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Flawed past is nostalgia; flawed present is opportunity – Terri Guillemets

Similarly set out to an internship, the application process for the Management Undergraduate of the Year Award entailed the typical application stage, testing, interview and assessment centre, highlighting that your capabilities really are tested from the outset!

The underlying factor that determines one’s suitability for the award is a result of the diverse experiences and positions of responsibility a student has achieved throughout their time at university. Students that progressed as far as the assessment centre stemmed from a broad range of disciplines; from English to physics to management. Enterprise do not simply look for students studying a business management degree, rather students that demonstrate transferable skills that would bode well in a senior management position. With that said, students with an enquiring mind, the ability to work under pressure and a sincere drive to succeed characterises the typical students that Enterprise Rent-A-Car looks for to compete in the award. The bottom line is that you can apply regardless of where you are or what you’re studying!

It’s a nerve-racking experience awaiting the phone call determining that all-important decision. Yet, prior to the decision for the final top ten being made, the experience was truly fulfilling as it provided an exceptionally valuable insight into the graduate recruitment process, putting each of us in good stead come the end of our degrees. I was overwhelmed to have been selected for the top tem, considering some 600 students applied for the award. The event was the most high-profile event I have attended, with some senior personnel attending, including: the CEO of Rolls-Royce, the vice president of Deutsche Bank, the managing director of Enterprise Rent-A-Car, as well as officials from L’Oreal, Barclays, E.ON and Mars. Presented by Konnie Huq, former BBC Blue Peter presenter, and held in the highly regarded East Wintergarden in Canary Wharf, it was well and truly an experience of a lifetime. Attended by a further 120 students representing the other awards, we had many opportunities to form those all-important contacts for life. I must also reiterate that the students you compete with also become your friends. I could not have been among a more talented bunch of individuals.

I think it’s increasingly important to touch on the fact that competition is very much present in landing a graduate job with a globally recognised company and, with that said, it's essential to seize each and every opportunity as they arise. Therefore it's the cumulative experiences and jobs a student has obtained that will ultimately set them apart from their peers – the true means of landing that dream job! Its events like these that do just that. The networking has been an invaluable asset in itself! Not only has it been a fabulous experience, I have been offered a summer internship on completion of my year in industry,which I am eagerly looking forward to.

My advice is clear: seize every opportunity as if it’s your last!

Where are they now?

Financial analyst at GE Healthcare.