Nalise Hahn reviews Future Female Engineers and how it helped her become Mace's next Sustainability Graduate!

Future Female Engineers stood out as an opportunity to meet like-minded students who wish to build their professional network whilst also consulting known industry professionals within the engineering sector. The application process for the event was simple and transparent with numerous hints and tips on how to answer the few questions they asked during the online form and phone interview – it was clear they wanted you to do well! All the communication I received was prompt and encouraging with clear details regarding the next stage and what to expect on the day. 

The event ran very smoothly, starting off with a get to know each other exercise in the personal branding session lead by Kate Taylor– surprisingly I learnt as much about myself as I did about the women next to me! After hearing about creating my personal brand to stand out in the industry I had the opportunity to meet in a small group with recruiters from the companies, who walked me through their application processes. They were able to answer a lot of the questions we asked and gave us useful advice about how to secure a role in the engineering sector and the information was really useful when applying for graduate roles.

My favourite part of the day was the insider insights networking drinks with graduates and industry professionals from the engineering companies. They gave me an invaluable understanding of their company’s culture, progression within their companies and how they succeeded in acquiring their current role. One graduate even offered to help me tailor my CV to industry expectations. This event helped me to network with some of the best individuals from leading firms in the industry, as well as hearing how women in the industry succeed. After the event, I was able to tailor my applications more accurately to Arup, AECOM, and Mace who were all present on the day. I also included the fact that I had attended Future Female Engineers in all my applications which I felt made me stand out as an individual who is actively seeking personal and professional development.

Following the event, I progressed onto the next stage for all the companies I applied for, with some companies feeding back that I was fast tracked due to attending Future Female Engineers. During my interview at Mace I was able to talk about how the event helped me to understand the growing expectations within the construction and engineering industry and how I, as an individual, would be able to meet them. I built my personal brand after the event and demonstrated this successfully during my interview. 

During the final stage at the assessment centre I used the skills I gained during the event’s team challenge to work together with individuals to solve complex challenges whilst remaining professional. During my individual presentation on the day, I also used the advice given to me during the panel discussion at the event to sell my ideas and myself to the sustainability director, resulting in me being offered a place as a Sustainability Graduate!

I would recommend the event to anyone who is considering a career in the engineering sector, not only will you stand out in applications; you will gain universal skills and an unrivalled opportunity to secure and further your career.

Applications are now open for Future Female Engineers March 2018. You can apply by visiting https://targetjobs.co.uk/events/future-female-engineers 

We caught up with Shilpa after attending our Future Female Engineers event back in 2015!

I found out about Future Female Engineers through an email I received from TARGETjobs in 2015. I went online and looked at the videos, photos and the companies who had attended previously and was very impressed. The help and advice given during the event seemed exactly what I needed at that point in my education; an independent voice offering me fresh ideas helping me think outside the box. It was also the fact that the event was for female engineers, which is a subject very close to my heart.

I applied online and waited for my telephone interview, which arrived the following week. The lady I spoke to was very friendly and the call did not feel like an interview at all! It was a friendly chat where she wanted to know a bit about me and my background, why I was interested and so on. She helped me with any questions which were not clear to me; she let me take my time and really listened to me which was very helpful.

On the day of the event I got to know the girls very quickly, as the day began with an introductory session with breakfast! We had a few talks from very motivated and established female engineers, before moving onto the team challenge, which was such a success for my team because we won! What did we have to do you ask? Well, our team designed, delegated and built the tallest, most price efficient and free standing balloon tower (yes, a balloon tower) amongst all the groups. All this in under an hour with a group of girls you only met a few minutes ago, makes you realise what you can achieve if you put your mind to it with a committed team around you. The sense of satisfaction and excitement this activity gave me, spurred me to go along to more team building activities within my university and my job which has helped me became a more confident and able engineer.

After the lunch, we had the chance to speak with three of our chosen companies. We were given in-depth information about their online application, tests, interview processes and assessment days. This was really helpful as the information was more detailed than what you would get at a graduate or recruitment fair. Kate Bellingham, who is an advocate for STEM and WISE gave such a powerful and inspirational speech; I think I had tears in my eyes! The stories of these women of how they came to be where they are today and the situations they faced was amazing to hear, some that you could relate to as well.

Since attending the event, I graduated from university the following year and got my first job in a space of four months! It was difficult at times, especially when I had no offers from any of the companies I had applied to. However, if there was one thing I took away from the event was to keep trying, never give up and in the mean time to do anything to make you stand out as an engineer.

I got an offer from Westfield Sportscars (WSC) in the Dudley, West Midlands to work on their amazing driverless Pod project. I joined as a Project Engineer and was able to do much more than I had ever imagined to as a newly graduated engineer. I got to liaise with customers, pick up tools and built vehicles, do design work on CAD, etc. I will never forget the valuable experience and information I gained from attending TARGETjobs Future Females Engineers. I strongly believe that it has helped me a great deal to get to where I am today. I hope that one day I get to help more girls who are in the position that I was in back in 2015 and be one of those strong women they will remember.

You miss every shot you don't take! Jemma Hart shares her experience at Future Female Engineers event and securing her dream graduate job with Arup.

My name is Jemma Hart and I am in my fifth and final year of a Masters of Engineering degree in Civil Engineering at Heriot-Watt University. I attended the 2016 TARGETjobs Future Female Engineers event, held at the Atkins office in Bristol.

I applied for the event online by submitting my CV and answering some straightforward questions, mainly focusing on my desire to attend the day. After passing this stage, I received an invitation for a telephone interview. I was asked again about why I wanted to go to the event and also which companies appealed to me and why. This stage of the application process was very relaxed and I was encouraged to be myself. Because of this, my passion for engineering shone through and I was able to convey my enthusiasm for the event. 

The day kicked off with a welcome talk which set out the busy day arranged for all of the attendees. We received a speech from the keynote speaker Roma Agrawal and a guest speaker Caroline Norris from Atkins. The speakers discussed their accomplishments during their working careers and shared their true opinions of being a women in a predominantly male industry.  Following this, we were given the opportunity to chat to recruiters about the application process. This really opened my eyes to exactly what employers look for in a CV and I definitely saw an improvement in my own CV after applying their advice. We were put into company teams based on one of the employers you had shown a particular interest in. This was a fun way of getting noticed by employers and also gave us a taste of what to expect at recruitment assessment centres. The rest of the day was spent chatting to graduates, established female engineers and company representatives were available throughout so it’s a fantastic way to get a better idea of each company (and for insider tips!).

I initially applied for the event as I knew it would be an effective networking opportunity, helping me in my applications to graduate jobs. However, I was blown away by how inspired I was by the event. Before the event, I had started applying for graduate jobs which is a lengthy process; I was lost on what job I really wanted and where I would be best placed.  After some time it’s easy to lose momentum, but I found this event gave me the fire I needed to apply for the opportunities I have been working towards for years. In February this year, I was offered my dream graduate job with Arup which I accepted and I will be starting this September. The TARGETjobs Future Female Engineers event helped give me the confidence to apply to roles enormously and helped me to stand out from the crowd.

Sometimes it’s important to remind yourself that you miss every shot you don’t take. In applying for the TARGETjobs Future Female Engineers event, I gained a rare opportunity to propel my career forward and gain valuable knowledge from inspiration people. As a woman just starting my career in engineering, the day removed any concerns I had about being in the minority by introducing me to strong female role models who are established in the engineering field. The event is an unmissable opportunity for any woman with a passion for engineering.