Micheal's success story: Securing a graduate role at Newton

Micheal is a Mechanical Engineering graduate from the University of Cambridge. He secured an Operations Consultant graduate job at Newton through Bright Network.

First, please tell us a little bit about yourself.

“I'm someone who generally loves to solve problems, which is why I’m so fascinated by both the arts and maths, as I believe that the creativity blend from both is how you fix things.

Anything that involves engaging with arts and maths is where you’ll find me – whether it’s through my membership at the Prince Charles cinema where I watch movies weekly, or at my practice sessions, completing maths competition papers.”

What motivated you to apply for your role?

“I felt like the role just fitted who I was at my core because I love anything that involves being creative to solve a problem using maths.

What made Newton the right company was the emphasis on making a tangible impact and how proud I would feel to get to work on some of the projects they’re involved in, such as improving patient outcomes in the NHS.”

How did you prepare for the application?

“My preparation mainly consisted of going through different consulting case studies and then focusing on my weaknesses identified from other applications.

I made an interview document where I wrote down all my frameworks and proposed answers for several parts of the interview process, which was really helpful for studying.”

What was the application process like?

“The application process was challenging overall, particularly the technical and numerical assessments, but what stood out to me was how personal it was.

First, I got feedback at every stage, even when I passed, so I really felt supported to get to the next stage at every point.

Secondly, there were multiple points during the process where the focus was solely on my passions and interests, so it felt like there was more weighting given to truly being yourself in the application.”

How did Bright Network help you secure your role?

“Bright Network exposed me to a lot of companies I wasn’t aware of.

The training content Bright Network provided around consulting careers was useful and I feel what truly gave me an edge was the exposure to so many different assessments and interviews, as there’s no better practice than the real thing!”

What are you most proud of about your journey?

“I’m most proud of my resilience. I’m almost embarrassed to admit it, but I actually applied to Newton three years in a row and only secured the role the third time around.

The first time I failed the numerical test, the second time I failed terribly at the final interview stage, but the third time really was the charm.

I remember walking out of my interview smiling at how smooth it went. So for me, I was proud of seeing how my continuous improvement really paid off.”

What have you learnt from going through the process?

“My major takeaway has been to learn from your failures and feedback.

This was something Newton emphasised as part of their culture and I believe I was only able to secure the graduate role when I fully embodied that quality.”

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

“My best piece of advice is to not treat failure like the end and actively try to implement any learning from it.

I’d also recommend checking what resources are available to you. For example, my university had a subscription to CaseCoach, a consulting interview preparation platform, which I wasn’t aware of until my final year.

Finally, dedicate time to practising with friends and your wider network, particularly if you’re connected with other people applying for similar roles. A second perspective helps highlight areas to improve that you otherwise wouldn’t spot.”

Tell us about the future. What’s next?

“I’m really looking forward to getting stuck into future projects. I’m not particularly sure what market I want to go into, so I’m looking forward to finding out what really suits me through lots of trial and error.

Since starting at Newton, I’ve discovered how much I enjoy directly working with clients, so I can’t wait for more of that in the future!”