Fabien is an Open Degree graduate from The Open University. He secured a Finance, Audit and Risk graduate role with Energus, through Bright Network. 
First, we’d love for you to tell us a bit about yourself.
“My career path has been unconventional and fairly diverse, reflecting my broad skills and a drive to always be learning and willing to do something new or risky.
When I was younger, I wanted to be a physicist because I love knowing how things work and wanted to make a real difference by helping make new discoveries.
I’ve chosen to go into business and finance because I find working with numbers and money quite natural, and I think I can make the biggest impact to a company in this area. Doing this for the nuclear sector allows me great growth and learning as well as helping in a mission that impacts so many people.”
What was the application process like?
“The application process for the NDA was better organised than others I went through, and it felt much more accommodating and friendly.
It was still very challenging to juggle so many assessment days, psychometric tests, and interviews with tight deadlines around a full-time job.”
How did Bright Network help you secure your role?
“I was searching for roles in the sector and came across the NDA company page where I liked the look of the organisation, prompting me to look deeper and eventually apply for and secure a role.”
What are you most proud of about your journey?
“I’m most proud of the fact I persevered through over 200 applications over several months, facing lots of rejection before finally securing a great role in an exciting industry and great progression opportunities.
I had to learn to adapt my CV, improve my performance in tests, and build my interview skills to reach my goal.”
What have you learned from going through the process?
“The process definitely made me realise how big the nuclear decommissioning project really is, and how interesting the job will be.
After discovering that the NDA has such a broad scope and impressive plans, I was that much more eager to get the job. Lastly the process made me learn my strengths and weaknesses and forced me to be more concise in my communication and reflect on each bit of feedback.”
What are your tips to people looking to follow in your footsteps?
“You need to always adapt your CV and cover letter, use practise tests to score as high as possible, and just keep going with applications until someone inevitably sees a match in your set of skills.”
Tell us about the future. What’s next?
“I'll be completing L7 CIMA while on my grad scheme and getting involved with as much as possible at work to set myself for a great position off the back of these 3 years.
I'm excited to be working in so many different teams, on a variety of projects, moving around the country and just trying new things!”
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