On Tuesday 19th September 2017 we welcomed 150 students studying STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects to CodeNode in London to meet leading technology firms, including our Premier Sponsor Skyscanner.
The day started with an inspirational keynote from Piero Sierra, VP of Product at Skyscanner, on what makes a great product manager and why, whatever role you take, product management is part of your job. He underlined that the comment frequently made about technology "The only thing that's constant in the tech industry is change” is certainly true at Skyscanner.
The students had a skills session with Paula Humphry, Graduate Programme Lead at Skyscanner, helping them prepare for interviews with tips including:
There are only three interview questions in the world: Can you do the job? Will you do the job? Do I want to work with you?
There are generic interview questions you should be able to answer in your sleep: Tell me about yourself. Talk me through your CV. Why are you applying for this role?
There are also the killer questions, which might seem more abstract: Where do see yourself in five years’ time? How many tennis balls does it take to fill Wembley Stadium?
Make sure you take time to think before you speak and don’t be afraid to clarify the question with the interviewer.
Close the deal: ask questions through the interview but always have some at the end, demonstrate your research, energy and interest - show how you can add value to their organisation.
Attendees heard from two Bright Network Alumni on how they met firms at Technology Top 150 and went on to secure roles with them - George Brown with Atos and Reyhan Jethani with PwC.
The students then moved to two hours of structured networking, where they had the chance to meet and put their questions to all of our technology partner firms, including Premier Sponsor Skyscanner, as well as Accenture, Alfa, Bloomberg, Capgemini, CGG, Citrix, HSBC and TPP.
The day finished with the Bright Network Awards ceremony, where the firms chose to reward Bright Network members who had achieved excellence. These students will clearly be providing the technology of the future.