Female engineering student? Feel in the minority? Not at a TARGETjobs Event! Lisa tells us her story

Being a female engineering student can often make you feel like a rarity. People react astonished and question how difficult it really is, in terms of studying but also to cope in a male dominated environment, as probably most of us have already experienced.

Getting to the event

When I applied to Future Female Engineers I was hoping to better understand how to get hired by companies. One challenge of the application process was to pass the telephone interview which was a valuable practice for the future. I was quite proud when I was informed that my place was secured, as it was my first serious telephone interview. 

Upon arrival at the Heritage Motor Centre, the networking process with other female students immediately started while enjoying lunch.  I realised how closely related all the engineering courses are and it was nice to talk to female students only, which was rather abnormal on such a large scale but made me feel more comfortable when speaking up and making new contacts. Additionally, the keynote speaker Roma Agrawal gave us an inspirational talk about the importance of confidence to achieve goals and desires in relevant projects.

Highlights from the day

After getting into groups, recruiters from the nine different companies told us about the qualities they are looking for in applicants, the application processes itself and their projects. Another highlight was the team challenge in which each team had to build a boat within ten minutes of team working, communicating as well as demonstrating technical understanding.

In the next session we talked about the day-to-day roles of the employees. It was highly interesting to talk to them individually as I heard the story of a graduate employee who travelled around for quite a while before finding a job and learned new languages. Similarly interesting was the session in which three senior leaders explained to us how they achieved their position.

We also had time to visit the museum, to take pictures and see cars which were actually produced within the UK as well as being famous for having played in James Bond movies such as the Aston Martin DB5.

What I took away

Overall, I can say that the event has more than exceeded my expectations and definitely raised my desire to obtain a master’s degree in mechanical engineering as a female student. It has further given me a sense of direction, where I want to go and see myself in the future. There are plenty of opportunities for women to achieve success in an engineering environment and it is important that we make use of them. As I am progressing in my course and learn through experience, connecting with other students and people, my level of confidence and motivation has considerably increased. Studying an engineering course is far more than studying the course itself. I have been proactive in several projects, ranging from helping to build a car to the construction of a small house in Costa Rica. Take a look around, if it is at your university or online, and embrace the opportunities that are given to you!

Check out the event here to find out more and apply!

Rebecca Hanson came to two TARGETjobs Events! Having now graduated, we catch up with her to find out what she gained from the experiences

Rebecca Hanson came to both IT's not just for the boys! and Future Female Engineers events last year. We catch up with her since graduating to find out why she decided to come to both events and what she gained from the experience...

I graduated with a 2:1 BSc in Physics from the University of Warwick. I’m due to start on the Manufacturing Engineering graduate scheme at Jaguar Land Rover in September; however, it was only seven months prior that I had little idea of what I was going to do post-university. The great thing about studying a science is that while a future career may not always be directly applicable to your studies, you gain so many transferable skills that employers absolutely love, such as a strong numerical ability and a good attention to detail.

I initially heard of IT’s just not for the boys! through a departmental email, and couldn’t resist the chance to attend Bloomberg’s HQ. The event was a valuable opportunity to communicate directly with employers, many of whom I hadn’t previously considered applying for. The highlight of the event was being able to hear from two fantastic speakers – the happiness expert, Alexandra Watson, and Kathryn Parsons, co-founder of Decoded. The confidence and inspiration that they managed to instil in me that day remained with me throughout all my application processes.

However, the event also made me realise that a career in IT wasn’t for me – and that was okay. Knowing what I didn’t want to do in the future was just as valuable as knowing what I did. It was this thought I had in mind when I gratefully accepted an invitation to another event from TARGETjobs, Future Female Engineers, hosted at the Heritage Motor Centre. Again, this provided the opportunity to hear from key speakers, most notably Roma Agrawal, an award-winning structural engineer of the Shard.

The events had many similarities. Both allowed me to interact with representatives from major employers in a more relaxed setting than at a careers fair, for example. Furthermore, I met so many other women from universities across the country, all with their own stories and employer dilemmas – it was good to hear that I was in the same boat as others in not knowing what to do!

However, there were also differences between the two. IT’s not just for the boys was aimed at building confidence in women to apply for some of the larger IT companies such as Cisco, whereas Future Female Engineers provided more insight into the companies themselves via intimate group questions. Either way, the events provided me with invaluable advice, contacts and ideas that I wouldn’t have been able to get anywhere else.

There were many companies who contacted me after both of the events inviting me to apply to their graduate schemes, such as EMC, National Grid and EDF Energy – I had my pick! However, the Jaguar Land Rover representatives present at Future Female Engineers were clearly so passionate about their careers that I decided to apply for their Manufacturing Engineering graduate scheme soon after. After completing some initial verbal, numerical and diagrammatic reasoning tests, and a further situational judgement test, I was then invited to attend an assessment centre. This was by far the toughest aspect of the application process, as it involved a gruelling combination of interviews, in-tray and role-play exercises. My interviewer particularly took delight in hearing about Future Female Engineers and how it had inspired me to apply to the company, and it was one of the strongest aspects of the day. I was then further rewarded with a call the next morning informing me that I was successful!

