Whilst my student days seem a distant memory now (unbelievably over five years ago!), I can still distinctly remember finishing my course, and after a small stint of travelling, sat down to write my CV and start applying for jobs to begin my Marketing career.
But I soon struggled with what to write; what would an interviewer want to hear about? How could I prove I was capable of doing the job when I had no experience in the industry?
Other than a few part time jobs and my degree qualification I had very little experience of which to talk about and nothing that I thought would make me stand out from the crowd – and this was at a time when starting your career was a lot easier. Unlike now, when leaving University with a qualification is no longer enough and competition for jobs is continually growing not only with peers but experienced professionals.
When I first heard about the Mintel Student Ambassador Programme, I soon realised what a great opportunity this could be for current students. As reported in Mintel’s Student Lifestyles May 2011 report over 50% of students in the UK are worried about their job prospects and debt once they finish university, highlighting the necessity for students to think about life after university early on through their student life.
For a student to get some involvement with a company (potentially a future employer?) and demonstrate some real industry experience with a brand, as well as the chance to have a paid two week work placement is incredible, especially when paid work experience is hard to come by these days.
If you are interested in joining the Mintel Student Ambassador programme, simply register at www.mintel.com/studentambassador
