Placemefirst expands with more placements for the new academic year

PlaceMeFirst, the recently launched online student placement service, is expanding with the addition of fresh and interesting placements for the new academic year. The expert team behind the service has not only secured unrivalled work experience opportunities; but can also help students present themselves to employers in the right way - so they find the perfect placement that suits their individual skills.

Since June 07, PlaceMeFirst has provided placements for hundreds of students who want to take the hassle out the process. Employers are signing up daily to find ideal students via the service. This week alone, BAE Systems registered 80 new placements in a range of different departments. The list of employers offering positions currently includes impressive household names such as Marks and Spencers, Next, Debenhams, JP Morgan, Siemens, 3M, Netto, Honda, Gist and many more.

And there are some unusual placements on offer at Placemefirst.com. One of the latest, from an online confectionary company, is: An opportunity for a student reading Business Studies or a course related to e-commerce to be a Sweetie Taster - a broad based position including sweet tasting! Now, that sounds like a job into which most students could sink their teeth!

Karen Scarborough, managing director of PlaceMeFirst, says: With a new academic year having recently started, students are thinking of finding placements - and this is where Placemefirst.com comes in. Our service is free to businesses and gives them access to a whole range of suitable students in all course areas who are looking for placement work. Students can register free of charge to see our entire range of available placements. We can cross-match students’ profiles with employers’ registered placements and email companies about students whose credentials are relevant to their needs. So, everyone wins.î

For those seeking placements, Karen advises: Be clear about what you want to achieve, understand the essential requirements of the role and how you can fulfil them. Begin your search for a placement in good time. Then, research each potential organisation and sector thoroughly, keep a diary of your experiences - from the interview process to finding your placement - and don’t become disheartened if you don’t get the first one you apply for. Keep plugging away and your hand work will pay off.

She adds: If you don’t succeed with an application, be sure to re-contact the organisation to find out why someone else was chosen. And use your contacts! If none of your existing contacts can help, they may know somebody who can. Keep you options open and search a broad range of sectors you may want to work in, rather than being too restrictive.

At the interview, dress to impress! It’s far better to be overdressed than underdressed, so leave the hoodie, ripped jeans and trainers at home. Always be formal and polite so the employer thinks you are calm and business-like.

She concludes: Make life easy by registering at Placemefirst.com. We want to make securing a placement simple for both students and employers. We can take most of the stress and ’donkey work’ out of the process - as well as having some excellent positions on offer right now.