Alexander H.
About me
| Alexander H. | |
| History | |
| History and Philosophy | |
| Undergraduate | |
| Vanbrugh | |
| 2019 | |
| United Kingdom |
My employment
| Operations Executive | |
| Multiverse | |
| United Kingdom | |
| Digital and IT services | |
| Large business (250+ employees) | |
| 2022 |
More about Alexander
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A day in the life of a Operations Executive in the United Kingdom
Working remotely is great for work-life balance and personal comfort, but it does mean you have to work a little bit harder to build up relationships with others.
Briefly describe the organisation you work for
I work for Multiverse, a mission-driven Education Technology company aiming to provide equitable access to economic opportunity for all. Multiverse provides on-the-job training, largely (in the UK) through levy-based apprenticeships.
What do you do?
I am an Operations Executive, meaning I am responsible for making the delivery of our programmes happen as smoothly and effectively as possible. I work closely with lots of different parts of the business, in a co-ordinating function, and spend a lot of time working with data to find and share insights.
Reflecting upon your past employment and education, what led you to your current career choice?
I moved into Operations from a coaching role at Multiverse; I felt after two years as a coach, I could have a greater impact working indirectly with 2000 apprentices than I could working directly with 50. Prior to joining Multiverse, I trained to teach History, then worked for a year as a Civil Servant in the Department for Work and Pensions, but my career has always been about addressing educational or economic inequality.
Is your current job sector different from what you thought you would enter when you graduated?
Yes and no. When I graduated, I knew I had a place to train to teach, but I also knew I did not expect to teach for the whole of my career. I don't think I'd have been too surprised if you'd told me five years ago what I'd be doing today! That said, when I graduated I really didn't know what I'd end up doing after my teacher training.
Describe your most memorable day at work
It's difficult to pick out a single most memorable day, but one of my favourite moments was getting the first result through after one of my apprentices completed their Data Technician qualification - it was a distinction (as were the next 12!). This was a personal triumph, in that I felt like I had been doing my job really well over the previous year, and a moment of huge pride and satisfaction for the apprentices, too!
What’s your work environment and culture like?
I work remotely for 90% of the time - I live in York and go into our London office once per month. There's no requirement for any kind of formal clothing - very different to my last job, which was in the office every day and required a suit and tie!
Multiverse is underpinned by six key values, which employees all share - it's a key part of the recruitment process. This means I spend my days with people who I know share my values and are pulling in the same direction, which makes for an engaging and enjoyable work day.
Working remotely is great for work-life balance and personal comfort, but it does mean you have to work a little bit harder to build up relationships with others - there's much less small talk, and you can't just wander over to somebody else's desk to ask a question.
What extracurricular activities did you undertake at university and what transferable skills did you develop through these?
While at York, I worked a lot with campaigning societies and YUSU election campaigns. These taught me - most importantly - how to work with people where I often had very serious disagreements, but also how to translate ideas from a page into reality.
What top tips do you have for York students preparing for today’s job market and life after graduation?
Try to stay as calm and relaxed as possible! Your York degree has given you all the skills you need - I promise! Remember that jobs are not like college courses or University places: there's often only one position, so you can be good enough to do the job and not be offered it. There will be rejections, and that's OK - it's not a reflection on you at all. Just keep plugging away and be willing to do something that isn't your dream job to start with.
What topics from students are you happy to answer questions on?
Anything, really, but a few ideas:
- The graduate job market post-COVID
- Building effective relationships at work
- How to use your transferrable skills
Next steps...
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