Meet Anouska and hear about how IT's not just for the boys! helped get her a dream role at SunGard

Name: Anouska Fox
Job Title: Graduate Consultant
Company: SunGard

I attended the TARGETjobs Events IT’s not just for the boys! last November. After the event I was contacted by Ruby the Graduate Recruiter for SunGard Financial Systems encouraging me to apply for a Graduate Consultancy role, which I was later awarded.

I really enjoyed the day, and especially the opportunity to meet so many like-minded girls. Don’t be afraid of ‘networking’ – I think it’s much easier if you just see it as an opportunity to make friends and learn about some new people. The great thing is that everyone there is open to talking to new people – remember to smile and look approachable and if you get on well with someone don’t be afraid to take their email or name for LinkedIn.

It’s also a great opportunity to ask questions of recruiters in a more informal manner, and gives you a chance to find out information about the company culture and other areas that you can’t find elsewhere. If possible, research all the companies before the event, as you may have misconceptions and not realise the schemes on offer as companies are usually a lot broader than you’d imagine.  Also sometimes during applications the focus is too heavily on whether or not you are the right candidate for the role, but it’s also important to establish whether the company and position are the right match for your particular skillset and goals.

I hadn’t heard of SunGard before attending the event, and after looking at the roles available I felt it was a great opportunity to combine several of my interests. I work as a consultant in the Energy Trading and Risk Management department, which allows exposure to Energy Markets, Trading, Finance and Business Analysis, whilst still working in the Technology sector. The application process consisted of Written Questions, Online Testing, then several interviews and an Assessment Centre. What I found different to this process compared to other applications was the level of communication – some companies leave you waiting for months whereas Ruby regularly kept me updated, which may have been due to building a relationship by meeting through TargetJobs.

I’ve really enjoyed my experience with SunGard so far – I’ve had a 8 week comprehensive training programme on the software and energy markets, I have further self-taught and individual training to build up some technical skills then begin work on a Project in November.

I hope you all enjoy the day, try and make the most of the opportunity – and if nothing else remember to smile!

If you’d like to contact me for advice with applying for SunGard please contact the TARGETjobs Events team (events@targetjobs.co.uk) and they'll put you in touch with me!

Anouska

SunGard will be attending IT's not just for the boys! on 14 November, at Bloomberg HQ in London - applications are open now!