ulster.ac.uk

Student Partners as Mentors Enriching the Placement Application Process

Staff Partners: Michaela Black, Dave BustardStudent Partners: (Placement) Chloe Kernohan, (2nd Year Mentors) Jennifer Boden, Daniel Boyd, Patrick Flynn and Graham McCalmont.

Our Aim: Outline the School of Computing & Information Engineering model for enriching students’ engagement with the placement application process by using successful applicants as peer mentors Objectives:

1. Employment preparation in year 1

2. Placement preparation in year 2

3. Problems arising within the year 2 model

4. Introduction to the mentoring scheme (6 weeks)

5. Feedback from students

Aim: Early preparation and ground work carried with personal development enabling production of a professional portfolio and CV

Employment Preparation in 1st year

Strengths

Areas of

Improvement

Action Plan

Sam

ple CV’s

Students write and submit

their own CV

Student receives feedback on

their CV

Peer moc

k interview process

(week 6)

Advisor of Studies meetings focus

Importance of Starting in Year 1

• Students are provided with a series of opportunities for personal skill development throughout year 1

• Microsoft Imagine Cup• Kainos App Camp• Android Showcase• Belfast Hackathon• Tutoring in schools

• Critiquing their CV in year 1• Time and insight for what will be expected of them in the

placement application process• Identify areas of improvement and seek opportunities early

Placement Preparation in Year 2

Gaining Placement

Placement Preparation in Year 2

Semester 1:• Student CVs to be submitted via BBL every 2 weeks until approved• Approval is by Studies Advisors, who will meet with students for feedback & support

between submissions• Peer mock interview process (week 3) supported by studies advisors• Ongoing support and encouragement in job search

Semester 2:• Ongoing support and encouragement in job search

Studies Advice:  • CV & job search review to be standing items on all studies advice meetings• Ask students to bring the following to each meeting:

– current copy of CV– list of job applications submitted and outcomes

Our Placement Game2014-15

• Class divided into groups of ~10• Registering for MyPlacement (5pts by Week 2; 3pts by Week 3)• CV approval (10pts descending)• Applying for a job by the end of October (20pt bonus)• Applying for a job (100pt for 1st job; 50pt for 2nd job; 33pt for 3rd job... i.e. 100/no

of job applications)• Mock interview (up to 10pts)• Interview attended (300pts for 1st, 150pts for 2nd; 100pts for 3rd...i.e 300/no of

interview)• Job secured (600pts if obtained by January, then reducing by 100 each month

after that)• Once you have a job, you can register to support someone else in your team as a

'buddy', earning an extra 20% of their points• Results presented every week

Placement Progress

• Placement Opportunities start September• Applications start slowly – 86 Students• February

• 15% Successfully placed• 79% seeking placement• 6% exempt from placement

• April • 32% of cohort successfully placed• 62% seeking placement• 6% exempt from placement

• Matches May 2014

Reasons for NOT Engaging Early with Year 2 Model

Fear of job interviews

Feeling underprepared

Feeling as though CV’s

are not ‘good enough’

Not understanding

job descriptions

Not confident in their abilities Fear of

rejection

Introduction to the Mentoring SchemeMentoring Scheme

Mentors advertised and interviewed

Mentors selected: Successfully placed year 2 students

Mentors and Staff design sessions

Weekly open meetings held by mentors to discuss anything brought up by the unplaced students

Experiences shared and advice given

Feedback session to staff

Resources updated as needed

Mentoring Session FeedbackStudents wanted• Mock interviews (one on one not group interviews)• More intense review of their CV• Aptitude test practice (sample papers and answers)• More job opportunities (e.g. other sites to look as well as PACE)• More preparation of frequently asked interview questions• Sample technical interview questions• Quicker feedback from companies to which they had applied

Resources provided (6 weeks)• Sample CV• Interview advice• The mentors' experiences with interviews• Opportunity to email their CV in for another review• Opportunity to email to ask for a mock interview

(The latter two were very rarely used and not taken advantage of)

Feedback from Students

“The scheme helped me to communicate better”

“Main issue with the sessions was a lack of

attendance”

“Give people the boost they needed in order for them to feel

more confident about getting placement”

“Less worried about an interview”

“Giving them tips and really telling the truth about the interview

process”

“Increased my confidence”

Conclusion

• We need to dispel the fear of rejection and low confidence in students regarding placement earlier!

• There is enhanced student engagement with this mentoring model

• It needs to begin earlier in Semester 1• Recruit mentors earlier

• Engage final year students who have just returned from placement in semester 1

• Grow mentoring team as students succeed• The Game needs an ambassador