WANT TO STAND OUT FROM OTHER GRADUATES WHEN APPLYING FOR YOUR DREAM GRAD JOB?
WANT TO IMPROVE YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF COMMERCIAL AWARENESS?
A recent survey told us that the top skill graduate employers are looking for in candidates is Commercial Awareness, but many of us aren't sure what it is or how to get it. Our programme of sessions run over the year will help you get clued up on Commercial Awareness and help you stand out as the perfect candidate when you apply for that dream job!
How does the programme work?
We have 4 sessions for you that cover 4 different elements of Commercial Awareness they are:
1. Strategy
2. Customers and Competitors
3. Performance
4. Development
To really develop your skills you should try and attend all 4 of the sessions, as they are all on a new areas of commercial awareness and the sessions do link to build on your knowledge coming together in a practical project in session 4 which will draw on everything from the previous sessions.
For students who complete all 4 sessions in the programme, you can get an acheivement certificate which would look fantastic on your CV!
What will I learn?
1. Strategy:
Case Study Organisations - University of Essex Students' Union and NASA
- An introduction to the programme
- An introduction to the idea of Commercial Awareness
- Why an organiastion has a Strategy, Vision or Goals
- The Importance of every person in organisation to the achievement of Strategy, Vision and Goals
- The levels of an organisation and its placement within it's industry
- The golden rule of Commercial Awareness
- The importance of researching an organisation during application process to ensure you understand it's strategy and where you would fit as a potential employee.
2. Customers & Competitors:
Case Study Organisations - Local Post Office, Bannatynes Gym, Independently Owned Pub, University of Essex Students' Union
- How to identify an organisations customers, competitors and stakeholders
- How to identify an organisations main demographic group/s and how this can change what you should focus on as a business
- How an organisation can ensure it attracts customers and can compete against other businesses in it's market.
- How to spot trends an organisation can use to it's advantage to stay competitive and drive business
- Different types of organisation and how to choose the right type of organisation for you.
3. Performance:
Case Study Organisations - University of Essex Students' Union, Argos, Whitbread, RSPCA, Transport for London
- How a business measures its performance
- How a business uses this to improve its performance
- Methods of measuring perfromance eg. Key Performance Indicators, NPS Scores, Customer Satisfaction Surveys
- What a Profit and Loss report is and how to read one.
- How you can use your understanding of a Profit and Loss Report to measure a businesses performance and make changes to improve.
- Managing Risk and Reward to a business using financial managment
4. Development:
Case Study Organisations - University of Essex Students' Union, Fictional Business Project: Veggie Delight
- How you can use what you have learned across the programme to develop a business and ensure it is successful and sustainable.
- Using elements of all the previous sessions to complete a case study project in which you will make the big decisions about the business and what it should do based on it's strategy, customer views, competitors work, financial position, weighing up the risks and rewards of your options.
- How to articulate your new knowledge of Commercial Awareness during application, interview process and on the job.
What will I do?
We use a combination of techniques to help you get a strong understanding of the different elements of Commercial Awareness. We have lots of practical activities in all the sessions to get you thinking and using your skills straight away.
For example; we use a combination of real and fictional case studies, from lots of different types of organisations, for you to practice your skills in ways you would in a real business which will help you easily transfer your knowledge into any workplace when you graduate.
If you complete all 4 sessions, you will recieve a certificate of achievement which will look fantastic on your CV!