Cearan's success story: Securing a graduate role at Arup

Cearan is a Civil Engineering: Transportation and Construction; Theatre: Design and Technology from the University of Tennessee. He secured a Acoustics, Audio-Visual, and Theatre Consultant at Arup, through Bright Network. 

 First, please tell us a little about yourself.  

“I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do at university, so rather than forcing myself to choose and possibly being stuck in something I don’t truly enjoy, I did what I could to keep my options open so that I could continue to explore every opportunity I could.  

I’ll graduate in May with a Dual Degree in Civil Engineering and Theatre, which meant I got the opportunity to work on films and web series’, I completed an internship in video marketing, was a maths tutor, I monitored 3D printers, sewing machines and video equipment and more in a library. I couldn’t count the number of times I was asked “But what are you going to do?”, and my responses was always to figure it out later.  

At the beginning of my final year, I made the decision to move from Tennessee to the UK. I realised there was no right choice on my career end, because I loved every job I had at university, so I began applying for any jobs in the UK that I had the qualifications for.”  

How did you prepare for your application?   

“The company asked for what ended up being five pages of writing, plus other skill assessments.  

I knew I’d be a great fit for the position, so focused on showcasing every aspect of myself in my application. A professor once told me “Write a cover letter so good that you’ll get someone in trouble for not giving you an interview”, so that’s what I did!  

I had multiple people review my cover letter and the additional writing, and I went over it until we couldn’t find any issues or weak areas. I told myself, "If I can get an interview, I'll get the job," so I made sure that my application was my strongest writing and painted a full picture of my journey, talents, and passions.”  

What motivated you to apply to the role?  

“I was motivated to apply to the role as it perfectly fit with my experience and interests from my degree. The application closed in three weeks from when I found it and I worked on only that until I submitted it the following Monday.  

I had difficulty continuing with any other job applications, because I knew this opportunity was perfect for me.  

I was asked to interview virtually (which was at 4am my time!), and I got the opportunity to speak with great people who currently work there, showcasing my technical knowledge and demonstrating my passion for my work. When I received the job offer, I was so proud of all the effort I put into my job application and years of schooling.”  

What was your application journey like? 

“The application was longer than I expected, but the company had a well-established system that went very smoothly.  

After the initial application, I took aptitude tests and received regular updates on my progress through the company. I was given an interview time, which was a five-hour event, but there would only be the one interview before a candidate was chosen.  

I was shocked when I received a call on the same day of the interview!”  

What have you learnt now that you’ve secured your future role?  

“I am so glad that I took university as a time to explore and find my passion (which turned out to be many passions!), strengths, and weaknesses. Many others believed that I would be a jack of all trades, master of none, and have difficulties finding a job for any of my one interests. Maybe they were right, but it absolutely helped me find a job that combined my interests." 

Tell us about the future. What’s next?  

“I’m looking forward to more discovery and exploration. I’m excited to meet new people and find new perspectives, as well as being able to contribute my perspective to others. 

I completed a course on finding a job and moving to the professional world and we were asked to describe our passion. I wrote back that I don’t know what my passion is and explained all my thoughts and experiences behind my answer. The course leader wrote back, “It seems like your passion is learning itself”, and I couldn’t agree more.”