Iris Compan del Monte is a BSc (Hons) Cyber Security Management student. She recently attended a placement event to help Computing students meet with potential employers and find out about the roles they have available. In this guest blog, she talks about the experience.

Finding the perfect placement can be an exciting but stressful journey, and often requires a guiding hand to begin with. As a Level 5 (second year) Computing student at Bournemouth University, I recently participated in the “Placement Employer Pitch & Student Group Networking” event held on 1st November 2023. This experience was invaluable, offering a deeper insight into different placement opportunities and the chance to connect with potential employers.

The event, hosted on Bournemouth University’s campus, aimed to bridge the gap between students and local employers, providing an excellent platform for us to explore placement possibilities. The list of participating companies was impressive, including Bistech, The Human Tech Agency, Ibcos Computers Ltd, Yunex Traffic, Micro Nav, Leonardo, 3 Sided Cube, Siemens, and JP Morgan, among others… Offering a variety of roles and opportunities.

The event started with a quick round of refreshments and snacks, setting a relaxed tone for the evening. Followed by a warm welcome and an introduction to the event. Each company had two minutes to present their placement opportunities. These pitches were express but packed with valuable information, offering a glimpse into the core activities of each company.

Speed networking at the Placement Pitch event.

The fun part of the event was the group speed networking session which reminded me of the speeding date events you see at your local pub. Students had the chance to move from one employer to another within a frame of 5 minutes per meeting. It was an excellent opportunity to ask questions, express our interests, and learn about the specific skills and qualities they valued in potential candidates.

One of the aspects that stood out was the informal setting. Unlike formal job interviews, this event allowed us to meet employers on a personal level. We had the freedom to be ourselves, ask candid questions, and establish meaningful connections. It eliminated the intimidation factor often associated with job hunting and made the experience more enjoyable and less stressful.

As a cyber security management student, I left the event feeling motivated and well-informed about the range of career paths available to me, despite most of the opportunities being based in Software Engineering I was surprised that most of them would consider students from other areas without the need for competition with my coding fellas.

For anyone in a similar position, I highly recommend attending such events. They provide a unique perspective on the career landscape and offer a stepping stone into the professional world.

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Computing & Informatics courses