Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the United Kingdom

Etiqueta: Mundialengua

A New Edition of the “Two Weeks Programme” in London

On Friday 25th July the Spanish Chamber of Commerce hosted an informative session as part of a programme named “The Two Weeks”, which is jointly organised by the Polytechnic University of Valencia and the Valencia University.

This is the third year in a row in which the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain takes part in this exciting initiative. The delegation who came to London was led by Mr. Antonio Reig, Prof. Dr. Industrial Engineer from the Polytechnic University of Valencia and coordinator of the programme.

The “Two Weeks Programme”takes place once a year and it gives 20 students from the above universities the opportunity to travel to London for a 2-week stay to come into contact with an international job market. During the programme the participants attend a course about recruitment processes and visit prestigious companies from different industries related to their field of studies, such as Energy, IT, Industrial Production, Technical Consultancy, Financial Engineering, Construction and Real Estate.

From left to right: Mr. Antonio Reig, Ms. Cristina Carmona and Ms. Berta Ferrer during the informative session.

The session hosted at the Spanish Chamber provided further information about the role of the institution, the opportunities available in the UK for young graduates and, for the first time, introduced a success story of a Spanish entrepreneur in London.

To start off, Ms. Cristina Carmona, Head of Corporate Relations and Communication, welcomed the participants on behalf of tour institution and spoke about the main services provided by the Chamber and the activities we organise throughout the year. Among these, she focused on The Graduate European Programme, which shares similar goals with ‘The Two Weeks Programme’. This topic proved of special interest for the students, who took the opportunity to enquire further about it.

The next speaker was Ms. Sofía Vázquez, CEO of Mundialengua, a company specialised in finding internships and placements for graduates. She gave the students some useful tips for interviews and selection processes, and highlighted the importance of making a first good impression.

Ms. Sofia Vázquez with Mr. Antonio Reig after the end of the session.

She also mentioned other things to take into consideration such as the need to be flexible in a competitive and demanding market. She also encouraged attendees to look for internships, as in her own words “it is a really good way to explore the market and to learn; even when it is not paid you may get an opportunity to stay afterwards.”

Afterwards, Mr. Antonio Reig introduced Berta Ferrer, a participant from last year´s program, who is currently working and studying in London. Berta commented on her personal experience and shared some useful tips with attendees.

Finally it was the turn of Ms Paloma Tomas, founder of DotComRepublic, who talked about her experience as an entrepreneur in the UK. Paloma explained the concept of digital marketing and provided students with real examples on how it applies to companies.

Ms. Paloma Tomás (left) founder of DotComRepublic during her talk.

Our Secretary General, Igor Urra closed the informative session and received a commemorative plaque from Mr. Antonio Reig as a memory of this third collaboration between our institution and the participants of the “Two Weeks Programme”.

Our Secretary Genral, Igor Urra was handed a commemorative plate to mark this thrid colaboration with «Two Weeks Programme».

We would like to thank all the speakers of this informative session as well as the students who have taken part this year in the “Two Weeks Programme” for their interest and involvement.

30/07/2014
Helpful Tips for a Job Interview

In the competitive labour market nowadays, it is not excusable to lose a job opportunity due to making basic errors at the job interview. With unemployment rates around 12% across the European Union, competitively is at its peak as there are far more applicants than vacancies. Therefore when you are finally called for an interview, it is essential to prepare well and research the company in the time leading up to the day as this will be your first personal contact with the company for which you are applying.

It is understandable that you may be nervous –especially if it is your first interview in a long time or even at all. Experts advise on the importance of learning to coexist with nerves so that they do not get in your way to your ultimate goal: getting the job.

The interview is the first step to get you closer to the job you are applying for.

In order to provide you with some useful tips to get ready for your interviews, we have contacted Mundialengua, one of our member companies. Among their services, they specialise in interview search for people interested in carrying out a work placement abroad. We have asked Eleanor Green, Spanish Course and Internship Co-ordinator at Mundialengua, what piece of advice she would offer to avoid stress at this crucial time.

According to her, these are three things you always need to bear in mind:

    – Take the time to review common interview questions as you will most likely be asked some of them.

    – Review sample answers and advice on how to answer these typical interview questions.

     – Research the company as well as the department for which you will are applying. You will be asked about this and it is important you are able to explain your reasons to work there specifically.

