Alumni Case Study: Jade Blackburn
Alumni Case Study: Jade Blackburn
Jade Blackburn
Business Studies graduate
2020 graduate Jade gives us her experience of the job market, graduate schemes, how she stayed motivated and found success. Read on to hear her tips and about her journey from a Business Studies student to a Data Analyst for PwC.
What course did you study? What did you do before university and why were you attracted to your course?
Business Studies – I took business as I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do after sixth form where I studied psychology, biology and geography) and it seemed like a broad course with the option to choose modules which interest me after the first year.
What were your thoughts on your career/business direction when you originally joined your course? Can you describe how your thinking and ideas evolved over time? What influenced this?
I was interested in Marketing or Events but as I hadn’t studied business before and had only worked in retail previously, I didn’t know what to expect. I had the chance to do some part-time work in events in my second year, and my placement year allowed me to work in a range of roles. After placement, I felt a lot more confident in knowing which roles I enjoyed (and the ones I didn’t enjoy) which helped me choose my final year modules and apply for jobs after leaving university.
What motivated you to apply for the job and organisation your work for now? How did you find it, what have you gained from doing it?
While at uni, I didn’t have an interest in grad schemes as I thought they would be too competitive to get into, so I applied for a few marketing jobs. I applied to the PwC graduate scheme as a one-off to see what the recruitment process is like and because I’d heard good things about the company, had a few phone / video interviews and was offered a place in the talent pool. It took a couple of months to be formally offered a role but so far it’s been interesting, fast paced and a great way to get into a big company within a few months of finishing uni.
How did you find your first graduate job (e.g. JobShop, LinkedIn). Did you learn anything during the recruitment process?
It was advertised on LinkedIn but I applied by just Google searching graduate recruitment schemes in the region I wanted to work in and applied through their careers website. Graduate recruitment was definitely different this year because of the pandemic, usually there would be assessment centres but when I applied it was just phone and video interviews.
How did you manage to stay positive and motivated when you have faced challenges? What advice would you give to our students if they were in this position?
It’s difficult to stay motivated when you don’t hear back from companies; it’s always worth asking for an update on your application, and if you’re rejected you can ask for feedback explaining why. One piece of advice I’d give is to make sure you spend time editing your CV for each application – take some of the role requirements and write a short sentence explaining how you have demonstrated them in the past.
What is your favourite thing about your job?
The culture at PwC is very people-focused and the team I work with are all really friendly, while we’re working from home we have regular catchup meetings so we aren’t missing out on socialising. My role involves speaking French as I work with companies in Francophone Africa so it’s interesting learning a language alongside my job!
What advice would you give your current and future peers?
Experience is important but don’t let job requirements put you off – a lot of jobs aimed at graduates ask for work experience but as long as you can demonstrate that you’re right for the job (through uni, part-time work, taking courses or pretty much anything else) you’ve got a good chance.
What are your plans for the future?
Right now I’m not sure, I’m working from home at the moment but will be moving to Belfast when offices reopen - but I haven’t planned much further ahead. I’m still interested in marketing and events so I’m keeping an eye out for opportunities within my company but I’ll see what happens with my current role!