Amber’s journey, securing her dream graduate role after attending a STEM Women Event.

Amber was a 4th-year MChem student at the University of Manchester who was feeling overwhelmed with job applications and career options. In October 2020, she attended the virtual STEM Women Yorkshire, North West, and North East England Event. Following the event, she secured a fantastic role with PwC as a Graduate Associate in Digital Audit. The event helped her to understand more about technology, and decide it was the perfect industry for her!

Amber’s experience at the STEM Women event

During the event, PwC hosted a live speaker session, and the representative discussed the different graduate roles available. I found myself interested in the technology and digital roles and was encouraged by the speaker to apply despite not having a technology background. The event was a great opportunity to hear about a graduate’s first-hand experience in the company and made me feel motivated to apply. Before hearing this talk, I had never dreamed of working for one of the Big Four without having an accountancy or finance background. I was really impressed by the sound of the community and team-based culture at PwC and the various progression opportunities that the graduate scheme could lead on to.

“I had a passion for technology but thought my chemistry background would hold me back from roles in digital.”

“After hearing the presentation from PwC, I was inspired to apply for their graduate role in Digital Audit.”

“I loved networking with the recruitment team, they gave me the confidence to apply to the role and I’m so grateful!”

Networking with PwC and applying for the role

I started a webchat with a PwC representative and asked lots of questions about the roles available, what they involved and what a typical working day looks like at PwC. All of the representatives were very friendly and helpful; no question was a silly question. I was encouraged to apply and guided through what the typical application process looks like. Most of all, it was very interesting to speak to someone who currently works in the role I was interested in and hear about their first-hand experiences and what they love most about working at PwC.

The application process was quite short (around 2 months from application to accepting the offer) and was quite enjoyable! The first stage involved a series of games-based assessments which made me feel a bit more comfortable and less under pressure than the typical SJTs and numerical/verbal reasoning tests. The rest of the process involved interviews and an assessment centre. I went into it very nervous and unsure, but I really enjoyed the day and met lots of friendly, like-minded people.”

“Personally, one of the best things about the day was feeling reassured that I could be successful in an area outside of my degree discipline. I’m so grateful for this event and for all of the lovely speakers and organisers, I don’t think I would have achieved this if I hadn’t attended the event!”

Amber

Opening up opportunities and boosting confidence

I found the event super helpful and I am so grateful to everyone involved. I found it very insightful and had the opportunity to talk to women from lots of different industries and backgrounds. I learned about graduate jobs I had never even heard of before and was given advice about what to expect during the application processes. The event was very well organised and we were all made to feel very welcome, encouraged to ask questions and get involved by the host, Sophie.

I would recommend any students who are interested in the STEM Women events to register and attend, whether you know exactly what you want to do when you graduate or if you were like me and had no idea where to get started! It’s a great chance to speak to reps from lots of different companies and find out more about jobs you may not know even exist. It’s also really comforting to hear from speakers’ personal experiences and find out exactly what the roles available actually involve, which sometimes isn’t clear on a job description.

Find your dream job at a STEM Women event

We run a number of in-person and virtual careers event across the year, covering the UK, Ireland, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. These events are a mix of general STEM careers event and industry specific for attendees looking for careers in technology, engineering and financial services.

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