We recently caught up with Mariam about how she secured her role with Hive Energy, how she built commercial awareness before the interview and her top tips for Bright Network members looking to follow in her footsteps.
What stood out to you about Hive Energy?
The first thing that stood out to me was that Hive Energy have a clear goal to tackle climate change, the language they used was to the point and clear, which really resonated with me. Hive had great success in the realm of solar energy but was now looking to expand into other areas. This stood out to me as it was clear they were entering an exciting stage of expansion that I really wanted to be a part of. Hive is a small but mighty company which also appealed to me as they can move quicker and adapt to the market, while it also means I can make an impact from the start.
How did you build your commercial awareness before the interview?
Beyond researching the company and its recent successes, I also researched where the company wanted to be based on what was said in the job advert. They mentioned the hydrogen economy and circular economies a number of times. I watched a number of TED Talks on both to understand the theory and then tried to find real-life examples of both to understand how theory plays out in reality. Finally, I dusted off my university textbooks to make sure I understood the basic chemistry behind it, so I didn’t get caught out. To get a more well-rounded view of the market I also checked out the company on LinkedIn and then checked companies similar to them that show up on their LinkedIn page.
What would be your top tip to members going through the application process?
My top tip would be to go through your CV and practice explaining what you’ve achieved in a way that will be beneficial to your role or to you as an employee. Our job as the applicant is to make it as easy as possible for the recruiter or the employer to see why we would be good for the role by saying which boxes we tick and backing it up with evidence in the form of qualifications or experience, whether that be work or life.
How did Bright Network help you secure this role?
The ad itself was very accurate - there is nothing worse than securing a role and realising it was not at all how it was advertised. I can safely say I am very content in the role and it’s everything I expected it to be and more.
Paul at Bright Network was incredibly helpful - even from the initial screening call he helped explain this unique role in a way that I could start thinking critically about how I can apply my experiences to the role.
What’s been the toughest interview question you've faced and how did you tackle it?
The hardest interview question I’ve faced was “Tell me about a time you were in a difficult situation and tell us how you dealt with that”. It totally caught me off guard and I didn’t have a response ready. Instead of stumbling over my words and making something up, I remembered some advice I was given. If you you’re stuck for what to say, just stop and take your time. I paused and thought about it for about 15 seconds (longer than it sounds) but I actually managed a coherent honest answer. And yes, I did get the job!
What top three tips would you give Bright Network members looking to follow in your footsteps?
- Tailor every CV and application to each job role/company you apply to. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel each time but make sure you’re highlighting the right things so that the recruiter or employer finds it easy to tick those boxes on that job criteria.
- Don’t be afraid to put things that are really going to make you stand out, even if they make you slightly nervous. With such a saturated graduate market, being remembered is a great bonus, especially if it shows courage by putting yourself out there. Whatever makes you different, people want to know.
- My final tip is please do not spend your time worrying too much about getting a job! Your opportunity will eventually come and when it does, you will kick yourself for wasting so much time worrying it wasn’t going to happen. It is an absolute myth that you need to score a £30k job straight out of uni or even by 30. Remember, you have the rest of your life to work!
