Abul shows the road ahead

LIVELY Oldham students have won praise from a high-flying native of the borough.

Abul Shama, the human resources supervisor for the North-West region of Enterprise Rent-A-car, is an expert in the wide range of assessment techniques used for recruitment by modern employers.

Abul was recruited by the fast-growing firm after he graduated from university in 2000 and now runs the same management training course he joined.

He holds regular workshop sessions in recruitment techniques and one of his favourite venues is University Campus Oldham, part of the University of Huddersfield.

He attended a careers fair at the Cromwell Street campus and led a session on the assessment methods commonly used by employers.

These include psychometric testing — a set of quickfire questions which assess a person’s ability to perform under pressure — plus verbal and numerical reasoning tests, role playing, presentation exercises and behaviour in job interviews.

Impressed by the response, Abdul now has several Oldham students being interviewed for places on the graduate training scheme run by Enterprise.

Abul said: “I like coming to University Campus Oldham not just because I am an Oldhamer myself but because of the level of attention from the students. I gauge the level of interest by the number of questions fired at me.

“That shows they really want to learn … and at UCO I always get a ton of questions.”

Stephen Boyd, head of careers and employability at the University, pictured with Abul, said: “Having recruiters coming on to campus and engaging with students helps ensure that our students are better prepared and have realistic expectations of the graduate world of work.

“The enthusiastic reaction from students that Enterprise always encounter when they come to Oldham is a testament to the value that they place on these opportunities.”