Enternships Blog
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Enternships In The Wilson ReviewPosted on Tuesday 28 February 2012 at 09:34AM by trrpaipai |
Rajeeb Dey, CEO Enternships.com welcomes the Wilson review as a positive step forward for business and higher education
I was privileged to be asked to submit a case study to the Wilson Review about our work with entrepreneurial internships and we’re all delighted to be recognised and mentioned in the report released today. I’m passionate about creating opportunities in start-ups and small businesses for young people and todays recommendations that Universities should do more to support such interaction is exactly the message we wanted to hear.
There are over four million SMEs in this country and it’s these companies that hold the key to tackling youth and graduate unemployment. We need to create more opportunities for students to show how much they can bring to a small company and create more chances for students to get valuable work experience.
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Get Britain Trading NowPosted on Monday 27 February 2012 at 10:43AM by trrpaipai |
Last year saw the launch of the successful Get Britain Trading campaign. Today sees the launch of the campaign for 2012, in a bid to bring small and medium-sized businesses closer to students and graduates making their first steps towards a successful career.
And we’re delighted to announce that Enternships is one of our key supporters. As an organisation that exists to create opportunities for young, talented students and graduates, Enternships - like us - has a vested interest in wanting to see a strong, healthy, thriving UK economy.
Sadly, we are not there yet. But that is exactly what Get Britain Trading 2012 is all about. While boasting all new aims and objectives, the core ethos of Get Britain Trading remains unchanged: to lobby the government to make it simpler and more profitable to run a small business.
When we first unveiled Get Britain Trading in 2011 the country was in an altogether different place than we find ourselves today. The UK had yet to wake up to destabilising effects of the eurozone debt crisis, Britain and indeed the EU was just starting to contemplate the impact of a double dip recession, and many businesses were adopting a ‘bunker down and consolidate’ attitude for the anticipated economic storm.
Today we are in a difference place entirely. While it may be too soon to say there’s a chink of light at the end of the tunnel – although some would argue this isn’t the case – there is nevertheless a fresh optimism amongst our members. An attitude of ‘we can get through this’, and the Get Britain Trading campaign reflects this.
The UK economy may be showing signs of stabilising, but we need to make sure that does not turn to stagnation.
So we will continue to lobby Government for a simpler tax system, one that’s fairer and more proportionate, and will help drive employment. We’re also lobbying for measures to reduce business costs. You can read more about the measures we’re campaigning for in the Get Britain Trading manifesto.
One of the areas where Enternships supports Get Britain Trading is our objective of creating employment and improving skills. We believe that colleges and education providers should become much closer to small and medium-sized businesses so that when students and graduates take their first steps onto the career ladder, they find that their skills and attributes help them to get the job they want.
But we can’t achieve these vital aims without businesses’ support. You can help us to Get Britain Trading by joining the campaign at www.getbritaintrading.co.uk. The more firms that join us the more likely we are to achieve our objective of Getting Britain Trading, for the benefit of businesses, those wanting to work in business, as well as everyone who lives in Britain.
Written by Jane Bennett, Head of Campaigns at the Forum of Private Business
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International Students: It's Time To Start Your BusinessPosted on Friday 24 February 2012 at 12:20PM by trrpaipai |
The Home Office recently released a paper outlining the changes being made to the current entrepreneur scheme in place for migrants. It's important for students to understand the opportunities available to them and the government seems to be taking in active interest in investing in the entrepreneurs of the future.
So what's the deal?
In a nutshell, a new graduate entrepreneur scheme is set to be introduced to run alongside the existing entrepreneur route.
At the moment a scheme (named Tier 1 Entrepreneur) is in place for highly skilled non-European migrants, either already in the UK or looking to come to the UK, to either set up or become involved in the running of one or more businesses.
What's great about the new scheme then is that it gives graduates, who don't meet the full requirements of the Tier 1 Entrepreneur scheme yet, the opportunity to develop their business in the UK too.
Individuals who are seen to have “world class innovative ideas or entrepreneurial skills” are identified by their universities to stay and develop their ideas. There will be a limit of 1,000 places in the first year, which will be divided equally amongst participating Higher Education Institutes, and the allocation of places comes with the assurance that the HEI's choice of graduates will not be second guessed.
