Dina is a Mechanical Engineering graduate from UCL. She secured a graduate role as a Junior Mechanical and Physical Engineer at Capgemini in Bristol, through Bright Network.
First, please tell us a little bit about yourself.
"As a child, I always had a curiosity for learning and always wondered how things were made, which I'd say was the beginning of my interest in STEM.
Growing up, I would be excited to go on school trips to museums and attend air shows frequently with my parents. I also had a love for building and fixing things at home.
After choosing to take Physics, Maths and Chemistry at A-Levels, my passion in STEM grew even further and this motivated me to apply for a Mechanical Engineering degree."
What motivated you to apply for your role?
"Following my completion of an Integrated Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering at UCL, I wanted my career path to continue within the STEM field. During my application process for a graduate role in my final year, I was slightly overwhelmed by the abundance of possible companies out there to choose from.
I decided to attend some networking events so that I could have one-to-one conversations with employees from different companies. This really helped in the application process as I was able to sense whether I could envision myself working at different companies and gain a sense of their company culture.
Despite having already read about Capgemini in the Financial Times, I gained an even better insight into the company at a Women in TEC event in London. Not only was it really inspiring to see that there was a sense of women empowerment in STEM at the event, but I also gained an insight into how the companies truly encourage and support their female employees. This was the driving motivation for me to apply to a role at Capgemini."
How did Bright Network help you to secure your role?
"I attended the Women in TEC 2024 event in London and spoke to Capgemini. Adriana, the SAP lead from Capgemini, gave a talk during one of the panels. I felt a real connection with the company, its culture and looked into Capgemini's projects immediately after the event. This really motivated me to apply for the company."
What are you most proud of about your journey?
"One of the biggest challenges I faced during my final year at university was balancing all the job applications alongside my degree.
Despite having started my applications early in the year, I experienced some setbacks as I had minimal preparation and was initially struggling to get the ground running for my university project.
After deciding to attend some networking events, including some with Bright Network, I gained more motivation and felt better prepared for my applications, which gave me a boost of confidence."
What have you learned from going through the application process?
"I've learnt that unsuccessful applications actually help you when it comes to improving application processes for other companies, so there's no harm in continuing to to try again. I also discovered that there are many helpful platforms online to help you practice before conducting applications, such as through Bright Network, LinkedIn and YouTube.
I also found that it was really helpful to list out and practice multiple interview questions while applying the STAR method. When it comes to the actual interview, practicing beforehand allows you to have more concise but clear answers.
One thing I do wish I knew before starting my applications is that many companies have similar deadlines for their role openings and each application may span a few months. Therefore, it is helpful to carefully manage your time between each application and maybe even plan out in a calendar when to conduct each one as most will be completed simultaneously."
What are your tips for people looking to follow in your footsteps?
"One of my main pieces of advice would be to make sure you have a good understanding of the application process for the specific role you're applying to. For example, it may vary from company to company and from graduate roles to internships.
Practice conducting some online assessments, as it not only provided me with some confidence, but it allowed me to improve my skills when it came to the actual applications. It also really helped me prepare for my interviews to make a list of all my previous experiences and to think about the skills and challenges I overcame for each one.
Lastly, my applications significantly improved once I started learning to enjoy doing them. It's important to be yourself as this will really come across in your applications as a positive thing."
Tell us about the future. What's next?
"I'm looking forward to commencing my graduate role this October and experiencing the graduate culture at Capgemini, which I have always heard positive feedback about. I'm also excited to apply my university skills towards industry applications and working with potential clients.
For the future, I hope to one day gain a chartership and grasp many new technical and soft skills in the process. Finally, I'm most excited to continuously learn so that I am able to motivate and share my experiences with the new generation of graduates in the upcoming years."
Interested in a career in Engineering?
Find insight schemes, graduate jobs, training contracts and more at Bright Network.
