We recently caught up with Oliver about how they secured a graduate management trainee role with Persimmon Homes and what working for Persimmon Homes is like.
What attracted you to the role at Persimmon Homes and to working for them?
During my undergraduate and postgraduate degrees at university, I was never entirely certain as to what career path I wanted to take. I knew I had always had a real interest and passion for the housing industry, but I was unsure as to where my skills would best fit and what area I would most enjoy. After coming across and reading about the Persimmon graduate scheme on Bright Network, I soon realised this would be a programme would be a brilliant fit for myself. With multiple rotations around all sectors of the business, it offered me a unique chance to truly understand what areas I most enjoyed as well as where my skills can be best utilised. Furthermore, after researching more about persimmon it became clear that there is a real drive within the company to promote from within and develop their own employees, with many of the operating businesses MD’s and Group Directors coming up from entry level roles within the business. This is something I found very attractive and strive to take advantage of myself.
How did Bright Network help you secure this role?
During the Persimmon Homes application process Bright Network went above and beyond to ensure each step ran as smoothly and efficiently as possible for all the applicants and I. Bright Network employee Katie Fenton was brilliant in running the process, constantly keeping us all updated on our progress and was really accommodating in receiving any emails from ourselves when we had any issues. Katie also provided us with a one-on-one call with herself to provide us with tips and advice before the interview stage, which I found immensely helpful. They also provided drop in sessions, with learning and development staff from Persimmon, to give willing applicants the chance to get an even deeper understanding of the company. This level of support is extremely rare and is something I really appreciated.
What is the culture like at Persimmon Homes?
Since joining Persimmon in September, I have found the working culture to be really supportive as well as extremely hard-working. During the initial graduate training week at head office, we received talks and got to speak with various group directors and even Dean Finch the CEO. It was really refreshing to see how accessible and willing to help these executive managers were and I definitely feel this is something that runs right the way through to the operating businesses themselves, with even the most senior of staff always being willing to talk and support lower level colleagues providing a real team unit feel. There is also a real push within the company to provide improved quality products to customers. This is definitely something I have sensed since joining Persimmon, with all the different departments I have joined working really hard and placing significant emphasis on providing the best quality work in order to ensure the homes passed on to customers is all that they had hoped.
How did you show a passion for the firm?
To show that I was really passionate about working for Persimmon, I ensured I did as much research on the company as possible. Learning about the history of Persimmon as well as the current values of the business and where the company wants to be heading. Once completing all this background reading, it was important to get across to the interviewers how my skills and traits fit within these values, using examples from previous working and home life. I also believe that the fact that I asked numerous questions about the company during my interview, showed that I was really keen to learn about Persimmon and that I had a genuine interest in and learning about the housing sector.
What would be your top tip for Bright Network members to follow in your footsteps?
I think the best tip I can give to someone that is either going through the application process or is actively about to move into the graduate role is to be well prepared and to constantly ask questions. Firstly, it is a real way of showing you are interested in and have a relative understanding of the topic you are discussing. Secondly, it is the best way to learn, as there will be many cases where a lot of the work you will be doing is completely new to you. Therefore, the only way to develop and produce a strong output is to ask for help or ask questions to gain an improved understanding.
What has been the most exciting task you've worked on in your first few months in your role?
Since joining Persimmon Homes Wessex I have spent a brief amount of time in both Technical and Sales, but the majority of my time has been spent with Land and Planning as that was my first rotation. During this time the most exciting task I have undertaken is a Land search within a market town called Faringdon. During this task I had to identify potential sites for development that may be attractive for Persimmon to acquire, given the relevant constraints of the area. Once I had identified the potential sites I then had to complete detailed research on the various pieces of land, in order to justify whether any could be good investment options. Once I had narrowed down the search to the sites with strong potential, I had to present my findings to the land team and I am now currently in the process of sending out letters of interest to identified land owners. With the hope that some of these sites could be acquired in the future.
Let us know where you've secured your work experience, internship or graduate role. We want to celebrate your success with a gift from us and exclusive invitations to evening networking drinks throughout the year.
