This is a guest blog by Ben Haskell, BA (Hons) Accounting and Finance student who secured a placement with Savills Investment Management as a Group Finance Assistant.

Who are Savills Investment Management and what did your role as Group Finance Assistant involve?

Savills Investment Management are a global real estate investment manager who invest funds of money on behalf of clients. My role was within the UK team, whereby I dealt with the accounting entries for the purchase and sales ledger, whilst completing monthly bank reconciliations and other tasks to aid reporting.

What three words would you use to describe your placement search?

Hard, challenging and a great experience.

How did BU support your placement search?

I first drafted a CV before applying for placement positions, I then had meetings with Faculty Placement Co-ordinators from BU to help develop my CV until I was comfortable using it for applications.

What were the hardest aspects of your placement? 

Whilst on placement I had a lot of responsibility and multiple deadlines which I had to manage, especially at the end of the month, so juggling tasks to meet these deadlines was difficult.

What were the most enjoyable aspects of your placement?

Working and learning from experienced people in the field, as well as having the opportunity to meet new people.

Do you think you have changed personally and professionally?

I now know what to expect in working life and the challenges that I will face, professionally I have developed an understanding of how to conduct myself within a professional environment.

What are your future career aspirations?

I will work towards my ACA chartered accounting qualification upon graduation at BU.

Do you have any other advice you’d like to offer students who are considering a placement?

I would 100% recommend doing a placement. The skills and knowledge you learn is invaluable, and you gain experience which bolsters your CV. Even in my final year now, the knowledge I learned whilst on placement comes up in units, so it helps.