The individuals are sponsored by the HEI from which they have graduated and are granted initial leave of 12 months. This may be extended for a further 12 months provided the HEI is pleased with their progress.
After this, migrants can switch to the Tier 1 Entrepreneur Scheme or leave the UK.
In
Sounds straightforward, no?
It really is. The bright minded individual just has to spend the majority of their time working on their business, but can work for up to 20 hours in another job if necessary to support themselves.
If the business is successful, then that's great. If an idea is not successfully developed, the HEI is not penalised; the migrant just leaves the UK. Win win.
Basically, the scheme aims to attract the best and brightest who can help boost the UK economy with their cutting edge ideas. Initiatives like this are a great step in the right direction when it comes to encouraging entrepreneurship; after all, nothing ventured, nothing gained.
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How Recruiting Works OnlinePosted on Tuesday 21 February 2012 at 13:51PM by Ed |
More than 250 million people search for jobs online each month. I thought it might make an interesting post to show you where these millions of job searchers actually go, and how the internet caters for them. It starts with Google...
... or does it? Google is only one option to start your job search. Not all job sites and recruitment companies can cover all of these ways of seeking out candidates.
Of course, there isn't just one job site...
There are hundreds of thousands of job websites. Even with all the different industries and types of searches, many of these jobs sites see little or not visits from candidates. That's where job aggregation sites come in...
The job aggregation sites take feeds of jobs from thousands of job sites and having them on one site, for instance UK startup Adzuna. They help drive traffic to quality roles posted all over the internet. A couple of tips if you're looking for jobs online.
- Avoid queues. If you're only looking on the biggest sites, chances are so are hundreds people competing for the same position. Look for more specialist sites like Enternships where you can apply for a huge range of different roles where fewer people will suit each role.
- Avoid shotgun-CV sites. If all it takes to apply for a job is to upload your CV and send it with a click to dozens of organisations, so is your competition. Here at Enternships, every candidate has to pass a 'filter question' where they "pitch" the startups and small businesses on there role.
If you're looking to advertise job roles online
- Post a job somewhere which provides extra value. Here at Enternships for example, we're on campus so you don't have to be. We travel up and down the country to get to know the Enterprise societies and Career's departments from dozens of Universities.
- Beware of posting everywhere. If you're posting in generic, popular places then expect a huge number of low quality applicants, which can take ages to to sift through properly.
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Job Hunting in the Digital AgePosted on Tuesday 21 February 2012 at 13:48PM by trrpaipai |
As we get to grips with 2012 it is increasingly apparent that the levels of unemployment are getting more and more desperate. Newspapers bombard us with depressing headlines telling us that there are over a million young people looking for work, fierce competition, cut-throat CV culling and grueling interviews. Job hunting is a painful and faceless experience for both jobseekers and the employers.
A recent Guardian report said that, to cope with more than 85 applicants per position, three quarters of large employers use 2:1 degree to shortlist applicants. Yet is a degree is even an accurate gauge of employability. The Independent also suggests that sometimes the difference between getting a job or not is simply down to the luck of the cards. Now thats pretty depressing would you not agree?
But wait, before you lose all hope, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Among the savvier employers, however, there is an increasing move towards using social media networks to find top talent. Employers and recruiters are utilising Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to try find new employees, although most still find most of their roles through recruiters or direct advertising. Just under 50 percent of recruiters use LinkedIn exclusively. These recruiters have an average of 661 connections. Adzuna has worked out a way to tap into this wonderful resource to make job hunting just that little bit easier and a little bit friendlier; get hired with a little help from your friends.
Adzuna, an online ad classified search engine, aims to help solve this incongruence. There are over 500,000 fresh, live vacancies in our search index from all the top job boards and companies: nearly every job ad in the UK in one place.
We combine social and data layers to increase applicants' chances of finding the right role for them. Signing inwith LinkedIn or Facebook enables us to show you vacancies with employers you're connected to (first and second-degree), and the friends you know who can introduce you. Get friends or workmates to refer you with this new social function.
