If you are planning to apply for summer internships for 2021 or a yearlong sandwich placement for 2021/22, be prepared for the application and selection process for these to be upon you early on in the new academic year, or in some cases before this has even started! As a rule of thumb, the bigger the organisation you are applying to, the more potential candidates they will need to assess, and as a result, the selection process is spread out over a number of steps and can take several months. Any preparation and research you can do over the summer will speed up your internship and placement applications in a few months and keep this manageable alongside your academic work and other commitments. Check out our ‘summer to do list’ below to help you get started.

Research potential employers and opportunities
‘Is there a particular website where all the internships and placements are advertised?’ is easily the most common question we’re asked by students looking for these opportunities – annoyingly for many, the answer is ‘no’. To make sure that you are as aware of your options as possible, research potential employers and look for opportunities in a number of ways:

• Read the placement case studies in the career planning guide for your school or faculty. In these, LJMU students and graduates reflect on their placements, provide peer-to-peer advice on the recruitment process, and give useful tips on improving your employability. These case studies also illustrate the wide range of roles and organisations students from your school have completed their placements with.
• Check your LJMU email inbox regularly, both over the summer and when term has started again, for updates and placement vacancies from lecturers and placement staff in the faculty (as they will often email vacancies they have sourced through their contacts in the industry) and use the job search on Careers Zone 24/7.
• Researching opportunities on Indeed gives a broad overview of placement opportunities, although you might not find that many opportunities advertised on there until the start of the next academic year. You can also use websites like Rate my Placement, Targetjobs, Gradcracker (for students on science, technology, engineering and built environment courses), Prospects, E4S, Student Ladder, TotalJobs and LinkedIn Jobs. Again, the number of placements on there at the moment will be relatively low, but it still gives you a potential starting point for your research. Companies advertising their placements on these sites will usually direct you back to their own careers pages for the actual application.
• Start creating a shortlist of organisations in your sector that interest you: this might include companies you have met at careers fairs/employer events at LJMU or networking events you have attended. Do you regularly read updates in trade publications or online? Which companies have you come across in these that might offer the type of experience you’re interested in? Where do your family and friends work? Might any of their employers also be of interest to you? Then visit these organisations’ websites and search for any information about summer internships and yearlong placements. Many companies let you register your details for updates, so you receive emails about virtual events and when applications open.
• The employability support and placement staff within your school – find their details in the career planning guide for your school or faculty – can give you further information about which organisations students from your course have done placements with in the past. You can also search for graduates from your course on LinkedIn, and could take a look at where they have done work experience and placements to generate additional ideas.

Update your CV and brush up on your application skills
For the majority of internships and placements, you will need to apply via the company’s own website, usually by completing an application form, or you might be asked to submit a CV and cover letter by email. Spending some time over the summer to develop your CV and learning how to draft effective cover letters and application forms will make you a more confident and prepared candidate when applications open.

• Online guides and resources:
  You can download a range of useful guides from the Careers Team website on writing effective CVs and covering letters and acing application forms. Review the example CVs in the career planning guide for your school or faculty for a better idea on how you can set out information effectively on your CV, depending on whether you have any relevant experience already or not. Download a copy of our CV Checklist to help you tailor the content and structure of your CV effectively to individual positions.
• CV360:
  Many larger employers now use applicant tracking systems, which machine-read and analyse your CV and de-select any CVs that don’t make the cut. To ensure yours makes it through this automated first stage, use our CV360 tool to address any issues with your CV that might trip you up.

Prepare for virtual recruitment
Over the summer, you could also start preparing yourself for what is likely to be a more virtual recruitment and selection process, as employers have adapted their methods in view of the need for social distancing. As a result, telephone and video interviews as well as virtual assessment centres are likely to be the new norm. Alongside these, some employers might still want to meet candidates face-to-face, so also take a look at our assessment centre and interview guides to find out what to expect.

Practise psychometric tests
Aptitude tests, such as numerical and verbal reasoning, as well as situational judgement tests continue to be used by many large employers as part of the initial screening of candidates. Download our guide to learn more about what they involve and how to prepare effectively, and then start practising!

FURTHER ADVICE AND INFORMATION
The Careers, Employability and Enterprise Team is available to help from 9am-4pm, Monday to Friday.

The Careers Team is offering remote appointments by telephone, video or email; call 0151 231 8740, email careers@ljmu.ac.uk or visit the Careers Team website. Also, check out our programme of webinars (online classes) on writing CVs and applications with impact, interviews and virtual assessment centres.

For advice on starting your own business or freelancing, contact LJMU’s Centre for Entrepreneurship at: startup@ljmu.ac.uk.