Huge congratulations to Aidan for getting his role in EDF Energy’s innovation department, Blue Lab! Here he tells us of his experience with the application process and offers a few tips for future applicants.
Why did you choose EDF Energy and this role in particular?
EDF Energy offered me the opportunity to be part of not only an industry that is undergoing substantial change, but shape that change by being part of a market-leading organisation. Studying Management at King’s means that I am not coming from a geography or engineering background, but EDF poses an opportunity to career-driven, and inquisitive individuals to join the commercial side of their business, and help shape the future of the energy industry.
What was the toughest part of the application process? And your favourite part?
The most intriguing aspect of my application process was that whilst I applied to the standard Commercial Internship Programme, my cover letter spoke about the work of EDF’s Blue Lab, and my interest in entrepreneurship within large organisations translated to being invited straight to a face-to-face interview, rather than go through the standard application process. It just shows you that writing a tailored cover letter really is worth its while.
My favourite part of the process was learning about the company. They didn’t expect me to know much about their products with the time that they called me into the interview but luckily I did plenty of reading up on the company for my cover letter and learnt a lot about the role and business.
What three top tips would you give your fellow Bright Network members?
- Make sure that your cover letter is tailored towards what role you want to do. Also make sure you research the company and show that you have in your cover letter.
- Prepare for the interview as best as you can. Think of some questions that you think they might ask you so you can have some answers up your sleeve for when they come. They asked quite a few questions that I couldn’t have come up with, but still doing the prep did certainly help.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Regardless of whether it is from an older sibling who has gone through application processes before, or from other students at university. The level of effort people are willing to give will surprise you!
What was the toughest question you faced at interview?
“Have you ever been in a situation where you’ve been innovative but you needn’t be?”