Social media is now no longer just for cheesy photos and silly status updates, it can now be used as a vehicle to advance your career. For the newly graduated LinkedIn can seem a bit bewildering as you have no work contacts and very limited experience. Those who have been in work for years can easily forget that. But jump in! Don’t be intimidated, put your best foot forward and show your professional side.
Social networks can be used in two main ways to advance your career. The first is to use social media to connect to recruiters and employers and it is a great way to get some information on employers to savvy up before an interview. The second method enables you to advertise yourself, communicate your knowledge, suitability, or passion for a position.
Post a good quality picture, list your skills and add any experience and qualities you can muster but try to avoid overused buzzwords.
Reach out to all your friends as you don’t know who may be able to help.
It is important, however, not to forget that employers may use social media to ‘vet’ you. Clean up your Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts. Visit Adzuna’s blog for 5 great tips on how to improve your social employability.
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Get Into PR with these Incredible OpportuntiesPosted on Monday 20 February 2012 at 14:18PM by Ed |
At Enternships, we've been putting together this exhaustive guide to getting into PR and PR internships, together with eight PR experts. “PR is a fantastic industry to work in and there's never been a better opportunity to get your career started - if you really want it, you'll get that PR job!” - Ben Matthews We're also excited to tell you about PR prom - a must-attend for anyone looking to get into PR - being held on Thursday 23rd February at Shoreditch Town Hall in London. You can book your ticket here.
It's the perfect excuse to dress up and connect with 500 of the Top PR's in the United Kingdom, with all proceeds supporting BrightOne, a volunteer-run PR agency for non-profits, charities and social enterprises.
In exchange for a mere twenty-five pounds, you'll enjoy food, drink (including 'Brite Fizz' cocktails on arrival) along with live entertainment and a DJ set.
Oh, and there's a 10% discount code 'student' to make it an even sweeter deal ;)
We asked our eight PR experts what their best moment in PR has been...
What's Been Your Best Moment In PR? “Winning my first account was special. It was two weeks into my first job as a PR, for a small but growing web design agency that went on to be sold to Gyro and become of the biggest in the world. I had absolutely no PR experience, but had done most of the groundwork for the pitch. 'Social' and digital media was still relatively new, and that one account shaped the rest of my career.” - Vikki Chowney
“Winning Young PR Professional of the Year at the PR Week Awards. I picked up the brochure writing up the awards as I walked out the door. It was nice to see a write up on what I’ve been up to in the 3 years since I graduated and got my first job in PR, as well as see the quality of the other shortlisted PRs – Luke Alexander and Louise Lloyd were even nice enough to congratulate me on the win.
Reading through the write up, there was a pull out quote which really flattered me from one of the judges on the panel - "It's exciting to see such a young talent shaping the future of our industry with such self-effacing modesty". It shows that the nice guys don't finish last after all!” - Ben Matthews
“Achieving national coverage for my clients is the best feeling and if it goes multi-platform i.e. TV, radio, print, it's even better! This only happens with very newsworthy, timely stories that fit with the interest of a particular journalist on a particular day. It's tricky and requires well-planned execution.” - Rachael Dines
“Working with the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust. Some amazing people, some amazing stories. It's easy to get lost in the day-to-day, but working with the team at HMDT, things quickly get put into perspective.” - James Gilheany
“I'm not sure if there is one thing that stands out more than others, but generally there is nothing better than running a campaign for a client that gets brilliant results. There's nothing quite like the buzz of seeing amazing coverage coming through or website hits going through the roof!” - Danny Whatmough
“I guess any campaign which does well is a good moment. I worked on a campaign for Aviva last year which was massive and it was great to be part of that success. Aviva’s first ever global brand campaign, You Are the Big Picture, aimed to bring to life their brand promise to recognise the needs of their customers better than any other insurance company.
To deliver this deeper engagement, Blue Rubicon (my company) democratised the concept of ‘recognition’, by creating a tactic to give tens of thousands of people the chance to see their face projected onto an iconic building in one of six cities across the world. These high impact public projections were delivered by a social media word of mouth campaign and far-reaching media relations, which took Aviva into fertile new ground.
