Your Career

in the UK

Laura Raznick
 Agenda

• UK Cycle
• CV
• Letters
• Application Forms
• Psychometric testing
• Interviews
• Assessment Centres
 When - The UK Cycle

• Year round Internships are becoming more common in the UK

• Graduate Programmes – (to start following Sept)

September – December*

• Summer Internships – (to start June/July)

October – February*

• Off Cycle Internships

All year round*

Others: Women’s events, Spring Week

*Advertisement and Recruitment Periods

NEVER WAIT UNTIL CLOSE DATE IN THE UK

 The Recruitment Process

• CV and Covering Letter

• Application Forms

• Psychometric On-line tests

• Telephone Interview

• Face to Face Interview

• Assessment Centre

• Case study

• Final Interview
 Your USPs

• What makes you different?/Why you?

Language skills?

International: Quantify?

Fast Learner: How?

Previous experience: Relevant?

Leadership: Success?
 Try to avoid….

Communicator
Team Player
Self Starter
Dynamic
International
Fast Learner
Results Driven
Flexible
Hard Working
Motivated
People Person
….Always Quantify
 Skills for the Future

Skills for the future

Published: Thursday, 18 August 2011 Category: All Graduate Jobs News
Skills that graduates are most likely to need in the future;

• Social intelligence: the ability to assess the emotions of those around you and adapt your
words, tone and gestures accordingly in the workplace.

• Novel & adaptive thinking: the ability to think and come up with solutions and responses
beyond that which is based around the obvious.

• Cross -cultural competency: In a globally connected world, a graduate’s skill set could see
them posted in any number of locations; therefore they need the ability to operate in different
cultural environments.

• Be computer savvy: as the amount of data that we have at our disposal increases
exponentially, many more roles will require you to have high quality computer skills in order
to make sense of this information.
 Skills For the Future

• Be computer savvy: as the amount of data that we have at our disposal increases
exponentially, many more roles will require you to have high quality computer skills in order
to make sense of this information.

• New-media literacy: the current explosion in user-generated media will fill most workplaces
in the next decade. Because of this, the ability to develop content using these media will be
an advantage.

• Transdisciplinarity: today’s multifaceted problems need transdisciplinary solutions and

people with the ability to understand concepts across multiple disciplines.

• Design mindset: in the future, we will be able to plan our environments so that they are
conducive to the outcomes that we are most interested in. The ability to represent and
develop tasks and work processes for desired outcomes will be therefore required.

• Cognitive load management: this is the ability to discriminate and filter information for
importance, and to understand how to maximise cognitive functioning using a variety of tools
and techniques.

• Virtual collaboration: connective technologies make it easier than ever to work, share ideas
and be productive despite physical separation. Virtual collaboration is the ability to work
productively as a member of a virtual team.
 The Recruiter’s Method

We look for EVIDENCE:

Demonstrated through non Academic examples e.g.

Temporary work

Work Experience

Internships

Extra-curricular

Sports

Charity work

Societies
 The Recruiter’s Method

• Short Listing Grid

Name Numerical Teamwork Languages Total

Greg 3 4 3 10

John 4 1 2 7

Sarah 4 4 4 12

Flavie 2 2 2 6
 Scoring

• Ratings:
1 2 3 4
No Some Good. Some Outstanding.
evidence or evidence development Meets criteria
experience but limited needed
1 2 3 experience
4

Score according to evidence and indicators

e.g. Numerical Skills
1= Lists Numerical Skills ‘ I am highly numerate’.
2 = Shows worked numbers but not where or when
3 = Shows worked with numbers but no outcome
4 = Shows where used numerical skills successfully
 THE UK CV

• One page for Banking

• Up to two pages for other roles

• NO PHOTO, AGE OR NATIONALITY for the UK

 Your CV: Your Marketing Brochure

• Name

• Summary

• Education

• Employment History

• Languages/Computer Skills

• Extra-Curricular
 The Summary (Optional)

Career Summary:
‘An ESCP Europe student studying…. With previous work experience at XX and XX.
Experience of working alongside clients from the energy sector and producing
marketing material and an online campaign. Looking for a career in X’

NOT……
‘ An ESCP Europe student studying … Good dynamic and strong team player looking
for a career in an international company’

Precise Key USPs No Clichés

 Education

• Degree – ‘ESCP Europe Business School’ . List Core courses only.

