“You have to be in it to win it” is a phrase we’re all very familiar with but very few of us take it seriously. After winning the coveted TARGETjobs Management Undergraduate of the Year Award 2016, it’s a phrase I think everyone should live by.
But how did I get this far? Well, I was simply reading through my university emails one day and this opportunity to enter the awards caught my eye. It immediately seemed like a good idea – so I chose to enter the Management category, which is sponsored by Enterprise-Rent-A-Car.
That’s what piqued my interest most. Enterprise has won Graduate Employer of the Year on various occasions and offer awesome summer internships – not to mention a week away in the United States! I knew this would be an amazing opportunity.
After completing my online application and passing my phone interview, I was invited to an assessment day at the European Head office in Surrey. To say I was nervous in the days and hours beforehand is an understatement. I traveled from Barcelona – so I had a lot of time to dwell on it!
But the assessment centre was a lot less daunting than I imagined. The genuine friendliness and down-to-earth nature of the Enterprise team meant that expressing myself during the different tasks, both with other candidates and in my one-to-one interview, was no problem at all.
They really want each and every one of us to get as much out of the experience as possible and do as much as they can to make you feel comfortable. Most of the employees here start off as management trainees, so they have such a strong respect for the value interns provide. They know what you’re going through.
The awards ceremony itself, in Canary Wharf, London, was an amazing experience and the presentation by Fiona Bruce was inspiring to say the least. I’d never been to anything like it. As the winner, I was presented my award by Khaled Shahbo, Corporate VP and MD for UK and Ireland, a man who has contributed enormously to the success of the company.
I had a brilliant time and it made me realise how happy I was that I’d taken the time to apply.
So one piece of advice I would give after this experience is to have some faith in yourself – and go for it! With the confidence to win you can achieve anything. It was worth it for me, it might just be for you too.
Registrations are open for the 2017 Management Undergraduate of the Year Awards. But if you can’t wait that long, why not check out our Management Trainee Programme today?