The social media element of the campaign took Aviva from a standing start to a fully integrated campaign using personalised videos, Facebook, Youtube and Twitter to motivate the public to tell their friends and families. Not only did social media secure mass engagement, but it also resulted in mass approval from members of the public who relished the opportunity to get involved.
In addition, for every photo submitted via youarethebigpicture.com and facebook.com/aviva, Aviva also donated £1 to its Street to School programme to support the needs and rights of street children.” - Josh Feldberg
“I should really tell you about how I got a specific piece of press coverage so far, however that would be untrue. I ran a press trip to Estoril, Portugal a few years ago which was one of the best experiences of my life. We went in vintage cars to all locations, stayed in some of the best hotels I have ever seen, were taken on speed boats, helicopters and even to the old F1 course. There we got to go in several cars and get up to all kinds of fun.
The press were great people, the food was fantastic, I learnt loads and the weather just perfect. Best of all I was paid to do it!” - Lexi Mills Find out how to get into the wonderful world of PR with our latest PR internships and expert guide.
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A Festival for Business: Global Entrepreneurship CongressPosted on Wednesday 08 February 2012 at 14:54PM by trrpaipai |
You know how much we love events - they're a great opportunity to stay on top of the latest news, meet people in the industry and get your name out there. The Global Entrepreneur Congress 2012, taking place in Liverpool on 9–16 March, is bound to bring some of the most successful entrepreneurs in Britain for three days celebrating with a festival for business.
Enternships is pleased to announce its partnership with the Global Entrepreneur Congress 2012, allowing us to offer our members a 20% discount for the event in March.
Students are also eligible to purchase tickets for a special, reduced price of £75 (+VAT) so if you are a student and want to take advantage of this offer, email students@gec2012.com and mention Enternships in your email.
For the rest of us who are not students, to take advantage of the 20% offer please go the website below and enter the code ETPS20.
To take advantage 20% discount please go to http://gec2012-esearch.eventbrite.co.uk/?srnk=1&ebtv=C
Highlights taking place on Tuesday 13th March In March, Liverpool and the Global Entrepreneurship Congress will provide a festival for business where people, passion and potential will be celebrated, inspired and accelerated. It is a festival for entrepreneurs, a celebration of enterprise, an inspiration for those with the ‘can-do’ spirit to turn dreams into an ambitious reality.
The Global Entrepreneurship Congress will be a powerhouse of business brilliance that inspires people, excites potential and celebrates passion with the aim of “unleashing the will to win”. The event is hosted by Liverpool Vision, Global Entrepreneurship Week and The Kauffman Foundation.
On 13 March, entrepreneurs and aspiring business leaders will experience an inspiring journey through three sessions of speeches, panel discussions and debates centred on three themes that explore the concept of winning in business. By coming to the Arena and Convention Centre in Liverpool (ACC Liverpool) on the 13th March you can expect to:
- LISTEN to world leaders, economists and other experts about programs, policies and research aimed at advancing entrepreneurship.
- GAIN valuable insight and advice from successful and experienced entrepreneurs in various speeches and workshops. Keynote speakers include:
-Sir Richard Branson - Founder of Virgin
-Martha Lane Fox - Founder of lastminute.com
-Sir Terry Leahy - former CEO of Tesco
-Rt Hon the Lord Heseltine - Founder of Haymarket Publishing and former Deputy Prime Minister
-Steve Felice - President, Consumer, Small and Medium Business at Dell Inc.
-Paul Lindley - Founder of Ella’s Organic Robin Rowland - Founder of Yo Sushi! Lara Morgan - Founder of Company Shortcuts
-Doug Richard - Founding Dragons’ Den Panellist and Founder of School for Startups
-Ashok Rao - Chairman of TiE Global Board of Trustees
- MEET and NETWORK with delegates who can help you take the next step in starting and growing your own business.
Book your place at http://gec2012.com and don't forget about the discount codes. See you all in Liverpool!
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The Only Way Is The Entrepreneurial WayPosted on Monday 06 February 2012 at 13:41PM by trrpaipai |
Joe Levi is the founder of studentmoneysaver.com, a website that provides students with tips and advice on how to get the most of their student years on little money. We recently visited him in his cute little office in North London to discuss the ups and downs of life in a startup and here's what we got.
So why did I do it?