I don’t know if I would have had such a clear sense of direction had I not attended IT’s not just for the boys! and Future Female Engineers. The events provided me with invaluable experience and opportunities, and I would strongly advise anyone considering the events to apply!

Katherine came to both IT's not just for the boys! and Future Female Engineers - find out how she bagged herself a job with Vodafone!

Katherine Baines is currently in her final year at Queen Mary University studying Electronic Engineering. Having attended both IT's not just for the boys! and Future Female Engineers, she now has an offer from Vodafone for a place on their Discover graduate scheme for September! 

Studying electronic engineering as a girl can often leave me feeling rather outnumbered - but that has never stopped me aiming high and when the chance of attending Future Female Engineers arose I grabbed it with both hands. I had previously attended IT’s not just for the boys! which was a superb day leaving me further inspired about the endless career possibilities that lay ahead for me as well as meeting other girls in my position.

Arriving at the venue, I was feeling slightly apprehensive and nervous however as soon as I got there everyone was warm and they were all in the same position, so everybody relaxed a little. It was a great day, not only can you meet like-minded females but also there is valuable time to network with recruiters, employees and also recent graduates who are working in the graduate jobs and schemes at the companies which attended. They are all there to help you, give tips and pointers and of course try to persuade you to join them.

After attending Future Female Engineers at the Heritage Motor Museum, I began once again to send in application after application. One day I received an e-mail from Vodafone, who also attended the event, to ask if I would like to be considered for their Discover Technology Programme assessment centre. All I would have to do in order to attend was pass a number of tests as all the companies received my details and CV from TARGETjobs after the event,  removing a great deal of stress in applying!

Luckily I passed the tests, and a number of days later I found myself at their headquarters in Newbury for the assessment centre day. As this was still only mid-December, it was quite early on in the game so this was my first experience of an assessment centre so I really didn’t know what to expect! I was given a presentation topic a few days before to prepare, but apart from that I had no idea what the day would entail.

As soon as I arrived I was put at ease as everyone was so friendly; I was given a buddy, a current graduate on the scheme who I could ask any questions to throughout the day. I then went through a range of interviews individually and within a group and gave my presentation too, which was rather nerve-racking but fun! All in all I enjoyed the day and felt that even if I didn’t get a job offer that I had had a great experience which I had learnt a lot from.

However, within less than 48 hours I received a phone call from them, assuming that it would be to say that unfortunately I hadn’t quite made the cut this time, but to my surprise they were offering me a place on their graduate programme. I couldn’t quite believe it, that I had just been offered a job for after finishing at Queen Mary, University of London that I hadn’t intentionally applied for but just seemed perfect for me! I instantly accepted, and was later sent a contract stating that I would join them in September as long as I gained a 2.1. This lifted a weight off of my mind and was the best Christmas present I could have asked for! Although I still have to achieve a 2.1 or above, it now means I can focus on my studies, giving me extra inspiration to achieve this excellent future waiting for me!

So I wanted to say that you should take every opportunity that you find available to you out there, and something as simple as attending an event may in fact change your entire future.

To find out more about both Future Female Engineers and IT's not just for the boys! visit the TARGETjobs Events website here!

Thinking of applying to one of our events? Read what a past attendee has to say about her experience….

About me!

Name: Catriona Byers           

University: Heriot Watt University

Course: Chemical Engineering

Event attended: Engineer your future

Why did you apply?

I found out about the event through an email sent by TARGETjobs.  The main reason I was interested in the event was that it was purely for female engineers. Coming from a male dominated course it was nice to see something purely aimed at females. The chance to meet other female engineers, whether still at university or in employment, was one, which I wanted to be involved with. I felt that the opportunity to meet successful females, from a male dominated industry, would be significant in gaining confidence with regards to both applications and teamwork situations within a university and employment environment. The opportunity to get interview and application tips from all the various companies was also an appealing factor.

What did you do next?

I originally researched all the companies that would be attending the event so that I could see what I could gain from the event as a whole. With the broad range of companies, from different sectors, I made sure that my CV was not too specific towards one industry.  I also made sure that my CV was up to date so that if I was fortunate enough to have a phone interview, it would reflect my discussions. With regards to the application form, I treated it as I would for a normal job application, taking my time considering and answering each question as fully as I could.  Overall, it took me a couple of days to make sure I was confident with my application.

Do you have any telephone interview tips?

Being my first ever phone interview, I was nervous, as I wasn’t sure what to do. In preparation I looked over my CV and had researched the companies a little bit more.  Having this in front of me, allowed me to relax, incase I lost my train of thought. The interviewer asked many questions in order to get a basic background on me as a person. I was asked about why I chose my course, my interests and what I had been involved with in university. I was also asked about why I was interested in attending the event and what I could gain from it. I felt it went well. I would say, for the telephone interview to be confident when speaking and to take a few seconds, after each question, to think about what you are going to say first. The experience of having a telephone interview is invaluable and has helped since.

What did you learn?
Through the panel discussion and workshops, we were given many tips in self-confidence and how to handle ourselves in industry. Overall, I gained confidence for future interviews, applications and events!

Our next event is on Monday 4th November 2013 so APPLY NOW!!