Virtual Careers Fairs: Work for a Retail Company
With a new academic year starting, one of the University’s most awaited event for fresh graduates who are looking for jobs, is the Virtual Careers Fairs, and this year it started from the 5th of October, 2021. The event, with over 250+ employers and organisations, hosts one-to-one sessions with students as well as group sessions, where they interact and give useful tips for applications and answer all industry-related questions.
Event: Work for a Retail Company
The retail sector is one of the most successful industries in the UK and is highly sought-after by graduates. As a part of the Virtual Careers Events, Link to Leeds ambassadors Marina and Corina attended the session on ‘Work for a Retail Company’ on 7th October, 2021. In this blog are the key learnings that each ambassador took from the sessions they attended:
Marina: I attended three sessions by companies that focused on the retail sector and those were- Amazon, Jardine Matheson and Moy Park. All the companies gave insights on the kinds of jobs they hire graduates for, the process of interview and selection, and if they provide sponsorship for international students or not, among other details.
Amazon, while the name speaks for itself, promoted the idea that they as a company, are always on a lookout for new talents who would adhere to their principles. The associate from Amazon who hosted the session for us, talked about how Amazon hires graduates in both technical and non-technical roles. She also went on to talk in great detail about the kind of possible interview questions a candidate is asked and how no matter what academic background you have, the interviewers look at how skilful one is.
Jardine Matheson, the conglomerate company that deals with industries like retail, real estate and hotels, among others also talked about the need for new talent. They explained to us the process of inducting new recruits by letting them spend a year in their Hong Kong headquarters, before they go on to decide which industry they want to be a part of. The associate of Jardine Matheson talked about the various perks they provide for international students like, sponsorship, balanced salary rate and growth opportunities within the organisation.
Moy Park, the leading UK based food company, also presented many opportunities for international graduates. They spoke at great length about how they work to train new graduates within their scheme, by mentoring them through out the process.
In my opinion, this event was a great way for students to interact with the employer companies and find out what the market is looking for. I was delighted by the sheer dedication the respective associates from various companies, showed in their presentations, and also by the nature of the interaction they had with the students, which was friendly and approachable.
The Virtual Career Fairs by the Career Centre has definitely been a boost to my experience in looking for a job and I will definitely recommend it to all current and future students who want to plan their professional journey.
Corina: At this event, I attended the sessions held by Amazon, Proctor and Gamble, Morrisons and ABP.
I had a similar experience when attending the Amazon presentation with Marina. I found it really interesting how accepting they were of applicants of non-tech backgrounds. Since Amazon is known as a very technical company, I was surprised that someone studying media like me can still have a chance to work in one of the jobs offered by such a big tech company like Amazon.
With Morrisons and ABP, their sessions followed a similar schedule where the graduates would start off with a quick overview of what working for their company is like, their current role and experience in the company, and an overview of what roles are available for students looking for either a placement/Year in Industry or a graduate job. While both Morrisons and ABP are famously known as a retail company in food, they have a lot of jobs from various backgrounds, including sales, marketing, operations, engineering, and finance. For Morrisons, we had a recent graduate currently on the graduate scheme with the company, whereas for ABP, we had a senior recruiter who had a good overview of the whole application process. It was fascinating to hear how both representatives were very passionate about their jobs and company they worked for. They also spoke about how their placement students may be able to get a job with them after graduation, which was something not a lot of companies offer from their placements.
My last session of the day was a presentation from Procter and Gamble (P&G), the multinational consumer goods corporation responsible brands like Pampers, Bounty, Always, Gillette and Head & Shoulders. Their presentation were held by three graduates who were currently working in separate departments, which were the Marketing, Sales, and Finance. Within an hour or so, they were able to tell us their experience and their job responsibilities working in their respective departments, what they enjoyed most about their roles, the different graduate and placement opportunities, and the application process. The coolest part was being able to see the large-scale projects the graduates were able to work on – it definitely made applying to them very appealing!
Overall, I had a really great experience attending the Retail and Marketing fair. I think the best part about attending these career fairs is the personal connection you can gain by talking with the employers directly. With the new graduate job cycle starting, I found it very valuable to be able to ask for some pointers from the employers/successful applicants directly about their company culture, what makes a successful candidate and a general overview of each companies’ application process. I can gain a sense of what skills I would need to succeed or secure positions in the industry.
Attending this fair has also opened my eyes to what is currently out there. Previously, I was only focused on having a career in the creative/design industry and that I would be suited best for those type of jobs. However, I was surprised that a lot of companies are open to who they recruit, and that some companies were opening up graduate roles that I previously thought I was unsuitable or uninterested in.
This was just one of the many career fairs currently being hosted by the Careers Centre at the university. While this fair was specific to working in the retail and marketing industry, all students from the university from any background can apply to all the different opportunities available to us. It was definitely a day well spent and we look forward to attending more of these career fairs soon.