April 7, 2021, by Benedict Watson

The University-Affiliated Projects That Can Build Your CV (Part 1)

Benedict Watson – Student Blogger

With internships and work experience programmes hard to come by at the moment, many students aren’t aware of the great opportunities that the University exclusively offers, which can give you real-world experience that will look great on your CV. Below are just some of the many opportunities that you can take advantage of in your time at the University of Nottingham:

1. Nottingham Internship Scheme (NIS) 

The NIS offers both spring and summer internships exclusively to UoN students and graduates. These internships are with small and medium-sized enterprises, charities, or social organisations. This offers a terrific opportunity to gain experience of working on a real project for a company, without having to go through a gruelling application process like most non-University-affiliated internships. With the NIS an application form is the only thing required and you’re given a bursary for completing the internship! When you apply for a scheme, you’ll just need to check that you meet the criteria.

2. Course rep 

Becoming a course rep gives you the opportunity to create real change for you and your course mates, which can give you a deep sense of fulfilment. It also looks great on a CV, because it shows that you can actively listen to your course mates, and then communicate this information to the course staff clearly and persuasively to encourage them to act on the feedback from students.

3. Society committee 

There are plenty of societies to choose from at UoN, and once you’ve found one you love, running for a committee position can be a great way to become more actively involved in the society whilst boosting your CV. Different committee positions might be more beneficial for certain careers. For example, being the treasurer would be a great role if you are looking to go into finance because it shows that you’re able to be trusted with handling money and budgeting well to ensure that the society can carry out all the activities it desires without running into debt. If you’re looking to go into a career such as nursing, being the welfare and wellbeing secretary could be a good way to develop and demonstrate your skills in being caring and empathetic.

4. Summer school ambassador 

The University of Nottingham Summer School runs every summer, inviting sixth-form students to get an insight into what it’s like to be a student at UoN. In pre-Covid-19 times, this involved a residential trip to the campus, where students attended lectures and played games with their fellow participants. This required summer school ambassadors to help the students in lectures, organise the games, and deal with any problems that occurred. This is a paid position which can help you to develop your leadership and communication skills, whilst also showing that you’re a responsible person. It’s also a great deal of fun, and you get to meet lots of other summer school ambassadors!

These are only some of the great opportunities available to you that will help you develop experience and skills for your CV. Keep a lookout for Part 2 of this blog post coming soon…

We can support you with all aspects of the recruitment process including helping you to develop your CV. Check out our making applications webpages with lots of practice resources, attend our skills workshops, or book an appointment with a member of our team.

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