Want to find your dream internship in STEM?

Lauren Coumbe is currently an Aerospace Intern within the Aerospace and Defence team at Siemens. She is studying Aerospace Engineering Integrated Masters with an Industrial Experience Placement Year at the University of Manchester.

Lauren told us how attending a STEM Women event helped her to find her dream internship in STEM.

“When I first came to university, I was conscious of not having a professional network or connections. I have no family in STEM. So, prioritising going to networking events like the STEM Women event and other careers fairs and workshops was important to me. This helped me to grow my connections and create a support network. As a woman in aerospace, often you look around the room and feel you don’t fit in, so that really helped.”

Making Connections

“I love LinkedIn! I was nervous about sending connection requests at first, but I told myself the worst that could happen is they’d say no. Once I got over that barrier, I started feeling a bit braver and reaching out to people. I also sent emails to my lecturers asking about upcoming projects in industry that I could get involved in to gain experience.”

Manchester STEM Women Event

“I’d run the Women in Engineering society for two years when STEM Women got in touch to recruit ambassadors to work at the upcoming Manchester event. It was a great opportunity, and the event was amazing. Working as an ambassador helped me to stand out, and I got to chat to all the recruiters after my shift. I was impressed by the range of companies that were there – it really opens up the opportunity to consider other STEM careers.

“After the event, I had so many business cards! I got in touch with recruiters on LinkedIn to follow up from the day – but the company I was most interested in was Siemens. I sent the recruitment team a message to find out more about the internship opportunity we’d chatted about. They asked for my CV, then sent me an application link and additional assessments to complete. Because I’d attended the STEM Women event, it didn’t feel intense or competitive, just a case of making sure I was the right fit.

“I had a call with the aerospace lead and then a one-hour interview. I received a follow-up call and a confirmation letter that night. This was all within 48 hours of attending the event! I was in the right place at the right time, but you have to put yourself in those situations.

“Thinking about networking, I’ve realised that you don’t have to come to uni with a ready-made network – you can build genuine connections from scratch.”

Winning the placement lottery

“I’m only two weeks into my internship at Siemens Digital Industries. My role is primarily to help the busy team, but also to do my own research project. I accompany the team on site visits, and I’ll be getting involved with the Aerospace Growth Partnership (AGP) and the regional aerospace alliances.

“The role is really varied – I’ve only spent 5 days in the office so far. There are a lot of events and a lot of networking – sometimes it doesn’t really feel like work! We attended Farnborough Air Show, for example – I can’t believe I get to do this for work, I feel like I’ve won the placement lottery!”

Developing business acumen

“Siemens is a complex organisation with a wide scope of operations – they do everything from smart infrastructure to healthcare to manufacturing. Getting used to all the acronyms and the different teams within such a large technology company is a challenge, and I’m learning so much about the industry. My degree course is very technical so getting this practical experience is beneficial. Even little things like when to talk in a meeting, when to take notes, and how to speak to people in different areas of the business.

“Engineering is a traditional industry but it’s not overly formal or intimidating. Everyone appreciates that I’m new and I’m here to learn.”

Advice for STEM students

“Go to events, see what networking opportunities there are. Don’t rely on the traditional routes like just applying online. It’s so competitive and they don’t get to see you as a person – so go to as many events as possible, especially those which are tailored to you. Get out and network – I did it, and it worked!”

STEM Women host graduate careers events across the UK, Europe and Australia as well as online. Visit our events page www.stemwomen.com/events to get your free ticket to an event near you.