Once in a while I receive an email from a student than makes
me wince. It usually starts with a nice sweetener along the lines of ‘I have an
interview with…..’ which gives me a false illusion that this is going to be a positive
interaction. The follow up sentence is what brings the pain. ‘How far away is
[enter name of town]?’
There are several things about this simple question that
really grate. Firstly, I’m not a walking talking atlas. If your geography isn’t
all that hot, ever heard of Google Maps? When I stop being flippant, a more
serious issue comes to mind. Did you not check the location of the placement
before applying? If not, why the hell not?!
I spend quite a bit of time encouraging my students to
explore placement opportunities outside their immediate environment. While I’m
sure that most of us would appreciate a job that is literally on our doorstep,
alleviating the need and cost of daily commute, the reality is that is unlikely
to happen. The day I had to break it to a student that there were no Investment
Banks in Peckham sticks fondly in my memory.
However, while it is positive for students to search for
placements outside their usual bus route, there needs to be a dose of realism
when making applications. Can I realistically commute there from where I am
living? Would I be prepared to relocate for this placement? If the answer to
these questions is no, why are you wasting your time, and that of the employer,
by submitting an application in the first place. It is a bit of a head
scratcher from my perspective.
In this instance, my student was relatively fortunate. The
interview was a mere 15 miles from their house, in a neighbouring county. It
could have been hours away in another part of the country. Always check the
location of a placement before submitting your application. Not only will it
keep your Placement Officer happy, but will mean you will avoid nasty surprises
when you’ve been invited for an interview in Timbuktu.
No comments:
Post a Comment