David Wilson

Name: David Wilson
Club 21 Employer: BNP Paribas Securities Services
Degree Subject: Accounting
Year of Graduation: 2010

I decided during the third year of my course that my future job prospects would be enhanced by gaining work experience which was relevant to my Accountancy Degree.

Initially I searched for jobs myself online, but soon found that it was better to apply through Club 21 as it was easier to find a relevant placement and I would also benefit from feedback in relation to my application. I was kept well informed of the progress of my application and was pleased when I received a phone call from Club 21 saying that I had been offered a twelve week internship with the Fund Accounting Team at BNP Paribas Securities Services.

My role at BNP Paribas Securities Services involved numerous daily, weekly and year end tasks which helped me to improve my time keeping and organisational skills, as I was required to prioritise certain pieces of work depending on importance and due date. I was given work that would contribute to the year end statements, which were sent out to clients and made publicly available. This helped me to gain satisfaction in that I had contributed to business goals and helped produce important information. I developed important team working and communication skills in a different setting to any work that I'd ever done before. My Excel and other IT skills also improved dramatically upon the basics I had learned at University.

I would definitely recommend a Club 21 placement to any student who wants to improve their employability. It added to my CV but also acted as an additional stepping stone for my transition into the working world. I now feel more confident in my own abilities and am now better prepared to take on any challenges offered to me in the future.