“Thank you for setting up my mock interview with an employer.
It was professional, constructive and the interviewer gave me
so many tips. I understand now what the interviewer is looking
for with certain questions, the best way to frame my strengths
and how to present my weaknesses. I have come away gaining
so much more from that half hour than many fruitless hours on
the internet.””
Final Year Student, English
The EUOTC team represented Exeter at the National Finals in April 2009
“Having recently facilitated on the eXfactor, I was extremely
impressed to see the investment the university is making in
helping students to develop and appreciate the value of
commercial awareness, personal effectiveness and enterprise
skills. These essential competencies and knowledge-sets are
required by all employers and will help Exeter students become
the most employable in any employment sector!”
Jo Binding, Head of Product Marketing, BSkyB
Aspiring to work for an SME (Small or Medium
sized Enterprise) is becoming increasingly
popular with graduates, as they recognise the
direct impact they can make to a business and
the breadth of work experience that can be
gained. In this competitive market, the Exeter
Award and Exeter Leader’s Award are excellent
tools to help students develop the skills they
need to become the enterprising employees that
today’s small businesses require.
Colin Fribbens
Chairman of the Exeter Federation of Small
Businesses
The Exeter Award is a fantastic opportunity for
students to gain the hard and soft skills they
need to move into graduate employment. It’s
about setting themselves apart from the next
candidate - having the Exeter Award on their
CV demonstrates key skills and competencies
that employers look for, such as work
experience, teamwork skills and practical
interview skills, which will help deliver better
interviews for us the employers.
Martyn Flynn
Talent Acquisition Manager- South Wales &
South West England,
Enterprise Rent-A-Car
“The Exeter Award has been the perfect opportunity for me to
gain official university recognition to the range of activities I
have undertaken during my time at university, and will show
employers the skills that I have sought to develop. It has
played a pivotal role in teaching me how to highlight
important skills and ultimately build up the best possible CV.”
Final Year Student, School of Psychology
“I really enjoyed the eXfactor and feel like I learnt a lot
of valuable skills as well as an insight into the
business world.”
Final Year Student, Modern Languages
‘I would fully encourage students to take part in the
eXfactor. It has over the two days built my confidence for
working life and helped to indentify my strengths and
weaknesses.’
Final Year Student, English
“I would recommend participation in The Exeter Award
to all Exeter students regardless of subject or career
intentions. Evidence of extra curricular activities and
desire to develop your skills set is a valued attribute
sought by employers of all size and type of business, yet
involvement will undoubtedly be valuable to yourself
personally as well.”
Final Year Student, Business School
• The Exeter Award is a fantastic achievement to
work towards. As students, you can develop a
range of new skills which should help you
stand out from the crowd when you start to
apply for jobs. It’s great to be able to
experience lots of different employer events, to
help point you in the right direction for when
your studies are finished. Plus, having relevant
work experience outside of your course shows
prospective employers you’re committed to
your career path.
News Associates
The Exeter Award ensures that students have
all the tools they need to give them the very
best possible start to their career hunt.
Linklaters
“The best part of the Exeter Award for me is that
is enabled me to really learn about different
areas of work, what I would like to focus in and
how I could go about achieving this.”
Year 2, Theology Student
“The Interview Experience made me more aware of the
kind of thing employers are looking for and what you
have to be able to demonstrate when applying for jobs.”
Level 3, Flexible Combined Honours
“The graduate recruitment market has never been so
competitive than it is currently. With as many as 80% of
applicants failing at the application stage in some sectors,
initiatives such as eXfactor are essential for students to ensure
that they are able to effectively articulate their understanding
and possession of key employability skills required by the
graduate labour market.”
Bob Athwal, HR Partner, RWE nPower and AGR Board Member
“Participating in the Award has taught me that it is extremely
important to strive to reach your full potential even if this
means pushing and challenging yourself beyond your comfort
zone.”
Year 2, Business School
“The XING Interactive Enterprise Game was very
amazing. I would say I've learnt a lot of things. I've
learnt how to work in a team, compromise with
others, time management, presentation skills and so
on. Surely, these kind of experiences will help me a
lot in my future undertakings.”
“The Interview Experience was the best part of the Award!
It was very useful to have a mock interview and get
feedback from it, and I really felt that by observing other
interviewees I could pick up tips on what to improve on. It
wasn't so scary after all!”
Year 4, Social Sciences and International Study
The Exeter award is an amazing opportunity for
students to drastically improve their
employability skills. This award will be seen as
highly valuable by employers across a range of
different sectors.
Teach First
“The Exeter Award is an amazing idea and only those that
have the drive and motivation to further their CV &
employability prospects apply. It separates those who want to
achieve great things from those who aren’t bothered”