We recently caught up with Leslie about securing a safety and reliability graduate role with Atkins, the important feedback she’s had in the past and what she found attractive about Atkins.
What stood out to you about Atkins?
Atkins' impressive track record of projects in multiple sectors definitely stood out to me. They are a leading global consultancy with over 80 years experience in design and engineering. I knew that working for a company like Atkins would provide me with a wealth of invaluable opportunities, helping me kick start my career.
Their impressive graduate scheme allows for graduates like me to develop and make our own opportunities whilst being part of a team, with the goal of shaping a better world. My passion and interests in the safety and sustainability aspects of the energy sector directly aligns with Atkins' goal of leading the industry in achieving Net Zero as rapidly as possible.
How did you make your application stand out?
Before you even start the application, it’s important to note why you want to work for them and what you can contribute to the team. This comes up throughout the application process so it’s crucial to be confident in your answers. When writing your CV or answering application questions, it’s vital to include all the skills in the job description in your CV and answers, with evidence. So, include all your achievements, skills and experiences.
Where you lack the technical knowledge, showing eagerness to learn and a passion for the industry will do you a huge favour. Keep in mind what projects are being worked on to show you’re interested in the company, and you’ve done your research.
If you want help making your CV great and your application stand out, complete our application processes module.
What part of the application process did you find the most challenging?
Personally, I find interviews and assessment centres to be the most challenging aspects of the application process. Overcoming the initial anxiety can be challenging; however, I found that it helps to practise common behavioural questions and research the industry, company values, current and old projects and cover basic technical knowledge.
You’ll find you may not be able to answer every question. In this scenario it’s important not to panic but to take a deep breath and let them know you’re not familiar with this topic but still offer an answer and explain to them your thought process. I found that by explaining your thought process, this can initiate a conversation with the interviewer to guide you in the right direction. It’s less of a test but more to understand you as a person, how you think and your resilience and passion.
In regard to assessment centres, similar ideas apply, but it’s more crucial for you to interact with the other candidates as the assessors are more likely trying to see if you would be a good fit for the team.
If, like Leslie, you want to be on top form for your assessment centre, complete our how to succeed at assessment centres module.
How did Bright Network help you secure this role?
Bright Network is a fantastic platform. There is a wealth of information and help available from start to finish. They provided a visual system to keep track of all the deadlines and kept in touch with you throughout the process, always eager to help. The resources available really helped me feel prepared. For instance, their multiple advice articles helped me prepare for the interview and assessment centre. Bright Network academy was also a massive help because of the sheer number of courses available. I practised psychometric tests and had a look at the leadership and core career skills courses. There are even courses to give you a broad understanding of coding in Python, an extremely valuable skill.
Check out Bright Network Academy for all of our free courses to improve your employability, including the starting to code in Python course which Leslie recommends.
Did you get any feedback in the past that helped you with your application?
Practice, practice, practice.
I think most people will tell you to practise as much as you can for interviews. You’d be surprised how much it can help by simply running over basic behavioural questions daily so when it comes to it, you’re confident in your answer.
Confidence is another key trait. A lot of the times I lack confidence and suffer from imposter syndrome, but it’s important to realise you need to be your own biggest supporter. It is normal to have doubts and to be intimidated however, during crucial times like interviews, it helps to try ‘hype’ yourself up and understand that you deserve to be there just as much as the next candidate. I’m sure many people have heard the phrase ‘fake it till you make it’ and brushed it aside, but you’d be surprised how far that can take you. In summary, the best feedback I’ve had is to keep practising and be confident in yourself, even if you don’t feel right at that moment!
If you want to build up your confidence, complete our how to build confidence module.
What are your top tips for tackling tough interview questions?
Definitely prepare as much as you can beforehand, covering all the bases from behavioural to technical questions and LOTS about the company. In the moment of being asked a tough question, I found the best thing to do was to take a deep breath and take a minute to think about the question. It is important not to jump straight into an answer if you’re unsure, you’re allowed to take time to think and compose yourself. If you’re still unsure, offer them your thought process, it shows resilience and problem-solving skills.
ALWAYS give examples with your answers. It is easy to say you have leadership skills, but tell them why, where and how you’ve developed these skills. This is where I found a lot of my experiences helped me answer most behavioural questions. For instance, being part of a committee at university as President and as a PR Secretary, having a part-time job, volunteering, taking part in competitions and even The Duke of Edinburgh Award.
What top tips would you give Bright Network members looking to follow in your footsteps?
- Start early. It is never too early to start preparing, even in sixth form or your first year of university.
- Keep up to date with the industry you’re interested in, attend webinars, keep your CV up to date, attend networking and careers events etc.
- Fill up your CV. Take on a part-time job, join societies or the committee, volunteer and join relevant institutes (E.g., Physics- Institute of Physics).
- Be resilient. You’ll find you may get a lot of rejections, often with none or little feedback. It’s crucial to take it as a learning experience and not as a personal failure. Be confident in yourself and your abilities.
- Be prepared. Make sure you’ve learnt what is on your CV and do your research.
- Research company values and their existing and current projects and current news in the industry.
- Practise all kinds of interview questions, do mock interviews, and attempt mock psychometric tests. Prepare questions to ask interviewers and attempt to make the interview more conversational.
Let us know where you've secured your work experience, internship or graduate role. We want to celebrate your success with a gift from us and exclusive invitations to evening networking drinks throughout the year.
