An industrial placement year, also referred to as a sandwich year, is a full-time work experience typically lasting 8 to 12 months, as part of your degree programme. I am currently in my second year, and I will soon be going off to my placement as an IT Project Manager at Cummins Inc. Throughout the application process, I learned several lessons that I feel would be helpful and might convince you to consider doing a placement yourself.

The application process

After doing some research and speaking to seniors on the course, doing a placement felt like the best way to get real experience and prepare for a career after graduation. What I did not expect though, was how eye-opening the actual application process would be. I started applying around September, but things got busy pretty fast. Each application needed detailed research, a tailored CV and cover letter, online assessments and video interviews later in the process. It was a lot at first. But as I went through more of them, I started learning what works and what doesn’t. The process got easier, and I picked up some useful strategies along the way. But why should you consider doing placement in the first place?

Why you should do a placement and how you can succeed

Doing a placement year gives you the kind of experience that you will not get in a lecture hall. It’s a chance to figure out what kind of work you enjoy (and what you don’t), while building skills that employers genuinely care about. You get to apply what you have learned in a real-world setting, meet people in the industry, and gain confidence in how you work. Even just going through the application process teaches you a lot and prepares you for future opportunities, so whether you secure a placement or not, it’s still worth doing. And if this has convinced you to start applying, here are a few things I wish someone had told me before I began.

• Start early

Some roles open as early as August, so the earlier you start, the more options you’ll have, and it’ll give you experience for the later applications. You can also get prepared early by practicing psychometric tests or researching the industries you’re interested in.

• Quality over quantity

Don’t rush through applications, tailor your CV and cover letter properly for each role, and be thorough with every stage of the process. Treat every opportunity the same, you never know where it could lead.

• Do your research 

Look into the company’s values, mission and recent work and achievements. It helps you write stronger applications and shows in the interviews, and helps you stand out as someone genuinely interested in the role.

• Use the Careers Service

This is definitely the most underutilized service in the university. Their CV checks, mock interviews, workshops and advice were honestly so helpful. Don’t overlook them!

• Rejections are normal

Everyone gets rejected at some point, and it’s part of the process. Don’t take it personally. Learn from it, move forward, and try again, it really does get easier.

• Stay calm and be yourself

Interviews aren’t meant to trick you and you are not expected to be perfect. It is okay to pause to think or ask clarifying questions. And most importantly, try to enjoy the process and even if you do not succeed, they are an amazing opportunity for you to learn.

Doing a placement might feel like a lot of effort, but it is one of the most valuable things you can do during your degree and the experience you gain would make it all worth it. Good luck!

Written by Hein, currently studying BSc Information Technology Management for Business

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