Placement years and internships: how to choose one that pays off

A placement year is worth a grade on your CV if you choose well, and worth very little if you do not.\n\n**Ask what you will own**\n\nThe question is not what the company does, it is what you will be accountable for. If nobody can answer, the placement is admin cover.\n\n**Look for a named manager**\n\nStructured programmes with a named line manager and a review cycle produce far better graduate outcomes than "we will find you something".\n\n**Check the graduate conversion rate**\n\nAsk directly: how many placement students were offered graduate roles last year? A good employer knows the number.\n\n**Keep the evidence**\n\nStart your evidence file on day one. It is the difference between a CV that says "12 month placement" and one that says what you achieved.