What has been your highlight of the year?
After a year of so many highs it is difficult to pick one out, however I was lucky enough to be on the receiving end of a company paid trip to Ibiza for hitting monthly targets, which was amazing. Most of the employees went and we had a great time! Another huge high was when we recently hit 2 million users, as when I came we’d only just hit 1 million, so to be apart of acquiring over 1 million users was really something special.
Has this experience impacted how and what you see in your future?
I always had the idea that I would go out on my own and start my own business at some point. So working closely with the founders of a start-up growing at a rapid rate has really highlighted all the pro’s and con’s to this. I can honestly say it has definitely pushed further my desire to start my own business.
How did you find the support from the University?
The university were fantastic, after 4 months I switched from one placement to Xceed. During this period I was really stressed about getting a new job but BU were great with helping me out; the Faculty Placements Team and the Erasmus team all helped so much.
Any advice you would give other students wanting to find a placement?
- Get on top of it asap, but don’t think you have to put hours in everyday. Do an hour or so here and there, and you will be fine.
- I would highly recommend going abroad as you will learn so much (the weather tends to be better too).
- Once you have one, the pressure is gone but don’t stop looking as you may want to get additional experience after your official placement ends.
What are your plans for the rest of the summer before you come back for final year?
I’m moving back from Barcelona and working in London for a month before heading out to South East Asia for a few weeks to relax before final year.
Do you think this experience has impacted your future employability?
Definitely! Having the opportunity to work in 2 young growing companies in Barcelona has been great, I’ve learned loads & furthered my CV dramatically. My employers have also given me help with my CV, as well as a number of recommendations to take to future employers!
How was it being in the ‘real world’?
At times it has been tricky. I’ve worked from a young age anyway so I’m used to the hours/workload but sometimes when the 6am alarm went off it seemed like a real mission to get through the day. But on the whole I found that as long as I maintained a structure it was fine.
Have you been able to identify what you need to do now to continue to improve your employability?
Yes, this year has helped me to understand what I’m good at as well as the areas I need to improve on. So over the next year I’m going to try and put a lot of work into the areas that need improving. Hopefully come graduation time I’ll have rectified my weak areas.
Feedback from the Supervisor, Mattia Franco
Do you feel that an international experience is important to today’s graduate looking to begin their career?
Extremely!
Which 3 elements do you expect to see on a CV for a student wanting to work for you?
- Clarity and ability to summarize in an elegant way his/her skills and background
- Presence of some technical skills related to his/her proposed job position
- Interesting experiences that show entrepreneurship and curiosity for things (aka proactiveness)
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-benjamin-4150749b
Company: Xceed : https://xceed.me/