The idea for Student Money Saver began when I started Manchester University in 2007. I fast realized that being financially independent for the first time at university was incredibly intimidating. For the first time I had to live on a budget much more limited than I was originally used to, manage my bills AND pay my rent. Following a quick Google search, I found absolutely nothing that provided me with the type of assistance that I would have liked and so, I took matters into my own hands. I didn’t exactly have a big budget so the movement started off with a group of like minded folk who helped me to get the website going.
When people ask why I chose ‘the road less travelled’ and decided to opt for entrepreneurship instead of working 9-5, the only answer that no one can EVER argue with is the fact that my job satisfaction trumps that of any investment banker. Making money is obviously a great contributory factor to any career path but whilst most city workers [however successful] still come beneath someone in the office hierarchy, I get the immense pleasure of being in control of my own destiny. To be fair, I think I always knew I would go down this route when as a child, I opted to sell sweets instead of eating them but it is admittedly, not for everyone.
The downside?
The immense fear associated with taking the risk of starting your own company. There is always that niggling doubt that the world will not understand your vision, however, it is this very same vision that keeps you going on those days when everything seems to go wrong. To be honest, hard times or no, I wouldn’t change my choice for the world. Alongside the bad days are good days and sometimes, there are REALLY good days and there is nothing like the deep sense of satisfaction that comes from knowing that your vision has yielded results.
To all those who agree that ‘the only way is entrepreneurship’, my key advice to you is to remind yourself of your vision – DAILY. You may get disheartened but [without sounding to cheesy] you have to keep your eyes on the price.
Well that’s all for now. My next blog will keep you updated on the goings on here at Student Money Saver, so join me on my journey: witness my downfalls and rejoice with me in my successes.
Happy Saving!!
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Why Starting A Business While Studying Is A Good IdeaPosted on Thursday 02 February 2012 at 12:40PM by trrpaipai |
Jacky Yapp is the lead founder of Lunchsparks, a networking platform that allows you to meet with awesome and cool people in Singapore, making great contacts for your career. He founded this platform while he was still in college and now he shares his pearls of wisdom on the why's and do's of such an initiative.
Many people wonder when is it a good time to startup, and when I ask around, usually most of those around me (I am currently based in Singapore and spent a year in Shanghai, grew up in Brunei and Malaysia) would say, to first graduate from college, get a job, earn some money, get some contacts and expand your network, and then you are all set to start building your startup. For me, I think the best time to start is during college/university, which is what I am doing right now.
A little background of myself, I am currently in my final year in the National University of Singapore, and I had the chance to be based in Shanghai for a year last year and when I came back, I gathered my cofounders and we started working on our current startup idea. The beauty of entrepreneurship is that extra step you take out of your comfort zone, that will to do something different with your life, having an impact on the people around you, and that extra courage you need to face the possible criticism and possible failure.
And speaking of failure, what better time there is for one to fail during college and start all over again? We all know that out of 10 startups out there, 9 fails. So if your startup venture failed in university, it is easier to stand back up, and the experiences that you gained is invaluable in making you a better person, and in preparing you for the world. I have been working for 4 months on my current startup right now and I have been meeting a lot of awesome people along the way, who gave me great advices, who pointed me in the correct direction as well as those that criticized my idea, and I loved all of them.
Other than that, you also get to experience things that your peers don’t experience such as negotiating with investors, making hard decisions, team expansions, product marketing or even public speaking to sell your idea. For myself, I experienced 2 interesting incidents whereby I received a warning email from an anonymous who essentially warns me of my startup idea and that it is a knockoff of another similar website, and another incident (well not actually incident) whereby a software engineer saw what we were doing and wanted to join us. He sent in his really impressive resume to me but we were not hiring at that point of time, putting me at the other side of the table during the interview.
Had I not started working on what I am working now, I wouldn’t have had the chance to experience all these if I were to get by my university life as a normal student. So to all aspiring entrepreneurs in college today, if you have that one million dollar idea right now, start doing something about it today! There will never be the exact right date to start founding a company, but if you have to, that day is today. Ideas are worth nothing, for it is the execution that matters.
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” – Steve Jobs
Photo from: http://bit.ly/z1SNbP
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