Reaching my future destination with WBS CareersPlus

Summer Xiao, MSc Business Analytics alumna, shares the support and advice she received from the WBS CareersPlus team.

WBS provides a wide range of excellent career coaching services to all WBS students, which I found extremely helpful for both looking for potential jobs and also for personal development. Here are a few of my personal top tips for all current and prospective students.

Career coaching begins before you arrive on the campus: Prepare earlier 

The WBS CareersPlus team host a series of webinar sessions during August and September before you arrive on campus which are really useful. These sessions cover a wide range of topics and provide information on lots of different industries such as banking and finance, consulting and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG). These webinars allow you to gain a systematic overview of career development in those particular industries including what employers are looking for, how to tailor your CV for a job role in that industry and the potential for career development.

In recent years, we have seen that recruitment begins earlier in some sectors, especially in the investment banking sector and some professional services industries. Therefore it is never too early to start your own career planning. The pre-arrival advice, along with many other online resources such as the CV-checking software V Mock and guides on how to prepare for online tests, assessment centres, case interviews and final interviews, will definitely make your preparation more efficient. I have found it is really useful to make a record of my key takeaways from each webinar session which has helped me when applying for jobs. It is also important that when you are applying for jobs you include your past experiences and how they are relevant to the position you are applying for and how the skills you have learnt are transferable to the role.  

Career workshops and mock interviews give you the real sense: Participate more

It is normal to get nervous when applying for your first full-time job and preparing for the different types of assessments that are involved in the recruitment process. The CareersPlus team provide many useful and practical workshops which aim at relieving your stress and building your confidence. The workshops focus on some crucial steps in the job-hunting process. Some topics include how to write a good CV, cover letter and application form, how to prepare for an interview and how to network efficiently. In each session, you will not only listen to the coaches but also have the chance to interact with them and receive individual feedback. You can also exchange your opinions and experience with the fellow students, which I personally find equally interesting and valuable.

Assessment centres are widely used by employers nowadays as part of their recruitment process. The mock assessment centre hosted by the CareersPlus team and experienced external experts is something I would recommend to everyone. During this workshop, participants will be able to gain a realistic feeling of the whole process, receive group and individual feedback and identify personal strengths and weakness, which is a great help when preparing for your actual assessment centre.

One-to-one coaching appointments increase your competence: Always reflect

The CareersPlus team also provide individual appointments where you can seek personal career planning advice, review your job applications and experience face-to-face mock interviews. I have had more than five appointments during my time at WBS and feel that I have really benefited from discussing my concerns and questions with the experienced careers coaches and implementing their advice when it came to making my job applications. To make the most of your one-to-one appointment, I would recommend that all future students take some time to review each appointment, so you can reflect on any issues that may have been raised and consider how to improve on your weaknesses.

My final piece of advice would be that finding a good job can be hard and the process can be frustrating but it is an essential stage in life that the majority of us will go through. Be resilient, prepare early, participate more and always reflect, I believe you can learn a lot from the WBS CareersPlus team and they will help you reach your future destination.

All of our MSc students can get access to our bespoke CareersPlus support, including one-to-one sessions, workshops, CV advice, and much more.