on…
- Scheme length
- University year
- Job role
- Industry
- Region.
These filters streamline your options, making it easier to find relevant roles. You can be as restrictive or as inclusive as you like, helping you get an overview of the jobs available in the areas that interest you the most.
I was able to narrow down a list of hundreds to a number that was far easier to work through, and I knew that they would all be relevant to me.
Looking and applying for a placement year is time-consuming, so it’s important that you set aside a few hours once or twice a week for job scanning and applying. Making use of the resources you have around you, like the job search page, helped me easily scan and find suitable placement roles and avoid wasting time during the winter exam period.
I could…
- Read through job descriptions
- Favourite roles I liked
- Create a list of saved jobs for future reference.
This narrowed down my options, allowing for a more in-depth evaluation of each role’s focus within marketing. Creating a ‘wish list’ of potential jobs helped prioritise applications, and the saved jobs list, complete with closing dates and email reminders, ensured I stayed organised.
This meant that I could refer to the list to help schedule my applications around my exams and coursework so I didn’t miss out on any that were closing early.
Read the student-written reviews
Another helpful feature of the RateMyPlacement website is the reviews and the Best Student Employers section, which helped me determine which placements would be most beneficial for me.
Where applicable, the reviews and 5-star ratings are included on every job role page. This helped me see how students had found the placement, what they learned, and what they enjoyed and took away from their roles.
Lists like the Best 100 Student Employers helped me discover ProspectSoft, positioning 5th in the ‘Best 45 Small to Medium-sized Student Employers,’ creating a positive impression.
Read interview advice
As I progressed to the interview stage with ProspectSoft, thorough preparation was key.
I ensured that I went into the interview with a good understanding of the company and my job role by looking at the company’s website and social media.
Additionally, I used the RateMyPlacement interview pages which had plenty of resources to get some practice and good advice from students. This helped calm my nerves and fill me with confidence!
Successfully navigating the interview stages, I secured the marketing role! With support from my university’s Employability Team and RateMyPlacement’s resources, I landed my top placement choice!
I know it can be hard at times to deal with rejections and find time aside from studies, but I could not recommend a placement year more, so persevere and don’t give up.
I hope that this blog helps, and I wish you luck in finding your perfect placement!
If you are interested in finding out more about ProspectSoft and the company and placement roles offered, visit our website: placements.prospectsoft.com.
