Three of our students recently secured the opportunity to shadow a CEO of a major organization for a day, providing them with real-life experience in some of the most high profile jobs across the UK. You can read the first interview in the series here.
The CEO for a day programme, offered by recruitment firm Odgers Berndston, requires aspiring students to pass a rigorous selection process involving group activities and written assessments. Despite the intense selection process, an amazing three out of fifteen of the total places available were filled by our students: Alexander Blums (BSc Politics and International Relations), Nicholas Alford (BSc Accounting and Finance with placement) and Tom Phipps (LLB Law).
We caught up with Nic Alford to see how he got on whilst shadowing Edward Peck, Vice Chancellor of Nottingham Trent University.
Q: Why did you enter the CEO for a day programme? What did you hope to get out of it?
“I entered the programme because I was really interested in experiencing a day in top-level management. Although I am driven to work in a business, and one day set up my own, I haven’t found the area I want that to be in. I hoped that the scheme would provide me with some clarity on both myself and my abilities, but also give me an insight into the variety of roles and responsibilities required at such a high position.”
Q: What were the main things about your day that stood out – what did you learn?
“I was surprised at the amount of involvement that Edward had in every day operations. There was a whole range of activities throughout the day, ranging from PR to finance, and Edward’s input was required in each of them.”
Q: What skills did your day help you to develop that will be useful for your future career?
“There was a large amount of skills that I could take away from the experience, however I think the best thing was that Edward made an effort to interact with people at all levels of the organisation. It’s shown me how useful it is to be respectful and I look forward to carrying that through into my future career.”
Q: Why do you think it’s important to get business experience as part of your studies?
“It’s really useful to see how the theory from lectures is implemented in the real world. The best way to learn things, for me, is to experience them, and I can carry everything I learn, hear or discuss through to any future roles I am in.”
The opportunity to shadow a CEO runs annually. Although it’s closed for now, you can get ahead of the game and find out more about potentially applying later this year!
