About Me
Job Title: Operations Consultant
Describe your current role: I currently work as an Operations Consultant for Newton who are a strategic delivery consultancy that works across the public and private sectors to help clients tackle their most complex challenges. So far, I have worked on both strategy and operations projects within military aviation. The problems we tackle are hugely varied, meaning no two days are ever the same. This role also involves a lot of travelling to client sites which means I get to meet a wide range of stakeholders, including senior client personnel.
What is the biggest mistake you have made since graduating and what have you learnt from it?
Feeling like I had to get everything right first time. I’ve always been afraid of getting things wrong but when I changed roles and industries, from working in finance to consulting, I realised that despite getting my ideal career ‘wrong’ at first, I had still learnt so many lessons giving me confidence to take into my new role.
What is the best piece of advice you have been given?
Ask questions and be curious. Asking questions not only demonstrates an interest or passion in the subject area but it is also a great opportunity to find out new information.
For example, I found, particularly when it came to careers, the image in my head rarely matched the reality of the job. It was only through talking to individuals already in these roles and asking questions about their day-to-day activities that I was able to truly understand if I was interested in that profession.
Also, whenever possible, always ask open questions (how, why, what etc.) rather than closed questions (yes/no). That way you’ll often find out a lot more information.
What have you learned since graduating that could be helpful to other graduates like you?
Don’t underestimate the importance of building your personal network. It is never too early to start and can begin as simply as keeping in touch with those you went to school or university with. You never know when your network might unlock new and exciting opportunities for you!
I think it’s important to add that the best networks don’t just have very experienced and senior individuals in them. The best ones have people of all grades in them. The reason for this is that as you advance in your career, those who are very senior now are likely to have moved on. Ensuring a good spread of seniority therefore means you will always have experienced mentors but also always have those a step or two above you who have more recently been in your position and can offer guidance throughout your entire career.
Can you recommend us something?
I cannot over-sell how important I believe reading is. Current affairs impact almost every job that exists in one form or another, therefore keeping up to date with developments in the news is important and can also provide helpful contextual knowledge during interviews or conversations with colleagues. My recommendation here would be to utilise subscriptions to publications like The Economist and The Financial Times that are often available through university libraries, and access free news apps/websites.
I also enjoy reading non-fiction books that challenge my approaches to problem solving and views on the world and would encourage others to do the same. Some of my favourites that I have read are:
- ‘Outliers’ by Malcolm Gladwell
- ‘Black Box Thinking’ by Matthew Syed
- ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’ by Dale Carnegie
Newton are visiting campus this term, if you’d like to learn more about a career in consulting . We’ll be giving out free coffee and my colleagues will be there to speak with you about our graduate opportunities, visit us on the 31/10 and the 26/11. We will also be attending the STEM fair, Autumn Fair and Business fair, so please pop by our stall and say hi.