Huge congratulations to Tiwalade who secured a place on Vodafone's Discover graduate scheme! We caught up with her during her graduation summer to discuss how she got a place on the scheme and what tips she would offer Bright Network members looking to follow in her footsteps.
Why did you apply to Vodafone?
I got an email from Bright Network concerning an event which they were running with Vodafone called Females of the Future. I didn’t think much of it but then I got a follow up phone call explaining to me what the event was about and that I should attend. The Bright Network employee convinced me to go arguing that Vodafone was a company where I would definitely fit in. Until then I hadn’t really considered working for Vodafone.
The scheme is 2 years long with my first 6 months placing me in a cyber security role. Following this I will be placed in another 6-month role before ending the scheme with a year-long placement. I don’t know where my next placements will be but there’s a lot of flexibility with where my next role could be placed.
What was the Female Futures Event like?
The day began with talks from women leaders in Vodafone. They told us a lot about what it was like to be a woman working in a technology role. We then had a series of lectures outlining what work Vodafone does and it massively surprised me just how much work they did and just how varied it was. After these talks we were split into groups. My group had to go for an hour-long interview which felt very relaxed and quite informal. It was not as formal or as terrifying as some of the other interview experiences I’ve heard of. After this they took us for a mini coding session where they partly taught us how to code in Python. They got back to us pretty quick about whether we had secured a role or not. I was actually in the car on the way to my graduation ceremony with one of my best friends when we both got the email telling us we got the role. It was so surreal and was an experience I’ll never forget.
How has Bright Network helped you throughout your time as a member?
Firstly, I wouldn’t have this job without them! When I initially opened the email, I didn’t pay it much attention. Then, afterwards, Bright Network called me to explain about the event. They obviously knew who I was and it felt very personal and then in the run up to the event I received another email from them reminding me about Females of the Future.
In addition to helping me secure this role, I visited the Bright Network Festival which I thought was fantastic. It was a great opportunity for me to meet a whole range of firms and investigate a plethora of other roles I had not considered before. Finally, I also used your website quite a lot to search for jobs and to occasionally search for careers advice too.
What three tips would you offer to your fellow Bright Network members?
- Be confident in interviews and, if possible, try to enjoy it
- Network with industry insiders as much as possible whether that’s on LinkedIn or at special network events.
- Learn more about the company prior to assessment centres and interviews. Do as much research as possible, it shows you’re interested.
What was the hardest interview question you’ve faced?
What was the most difficult/challenging thing you have ever had to do?
