There were 23 networking and knowledge-sharing sessions during the two-week Bootcamp and they were attended by 666 students – many students joined multiple activities to optimise their searches for internship positions and career opportunities. More than 60 students were successful in being selected for speed interviews with the organisations taking part between 12–23 April 2021.
Students attending the Career Bootcamp are looking to work for companies and organisations that match their own forward-thinking, ethical and sustainable principles. They want to use their skills in ways that are innovative and social and to be agents of positive change wherever they go.
Satya Autar, Employer Relations Manager at RSM Career Centre said: “We offered a broad range of sessions for companies and organisations to present themselves, and therefore attracted in a large number of master students to meet them. The genuine interactions were great to see – the Career Bootcamp was a valuable event for students and for recruiters.”
Organisations taking part were: Christian Dior Parfums; AB InBev; PwC; Deloitte; Gartner; INVERTO; Amplifon; The Kraft Heinz Company; Sustainable Capital Group; ABN AMRO; Quooker; Bynder; Nuffic; Henkel; L'Oréal; Portl; and Randstad.
Esther Morren, Talent Acquisition Specialist at PwC which sponsored the event said she and her colleagues found it a pleasure to meet RSM students during the company presentation and to have face-to-face interactions with students during the speed interview sessions. She also very much enjoyed working with the RSM Career Centre.
Making a team of interns
RSM alumnus Jesse van Hofwegen has worked as a business analyst with Quooker for three years; earlier in his career he did an internship with the firm during his MSc Business Information Management at RSM in 2016, and now has the role of recruiting interns as part of his responsibilities. He said: “Recently we spoke with several RSM students who were interested in an internship in our Future Team. In the end, my colleague and I put together a very nice team with four BSc Business Administration students from RSM, two of which ended up at Quooker via the Office Tour of the Bootcamp event. It has proven to be a very valuable event for us.”
Daniëlle van Bommel, Campus Recruiter Audit at Deloitte said that the firm had received some applications after its presentation at the Bootcamp, and considers Deloitte’s participation to have been a success.
Interns informing potential interns
Several organisations asked their own interns to give presentations about the experience of working with a large international firm; the Career Bootcamp was tailored to students on RSM’s master programmes and designed to give an accurate idea of what an intern might be expected to do and how an internship can boost career prospects.
Stefania van Limburg Stirum (MSc Sustainability and Global Business 2022 at RSM) delivered a presentation during the Career Bootcamp. She is currently working as an intern for the Sustainable Capital Group (SCG) and is responsible for the process of obtaining an EcoVadis rating for SCG, as well as assisting with several projects such as market research for the development of solar fields. She said: “We really enjoyed delivering a presentation to RSM’s inspiring students and have been very satisfied with our collaboration so far.” Sustainable Capital Group had already hired two students after giving its ‘Sustainable business and finance’ presentation at an RSM career event earlier in the year.
Saar Thijssen, (MSc work and Organisational Psychology 2021 at Erasmus University) is an HR intern with L'Oréal Nederland. She said: “We loved doing the speed interviews! The conversations have certainly gone well and we were happy with 100 per cent attendance. Thanks to the RSM Career Centre for the good organisation!”
Sessions during the Bootcamp covered topics as diverse as international internships; internships in fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), consulting or in sustainable finance; informal coffee sessions and a pub quiz; CV writing; ‘a day in the life of an intern’ presentations; how to make the most of online internships; and kicking off careers with an internship at a scale-up business.
RSM Career Centre
The RSM Career Centre helps bachelor and master students prepare for their careers through workshops, mentoring, career events and other initiatives. It is also the link between BSc and MSc students and recruiters from all kinds of organisations. Companies can use the RSM Career Portal to fill vacancies by recruiting RSM’s talented young professionals. The Career Portal is the first place for bachelor, master and MBA students, as well as new graduates, to look for career opportunities, internships, and inspiration.
During the Bootcamp event, the RSM Career Centre delivered four workshops to prepare students for their interaction opportunities with their potential future employers. Meike Kiestra, Career Development Manager said: “In particular, the workshop about preparing for a speed interview was well attended because RSM students are keen to make an excellent first impression on our partners.” The RSM Career Centre hopes to collaborate further with its partnering organisations in delivering these types of workshops.
