Surrey Business School pilots new employability workshop

Undergraduates from Surrey Business School have taken part in a pilot workshop designed to improve their employability upon graduation and help them make the transition from education into the working world.

The programme, entitled ‘Readiness for Work’, is part of the Europe-wide ‘Alliance for YOUth’ project that is spearheaded by Nestlé and involves over 150 high-profile companies, including Facebook, Google, Nielsen, AXA, Twitter and EY.

On the day, 20 undergraduates enjoyed a day-long workshop with representatives of various companies in the scheme. The attendees were a blend of first-year students starting to think about their Professional Training placements, second-year students who are currently arranging their placement years and final-year students who are considering their careers beyond graduation.

The workshop was divided into four sections:

• The local job market and getting started: how do you look for a job?
• Taking care of your digital footprint: make sure everything about you sells you well (followed by a LinkedIn workshop)
• Securing an interview: preparing your CV and cover letter
• How to perform better at interviews and assessments

Feedback on the workshop was positive, with students variously commenting that they had ‘gained a greater understanding into the most appropriate platforms for my job hunt’, ‘learnt how to review my digital footprint and look more professional online’, ‘got a very good insight on how to write a CV and tips to enhance my own’ and ‘learnt how to prepare for interviews and what to expect at assessment centres and in video interviews’.

Alliance for YOUth brings together leading companies in Europe who recognise that youth unemployment is a major social and economic issue on the continent and are committed to helping solve it.

Explore our business and management subject page, or discover more about careers and employability at Surrey.