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We began our university placement scheme in 2017, when we hired two junior developers from the University of Essex. We originally set out just to hire one, but we we had two final candidates we couldn’t choose between, so we decided we didn’t have to and hired both of them!
Our Managing Director undertook a placement year when he studied at Brunel, so he knows just how valuable it can be. After doing this, he finished his degree and decided to start We Create Digital, as he felt he now had the confidence and skills to do this.
We are opening our scheme up again for at least one junior developer to do a year’s placement with us, starting in July. This post sets out some more information about the placement and what it can offer. We have also written a bit about this scheme on the University of Essex careers blog, which you can read here.
What our placement can offer
There are a number of benefits of the junior developer placement at WCD. We don’t have to adhere to particular processes or strict criteria and can be more spontaneous with our decisions and approaches. This is demonstrated in our hiring of two placement students, as mentioned above. While we do have to follow certain rules that any business has to have in place, such as around health and safety, we don’t have added layers of bureaucracy or hierarchy.
Flexible working is important to us so we do this at least one day a week, but are open to more should it be appropriate. We also give bonuses should we feel they are deserved and provide a subscription to Perkbox, which has a number of offers such as free mobile insurance, or money off at high street restaurants and shops.
With regards to the day to day work, we know a placement is all about getting experience, so we never give menial tasks such a tea-making or photocopying to our students. We offer interesting and varied work, training and regular support that means our students will finish their placement knowing a lot more than when they started, and more than many of their peers who did a straight three year degree.
What we do:
As a small web development agency, we cover any work that relates to the web. Sometimes we produce graphic design to be used online or in print, other times it is a full website or mobile app that is required. Most often our work involves the development of a brand new website, or ongoing changes to a client’s online business to further their growth. We do also work on several of our own projects, which means we are open to ideas from all members of the team and can quickly implement them without having to consult anyone else.
During their time with us, our current placement students have worked with WordPress, Laravel, PHP, Bootstrap and other frameworks or CMS. Some of this was familiar to them, but others, like Laravel, were completely new. What we use completely depends on our client and what solution is right for them. The range of our clients means the work we do is diverse.
What we are looking for:
We look for candidates who have gone out of their way to learn more and have a genuine interest in code. We look for problem solvers, for people with enthusiasm and motivation, and for those who know how to present this to us.
While on paper we might get a candidate who appears to be the best, if in person they fail to deliver or communicate why they should have the role, then we may not consider them. Having a small team means we want to hire people who we enjoy working with and who we have confidence in to deliver work of a standard that we and our clients are happy with.
Interested?
It can be daunting making a decision to go for a placement or particular job. You will be taking a year out from your studies, putting yourself in a completely new environment and you may have never worked in a full time job before. If you want to find out more about us or ask any questions you may have, we are completely open for you to get in touch. We want to help you make the right decision for you. Contact anna@wecreatedigital.co.uk today to find out more or apply by sending in your CV and a covering letter.
We are keen to find the right person for the placement so while applications close on 11 February, please get in touch if you miss the deadline as we might still want to hire you!