Placement Experience: Undergraduate Associate - Illumina - Tawananyasha Banda

How did you find your placement role? What support did you get from the Placement team?

I found my placement role by searching on LinkedIn for placement jobs in biochemistry and biotechnology. The Placement team helped me with refining my CV and I was able to do mock interviews with them, which gave me some good tips and pointers that I was able to apply in my final interview with Illumina.

Can you describe the process of applying for placement roles? E.g. how many you applied to, if you had a system or sought support from anyone.

I applied to a total of seven placement roles. I got a lot of support from my personal academic tutor on finding specific companies that offer roles, which was really helpful. I don’t think I had a particular system, but I did keep track of when roles closed in my calendar, so I knew when I had to have a CV and/or cover letter done by. I found the process to be quite daunting at first, but I was able to build confidence in my CV as time went on.

The interviews were the most difficult step for me, but the more I did, the more I understood where I had to improve for the future. Alongside the careers service, my family members also helped me with doing mock interviews, and I greatly appreciated that as I got to practice more.

Did you have any concerns or uncertainties about taking a placement year, and how did you address them?

I was concerned about my living situation as I had to move to a new city by myself. Luckily I secured the placement offer about three months before I was set to start, and so I was able to start searching for places and eventually found something I really liked.

What tips would you give to students about balancing placement applications with university studies?

I would say to set time aside to build up a template CV (and cover letter) you really like and be sure to have an extensive list of your experiences and information about your modules. This way when you are researching a company you like, and you find out more about what they do and what you yourself may be doing in the role, you can easily pick out the most relevant experiences/knowledge that you have and add them together. This helps you to tailor your CV and it can also speed up the application process, leaving you with more time to focus on your studies.

Another piece of advice is to schedule in specific times to look and apply for placements. This is something I didn’t do, but looking back, I think having a regular routine would have made the whole process a lot more manageable!

Please tell us a bit about the company you work and your role?

Illumina is a biotechnology company that is a leader in genetic sequencing and array-based technologies across the globe. Their mission is to improve human health by unlocking the power of the genome. I work as an undergraduate associate within the Commercial Lab Team.

My responsibilities include maintaining the sequencing equipment, cleaning the commercial laboratories and ensuring the labs can be used efficiently by scientists within the company. I also work on a few projects to improve the laboratory layout and presentation, as well as projects with different teams across the company.

What challenges have you faced during your placement, and how have you overcome them?

I struggled with confidence in myself during the first few months. I worried a lot about the quality of my work and about doing things right. As I did my weekly tasks more often, and started working on other projects, I naturally began to feel more sure of myself and became more confident in my capabilities. 

What has been the most rewarding part of your placement so far, and why?

The most rewarding part of the placement has been seeing my lab skills improve. I went into the placement with only the lab practicals from university under my belt, which gave me a great foundation, but since being on placement I have seen so much growth. I have learnt new techniques, and I am now familiar with unique and specialised lab equipment that I didn’t get to use in the past. I believe that this will greatly help me when working in other labs in the future.

Has your placement experience influenced your perspective on your chosen career path or field of study?

My placement has helped me decide what I would like to do after university, which is pursue a Master’s degree. I am still not entirely set on which specific branch of biochemical research I would like to focus on, as I find a lot of them to be very interesting. However working within a biotechnology company like Illumina has greatly bolstered my confidence in choosing my degree.

Seeing how topics I found fascinating at university are applied in real world technologies that benefit people, from researchers all the way through to patients, is so incredibly exciting and inspiring.

Would you recommend the placement program to other students? If so, what advice would you give them?

I would most definitely recommend a placement to other students. If you secure one, my advice would be to believe in yourself. You wouldn’t have gotten the role if you didn’t have what it takes. I am fortunate enough to be a part of an amazing team, and so I would advise you to lean on those around you and always remember to ask for help if you need. Good luck!