My name is Dorothy, and I have been a student employability coach (SEC) working for the Career Centre since September 2025. If you have ever visited the career clinic or dropped in on a Monday or Wednesday, there is a good chance we have already met.
For those who are wondering what my job is; my job involves providing feedback on CV, personal statements, and cover letters for my peers. Sometimes I will use my own experience to answer employability-related questions for students, or I will guide them to the correct place to find resources. This experience played a key role in helping me secure my placement as a Data Analyst at Samsung.
I applied to the company in October. After submitting my CV, I was invited to complete a series of online assessments. including psychometric tests that measured reaction speed, accuracy, and performance under time pressure. (If anyone is interested, comment below as I can do another blog for this topic.) After that, I was invited in January to the final assessment centre, which consists of three parts:
- Presentation.
- Panel interview.
- Group exercise.
The panel interview was the part where my work at the Career Centre proved especially valuable. I was interviewed by two senior managers and asked competency-based questions, such as:
“Tell us about a time you worked with a difficult client or teammate.”
“Can you give an example of how you used time management effectively?”
I felt confident answering those questions because I was able to draw on real-life examples from my experience as a Student Employability Coach. For example, I described a situation where I had to negotiate my advice with a student who was initially resistant to making changes to their CV. Rather than simply insisting on my suggestions, I carefully explained the rationale behind them, using evidence from employer expectations and industry standards to support my feedback.
I also highlighted how this role significantly strengthened my time management skills. During each drop-in, I was given a limited timeframe to understand the student’s needs, review their application materials, and provide clear feedback. This required me to prioritise tasks effectively, manage multiple to-do tasks efficiently, and maintain a high standard of quality under time pressure. Over time, I learned how to assess what required immediate attention, structure my feedback efficiently, and remain calm and focused even during busy sessions.
If you are interested in empowering your employability, please join the Student Employability Coach team! We are recruiting the 2026/2027 team now, and the application deadline is 28 of February.
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