Melis Bintez is a current Computer Science with Management student, and NMES Placement Ambassador, at King’s College London. In this entry of Global Placement Stories, Melis Bintez talks about the challenges she faced on placement.
My role at Cayuse
This past year, I completed my year in industry with Cayuse, a research management SaaS company based in the US. When I started as an Application Engineer Intern at Cayuse, we were a UK-based company called Haplo, and then we merged with Cayuse. Back in September 2021, I first felt overwhelmed and stressed, especially during my first few weeks, because working full-time frightened me a bit, and I wasn’t familiar with the technology used at Cayuse. Nevertheless, I never doubted my goals towards my placement year, I knew why I wanted to do a Placement, and I knew that I would be gaining a lot in the long run, despite all the challenges. As months went by, I started grasping more and more ideas with the help of the fantastic team members I’ve had. I especially loved working in a globally diverse company since it helped me gain great networks worldwide. It was also great to have people working alongside you from all over the world because this way, I’ve got to experience a deeper perspective, especially on the client side, which wasn’t even my main work area at the time.
What Changed Over the Months of Doing a Placement
After around three months, I started assisting the Customer Success team; I liked how I communicated between clients and tech teams within our company; thus, I had the opportunity to improve my soft skills, such as communication and problem-solving. As I started to work with different teams at Cayuse, I gained a better understanding of the culture and how to be a better part of it. My takeaway from my times at Cayuse during my placement year was to ask every crucial question to have the best possible results in every case. I didn’t shy away when I felt something wasn’t clear enough, so I always asked for feedback from my managers; these were exceptionally helpful and helped my personal growth over time. So much so that I still find Cayuse to be a great workplace; I renewed my contract and started working with them part-time when I returned for my final year at King’s.
So what?
Another perk of doing a placement was to have a medium to apply what I have learnt in university. Studying Computer Science with Management degree helped me accommodate to everything happening around me at work faster and more concisely. I recommend everyone considering doing a Placement year to value their skills from their academic backgrounds; you will end up thanking your 1st and 2nd-year self. Besides your educational background, it’s also imperative to value your soft skills, especially during your search for a placement. What employers want to see from you is your potential; make sure to aim high and work towards it while also improving your soft skills.
Other Tips & Advice
- You will face rejection; just know that you will face it until you make it.
- Don’t forget to balance your studies with your application process – this may be tricky because not everyone around you will be applying for Placements; hence they’ll have time for other things when you have applications to submit and interviews to prepare. Manage your time well.
- Do not doubt your worth. Rest assured; you have what it takes to get offered that job you want. But, on the other hand, you can never get an offer from a job you want so badly if you don’t apply.