Mohammed Samir Uddin

Why did you apply to the University and why did you choose that course?

I chose the University of Bradford as it was a great option for me to explore my opportunities without having to go too far from home. With the rising cost of living, it would have been a challenge for me to move down south for other opportunities to look into, as the further down I went, the higher the prices were. Furthermore, attending open days and researching the university I had found there was great opportunities for growth, not only careerwise but also personal development. In addition, my older brothers studied at this university and said they had a great time whilst they were there. Lastly, I knew that the university had a 24/7 library in which you can go in at any time and do work if needed.
I am currently doing BSc (Hons) Computer Science for Cyber Security with a placement year. I have always been indulged in tech from young. I used to love watching hacker movies and seeing different cool gadgets and technology that was out and knew that I wanted to get involved in the future. Initially, I applied for just BSc (Hons) Computer Science with placement year. It wasn’t till halfway through my course I realised they had a cyber security course. I immediately switched and the process was effortless as I was still in my first year at this point.  Furthermore, I was also intrigued in an option doing placement year, as I knew that doing a placement year would be best for me and to gain experience before finishing my degree. In addition, I also found out that the course is accredited by the British Computer Society (BCS).
Moreover, I also found out that the University has a society called ‘Pi-Soc’ which was the first society for the BCS Student Chapter and that it could be something really good to get involved in the future. Lastly, in doing research in the cyber security sector, I knew that there would always be jobs available and an opportunity for an excellent income and a thriving career!

What steps did you take to improve your employability whilst at university?

I knew I had to be on my A game as soon as I stepped foot at university. I spoke to my brothers and other people I knew who went to this university and they had suggested that I make the most to make myself stand out. They mentioned that they did things like Student Ambassador and Student Rep etc. I then applied for Student Ambassador during my first year which was a great opportunity for me to develop my teamworking, time-management and creative skills.  Some things I did for example was campus tours, workshops for the university, primary and secondary schools, careers fairs, events, Open Days, Step up to HE, presentations etc...
In my second year, I applied to become a Student Representative in which I was the ‘voice’ for my peers, representing them at the Staff Student Liaison Committee (discussing issues, problems etc. raised by students with faculty staff). This really helped me with my communication, leadership, and management skills.
I also worked as an IT Service Champion for the university, which helped me in skills such as problem solving, adaptability and resilience. I was then able to put on my CV as working in the IT sector and my skills could be transferrable for any employer to see with proven experience.   In addition, I also did some volunteering work which helped me in my resourcefulness, empathetic and responsibility skills. All these experiences definitely helped me in order to gain an upper hand when applying for placements.

How did Career and Employability Services / Placement Staff support you during your time at university?

I first went to Career and Employability Services to gain help for my CV in August before the university started for my second year. They were really friendly and gave me advice on how I can tailor my CV to the placements I am applying for and what websites I can use to look into. I then attended the timetabled Pre-Placement lectures/webinars and that really opened my eyes to what I need to do in order to excel and stand out from the rest.  The information given was invaluable and I have never heard information like that to make me stand out before, so to me, it was a gold mine of information.
I also booked various sessions in order to prepare for interviews, the staff there were giving me insights and invaluable knowledge and changed my perspective. This led to me having a better understanding of what the interview would be like, what they would expect, how to answer the questions, what kind of things to say etc...
|I can say I went from being nervous to being absolutely confident in any interview scenario. The practise and experience gained from these sessions really helped me and made me much more of an employable person in the eyes of the interviewer. In addition, they constantly always gave out opportunities, resources and materials on the specific FEI-Pre Placements CANVAS to look into. It was through their help that I managed to secure a placement and also gain work experience with Microsoft.

Tell us about your current (or previous) placement and what makes you successful in securing the placement?

BAE Systems is the largest defence company in Europe and is responsible for a lot of the defence going around the world. Some of their clients include US Department of Defence, UK government, UK military, Saudi Arabia etc.  I am currently working for BAE Systems as a Software Engineer in combat systems. Due to the nature of my work, I cannot say much about the projects I am working on. However, I am working on some cool projects which will be implemented in real time.
What made me successful in securing my placement is the fact that I continuously kept on applying for different companies and thoroughly researched the companies I applied for and had a deep understanding of what they were doing, mission statement, plans, what they were looking for, who are their clients, who are their competitors, what are the current trends in the market, what are the possible future challenges they may face, how you can help combat them in the future etc... All these questions come from research, which then leads to better understanding and thus leads you to better answers in your interviews.
I researched over 60 companies and spent at least 10 hours a day doing things such as tailoring CVs, cover letters, practicing interview questions, applying for placements, researching, doing psychometric tests etc... Biggest advice I would give is to put in the hard work now, it’s not easy applying for 60 companies and researching and spending time just to get declined by many. However, this approach led me to getting interviews for MSD, Caterpillar, and Volkswagen. I even got an offer from Caterpillar; however, I chose BAE Systems instead. You would rather try your hardest in order to maximise your chances of success rather than not applying at all!

What advice would you give to current students about finding a placement (and/or work experience) opportunities?

I would highly recommend that ALL students (those on a three year and on sandwich course) register on the FEI-Pre Placements CANVAS and constantly checking for opportunities as well as the support available. There are some placement listings there that you may not be able to find elsewhere. I applied to BAE through there. However, they also provide you with links to other websites which you can find opportunities for other placements.
In addition, also check your emails as I frequently being contacted by Career and Employability Services about different opportunities that may be of interest, I managed to do a project collaborating with Microsoft through this.  All of these materials and resources allows you to gain as much exposure to different placements as possible.
Besides, the Pre-placement sessions, Careers also provided timetabled weekly drop-in sessions where you get the chance to have a one-to-one with the Faculty Careers Team. I would recommend that students attend these sessions!