STEM Women Success Stories – Katie Murphy, Aptiv

Katie is in her third and final year of the IT Leadership Development Program in Aptiv. She studied Business Information Systems (BIS) at University College Cork (UCC) where she graduated with First Class Honours in 2022.

Background

“When I was in secondary school, I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to work as when I was older. I was good at subjects like Maths, accounting and science, and I enjoyed problem solving. Information Technology was not something advertised at my all-girls school, so I only realised it was even a course in university when a male relative of mine decided to study it. I started researching IT more and realised that a lot of the modules in university were something I was interested in, and the job prospects after university got my attention so I decided it was the path for me.

University

“In my third year of university, we were encouraged to do a 6-month internship. My university was affiliated with many companies which helped us get interviews. They also provided resources to help us with CV-building and how to prepare for an interview, which was very helpful. My university had a rule that you had to accept the first company to offer you a job –  so you had to be very sure before applying that you would want to work for that company.

Internship

“Because of this, I was very targeted in my applications. When Aptiv came to my university, I hadn’t heard of the company before, nor did I know anyone who worked there. I did what any 21-year-old does in this situation, and I turned to Google to find out as much as I could. I was surprised to discover what a large, successful company Aptiv is, and how their goals aligned with my own. Aptiv is a global technology leader with a presence in 50 countries and over 200,000 employees, yet still striving to be a safer and greener company, which really inspired me. The unique selling point for me is how they are working towards a world with zero fatalities, zero injuries, zero accidents and zero emissions. A company who values the world’s safety and the world’s emissions is a company I knew I would want to work for, so I applied for Aptiv’s internship program.

Interview

I prepared for the interview by doing further research on the company and ensuring I knew the company’s goals and objectives. I also searched for my interviewer on LinkedIn so I could understand their background and see if we shared any common interests. I went to the workshops held by my university on tips for doing an interview and I focused on the advice about the difference between an in-person interview and an online Teams interview, as I had never been interviewed virtually before. I also knew my CV extremely well and felt confident to answer any questions the interviewer may have asked me about it. My top tip would be not to write anything on your CV that you don’t understand fully.

Of course, I was nervous before the interview, but I reminded myself that I was prepared. I felt my interview went well. I explained what my best modules in university were, and I got the opportunity to talk through a coding project I was involved in. Because of the company exploration I had done I was ready to ask the interviewer questions about the company, which showed them that I had done my research!

Aptiv

This successful interview got me into my 6-month internship, where I worked as a Business Analyst. I enjoyed my work, and at the end of my 6 months I got the opportunity to present to leaders in Aptiv on the projects I was involved in and what work I contributed. Getting this kind of exposure was a great opportunity for me. At the end of my 6 months, I was offered a position on the IT LDP programme starting the following September. I was thrilled to receive this offer and accepted straight away as I was delighted to go back to a company where I felt I could grow in my career while also doing work I enjoyed.

IT Leadership Development Program

Aptiv have always been very encouraging in my career, during my internship and throughout the 2 years I’ve been working here. As I am in a rotational graduate programme, I get to work in different areas of the business which allows me to expand my skills and knowledge in IT. Aptiv provide paid training courses and exams which allow me to become certified in different areas such a project management and Power BI. I’ve also had the chance to travel to the UK and Krakow, where we got tours of our technical centres. We get the opportunity to meet with senior leaders and receive their insights on how to progress in your career. I have had the opportunity to join both the Aptiv Women Network and the Technical Women’s Network which is a brilliant way to meet and talk to other women in STEM who are at different stages of their career.