Rebecca Bell is a Market Research and Insight Assistant and the latest success story in Nottingham Trent University's graduate intern scheme: she worked hard, made the most of her opportunities, and secured a permanent position in their Market Research and Insight team.

Finding the perfect role

Rebecca understood that not every graduate knows what they want to do after uni. She studied psychology at Nottingham Trent University because she loved the subject, but she was very open about where it could take her.

"Around about the time I was graduating, Kim – our team’s manager – sent out an email, advertising a graduate intern vacancy. They were looking specifically for psychology students: they target courses to make sure they’re getting people with the right knowledge and skills, and passion for the work. Straight away, I could imagine myself in the role. For my first ‘proper’ job, the familiarity of NTU made that transition into work a bit less daunting," said Rebecca.

Falling on her feet

"You’re so well looked after here. They’ve got the balance just right – you’re challenged, but in the right way. It’s very supportive. My parents are always joking that 'you’ve fallen on your feet there!'" Rebecca adds that's she's so lucky to have Kim as her manager. Kim has encouraged her to take up opportunities and get everything she can out of the role, to help her development. Rebecca has had the chance to get involved with schemes like the Graduate Development Programme – a series of workshops looking at things like resilience, leadership, team-working and conflict – and she's learned so much more about herself.

"To be given that sense of trust and ownership at such an early point was inspiring, and it really helped my confidence. I’ve done things I never thought I’d be capable of, and to secure a permanent position at the end of my internship was huge. I can’t imagine I’d have got this experience or these opportunities anywhere else," comments Rebecca.

Discovering a different world

Rebecca would encourage any Nottingham Trent University student to apply for a graduate intern position. "You might think you’re not ‘moving on’, but trust me, it’s a different world," adds Rebecca. "It’s really interesting to see how a university works once you’ve studied here: as a student, you assume it’s just you and the lecturers, but there’s an army of people behind the scenes. You find out how much the staff here actually care about the students – they genuinely want everyone who comes here to have the best years of their life, and they do everything they can to make sure that happens."

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