The Big D

Sorry for the lack of engagement recently, but I have been more distracted than I ever thought possible. By the BIG D! Now get your mind out of the gutter, and focus. Dissertations are over for some, and just beginning for others. 

Now, don’t get me wrong, the dissertation will be your worst nightmare. It will haunt your dreams, you will see words at the bottom of every glass of wine, every shot glass lifted to your lips will have your supervisors face staring up at you, every morning after cup of coffee will be laced with academic references scorning you, as your only thoughts are caffeine and a hopefulness that there is no photographic evidence from the previous night.

Although a dissertation is the work of the devil, it is possible to keep up a part time job, decent grades, a social life, a boyfriend (or girlfriend) and some contact with the outside world. All of these will be a little bit compromised but it can work I promise you! Here are my top dissertation tips (that are guaranteed to get you at least 65%). However, now that I have frightened the bejeebus out of you it is time to tell you that this will also become your most prized possession, the most important thing you will have ever done in your life so far (unless you have done something else that really is the most important thing in your life).

1. This is by far the most sensible tip, and will really make a difference to the whole dissertation process - Write a little bit EVERYDAY. Even just a sentence, I can’t even begin to tell you how much of a difference it will make. Mostly, because it will keep the guilt of not writing at bay, and it will make the whole thing seem slightly less arduous.

2. Make a rough schedule -  I made a monthly one of where I wanted to be in the process per month. Our hand in date was at the end of May, you will want a week at the end for printing, binding and handing in. My rough plan would be like this (obviously this will depend your university hand in dates): 

September - Generate ideas, meet supervisor, format

October - Plan aims and objectives

November - Hand in proposal

December - Draft Lit Review

January - Review literature and write Methodology

February - Data collection

March - Analyse data and write Discussion

April - Write conclusions, proof read, references and appendices in order

May - Print!

June - CELEBRATE!

3.DO NOT underestimate the cost of printing - it cost me £30 roughly to print 65 pages in colour, and I then printed a black and white back up... 

4. ... ALWAYS back up!

5. Don't read everything - Read a lot, you will need to read a lot, we were told we would read over 40 books, this doesn't mean you read cover to cover, this means you find relevant bits and put them in. (Common sense I know but you might forget this during the panic). 

6. Don't worry about anyone else! - It doesn't matter what topic anyone else is doing, when they finish, what mark they get, what their opinion of their supervisor, or what their supervisors opinion of them is! This is your thing, it is your baby, and it is your mark. Don't let anyone else, friend or foe put you off! 

7. Format before you do anything else - if you format at the beginning you will make it so much easier for yourself. Your contents will be self updating, your pages will automatically sort themselves out into a coherent order, and your front matter will be correctly roman numeral-ed.   

8. Everyone hates their discussion - so don't panic. When you get to your discussion you will lose the will to live, you may feel completely lost but don't worry, eventually you will get to the conclusion and that is the best part ever!! 

So overall, don't panic, enjoy it, and GOOD LUCK! If you have any dissertation top tips please share :) 

That time of the year...

As we get closer to May exams pressure is growing, dissertation deadlines are upon us, revision is top of the priority list; alongside any last ditch attempts to salvage that one pesky assignment that just won't go away, all while trying to keep up some sort of social life, and find a post graduate career.

If like me this all gets a bit much and you end up in the pub on a Wednesday afternoon with your maths teacher housemate marking year 7 maths books, when you haven't even looked at an equation for 6 years or so then it is high time we had our butts kicked and developed a revision/life balance.

For those of us heading towards our Finals there is not only the exam fear, there is the abyss of not knowing what lies beyond the cap and gown.

So here are some tips for post university:

Firstly the internet is terrifying and amazing all at once, there is so much free stuff, and so many free courses that you can do online. Buzzfeed have a list of the best ones, and where to find them. Check it out here:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/summeranne/24-invaluable-skills-to-learn-for-free-online-this-year


Talking from experience excel, negotiation, and speed reading are the most important ones here, these are the courses that will make you 'more employable' I hate to use buzz words, but I'm afraid it's true. Excel is the king of the workplace if you can do a V look up you are already 4 steps ahead of the game!

For exam stresses The Independent have a fool proof finals plan, they have pointed our two very important things that are backed up by science; 30 mins is the maximum study period, and exercise is key!

Read more here: http://www.independent.co.uk/student/student-life/top-10-revision-tips-for-your-final-or-firstyear-exams-8576161.html


I am now going to spend less time procrastinating, and more time following my own advice. Happy revising/job hunting/ graduating!

The S word

I was asked to write a piece for another blog about graduates regarding studying. Therefore, I'm afraid I'm post recycling! Sorry! 

