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.

Employer Fest: Engineering

By Muhammad Shuja

This blog is to let you know about Employer Fest, one of the many career-based events the University hosts every year for its students.

Struggling to find placements or have too many options to decide a graduate career? The answer to every question you might have regarding careers, Employer Fest – your chance to get hands on information about placements or graduate roles through a series of events from February till March. Though the University hosts an Employer Fest for each Faculty, I’ll be talking specifically about Engineering.

Regardless of whether you’ve secured a placement or have no idea what the word means (I’m pretty sure it’s something you take when you’ve got the flu), Employer Fest will help you through each stage of the process. There’s loads of workshops from the Careers Service, regarding all the options you can consider, a year-long placement if you want to get hands-on experience of the industry, a summer-placement if you don’t want a gap from studies, or perhaps a placement in a country abroad which is quite an experience in itself. Furthermore, there’s lecturers from staff working at various firms who give you an idea about the application process, to give you extremely vivid information narrowed down to specific firms. The firms are multinational firms who are leaders of their specific fields. I’m talking about Google, Apple, Accenture, PWC etc. You can have the event tailored to your requirements. For instance, international students might want to know more about immigration policies before they get searching for placements. The JobShop runs regular workshops for exactly that. For finalists, you might be more interested in graduate positions than placements. For postgraduate students, you might want to look for postgraduate placements and you can find specific event to suit your needs. For those of you who are nervous of performance issues during interviews and assessments, there’s a great load of events from both employers and from the Careers Service who will be more than happy to give you one on one advice about interviews, assessments, CVs and absolutely any worries you might have. Last but not the least, the main highlight of Employer Fest: Engineering is the Engineering Placements Networking Event. Employers from world-class firms all gathered around to ask any questions you might have – applications, interviews, the work environment, further opportunities or even how much you can earn (*ahm ahm* I sense a twinkling of the eye)! To conclude, with a whole month jam-packed with career-based events, you’ll definitely maximize your chances to get an awesome placement to earn some dolla while you do what you love!

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