However, nerves are not your sole enemy. As you may already know, first impressions do count and choosing well your attire can boost or hinder your chances for the job even before you speak. Funny enough, the mistakes most people are bound to make fall within the common sense territory. A well-groomed appearance is one of them, but as Eleanor Green explains “the errors that most candidates fall into are sadly so basic and so common, such as arriving late. It seems very obvious that the candidate has to arrive on time, but it does not happen frequently”.

As the saying goes «you never get a second chance to make a first impression».

You would have heard it before, but nonetheless planning ahead before an interview is essential in order to anticipate external factors such as traffic jams or public transport disruptions. Make sure your travel arrangements allow you to arrive 15-20 minutes early to allocate extra time in the event of any unforeseen delay.

If the above seem like taken-for-granted errors, asking about salary too early may kill your chances of getting the post. Despite being one of the main factors when looking for new opportunities, or even the main reason to decide whether or not to accept an offer, you should avoid asking how much you will earn too soon. More often than not, you will be seen as someone only interested in the money, not the job itself. The interviewer will inevitably tell you at some point what salary and benefits come with the job, so include this in your common interview questions list and come with an answer for it.

Strengths and weaknesses will also be brought up. Whilst some people will have no problem describing the things they are good at, it is equally important to have an answer ready for those you can improve or work on. If you reply you do not have any weak points, odds are you will be seen as arrogant. This is a tricky area as you obviously do not want to say something such as you are never punctual. In this regard, our expert Eleanor suggests the following: when thinking about your flaws, try to come up with something that you can turn into a positive thing. “One of my weaknesses is that I talk too much, but I can then turn it into a strength by adding that it means that I am very happy to take part in discussions”, she explains.

Last but not least, do not forget by any means to ask questions. When your interview is drawing to an end, it is highly likely that you will be asked if you have any questions. Remember: “none” is not an acceptable answer. “It is a signal that you are unprepared, uninterested or uncaring about the job”, says Eleanor.

One of the best ways to prepare for an interview is to anticipate questions the interviewer may ask.

What sort of questions can you ask, then? Do your research on the company, the department and the position to identify what areas you would like to know more about. One thing you may want to ask is what qualities are needed in order to do well at the job for which you are applying. This will give you an insight on what your interviewer is actually looking for.

As a last hint remember how important first impressions are. Being well-groomed, having a positive attitude, engaging in small talk (a witty comment, perhaps), keeping eye contact and smiling at the person interviewing you will not certainly decide your fate, but showing that you are making an effort can get you off to a flying start.

We take this opportunity to thank Eleanor Green and Mundialengua for their contribution to this post and we hope the above essentials come in handy in your prospective interviews. Do let us know what other tips you have found useful in the past and how they worked out for you.

PS: Good luck!

09/10/2013
GEP 2013: Your Career Begins Here

The Spanish Chamber of Commerce has recently welcomed a new group of participants of the Graduate European Programme. This programme offers university graduates the opportunity to undertake work experience in London at the same time as they attend Business English classes and workshops at Regent’s University London.

15 university graduates arrived in London on Monday 16th September to attend the Induction Week aimed at providing the participants with useful advice on their new life experience. The programme for the week included several talks and a company visit.

The Secretary General Mr. Igor Urra, along with Ms. Cristina Carmona, Head of Corporate Relations and Communication and co-ordinator of the Programme, met the group at the Spanish Chamber of Commerce premises on Wigmore Street for a welcoming session to introduce the programme.

Mrs. Eleanor Green during her talk to the participants of the GEP

After this first talk, they had the chance to listen to Mrs. Eleanor Green, from Mundialengua UK, member of the Chamber. Mrs. Green explained some useful tips and advice on how to write a CV and a Cover Letter, but more importantly, she focused on how to succeed at interviews and provided very useful tips to answer frequently asked questions. Participants found this especially helpful as they would be facing several interviews during their first week.

Later that day, the candidates had the opportunity to meet two of the participants who took part in the Programme last year: Ms. Tania Torrado and Mr. Ignacio Alastrué. They explained their experience and how taking part in this programme eventually led them both to find a job in London. Tania and Ignacio encouraged students to attend the English classes and to do their best during the internship by being proactive. The talk concluded with a round of questions about life in London, hints to do well at the interviews and the differences between work routines in Spain and UK.

Attendees were listening to Tania Torrado and Ignacio Alastrué, as they explained their experience as former participants.

The week followed with some other activities for the participants to complete their induction. One of the most popular talks was delivered on Tuesday by Mr. Miguel Ángel Idígoras, the UK correspondent of TVE, and Mr. Roberto Casado, correspondent from the economic newspaper Expansión.