Studying is a minefield with books journals periodicals EBooks the media and a smattering of procrastination it's a wonder we know where to start! If you're anything like me studying means spending 20 mins looking at a relevant book or writing 10 minutes working out how to Harvard reference Wikipedia without mentioning wiki or pedia and then a further hour on Facebook, whatsapp, and any number of irrelevant memes! 

So if you're finding you know every loophole to the Facebook security system, and have seen every funny cat YouTube video you can, and you fear your 'expected 1st is slipping further into an internet abyss don't panic! Here are my top tips to get you back on study track!  
My absolute most tippity topity tip is get a study buddy! When this was first mentioned to me I thought I couldn't imagine anything worse. In fact it is the best thing I can possible recommend (of course we all study differently but I highly recommend this). Ideally someone who is on a different course to you I find work better as you can't stop to discuss the relevance of Mars bars to a business dissertation or such like! The aim with a study buddy is (ideally within a library setting ) you both set the same working time eg 30 mins and you have to work quietly for that time without distracting each other you then have a SMALL break and then repeat. In theory you will both motivate each other. This works well for competitive a types like me as you don't want to be the first to crack! You can take it to a whole new level by adding forfeits for the person who breaks the studying rule first. 

My second most important rule is try not to overload your brain - I'm briefly going geek bear with me! Studies have shown that the optimum study conditions are 30 mins study with a 5 min break or max 45 mins study with a 10 min break! The brain can only register and take in so much information at once so don't over load it!! However when I say 5 min break I literally mean 5 mins where possible without Facebook (duh duh duh!! I know it shocked me too)! 

Thirdly I know it's the cliché but trust me on this a revision timetable is the best way to go! I am a massive list fan I write a pre to do lists to plan my  actual to do list! Spend a good amount of time making a comprehensive timetable include break times and mealtimes etc and it will make you feel so much more organised. Having you time planned out takes the weight off you thinking you're spending too much time on 1 topic! Plus you can spend at least an hour making a great timetable that's colour coded, and sub sectioned to the nth degree. A good cheats way out is to look online and find a ready made template! 

Now this one won't work for everyone some people will read this next tip and think I'm crazy some will probably say I need to get out more and others will just assume I have wrists of steel! For me it's all about writing! I write up the notes I make in the lectures neatly, I then write out the key points, I then shorten these key points to say 10-15 bullet points which then get written (I must stress) in BRIGHT colours on postcards these then get read over and over and over again then for the last 72 hours pre exam I write key words on postcards the aim is that these words will trigger the rest of the revision and incessant writing I have done to form an essay. Alternatively if you know the topics in the exam try writing an essay on it and then following the same process whittling it down to just a few key words for the intro, objectives, main body, conclusion. 

So there it is the essential study guide. Go,  and be productive! But let’s just spend 10 minutes on Facebook first. 

The Question

Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?

I detest, loathe, down right HATE that question. There is no way to answer it in ‘correct’ way. Ideally in 5 years time (the realistic plan is 21 years time). I will be MD of my favourite company, I will be earning let’s say around £500,000 a year pre tax. I will have my house, let’s face it I will have 2 houses. A steady relationship, a car maybe even a driver!

If I say that I am considered an inappropriate greedy, selfish candidate.

If I say (not likely) but if I were to say I see myself in the same entry role I am in now, due to a lack of opportunity to progress and the need to stay in a job any job as the market is so crappy.

Then I am rude, ungrateful (potentially realistic), and definitely NOT going to get a job anytime soon.

So you need to be ambitious – but not overly.

Realistic – yet still ambitious.

Finally – be yourself (but the best version).

So...this is another question that I believe should be eliminated from the application process; When I rule the land of personnel I shall certainly be eliminating this question too!

For the Entrepreneurial

With freshers is looming, and for some of us the end of university life it is essential we decide what we want to be when we ‘grow up’. One of the most common but least thought out answers to this question is to open our own business. Although this is risky, costly, and in the beginning highly depressing it can work out very well indeed.

One person who managed to open a successful business in their final year at university, who recently has been described by the press as a ‘gay icon’, and  ‘networking sex symbol’ Business’ scruffy haired, Brummie (via Switzerland) love child of Boris Johnson, Harry Styles, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jamie Oliver Apprentice finalist; Nick Holzherr has some interesting pearls of wisdom to share.  I was lucky enough to get some excellent advice from him which I'm going to share with you... 

Do you believe there are unspoken skills to being a good entrepreneur ...we know it is important to be organised etc but what are the unvoiced skills of business?

