I applied to the Undergraduate of the Year competition last year in order to expose myself to the wider world of business, expand my network and gain experience generally. I did enter the process somewhat sceptically but was very pleasantly surprised by how beneficial the whole experience has been.

The process actually mirrored a real time job application as it involved psychometric testing, a phone interview and ultimately an evaluation at an assessment centre. Going through the initial application process gave me a lot of confidence in what I had previously achieved and highlighted to me the skills that I had gained through those experiences.

During the process I learnt the importance of time management, teamwork, motivation and the necessity of a having an energetic and happy work environment. I also learnt a lot of simple but important skills such as understanding how to dress conventionally in a corporate environment and how to properly meet and greet clientele. I mostly enjoyed the exercise that involved leading a morning meeting as it allowed me to motivate employees and resolve issues within the company. As a manager within Enterprise you are given full autonomy over the way in which the company is run which I found refreshing and it allowed me to utilise my strengths.

All in all I have enjoyed this experience immensely. The employees at Enterprise have been both extremely friendly and highly motivational. With hindsight, this should not have surprised me as my initial research on the company led me to understand that their core values were firmly aligned with my own. There is a great family feel to Enterprise. They all work hard but enjoy their work with a passion.

I cannot recommend more strongly that you enter the competition this year – it provided me with confidence and key skills which I can apply in future applications. And indeed, if you are very good you might even win it as you won’t have me to compete with!

Find out more and apply here for the management Undergraduate of the Year Competition.