How the CareersPlus team have prepared me to start my career in the UK

Full-time MBA participant, Adiba Tasmeem, shares her experience of the CareersPlus team and how they have supported her MBA journey. 

My interaction with the CareersPlus team dates back from before I was accepted into the Full-time MBA programme at Warwick Business School (WBS). I met with Donna and Neelam – my two would-be Career Coaches – on Microsoft Teams in my MBA admission interview, and I was reunited with them in Term 1 and Term 2 when they helped me prepare for my job applications. I received first-hand feedback on my performance in the Admission Interview, which served as a reference point for my development journey. I made use of the unlimited coaching sessions to focus on areas where I had room for improvement. One of the valuable lessons I learned from my coaches was how to keep my answers succinct yet impactful. This has significantly improved my presentation skills and boosted my confidence. I found my coaches to be approachable and supportive, leading me to share with them some of my other insecurities, my discomfort at networking for instance, to which I received practical advice that I applied in real situations with success.

Being an international student, I had little knowledge about the industries in the UK and the roles which could be suitable for me. The Sector Overview series arranged by the CareersPlus team gave me first-hand knowledge from industry experts about the business activities in each sector, along with the roles and opportunities that may be available. These were interactive sessions where we asked specific questions on our eligibility for the sectors and on ways to transition from one industry to another. One of the key takeaways for me was that most industries had roles that appreciate diversity of backgrounds and that transferable skills can be an effective tool to highlight oneself while transitioning across industries.

Having received access to workshops, online tools and resources, I felt well-equipped for recruitment processes in the UK. Since I have never written a cover letter before, the workshops on CV-writing and cover letters were very useful for me when I started working on my first job application. We also had the opportunity to strengthen the content through V-mock, a very useful online tool provided by WBS for MBA students. A separate interview workshop conducted in groups of six to seven people gave us some good practice on unorthodox questions and helped us learn how to think quickly on our feet. The Development Center Workshop allowed us to engage in a simulation of real-life assessment centers. What was particularly helpful for me was that the people who evaluated me during competency interviews and case presentation were external coaches who were seeing me for the first time. They added fresh perspectives to how I came across as a candidate, which assured me that I was on the right track on my development journey.

I am thankful to the CareersPlus Team for being a constant support during my very first recruitment experience at a Consulting firm. In addition to application reviews and mock interviews, I received special support for the assessment stage in the form of a simulated group exercise and a one-on-one case-solving session with a Consulting Coach. I believe that the overall exposure I received in terms of activities and facilities provided by the CareersPlus team has helped me achieve professional and personal growth. I am excited about my post-MBA career in the UK as I am confident of being better equipped now than I was when I appeared in my MBA admission interview a year ago.  

Find out more about the Full-time MBA here.