Today I had the honour to meet extraordinary companies at QEII Conference Centre, hosted by Young Professionals. I got to network and enhance my understanding of the working environment with Grant Thornton, WTW, PWC and many more through the accumulation of keynotes, 1 on 1 networking and workshops. Here I would like to give you all three significant moments that have personally enlightened my vision for the future of work.
1. During my networking phase, I had reached the point where I have asked valid questions from companies I was interested in and decided to go to the other end of the room, where I saw Mott MacDonald. Originally having no intention of going since I thought I had everything I needed to know but I was truly wrong. I was fully cultivated on another level, where I was taught valuable knowledge when it came to preparing for the application process. The one technique that fascinated me the most was stalling. What was meant by this was that in any circumstance, you can’t expect to be quick firing every question thrown at you to try and get the process over and done with. It is most optimal if taking more time with stalling! This is where you can do something as simple as sipping water after hearing the question or ask a simple follow on question for clarity, giving you time to think without making it seem like it was done deliberately. No one is deemed the perfect candidate so doing subtle things can really make the difference.
2. During the first keynote with DirectLine, there was one quote which really opened my mind: “Your network is your networth”. It is essentially taking the idea of finance into a more social field and instead of money being a unit of measure, it is the number of connections and relationships being a unit of measure. But these relationships have to be genuine, it can NOT feel like a chore, otherwise why network in the first place. With that genuineness, comes the responsibility to maintain it in order to see some progress, no matter whether it’s a small connection somewhere else or gaining work experience, any connection is deemed valuable. The more and more people you connect it (the best app being LinkedIn), the more opportunities you will gain with increasing chance. If you don’t take any chances, then the success will always remain at 0. So take any opening to a new path wherever possible!
3. I took the chance to take part in the PWC workshop where we were told valuable skills when it came to interviews and although it may seem repetitive, do your research! I learnt throughout the workshop that including a few pieces of information about the company here and there gives employers the impression that the candidate is really passionate about getting a job. Now this does not mean going onto Wikipedia and picking out random info, it can be the experiences of those who work there, where even the employer did not know such events, showing the interest you hold for the company, getting that job!
Thank you YP!
M&A Manager - BDO Deal Advisory
2moIt was a pleasure to share some insight into the M&A transaction environment and seller/buyer perspectives! And thanks to the audience for bringing in some interesting thoughts on AI 🤖