Meet Sweta Suresh - MSc Business Internship

The Salford experience

I am pursuing my Masters in Fraud and Risk Management. I have been lucky enough to learn about a combination of interesting subjects. My masters covers modules on Fraud Risk Management, International Banking, Financial Innovation and International Corporate Governance.

I have received enormous support from my professors and Salford Business School in helping me make the best use of my time at the University of Salford. I am also one of two students to have received the SBS Postgraduate International Excellence Scholarship which was one of my best moments at the University of Salford. 

The internship experience

I work with the Salford City Council’s Internal Audit team as a Graduate Counter Fraud Intern where we fight economic crime in Salford. Salford City council is a local government body which works hard to deliver the highest quality services to its residents for the betterment of their community. 

This opportunity came to me through the Business School’s Employability Hub. I have been assisted by Careers and Enterprise team in putting together my resume and teaching me with the importance of developing my LinkedIn profile. The employability hub then distributed my resume to their industry contacts. Based on the university’s long-lasting relationship with Salford City council, the school pitched me as a potential intern for the council and arranged for an interview. With this support and the correct contacts, I was able to bag this prestigious opportunity. 

Due to the current pandemic, my internship was almost called off. It was a combined effort of members of the employability hub and my ICP Supervisor to get on a call with the Salford City council officers to discuss if they could convert the internship into a virtual internship program to make sure I did not miss out on this opportunity.

Internship highlights

I have received exposure to the types of fraud local governments in England face, and their measures in tackling crime. This has helped me apply my theoretical learning into practice and simultaneously develop my knowledge over my core subjects. The culture at Public sector companies is quite different from that of private sector companies and this experience has helped me to gain the confidence that I will be able to fit into both public and private sector companies in my future. 

The thing that makes me look forward to Mondays is the challenging tasks that I'm assigned. It makes me feel valued as a resource contributing to their firm. Considering the limitations in a virtual internship, the council has been very understanding of my zest to learn as a student. They are very open to questions; they take time out of their busy schedules to get on frequent calls with me to discuss work and they make efforts to give me a hands-on experience surrounding current affairs. I enjoy the video conferences as that is the closest that I can get to human interaction at work during this pandemic. 

Prepared for life in industry

What the university offered to me was something beyond just textbook material. By the end of my final module, I had the experience of having worked in teams, submitted assignments which improved my problem-solving skills, critical reviewing techniques and moulded me to adapt to changes quickly which are all key skills that help me in my work. Salford Business School has many international students like me who hail from different parts of the world. Interacting with these students helps us become more inclusive which are very important qualities that one must master as a professional. 

Industry placement/internship top tips

Make a conscious effort to spend your free time at university productively by enrolling in workshops, training and events that are constantly offered on the Salford Advantage for our benefit. Before getting in touch with the Employability hub, take steps in getting your resume and LinkedIn profiles up to mark. Try to attend job fairs and drop off your resume to an interested employer who might contact you in the future for an opening in their company.