Our graduates: Ali Parendeh

Ali Parendeh graduated in 2015 with his MEng in Mechanical Engineering. Discover how studying at the University of Sheffield led to Ali's exciting career as a Systems Engineering Consultant.

My Story - Chen

Before studying at the University of Sheffield I was raised and educated in China. I went to an international high school in Beijing where I meet various people from a wide range backgrounds and nations. During that time, I had a taste of British education and was looking forward to a higher education experience in the United Kingdom.

The University of Sheffield has a good reputation in academic performance, research and student life. I chose to study Materials science and engineer because I believe that a material scientist is able to design a new material, which is the very kind of life I was dreaming about in my childhood. As I read through the department’s website articles and spoke to a student studying this course, it’s clear that studying Materials Science and Engineering at Sheffield is highly regarded.

Sheffield is a nice city with good history and is known as a steelmaking city. As an international student, I have a good experience with the University. People are very welcoming and friendly; I found it is easy to get involved in various student events and societies. The atmosphere here is great for studying and living, I really enjoy meeting new friends and making new friends from all over the world.

One of the scariest things for me as an international student is graduation because I‘d have to decide to whether to stay in the UK or go back home before my student visa expires. With such pressure, I started to search for graduate jobs seven months before graduation. No one is born successful, finding a job is no easy path and I was rejected numerous times. After a few attempts, I came to realise that applying for job without the correct mindset is like shooting targets with your eyes closed. This is the experience I would like to share with anyone who, like me, is trying to find a job in the UK as an international student – ask yourself what your biggest advantage is when a company is deciding to hire you. For me, and I believe this also applies to the majority of international students that, the strongest point is the experience of western life and at the same time the ability to speak other languages. After I came to realise this point, I started to look for job targets to international students only. In the end, I am very lucky that I found a job that requires my engineering expertise and my language skills – the company deals a lot with China and is planning to grow their business in China. Again, no one is born successful; it is all about adjusting yourself when you are taking actions. This is my story, what is yours?

Chen

Applying for a Year in Industry

By Usman Sami Khan

One of the misconceptions I had before coming to university, and I’m sure a lot of you will have too, is the very basic question of: What is a Year in Industry?

A Year in Industry can be undertaken as part of both your BEng and MEng degree, in the penultimate year of both the respective degrees. This involves taking a year out of your academics to pursue a 12 month paid internship in a company, which gives you the right amount of exposure to applying all the theoretical aspect of engineering to practicality. This also gives you a chance to impress prospective employers, who may offer you a graduate role in the company upon completion of your placement year.

Actively intending to pursue a placement year as part of my BEng Mechanical Engineering degree, much of my time in the first semester of second year has been spent applying to various companies in the UK. The University of Sheffield’s Career Service offers the myVacancies service which actively shows any work placement postings and deadlines, which help you find posts to apply for. Apart from the university’s resources, there are various other job boards such as TargetJobs and Gradcracker, all of which post placement positions according to their deadlines.

These applications are very hectic and time consuming, as each application presents different questions to be answered. After successfully passing the first stage, companies usually send links to online tests which usually involve a combination of numerical, verbal, situational, and personality based questionnaires, which helps the employer to screen applicants according to their capabilities to proceed them onto the next stage. The next stage involves a telephone or video interview, which involves basic competency based questions, including motivations for applying to the specific company and the role. After successfully passing this stage, applicants are screened onto the last stage, which is an assessment centre at the location you have applied for a placement. The day involves a chance to learn more about the company and the role, including the working environment and how employees feel about working in the company. It gives a chance to network with senior officials in the company over lunch, which helps to get to know officials in a lighter environment.  Apart from networking and building contacts, the day also involves a technical and competency based interview, which tests your basic knowledge for the role you have applied to. The day will also involve a combination of a presentation, group work, or an aptitude test, amongst other things.

Having applied to numerous companies for a placement year, I have started hearing back from quite a few and have currently got eight assessment centres lined up for February, which will take up quite a bit of time in my schedule for academics. Here’s to hoping that this information helps all of you in making an informed decision about which degree course to choose and how to go about applying for placements! 

What to do with my Mechanical Engineering Degree?

What to do with my Mechanical Engineering Degree?

Written by: Birju Galaiya

In this blog I will explore the career paths a Mechanical Engineering Student can follow once they have finished their degree. Apart from the degree the University offers you, they support you in every possible way they can to perhaps help you find a part-time job, build your skills or apply for a graduate scheme.

Have you ever thought about what you’re really going to do once you have gained a degree? Which would be your ideal company? What you want to specialize in and what is going to be the future trends in the engineering industry? Well, most of you wouldn’t have given deep thoughts but I don’t blame you- you have enough on your plate at the moment focusing on passing exams. I was the same.

But I think it’s really important to have a plan on what your aspirations are. Yes, you will study for 3

or maybe 4 years. Then you need to look for a job. This I believe is the hard part. Mechanical Engineering is the broadest kind of engineering where you could end up working in the aerospace industry, building services, energy sector or in the transport and automotive sector. It’s really up to you which industry you are interested in! Personally, I am keen in joining the energy sector and the rail industry. In the end whichever industry you want to join- they want the same thing from you: a good set of skills that supplement your degree. In order for you to do this you need to create a CV- a profile of your achievements and the type of skills you possess.

The Careers Service at the University of Sheffield supports students in their quests for jobs in a number of ways. They help you develop and perfect your CV by facilitating a one-on-one session with a careers advisor who guides you through the process. Furthermore, throughout the year, they have talks and workshops targeting a particular group of students. For example they would have a talk about how international students can get part-time jobs and what they need to do in terms of visa restrictions. The talks are very helpful, especially for international students. Other talks include ways on improving the way students fill in job application forms. Also, you can undertake workshops where you can, including others, improve on your communication, presentation and interpersonal skills.

When it comes to the tests and interviews most companies now have, it is important for you to be prepared for them thoroughly to increase your chances of success in a competitive job market. The Careers Service frequently carries out mock tests and interviews which you can use to prepare yourself. I have taken few of these tests and I can say that they build up your confidence and give you hints about what you need to put more effort in.

Once you graduate, you have to apply for a job. Without much industrial experience this becomes much harder and for that reason many students now try supplement their studies with real industry work experiences such as a summer internship and a year out in industry. The university makes it a bit easier for you as they advertise many internship opportunities available for students rather than you having to search online (hassle!). Every semester, the university hosts a careers fair for all types of courses (not only engineering) where employers come into campus and advertise their vacancies. These fairs are important as you not only make good contacts with the recruiters but you can ask them whether the job would suit you or any other job related queries. These fairs are really popular and the number of students that turn up for them is incredible.

Recently, the Careers Service introduced a mentoring scheme where current students are put in contact with Alumni in industry. I just finished this scheme and having a former student talk to you about how you can develop your career is really helpful especially because they have been in your shoes so they can advise you on what you can do.

I hope I have not scared you guys by talking about your future careers but it’s a worth a thought. The University has been very supportive in this regards and has made it much easier for students like me to explore their potential. If you want to know more about a career in Mechanical Engineering, please feel free to ask me. J