They may not be "unvoiced" as such, but the absolute key skills are initiative, a drive to get things done rather than just speak about them and perseverance. When running a business no-one tells you what to do or sets business targets, so it's sometimes easy to ignore difficult questions or tackle hard problems.  Entrepreneurs who are successful drive them self to get the hard tasks done and have the initiative to work problems out. A lot of "common sense" is also important - keep things simple and think logically. It's easy to start thinking up rather unneeded ideas and concepts when one puts on a "business hat". It's important you don’t. 

I understand you completed a placement or sandwich year at university. Would you recommend it will it help focus an individual on future career prospects? Or will it provide a hatred for the industry you gain experience in?

I spent 13 months working for Deutsche Bank in their Frankfurt office - working in Global Investment Banking. I learnt a huge amount in my placement year. I learnt how large companies run processes and how larger teams interact. Although I didn’t choose to continue working for a multinational company when I left university, I would 100% recommend anyone to do one. I have taken many of the processes into my business now and am grateful for what I learnt. 

In your opinion is being a successful entrepreneur about a good product, or a good person?

I think you need a good product to start with. You then need to be a good business person to make it actually happen. Being a good person morally can help along the way as well - and one gets a lot more support from the surrounding business community in the long term if one is a good person. There are hundreds of great minds working on useless ideas; the ones that work on good ideas are the ones which make it big. 

Finally, given your time again not just in the apprentice but of all the enterprises you have fathered what, if anything would you alter?

If I could start again I would look much more strategically into what business I should start. I would look at market sizes, prove a real demand for what I was offering and only then commit to the idea 100%. That said, if I had attempted to do this, I would probably never have started a business in the first place and would never have "pivoted" the number of times I did to get to what I'm doing now. Once you start, if you have determination, it's possible to change the idea a few times and try different combinations, learning along the way. It is however definitely the expensive way (in terms of the impact it has on your lifestyle while you earn only little money) of doing it and ideally one should look to take the strategic approach.

The Tests

So,  I understand the reason for the numerical reasoning, even the verbal reasoning, in fact anything with reasoning in it I will happily do the test. However, I have noticed employers sneaking an unnecessary evil into the Grad Scheme application process this being the ‘Personality Test’.

I disagree with this on so many levels (which I try to make seem moral, but which most likely stem from a concern that my personality will be deemed so unbelievably boring I will be dismissed from the process immediately)!

Mainly it’s because personality is such a subjective thing is it not? I may not get on with someone as I think they are boring but others will find them more interesting than anything else on the planet. Alongside this everyone makes such an awfully big deal about ‘uniqueness’ if everyone is so unique and individual how can we be put into a personality box? How do you determine which personality traits fit into what category, in fact how do you categorise personality in any way, shape, or form?!

Surely, “personality” is simply, what makes a person a person. It appears that for personality to be recognised by those around us, it must be consistent, consistent enough to render us predictable; And if we are all predictable then no one will want to hire us anyway!

Therefore, I suggest all employers ditch the ‘Personality’ tests they are stupid and pointless to my mind, and they at least get us all to interview stage so they can see our ‘personality’ for a brief 20 mins. Making a judgement based on our looks, hair colour, clothing, elocution and personality traits all at once!

It's Time!!

So, my laptop is fully charged, my pencils are sharpened, and my reading list... has been completely ignored. It must mean it is time to start 4^th year and frantically apply for Grad schemes/Jobs. While having a minor heart attack, and going prematurely grey just at the thought of 'Numerical Reasoning!'

Most graduate schemes open in late September(except a sneaky few that have opened their doors very quietly Sainsbury's I'm looking at you!) I am determined for us to be on top form with our psychometric test answers good to go! While we are on the topic of Psychometric tests I discovered a fantastic website with mock tests on it, I've discovered the key with these is not to get too engrossed in doing mock tests as they will no doubt drive you wild and you will end up getting so obsessed with them it’s borderline psychotic. When you get to the point where you are doing loads of mock tests it means you will not concentrate on the rest of the application which would be seriously unfortunate. Also it is a fact that when you then end up doing a psychometric test you will in fact not have any of the same or even remotely similar questions to the ones you have practised!  

http://www.practiceaptitudetests.com/psychometric-tests/ 

This is the big cheese of aptitude tests with everything from decision making to mathematical and all areas in-between. The only one it's missing is 'Motivational' testing which I hadn't even realised existed till about 10 minutes ago while applying for a grad scheme I was asked what motivated me, in multiple choice format!!! 

If any of you have any bright ideas of how to make the application hell go a little quicker. Or indeed how to just get a job or career at the snap of a finger, or click of a Manolo Blahnik heel!  I would very much like to know...Please! 

Let me know how final year and graduation planning is going for you.