The session was designed to provide an inside perspective on the work of a journalist abroad and what kinds of news they need to look for in the UK in order to provide content that is relevant to a Spanish audience. They both shared their previous experiences abroad, their knowledge and what a day at work looks like. They also compared the way journalism is done in Spain and in Great Britain, and how the latter has always been a reference for Spanish media as a synonym of quality and good practices.

From left to right: Miguel Ángel Ídigoras (TVE), Igor Urra (Secretary General at the Spanish Chamber), and Roberto Casado (Expansión).

Next on the agenda for the participants of the XV edition of our Graduate European Programma was a visit to the premises of our member Ebury Partners Ltd, a foreign exchange company. This activity provided attendees with a greater understanding of the currency market and why foreign exchange transactions are important to bear in mind when doing business abroad. Mr. Fernando Cid, Head of the Spanish Desk at Ebury Partners, welcomed the candidates and he later introduced Mr. Fernando Pérez and Mr. Joan Bonilla, who were in charge of explaining howthe foreign exchange sector works and provided several case studies of clients Ebury Partners has been working with lately and their specific needs.

The participants during the presentation at the premises of Ebury Partners.

To finish a very intensive week, on Friday participants visited Regent’s University London, member of the Spanish Chamber, where they will attend the business English classes and workshops during the 6 months the programme lasts. Mr. Steve Phillips, Head of School and responsible for this academic side of the programme, welcomed the participants and informed them about the schedule and their teachers. At the end of the session, participants were shown around the school facilities.

We would like to thank our speakers for the different sessions and the companies that kindly collaborated with us during this week. We will be following the progress of this year’s participants and encourage them to make the most of this unique experience.

03/10/2013
THE “TWO WEEKS” PROGRAMME IN LONDON

The students were very attentive during all the session

After the success of the last year, we were glad to host and take part in “The Two Weeks”, a programme organised by the Polytechnic University of Valencia, counting on 20 students on their final year. This programme takes place once a year and it aims to give students the opportunity to approach the international job market providing them tips and advice on how to look for a job in a foreign country in order to increase their career opportunities.

During these two weeks, participants visit well-known companies across several sectors: Energy, IT, Industrial Production, Technical Consultancy, Financial Engineering, Construction, and Construction and Real State. The participants take also a 2 hours daily course to get familiar with recruitment and how to succeed in an application process.

Professor Antoni Reig, industrial engineer from the Polytechnic University of Valencia and co-ordinator of the programme, came along with the students and kindly introduced the seminar and speakers of the session. Mr. Igor Urra, Secretary General of the Chamber, was in attendance to provide further information about our institution and the activities we organise throughout the year. On the other hand, the Secretary General talked about the Graduate European Programme, which has similar goals to The Two Week s Programme. As he pointed out “The opportunities are here, and once you have been here you are able to go to other countries because almost every multunational in the world has headquarters in London”.

Antonio Reig (left) handed a plate to our Secretary General, Igor Urra, to mark this visit.

The next speaker was Ms. Sofía Vázquez, CEO of Mundialengua, a company specialised in finding internships and placements for graduates. This is the second year that she participates in this programme as a speaker. During her presentation, which focused on what the main objectives or an interview /selection process are -, she gave the students some very useful tips regarding how important it is to make a good first impression at an interview.

She also mentione other things to take into consideration such as the need to be flexible, not arriving too early or too late, and the importance of asking questions. She also encouraged attendees to look for internships, as in her own words “it is a really good way to explore the market and to learn; even when it is not paid you may get an opportunity to stay afterwards, either as an extension of your internship, or even get hired after some months”.

Ms. Vázquez explaining the benefits of getting an internship

To end up with the session, Sergio Soriano, who was a former student at the Polythecnic and took part in the first edition of the Two Weeks Programme, shared his experience with the current participants.

He described his own job hunting experience in a city where there are a lot of opportunities but also “there are lots of selection processes, and good pages to look for them. It is always hard to pass the tests, as well as the interview; however it’s worth trying if that’s what you want to do”. Finally, he described how living in London is like and shared some useful advice for those interested in following his steps and move here. Sergio has been working in different companies since he arrived in London.

Mr. Soriano sharing his experience with the students

We would like to thank Mr. Antonio Reig for counting with the Spanish Chamber again to organise and host this session and special thanks as well to all the students who attended. We wish the students the best of luck for their future careers.

29/07/2013

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