March 24, 2015, by Jackie Thompson

My Experience on the Nottingham Internship Scheme

By Nick McBlain, final year computer scientist

Experience within your subject area and industry is more important than ever and even more so when searching for an opportunity you want to pursue after university. I wanted to be prepared for the future and I knew that one of the easiest ways to boost my CV and increase my application prospects was to get some experience.

My internship

I applied to the Nottingham Internship Scheme in my second year knowing that I was applying to local growing businesses where my skills would be utilised as much as possible. After interviews at several interesting employers, I chose to accept a summer placement at Instantview as a software designer/engineer.

My main responsibilities were to work closely with the company’s lead developer on redesigning their Android applications and website, as well as contributing towards the programming to speed up development.

During my time at Instantview I was able to employ most of what I had learned on my degree in a real-world situation. Along with the technical experience I gained, I also attended events and made connections with people in the sector. At the time you just don’t think about what you are gaining until you tell people about it and you understand why it is so important to your future.

The future

After the internship, I needed to utilise my experience and show graduate employers how much of an impact I could have in their company. I looked into different companies which would provide a similar work environment and that had already made a mark within the industry. I chose Capital One because it boasts a rich culture, a brand new software studio and is based in Nottingham, a city which I have grown to love.  After progressing through multiple recruitment stages, I finally got an offer to start in the summer.

My advice

Although I had worked for other organisations, I truly believe that the summer internship at Instantview helped me get the job at Capital One. I learned about what it takes to do the role I was applying for and it gave me the confidence needed to stand out from the other candidates. As well as all of the career benefits it provided, I also learned new personal methods of working which have helped me in my course.

I strongly recommend applying for the Nottingham Internship Scheme, even if you want to apply for a role in an industry that you haven’t  any experience in but want to learn something new. You will be able to make a difference to the businesses involved in the scheme and positively influence your employment prospects.

We are currently advertising lots of internships in a wide range of roles.

Watch these short videos to find out more about the scheme from last year’s interns and their managers:

Posted in Work experience

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