Driti's success story: Securing a graduate role at Zopa

Driti is an Discrete Mathematics graduate from the University of Warwick. She secured a role as a Data Scientist at Zopa, through Bright Network.

Tell us a little bit about yourself

"All throughout school (and even university) I had no idea what I wanted to do. I knew that I wanted it to be exciting and new - not something that I learn once and keep doing on repeat for the rest of my life. Studying maths and computer science at university kept my options quite open, but I also realised that I wanted my career to be mathematical."

"While looking for different ways to combine maths and computer science, I quickly saw that data science would get me the best of both worlds - I could keep it analytical while learning something new constantly, in a field that is evolving on the daily."

What motivated you to apply for your role?

"A lot of the time, in large companies, it is easy to feel like a small cog in the machine - and everything about Zopa screamed the opposite. Upon researching the company and looking at the job descriptions and application processes, it was clear that they prioritised analytical people and innovative thinkers."

"They advertised themselves as a company that was always willing to try something new and take risks - which, upon working here, I find that they really do. A bit later on, after I spoke to people during my application process, the culture also really drew me in. Everyone was so friendly, and it was easy to talk to anyone regardless of their title or role. I was immediately drawn to the company, and it ended up being a really great fit."

What was your application journey like?

"I was really nervous going through this application process as I hadn't got this far with previous applications - and I didn't know what to expect. For the second stage, it was my first ever case study interview, and all the resources in the world didn't make me feel prepared enough. However, the talent team were so reassuring and helpful throughout the process and this really put me at ease!"

"It’s rare to have that human interaction between the talent team and graduates applying to roles, so it made me feel a lot more welcome and secure. I was met with similar warmth when I came in for the in-person interview stage, and while the nerves remained, I did also feel calmer knowing so many other people were in the same boat as me, and so many of the staff were willing to help us do our best."

What are your tips for people looking to follow in your footsteps?

"Start early - way earlier than you think. So many graduate jobs, internships etc. open up almost a year before they start - and here is where you need to start as well. By the time I applied for Zopa, I had been applying for months - and because of this, I was able to refine my application through feedback and land the role that I wanted."

"Use EVERYTHING you have available to you through your university. Most unis in the UK will be able to provide career guidance to help refine your application and can mean the difference between getting your dream role and applying to a thousand places without a response. I was able to completely transform the application process for myself by doing this."

What are you most proud of about your journey?

"Often, university can be a bubble and it can be really difficult to try to figure out what you want to do afterwards and how to go about it. For me, I had faced challenges in my first few years of uni due to personal circumstances which meant I had a lot of pressure in my final year if I still wanted to do well. Trying to balance getting the grades I wanted and also finding a job straight after graduating was really difficult."

I must've applied to over a hundred roles - at that time. Slowly, I started to fine-tune the jobs I was applying for. This was where Bright Network was such a big help to me, because these were all jobs for people in the same position as me - and it was where I found Zopa. Looking back at it, I can't believe I made it through with great grades and an amazing graduate job, where I have been learning and growing so much. I'm so happy to have ended up here, with a role that genuinely fits exactly what I wanted my career to be."

Tell us about the future. What's next?

"I'm really looking forward to continue developing my technical skills in terms of coding, and using different technologies and machine learning tools. I've learned so much over the last year at Zopa, and I've been able to take quite a lot of responsibility. In the future my goal is to be leading projects on my own, and eventually getting into a managerial role."