Course Title:

Master in European Business

Master in Management

In letters – I am studying a Master’s in European Business

I am a Master’s student

• Undergraduate Degree

• A-levels - High School ( Age 16-18)

• GCSE’s – keep to minimum ( Age 15 – 16)

Precise Specific Relevant

 Country Grade Matrix

UK 2:1
Germany 1 - 2.5
France 12 - 20
Italy 85 - 110
Spain 7 - 10
Netherlands 7 – 10
Belgium Minimum 80% - Grande
Distinction
Turkey 3.00 (Honours)
United States of America GPA 3.4
India 85%
China A or B
Hong Kong Second Upper
Japan Pass
Singapore Second Upper
 Employment History

• Date, Job Title, Company Name (BOLD most important)

• List 3-4 Bullets points
• Role/How/Outcome
• Bullet points should incorporate skills
• Final bullet should be an Achievement
• You can use your Consultancy Project. ‘ESCP Europe
Consultancy Project’

Precise Quantified Integrated Skills

 Employment History

Assistant, Dean & Dean

• Worked on client reports for Marketing Manager

• Handled 25 customer complaints a day
• Project Manager for the office move for 300 employees
• Arranged Office move in 2 weeks. Consulted 5 teams,
managed logistics and dealt with external suppliers.
 Languages and Computer Skills

• Mother tongue, Proficient, Advanced, Intermediate, Basic

• If they are looking for a specific language – put at the top of your CV

• Computer – Same as languages

Precise Specific Relevant

Extra-Curricular/Achievements/Interests

• Is it unique? e.g Travel?

• What was the achievement?

• Show leadership

• Good - Societies, Sports, Charity, Unusual Interest

• Do not list everything – have a balance

Quantify Specific Relevant

Incorporate Skills
 CV - Consultancy
Summary and key skills

Master in European Business student looking for an opportunity in consultancy for 6 to 9 months from June 2010. Previous auditing experience and been
involved in ‘live’ consultancy projects as part of the Masters. Specialist interest in energy industry after completing an intern as an energy analyst.

Analytical and logical: analysed financial statements. Completed an engineering degree and winner of Maths Olympiads.
Communication: Presented to Managing Director and Clients final recommendations of the consultancy project
Problem solving: Developed a new data process for the Analytical Team at Energy34

Education
09/2008 – ESCP Europe Business School
09/2009 Master in European Business (MEB), one-year two-country (London/Berlin), Post-graduate
Program, awarding two Masters Degrees (MEB & MSc)
Core Subjects: Financial Strategy, Business Strategy; Elective: Global IB
09/2008 – HELS - Humboldt European Law School
09/2009 Private Law & Business Law – Top 5% in graduating Class
09/1994 – Deutsches Goethe-Kolleg, Buchares
09/2006 Graduated with the German Abitur

Work Experience
June – August 2009
Junior Auditor, Summer Internship
Midex, Paris, France
Analysed and verified all the corporation's data : financial statements, activity report, detailed accounts
Prepared and written a report of recommendations for the Steering committee for a future high profile project
Worked within an auditing team and was on site with client on a weekly basis
Used DCF method for the evaluation
Identified inaccuracies resulting in 300,000euros

May – September 2008

Energy Analyst, Summer Internship
Energy34 , Berlin, Germany
• Part of a road show advising Energy34’s key clients in the automotive sector on the new energy strategy and how to implement it in to their business.
• Reviewed existing KPIs for individual companies
• Market sector analysis of the energy sector in Germany and produced report for Senior Analyst
• Revised their data matching process by introducing a new system based on excel
• Attended Energy sector conferences attended by Shell, BP etc and prepared notes for key speaker
 CV – Consultancy (2)

June – September 2007

Finance Assistant, Summer Internship

Frank Prete, Berlin, Germany

•Entered key financial data in to the systems
•Managed the weekly budget update report

Languages & Computer Skills

English Proficient. TOEIC test : independent user – vantage (B2, 875 points) French, Mother tongue
German Intermediate
IT: Intermediate in VBA, Maple, Photoshop, MS Project

Extra-Curricular Activities & Other Achievements

Team Captain of Handball – Finalist in last year’s European Junior Championship
Fishing – Member of the local fishing club
Music – Drummer of a local band. Responsible for arranging the logistics for gigs and promotion
Maths Olympiads – Winner of Berlin’s state Maths Olympiad 1995 & 1997
 CV - Marketing
George Lewis

(00 44) 6 62 17 23 60
Glewis@escpeurope.eu
EDUCATION

2006-2009 ESCP Europe Business School London/Paris

• Master in European Business
• Core Subjects: X X X X

2003 2006 Imperial College, London

• Bsc Engineering: 2:1

2002 – 2003 Lycée T, Lyon, France

• French Baccalauréat a focus on Mathematics

MARKETING WORK EXPERIENCE

Jan- June. 2009 Cedar – Boutique Wine Merchants, Intern London

• Worked in team working on the re-launch of their label
• Researched competitors, sector analysis and analysed existing trends
• Arranged and conducted an external brand focus group for target customers
• Worked with external marketing agency to work on a new creative
• Produced final report for Marketing Director who agreed with new direction

