Hi FO P family! Giving to the community we’ve curated here is the main aim of creating this company so we’ve decided to take this one step forward by creating a WhatsApp group chat to share exclusive job opportunities and events directly to you!

We will be sharing 12 new graduate opportunities from our new partner company (more coming soon!) across finance, technology, Risk, Compliance and Underwriting.

You can join here!

Internship & Grad Scheme season is fully underway. Tens of thousands of students and recent graduates will be preparing to send dozens of applications to secure their much-coveted internship and grad scheme.

This was the case for me and I was fortunate enough to secure internships at KPMG, BlackRock and Willis Towers Watson because of it.

But this was only possible because I prepared smartly for applications and here are the 5 key things I did in preparation that you should implement

1. Have a master CV with multiple versions for different industries

Most students apply to dozens of roles across multiple different industries and a lot of them use the same CV which is what is setting you back. Create a master CV which has all your work experience and then create tailored versions for the different industries you apply for which only focus on the relevant skills and work experiences.

2. Speak to someone in the year above who has successfully secured internships or graduate schemes

This is a really easy quick win which will have such a high ROI on your chances on securing an internship. Speaking to someone who has already gone through the process and succeeded will give you first-hand guidance on how to succeed at each stage as well as preventing yourself from making mistakes borne out of ignorance.

3. Have a Job Tracker

Honestly this seems simple but having a properly layed out Job tracker will help you keep on track of things - as it will definitiely get busy and clustered, especially if you are doing it alongside your uni work. Make sure your tracker includes a column on which stage in the applicaiton stage you are falling down out as it gives you feedback data on where you need to specifically improve e.g. CV, Online interview prep

4. Mentally prepare yourself

It is going to be a marathon, not a sprint. Don’t take rejections personally or as a reflection of your ability. Remember you just need 1 yes! Mentally prepare for it to be at minimum a 6 month process. Lastly, run your own race! I made sure not to focus on other people’s achievements and focus on my process - we all have different walks in life and will get their in our own time