York team in Atlanta trading strategy competition

On Thursday 19^th April, five York students will take part in the final of a competition in Atlanta, Georgia, where they will present a trading strategy that they have devised over the last few weeks.

Out of over 60 universities worldwide, each were able to submit up to two teams, York was the only British university to enter, and the team of Tom Armstrong (Mathematics), Edward Bottomley (Economics and Finance), Jasmine Gotobed (Economics), Theo Wilson (PPE), and Gabriel Zedda James (Economics and Mathematics), were selected as one of the final five. They are taking part with the chance to win $10,000 (£7,000), for the victorious team.

The York team will have 15 minutes to pitch, and take questions from a panel of judges, all with experience in finance, on the advantages and drawbacks of their chosen strategy.

The team’s underlying philosophy looked at Piotroski’s F-Score concept (a Stanford economist and a concept that their supervisor, Dr. Keith Anderson of York Management School has studied in the past). The concept looks to score companies on 9 different indicators, and if the overall score meets Piotroski’s threshold, then he would buy it for the year.

The York group revised the strategy, modifying the indicators and putting weightings on their preferred components, and bought on a quarterly basis, as opposed to a year, so they had more flexibility in an ever-changing market, and managed to return a much higher amount than Piotroski with their ‘G Score’ strategy, with relatively little risk.

The five students were put together through their membership of the Griff Investment Fund; a group of around 50 undergraduate and postgraduate students that manage £10,000 of the university’s endowment and invest in the stock market. Established in 2013, the group is one of, if not the UK’s first student run, real money portfolio.

The York team would like to thank the Economics department, York Management School and Careers and Placements for their generous support in helping them get fully funded for their trip, and for a great opportunity to showcase some of York’s homegrown talent.

Guest blog written by the competing York team. 

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Summer’s here and the time is right…

…for dancing in the streets, maybe, but it’s also a great time for building up your work experience.

It could be a formal, three month internship, a few week’s work experience, a volunteering scheme or some ‘portfolio’ work, spanning a number of different jobs.

It’s all work experience that can help build your CV, your skills and strengths, and your insight into various types of work and sectors. These are the things that can inform your career choices and identify what further information you need to make those future decisions.

If you’ve already got your summer sorted, that’s great, but if not, read on…

Good starting points to find work over the summer, include our web resources and info sheets.

The Look for Work section of our website gives useful jobs sites for internships and part-time/temporary work.

The Internship Bureau works with local employers to create project-based, paid summer internships. Vacancies for these types of opportunities are beginning to be advertised on Careers Gateway, so look out for them under the ‘Exclusive opportunities @York’ tab or make sure you’re receiving our regular emails. You can tick the ‘Placements and Internships’ option on your personal profile in Careers Gateway.

Look out for volunteering opportunities in York (or your home area) for over the summer vac. You can check out www.do-it.org for some ideas in your particular UK location.

Why not also take the chance to develop particular skills or knowledge. It could be through a MOOC (free, online courses), online journals, professional associations’ websites or discussion groups and forums.

Finally, if you’re planning to travel this summer, be sure to record your experience and the skills you develop during the time. You may have gone travelling for the fun and different cultures and food, but you’ll be using some important skills in language, communication, problem solving, social awareness, planning and even possibly resilience!

Remember, whatever your summer involves, everything can count towards your development – so get planning your summer steps.

If you need some further pointers or help with deciding what to do, call into one of our Drop-in Sessions in Careers (Tues – Fri, 11am – 1pm in term-time).

Guest blog: Being a student brand manager for Frontline

 Guest blog written by Rebecca, student Brand Manager for Frontline

Before starting my second year, I was looking for a part time job that I could do alongside my studies. I came across Frontline whilst searching for flexible charity positions. I had begun to think that my search was a little niche –  flexible, salaried positions where you can work in your own time toward a good cause… I hadn’t had much luck until I found Frontline. I had worked with vulnerable young people in the past so I was immediately drawn to the mission of changing the lives of children in the UK through social work. I also wanted to gain experience in PR and marketing so this role was ideal.

Guest blog: Finding a placement

Guest blog written by Miles Thorp, digital Director at Banana Moon, personalised clothing company

So, the hunt begins. How are you feeling? Overwhelmed? Excited? Stressed? I remember feeling all the above when I was looking for a placement. Feeling like someone slapped me round the face every time I got rejected and oh boy, there were a few rejections. Since then I’ve had the pleasure of seeing the placement process from both sides. Finding and doing a placement and hiring and mentoring placement students. I can’t help but think, if only I knew then what I know now. If I could take all the best bits from the applications I’ve reviewed and the students I’ve worked with, finding a placement would have been a piece of cake! Here are some actionable next steps to help relieve some of your stress.

The why

Why do you want to do a placement? This should be the first question you answer. The reason behind getting a placement will help you decide on the type of company you want to work at and it will also help you plan for the worst-case scenario.

Action 1: Define 3 reasons why you want to do a placement

Guest blog: How to fast-track your placement year application

Guest blog written by Jessica Murray, Content Creator at Debut

Thinking about applying for a placement year? Wise decision, my friend. A placement year is a sure fire way to build your network, develop some valuable skills and graduate from university with experience that will make you super employable.

But while that’s all well and good, it’s the application that’s the tricky part, right? There’s no denying that some placement roles can be competitive, but don’t let that put you off.

We’ve got loads of top tips for applying (as well as loads of placement year opportunities up for grabs on our app), so why not make 2018 the year you step outside your comfort zone and bag your dream opportunity?

Guest blog: Succeeding in assessment centres

 In this post Laura Blackledge, Student Recruitment Officer at PwC, for the University of York, shares invaluable insight into how to succeed in assessment centres. Don’t forget that Careers will be running an Interview and Assessment Centre experience event on 7 Feb, which PwC will be attending. Book your placement using the above link.

Why do employers use assessment centres?

Employers use various tools during the recruitment process for a number of diCheck out our latest guest blogfferent reasons:

• Measure your abilities
• Understand your experiences and skills
• Establish your preferred working styles
• Identify your behavioural responses
• Provide a job preview for yourself

We know the role and the needs of the roles we are recruiting for.

Our business’ sustainability depends on filling our roles with the most suitable and talented people.

We need to find the right fit – that is what’s best for us and the people we hire – so they can enjoy sustainable and fulfilling careers.

Happy Christmas from Careers

As the term draws to a close, everyone here in Careers and Placements would like to wish all our readers a very happy Christmas and a relaxing vacation.

For those still on campus and wanting to use Careers,  here are our opening times.

Christmas vacation opening times: 4 December – 5 January

4 – 19 December	Open Monday – Friday, 10.00am – 4.00pm
20 December	Closed for staff training
21 December	Open, 10.00am – 4.00pm
22 December – 1 January	University closed
2 – 5 January	Open, 10.00am – 4.00pm

Please check the web page for appointment availability. We only offer Careers Advice appointments during vacations, but you can have your CV and applications reviewed at these appointments.

We look forward to seeing you again in the new year!