Sarah McCann

The best thing about Leeds University Business School is the amount of opportunities to enhance your CV, experience new cultures and feel fully supported by all members of staff to truly excel whilst at University.

The Business School has more than exceeded all my expectations of what university life could hold for me. There are endless opportunities for students to make the most out of university life, many of which I have taken full advantage of such as being an International Study Group Leader, part of the Nurturing Talent Mentor Scheme, spending a Year in Industry and being a Student Ambassador.

As a returning student from my year placement with L’Oréal, I can honestly say that my two completed years at the Business School gave me a great foundation to succeed in the work place as well as academically. My course fully relates to the real world and this helped me understand situations with the workplace. A major advantage of my course is the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development accreditation incorporated within my degree, which is broadly recognised by all leading businesses.  

Being part of the Business School exposes you to a variety of people, many of whom are international students, which emphasis the global standard of the Business School as whole. Having close links with Chinese business schools, I had the opportunity to travel to China representing the University of Leeds. The two week trip opened me up to people and places I never dreamed of having the chance to experience. I gave presentations, held skill sessions, volunteered at a local school and met a variety of international students that I am still in touch with today.

The mentoring scheme is a great initiative that I believe was a key reason why I secured my placement with L’Oreal. The tailored mentoring scheme paired me with a local HR Manager working for Enterprise rent-a-car. The scheme is a great initiative as it carefully pairs you with mentor within your chosen field of work. My mentor helped me re-write my CV, prepare my covering letter, went through interview tips, and ran through what she thought was most important at an assessment centre. Her invaluable insight into the corporate world gave me a better understanding of what was needed for me to succeed within the process I was about to embark on.

Taking a year in industry is something I hadn’t really considered before joining the Business School, but through the numerous opportunities I had talking to corporate companies I was quickly persuaded that the opportunity was one I should not miss out on. Leeds University Business School has a wide network of companies with which it works closely to give students opportunities to network and increase their employability.

I believe Leeds University Business School to be an excellent place for individuals to flourish. There are endless opportunities for students to grab hold of and I will always be thankful for those opportunities. 

This profile was published in November 2015 during Sarah's final year on BA Human Resource Management.