Strathclyde Business School student in final of Undergraduate of the Year award

Strathclyde Business School student Paul Wilson has got to the finals of the targetjobs Management Undergraduate of the Year awards 2023 following a challenging selection process.

The award category looks for students who have an aptitude for customer service, flexibility, a strong work ethic, great communication and potential leadership skills. Being the best means combining academic excellence and the ability to pass a series of challenging online assessments with good written communication skills and the interpersonal skills to stand out among their peers in assessment centres. 

Paul, a business undergraduate, has made it through several stages to be shortlisted for the final which will take place on April 21 at an awards ceremony in Canary Wharf, London, hosted by Sue Perkins. Enterprise Rent-a-Car has partnered with the Management Undergraduate of the Year award for the 13th successive year.  

Paul got involved after receiving an email from the Strathclyde Careers Service about the opportunity to apply for this challenge. He said, "I had a bit of spare time and because of that, I decided I would apply and go through the application process. 

"So far I have completed the first stage of the process, which includes a 500-word story about a time when I previously had management experience. This stage also consisted of three different tests: an OPQ (Occupational Personality Questionnaire), an SJT (Situational Judgement Test), and a Reasoning test. After this, I got the confirmation I had got through to the second round, which was a video interview with an enterprise manager and, about a week and a half later, I got confirmation that I was through to the third and final round - the assessment centre at the headquarters of Enterprise in Egham, London. This consisted of a group discussion which was assessed, a morning meeting scenario, and an interview."

Paul has made it to the final from hundreds of initial applicants. He said, "I was really excited when I got the call to say I got through to the final. The competition was so intense but I was ecstatic to hear I'd got to this stage - I have been really inspired by the calibre of the other finalists and I'm proud to be attending alongside them." 

Paul says the whole process has given him a lot of confidence and made him trust more in his own abilities. "This has really inspired me to work hard and to manage my time better. I've met some brilliant people already, including the Enterprise recruitment representative for Scotland among many others. I've made meaningful connections inside and outside of the company and at the final I'm going to be lucky enough to network with people from companies around the UK."

Paul hopes this opportunity, along with continuing to work hard, will act as a springboard towards finding a graduate employer that suits his future aspirations.

Further information on the awards is available here: https://undergraduateoftheyear.com/

Published: 5 April 2023