Case studies: Rotational placement, Selftrade: Nikita Chandiramani

Nikita Chandiramani is studying for a BA in Banking and Finance at London Metropolitan University. As part of her course, she has taken a year-long placement at stockbrokers Selftrade

I am currently on a rotational placement at Selftrade and have worked in four departments over the course of a year: customer services; cash and treasury; finance; and risk and reconciliations. I am currently a reconciliations administrator.

In this department, I perform the daily cash reconciliations and investigate breaks. I also help with the implementation of our new automated reconciliation software Autorek, and complete the unit trust settlements, investigating breaks between us and an investment platform.

I decided to do a placement in order to gain maximum practical experience before graduating and gain exposure to a real-life work environment. I hope that work experience will give me a head start in my career and help to boost my CV to secure a job once I graduate.

I have developed practical transferable skills that I will be able to talk about in my interviews and add onto my CV. I have also got good references and made some great contacts in the industry, all of which will benefit me by making me more confident and competitive in the job market.

I would encourage any student to go on a placement - the experience has been invaluable. Take the initiative at work, show other colleagues what you are capable of, and be willing to contribute and go beyond the job description in order to make the most of your time in the industry.