How do I go on placement?
Did you know that every year, 香蕉视频 offer over 23,000 placements and work with over 1,000 employers so you can find the right experience for you?
On this page you鈥檒l learn more about different types of placements, as well as advice on how to secure the one that is best for you.
What is a placement?
- A period of work experience during your studies.
- They vary in length and could be for as short as a week, or last for several months
- Year-long placements are called 鈥渟andwich鈥 placements.
- Your placement should ideally be paid, but this is not a legal requirement.
- 10 things you need to know about placements
What鈥檚 the difference between a placement and an internship?
Sometimes people use the words 鈥減lacement鈥 and 鈥渋nternship鈥 interchangeably, but that鈥檚 not quite accurate:
- Placements are generally an integrated, and related part of your studies, sometimes assessed. Keep in mind 鈥 they don鈥檛 necessarily have to be subject specific 鈥 you may want to explore and try something out.
- Internships can last from 4 weeks to a year, and may be completely unrelated to your studies. Summer internships enable you to explore what working for the company would be like as a graduate, as well as contributing to your professional development. See our internships page for more information.
What else do I need to know about placement at Hallam?
We have a dedicated placement portal, Your Work Placement, which will tell you everything you need to know about undertaking a placement during your studies.
How do I find a placement?
- Every year we advertise thousands of placement opportunities on . Employers advertising on Handshake are specifically targeting Hallam students, so that鈥檚 an excellent place to start.
- Websites such as , , and are aimed a university students like yourself, meaning you don鈥檛 have to wade through irrelevant job adverts
- Try sector specific sites, e.g, for STEM
- You can work for yourself on an
- Find your own (aka 鈥渟elf-sourcing鈥) placement
Why should I find my own placement?
- You have a particular role in mind
- You have a specific organisation in mind
- You want or need a placement in a specific location
This approach requires you to be proactive, do your research, to persevere, and plan. However, the result could be your ideal placement. If you do find your own sandwich year placement, you will need to check with your course that it is going to be suitable.
Whom could I approach for a placement?
Think about the type of industry and organisation you would like to work in and the type of role. Use to find information about different job roles. You can find organisations to contact by using:
- - use keywords in the search box to find specific types of organisation, and narrow down by location
- Online directories such as , ,
- Graduate careers websites such as and
- Professional bodies and Skills Councils often have employer directories
Be selective - it is better to approach a number of carefully chosen companies. Employers know when you鈥檝e sent the same CV to 50 other companies.
Don't just go for big-name companies - small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have lots of opportunities and could offer a personal, more varied experience.
Who else could help?
If you know anyone who works in the industry you want to enter, ask to have a chat with them about their job and their company, and seek their advice. Do they have any connections you could approach? can help you find out who the people you know are connected with - you may already have some useful 鈥榮econd connections鈥.
Shall I just send the company an email?
Not yet! 香蕉视频 each company first, using their website and following them on LinkedIn and other social media they use. Find out about their business, what they do, what projects are they involved in, and who are their competitors?
