The hunt is on - One Year Work Placement

someone

try Google

they are desperte to recute from the UK. They were taking out ads in the local Metro saying "we are looking for fresh tallent in Manchester". A few weeks later i saw an artical on the net saying google were not geting the people they wanted to work in the UK (many werent applying becuse they thought they would have to move to the US). They may take you on in the states hopeing you would like to work in the UK offices

MercilessKiller

Thanks for that... i'll try calling/emailing head offices in the US.. if i go through their Job website its a problem cos there's only sections for internships rather than international placements.

bighonestjohn

Sun Microsystems (developers of Java) in the US recruit people from the UK to work in the US on their placement scheme. They actively contact some universities about that. So it may be worth a look.

Although they have been cutting jobs lately, so i wouldn't know if they are recruiting a the moment.

MercilessKiller

Cheers will look into it..

Hopefully they're recruiting for all area's of IT though rather than just the programming side

louby_lou

im on placement at the moment with one of the big UK IT companies and am a computing undergrad. the best advice i can give is to apply to small companies as well as massive ones (big companies usually have industrial trainee schemes which you will have to fill in a form for and attach your cv) id say get out the yellow pages and look for local companies and send them your cv with a cover letter aswell. do practice interviews with your careers centre at uni. assessment centres are scary at first but once you get into it i think you will enjoy them. expect to apply to A LOT of companies and get no reply. dont take it personally. youre a piece of paper to them after all! get a suit and practice your interview technique. good luck, if you persevere the likelihood is you will get one. if anyone wants to know anything more im always about to help - finding a placement not the most enjoyable task but is SO worth it! xxxx :j

funkyBase

Hi,

I'd say google as I know for a fact they treat their staff very well with lots of perks. Microsoft is good too but doesn't even touch google for perks. Try sun as well. California, great place to go and lots of companies for you. I would also try other internships you can during summer placements not just for your year out. Think about Europe too, lots of great companies. You wouldn't want to study instead of work? Great opportunities to study in USA (good if you want to go posr grad and in USA).

I also agree with the people about small companies. Don't limit yourself by place or company size. Go for it all, you never know what you might find.

Good luck

viru.doshi

I'm in my final year now, finished my placement last year in august.

I'm currently doing a BSc Computer Science degree, so hopefully my advice will help since its similar.

Words of wisdom I would like to share
- Many people have said to apply to the big companies as well as the small. This is definately the right thing to do. Somewhere like microsoft will get literally several thousands of applications.

- Speaking of applications, when you do start applying don't rush them. You're application, along with your CV is what will get you past the first stage to what usually is a telephone interview. To do a application form properly it takes time, I normally spent the best part of a day doing just one. Write your answers in Word so you can spell check it.
- I also made a excel sheet to store who I applied to, when, what the response was etc.

- Speaking of the CV, 2 pages is the MAX it should be. See your careers office, they should tell you the same. They should also have some one who can help you tailor your CV for the types of jobs you will be applying to. If you like I can send you mine, not to toot my own horn but I got many interviews and actually was lucky enough to choose who I wanted to do a placement with, I turned down IBM to work for Fujitsu (their competitor lol).

- I personally think 'perks' shouldn't lead your decision whether to apply or not. You're only going to be there for a year, which really isn't a long time. So apply to jobs that you'll be interested in, where you can learn new skills, make contacts etc.

- So how to find the job? Companies posted job adverts for placement students at uni directly so this helped, but this often meant a lot of people applying. Have you tired looking at things like The Times 100, the list contains a fair few technological companies which helped me. Also, check out websites like Milkround.com where you can find adverts for jobs too.

- Having a CCNA, MCSE qualification will definately help but personality and attitude also go a long way.

- An up and coming network infrastructure company is Rackspace, google for them and see if you're interested. There's always cisco too!!

Well thats all for now, might add to this at some point

Good luck in applying!

seraphina

Second what others have said about keeping your CV to under two pages in length. Do you work on any open source projects in your spare time? Things like that are an excellent showcase for your skills, and will keep you a cut above the competition. Or if you help out any local charities etc with your skills, highlight this - this is effectivly work experience!

Try some non-mainstream computer businesses which rely heavily on IT - there is a huge range of scientific companies which are highly dependent on IT. For example, Bruker Systems make a wide range of spectrometers which need some really cunning bits of software (and hardware but I get the impression you're more software orientated) but might not be an obvious choice.

seraphina

Also, ask your lecturers who they know in industry. It's rare these days that lecturers don't have some business contacts. If you're a good student, then it reflects well on them when you perform well in their workplace.