2005-2009 Proust, Events Agency, Assistant Paris

• Worked in the Press Office answering queries from Regional Press
• Welcomed guests to events including VPs from FMCG companies e.g. LMVH, Jimmy Choo
• Organised all the Press Packs and the catering for the Gala event for 3,000 guests

WORK EXPERIENCE

2007, July-August IBM, Trainee (Supply Chain Analyst) Hong Kong

• Part of a Project Team working on improving efficiency in existing networks
• Mapped and Analysed current process and suggested improvements to current
networks in the Finance Sector

LANGUAGES AND SKILLS

Languages: French: Mother Tongue English: Advanced (TOEIC score: 910) Chinese: Basic

Computer skills: Advanced skills in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Wizard

EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

Positions of Responsibility: Events Manager – French Society, Imperial College

Arranging 50+ events each year for the members, Managing event budget from £1,500
Interests: Horse-riding competitions, Member of a theatre group
 CV – Investment Banking

Jessica Smith
Address : 43 The High Street
Tel : + 44 (0) 77654837
E-mail : jsmith@escpeurope.eu

A current Master in European Business with internship experience in Mergers & Acquisitions and Auditing. Managed client relationships from the Pharmaceutical and
automotive sectors.

EDUCATION

2006-2010 ESCP Europe Business School

Master in Management: Core Courses in; Corporate Finance, Strategy, Financial Modeling
20042006 Lycée Saint-Louis de Gonzague, Paris, France – mathematical track
2001-2004 Lycée des Francs-Bourgeois, Paris, France
French Baccalauréat - Concentration in Economics – Passed with honors

WORK EXPERIENCE

Mar-Aug 2009 Analyst, Mergers & Acquisitions, Nomura, London (6 months)

• Valuation of public and private companies: trading and transaction comparables, DCF
• Preparation of client presentation materials for the automotive industry
• Analysis of financial statements and reports
• Responsible for the team’s weekly update in the automotive industry
• Part of the execution of two mandates in the telecom industry

Sept 08-Mar 09 Junior Auditor, Deloitte

• Auditing on site for the Pharmaceutical sector – clients included GSK and Astra Zeneca
• Managed an audit for a small Pharmaceutical company. Managed client relationships
• Produced reports and final presentations

LANGUAGES & COMPUTER SKILLS

French Native English Fluent Spanish Advanced

Computer skills Word, Excel, Power Point, Access, VBA, Matlab, InDesign, Photoshop

EXTRA-CURRICULAR

• President, Finance Society – managing a team of 10, responsible for the budget (£5,000) and sponsorship negotiations with BNP Paribas, Nike
• Tennis Captain – Winner of last year’s university challenge
 Writing to Alumni

• Address them formally

‘Dear’

• Show your appreciation

‘ I really appreciate any help and advice you can offer’

• Thank them for their time

• Do not ask for a job directly but ask for their advice
 Covering Letter

KEY POINTS TO COVER:

• YOU
• THEM
• THE JOB

• One Page only

• Specific and Tailored
• Approximately 4-6 paragraphs
• Make it interesting
 Covering Letter
Introduction (Keep short):

‘I have seen your advert for XX’ and ‘ I am currently studying xx

and have had experience at X & X’

Specifics: 2-3 examples to match the role ( Jobs and

Interests): ( 2-3 paragraphs):

‘Whilst at X I learnt… ‘
‘ Here, I delivered a project/improvement by…..’
‘ I used X skill(s) to achieve….’
‘ I particularly enjoyed working on XXXXX’
‘ One of the challenges I face was..’
‘ I helped the team by…’
‘ Outside of studies and work experience, I have lead a sports#
team……’

NOT : I am a good team player who is dynamic………

 Covering Letter

The Company & the role: (Be precise and specific. Show
research):
Considering my background in X I would like the opportunity to work
for X as I have been following you XXX or I appreciate that you are
specialists in XXX and dedicate time to XXX’ (why It is Important
to you’)

I recently saw your campaign for product X. It worked really well as

it combined a social media campaign with a more traditional press
advertising approach and therefore I would like to work on projects
similar to this that crosses multiple platforms.

