Zartasha works for ATOS, she gives us a run down of a day in her life...

Name: Zartasha 
Year of graduation: 2013
University: Warwick
Degree:  Sociology
Joined Atos: 2013
Job title: Graduate Service Manager

My background 
During my final year at university, I was looking into opportunities that would enable me to apply my new skills in the IT industry. I was also interested in a role where I could approach projects from multiple perspectives. 

Atos stood out as a place where I could develop, in an environment where I would be constantly challenged, yet provided with a great deal of support. I joined Atos Worldline shortly after completing my degree, and from the very beginning there has been a great deal of exposure to commercial, technical and operational areas.  What I really enjoy about my role is that no two days are the same. 

My tasks vary greatly, from assisting with audits to interacting with customers. What's more, everyone has been very welcoming, helpful and I've gained my ITIL qualification, making the transition from a non-IT background much easier. This has really encouraged me to take on more responsibilities and gain exposure to an even wider range of areas within the company. 

My job summed up
My job is all about ensuring our services are delivered within the agreed framework. I currently work on one key customer, who is a rail service provider. My role isn’t technical, but I’ve gained an understanding of networks and how credit card data flows which has really helped me. I’m in charge of setting up VPN connections for TIS (ticket issuing systems) suppliers. I work closely with various technical teams in Atos and client side. Most of the tasks revolve around the payment processing hub, to make sure it’s compliant by deploying security activities, which I do myself, or make sure they’re done by another member of the team or my line manager if they’re particularly complex! 

A day in my life:
0900-1100:
Checking emails and my 'to do' list, followed by coffee. Meetings can start as early as 9am, so I may well take my coffee into one of those. I’m currently helping out with the mandatory data audit, which has been my favourite part of my job so far. I’ve been shadowing a PCI Quality Manager, who has been hosting an audit, giving an overview of how the system works and what we need to look out for. It’s given me a real insight into what the PCIDs audit involves, and what things you need to make sure run smoothly. 

1100-1300:
I join weekly calls for our account, which is based in India, so it is an insightful experience and a good opportunity to learn about different work cultures. 
By midday, a few of my colleagues and I usually head out for lunch and catch up on the day. More coffee!

1300-1500: 
Tracking the account’s finances and reporting to my manager, then customer calls. If there's an issue with a component in our account’s system, I could be assisting my manager by following up on the status of an incident and liaising with the technical and internal network team. 
More coffee!

1500-1700: 
This is a good time to follow up on any changes raised and catch up on recurring operational tasks. 

1700-1800:
I am part of the steering committee, which maintains the 'Graduates & Interns' space within the Atos social business network, Blue Kiwi. So, I contact other graduates to arrange profile interviews, to post on the space for other Graduates to learn more about different areas of the business.

Zartasha and her team will also being joining us at IT's not just for the boys! at our Nottingham event!