Jessica R.
About me
| Jessica R. | |
| Biology | |
| Biology | |
| Undergraduate | |
| Alcuin | |
| 2012 | |
| United Kingdom |
My employment
| Director of Finance and Operations | |
| AeroCoach LTD | |
| United Kingdom | |
| Engineering and manufacturing | |
| Small business (0-49 employees) | |
| 2018 |
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A day in the life of a Director of Finance and Operations in the United Kingdom
If you have the option to do an industrial placement year, absolutely grab it with both hands.
Briefly describe the organisation you work for
Currently working (since Jan 2018) for a cycling technology company which develops products and provides aerodynamic optimisation services to help cyclists go faster on their bikes. Previously worked for five years at a large FMCG, starting on the three-year finance graduate scheme and then worked for a further two years after the grad scheme there.
What do you do?
In my current role a lot of different things! Responsible for all the finance elements of the business, plan our manufacturing schedules for in-house and third party supply and production, look after trade customer (B2B) sales, support at our one-to-one optimisation services, and do a lot of organising of our processes and team!
Reflecting upon your past employment and education, what led you to your current career choice?
Whilst studying Biology at York in my 1st and 2nd year, I was convinced that research was the path for me, and assumed I would go on to do a PhD and further after my undergrad degree. I did an industrial placement year, which was an absolutely fantastic experience - teaching me a huge amount about a 'proper' working environment (in a large pharmaceutical company), and also giving me time to develop a variety of hobbies and sports interests, something which I regretted not making enough time for in 1st and 2nd year (lots of studying at the weekends, and clubbing in the evenings!) While it was a fantastic year, it did show me that research wasn't the career for me - I didn't find the potential of maybe discovering something interesting at a point in the future motivating enough, and much preferred working with people than by myself in a lab. I turned my attention to trying to identify a career that would tick the 'interested in Biology' box, but not as a researcher, and struggled to find much / any information on possible roles that would give me that. I ended up moving away from science completely and applying for graduate schemes. I chose Finance as a way to convert my Biology degree into something more 'business-friendly' and thought that would open a lot of doors to me in the future and give me more choice as to what to do (which it certainly has). Getting onto a finance graduate scheme was fantastic, as my employer paid for my accountancy qualifications (which although meant studying in the evenings, I found overall much easier than being at uni where I usually studied most of the weekends and evenings).
Is your current job sector different from what you thought you would enter when you graduated?
The sector yes, but the job no
Describe your most memorable day at work
Lots of things! But getting the first batch of a new product the team has all worked hard on is always a good day
What extracurricular activities did you undertake at university and what transferable skills did you develop through these?
I enrolled on the York Students in Schools scheme which I really enjoyed (helping out with primary school science classes), but regretted not getting stuck into the sports clubs and societies while at uni
What top tips do you have for York students preparing for today’s job market and life after graduation?
Top tip - if you have the option to do an industrial placement year, absolutely grab it with both hands.
If you are looking for work experience, employers want to hear how you will help them when you first contact them - what skills do you have, what aspect of their business can you help with most, are you prepared to do a few weeks unpaid work experience to show them your skills and what you can bring to the company? I have seen emails from students which simply say what degree they have and ask for work experience. The person reading your email, who is probably fairly busy, needs to be shown how giving you work experience or a work placement will actually make their life easier!
Talk to everyone you can - even if you don't necessarily follow their advice, it really helps in interviews if you show you have been proactive and have spoken to a range of people with different experiences, and have considered advice from a range of sources.
If you are going into an area you don't know much about, do your research - my interview for the finance graduate scheme coming from a Biology degree could have been a nightmare! But I spent a bit of time reading up on what people from different backgrounds could bring to a business environment, and used that to my advantage in the interview by giving a presentation on how the FMCG could improve their environmental credentials at all points in the product life cycle. Play to your strengths, and also do some research on the areas you are not so familiar with.
Next steps...
If you like the look of Jessica’s profile, the next steps are down to you! You can send Jessica a message to find out more about their career journey. If you feel you would benefit from more in-depth conversations, ask Jessica to be your mentor.