Finish:
Therefore considering my interest and experience please find
attached my CV. I look forward to hearing from you.
 Application Form

• STAR
Applies to Interview Questions too:

Situation – Background ( few sentences)

Task – What had to be done ( few sentences)
Action - What you did to resolve problem (majority of answer)
Result – The Outcome ( few sentences)

• SPECIFIC EXAMPLES

• NON ACADEMIC where possible

 Common Questions

Common Application Form Questions: 2009/2010:

 What is multi-tasking? (IPA Summer Scheme)

 Our business is about building great brands – if you were a brand,

how would you sell yourself to us? (JWT)

 Tell us about a recent advertising campaign that you think is

particularly good, and why (JWT)

 Which brand is underrated? (Leo Burnett)

 Show us that you are not a show off (Leo Burnett)

 Send us an image that really provokes you and why (Leo Burnett)

 Talk about a time when you have added value to the team?
 Good Answers

Give a non-academic example of when you worked towards a challenging goal and
needed to overcome problems or conflicting demands in order to achieve your goal. Who
did you consult with and whom did you involve in achieving your goal? (Max 150 Words).

I was asked to help set up a new 24-hour channel for which I had no previous experience. I
began by researching the market – in some cases it was a question of adapting existing
methodologies to suit the new environment. I used my network of contacts to get a head
start. While the quality of people was high, they needed to be re-trained to have a fit with
our Company. Parallel, I began drawing up the training manual. While the above
mentioned task was still within my comfort zone, finding a suitable office space wasn’t. As
a start-up we were not in a position to pay very high salaries or incur high costs. The
challenge was immense. The experience of my boss was invaluable. Taking his
suggestions on board, along with prioritising and being organized in my tasks helped me
achieve my end goal.
 Good Answers

Describe a time that you have identified a task or process that

could be improved, challenged this and ensured that
improvements were implemented. How did you measure the
improvements? (Max 150 Words).

I am leading a team on a Consultancy project for an American

clothing giant. We are advising them on their strategies in India.
For many of the team members, English is not their first
language. As a native speaker of the language and as the team
leader, I am in-charge of quality control. One team member was difficult
to work with. She felt her work was very good and was never open to
suggestions. For our half-way presentation, her work did not meet the
client’s requirements. I explained the requirement to her again, drew up
guidelines and provided an example of how the work needed to be
presented. I also kept my tutor in the loop for any feedback. After several
drafts, the work was up to the mark. The improvement was reflected
In the overall presentation sent to the client and most important in their
very positive feedback.
 Psychometric Tests

• Verbal, Numerical, Psychological

• Economic Financial data – looking at patterns
• Usually SHL
• Speed and Accuracy
• Practise for 30 minutes before you take the test
 Fear Questions

• What questions do you fear?

 Interview Etiquette

• Arrive 15 minutes early

• Let them know if you will be late
• Engage and build rapport
• Shake Hands
• Introduce Yourself
• Remember their names!
 Interview Tips

• Be Prepared - Have 5-6 examples ready

• You, The Company, The Industry

Past, Present & Future

• Selling YOU & Strengths and Weaknesses

• Technical Questions

• Brain Teasers

• Three C’s – Confident, Convincing, Considered

 Useful Phrases

If you are unsure:

• Sorry – could you repeat that?
• Can I have a few seconds to think of the best example?
• That is not something I have studied but I think that it
may be this…

For the ACTION in STAR:

• Therefore I decided to..
• I thought it was a good idea to…
• It was important that I…
 Assessment Centres

1. Why Assessment Centres?

2. What to expect and how to behave?

3. The Exercises
-Group Exercises
-In-Tray
-Case Study
-Role Plays
-Presentations
+ Interviews
 What to expect

• Welcome drinks the night before

• Welcome video and introductions
• One – two days
• Have to pass to succeed to next day
• Themed
• Being Assessed in your breaks?
• Knowing your competition
 Wash Up Sheet

Competency Group Exercise Presentation Interview Overall Rating

Leadership

Teamwork

Resilience

Communication

Analytical

Creativity
 Group Exercise

• Maximum 8 round a table

• Assessors are silent
• 30 – 45 minutes
• Topic can be from ‘Make a tower’ to ‘Solve this business
problem’
• Individual preparation time
• Open discussion
• Reaching a conclusion – no right or wrong answer

Assessing:
Leadership, Teamwork, Influencing, Result
Orientation, Creativity, Problem Solving,
Communication and Analytical.
 Group Exercise Tips

• Enter in to the spirit

• Read information carefully and have 2-3 arguments
ready
• Set a clear objective
• Be able to compromise
• Help the team to reach a conclusion
• Lead Vs. Facilitator Vs. Teamwork
• Dominating Vs. Passive
• Influencing Vs. Aggressive
• Do not go to a Vote
 Presentations

•Planning – quickly determine most useful information

•Understand the question

•Analyse Data

•Do not write verbatim – make bullet point notes

•Structure – Clarify, Approach, Evaluate, Recommend

(BCG Group)

•Think of Questions

•Engage the Audience

Assessing:
Communication, Resilience, Influencing &
Persuading, Analytical, Creativity.
 Follow Up

lraznick@escpeurope.eu