By Michael Leeman, BEng Electronic Engineering, Department of Informatics
Earning a degree opens a lot of new opportunities that are hardly attainable without one. After my graduation, I will have plenty of prospects to choose from; I could do a postgraduate, pursue a career with a globally reputable company, or I could even start my own business. Graduates with a STEM degree (especially one from a Russell Group university) are in high demand within the job market, but this doesn’t necessary mean that you won’t face any competition. Employers will look for the smallest of details that differentiate you from another applicant; whether it’s based on academic achievements, work experience or extracurricular activities. Therefore, I strongly advise prospective students to make the most of university and not be afraid of taking up opportunities that will enable you to stand out from the crowd.
The King’s CareerConnect website, which is run by King’s Careers & Employability, is a great asset for me to search for jobs and provides me with material to support my career ambitions. I have mostly used the CareerConnect site to apply for the King’s Internships part-time and summer schemes. These internships are exclusively for King’s students and are tailored to fit around your studies. Additionally, parts of the application stages are conducted by the department, and they give feedback on how to improve if you were unsuccessful. So far, I have only positive experiences with the careers department and CareerConnect. I have applied for several internships listed on their site and I have secured a couple of interviews thanks to them. They have also given me feedback on my unsuccessful applications which has vastly improved my CV and covering letter writing skills.
Participating in KCLSU societies and activities are also a great way to improve your prospects. There are over 300 hundred societies and volunteering activities to choose from, with each targeting specific groups of students. Not only do you socialise with other like-minded students, but you’re also advancing your soft skills and acquiring experience. In my applications, I used my time with the Robotics Society to demonstrate that I’m able to apply my teamworking and communications skills in projects outside of my course and that I have a fascination in technology.
In the future, I hope to learn Italian by completing a course with the Modern Languages Centre, due to international companies, such as Bloomberg, requiring applicants to know a second language. To make myself more desirable to employers I’m also working towards a King’s Experience Award next year, so that I have recognition in advancing my transferable skills.
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