TJ talks us through his valuable experience at Sky!

The Explore Sky Finance Insight Day was fantastic and it gave me a great idea on what life would be like working at Sky. Walking in to The Sky Studio Campus and knowing that you are seconds away from the sports and news studios is both daunting and awe inspiring. The campus in Osterley is huge and it reminded me of going to university for the first time. But what I enjoyed most about this day, was the atmosphere which was very vibrant. This made me think that the staff are happy to work at Sky and truly value their job.

Although this was a financial insight day, everyone came from a range of different academic backgrounds. Some students were in their penultimate year studying accountancy, while others were in their final year studying geography. A student on my table was doing her masters in chemistry! It shows Sky welcomes all and that the skills you obtain in any degree can be transferable.

The event gave us the opportunity to listen to the recruitment team at Sky for the placement and graduation schemes. What they said was extremely useful as they showed us how applicants should differentiate themselves from other candidates. Looking at the past applications together and pointing out the flaws and the positives will help in the future, when applying for Sky.

After this, we had a chance to listen to people that have been part of the Sky Graduate schemes and placement schemes. This part of the day gave me an insight into what it would be like working for Sky. Being told that it is fast paced and there are a variety of tasks that you need to do as there a range of jobs, excites me.

The tour of Sky was probably the most exciting part of the day. I could not stop smiling when I was in the Sky Sports studios. But the tour of the campus itself was hugely impressive. All the different departments seem top class and the scenery was beautiful.

The day ended with the opportunity to show our skills in a challenge where as a group we had to launch a plan for a new product or service for Sky and then present it to the other participants and the judges in the room. This was interesting as our group realised that our idea was like other groups around us, something that Sky must often come across. We had to find a way to make our product stand out and look unique. This task improved my presentational marketing skills, which will help me in the future.

Overall I would recommend anyone interested in working for Sky or a career in finance should come to this insight day. The information you receive about the application process and what it is like working at Sky is so valuable. The day is extremely enjoyable and memorable as there are numerous moments where you are either learning something valuable or looking at the many incredible scenes and studios at Sky.

Mandeep shares his experience at the Explore Sky Finance Insight day

Coming from a Physics degree, a career in finance has always seemed like a natural route for me. However, after attending many career events I found myself continuously hearing the same information from similar types of companies. So, when I heard about Explore Sky Finance Insight day I was intrigued straight away. The next thing I knew I was filling out an application form, completing a telephone interview and I was in!

When I got to Sky I was taken in by the sheer size of their headquarters, Google Maps really does not do it justice! I was greeted with a warm smile from TARGETjobs and taken over to the new Sky building which is full of shops, canteens a dry cleaner... And oh yeah, open offices!

The day itself was fantastic; there was a welcome talk from the head of finance and a few senior leaders. After this, the Sky graduate recruiters spoke about the application process for the graduate scheme, highlighting common places where applicants slip up. It really put into perspective the subtle, yet very effective ways to make a much stronger application, not just for Sky but for any application you may make. There was even a talk from CIMA (the global professional qualification you complete whilst on the Sky Finance programme). It wasn’t all talks, there was a Q&A session with the current graduates and even a chance to network with them over lunch. This was my favourite part of the day as it is where I gained the most valuable information and on top of that there was free lunch.

The day concluded with a tour of Sky and then a team challenge which provided an insight into working life at Sky. I found the team challenge particularly beneficial as it is a task that is commonly asked at assessment centres. The only down side was that I didn’t meet anyone famous but there is always next time I suppose.

Toms Experience at Explore Sky Finance Insight Day

I applied to “Explore Sky: A finance insight day” after receiving an appealing email from Target Jobs. I have always been interested in finance, but wanted to see if that really was where my passions were. Being a Sky customer I had a decent idea of the sort of work Sky does, but still had so many questions! After an efficient application process, I was invited to attend the day alongside 50 fellow applicants.

Before the event, both Sky and Target Jobs were extremely helpful, providing me with detailed information about what the day would entail, and also offering to answer any questions I had! Arriving at the Sky campus in Osterley was stunning, almost like turning up at university for the first time!

The day itself started with talks from Target Jobs, Head of Finance at Sky, members of the Sky Starting Out team, and current Sky Graduates who all spoke about their jobs. They all provided valuable information on a range of topics such as Sky Behaviours, the application process, and qualifications earned whilst working at Sky. It really gave me the information needed to make future career decisions. Being in such a fast-paced industry, it was interesting to find out about the importance of Sky’s constant innovation.

Having the opportunity to speak to Sky’s current graduates over a (free!) lunch, we were able to find out the in’s and out’s from employees just starting out in their Sky career. They gave us honest opinions about their experiences at Sky, which really confirmed that I want to build a career at Sky Finance!

A CIMA representative explained to use all about the CIMA qualification you obtain whilst working for Sky. Again, it was fantastic to hear about all the career benefits of gaining a highly respected qualification.

We then had the opportunity to showcase our skills to Serena (Sky Finance) and Amandeep (Sky Starting Out) via a team challenge. This 30-minute exercise involved planning a completely new product for Sky to launch! Despite common themes occurring between the groups, each group had their unique take on what areas Sky should be heading in. Each group presented their idea to both the judges and the other participants, and were then asked on the spot questions. Presenting in front of experts and having the chance to answer questions from them has really improved my business confidence!

The Sky campus itself was simply outstanding. We were fortunate enough to have a tour around a place with fantastic facilities, including filming studios, a gym, and even some rare trees!

I would recommend this event for anyone remotely interested in a finance career for several reasons. Firstly, and probably most importantly, it gives you such an informative, enjoyable and interesting insight into what Sky is all about, in a much different way to usual careers events! Secondly, you will have the chance to meet a wide range of people – from peers in a similar situation to yourself, right up to the Head of Finance at Sky! Lastly, if nothing else, you will have an extremely fun day! I cannot recommend the day enough!

If you attend the day, I would advise throwing yourself into anything and everything in order to optimise your day! Everyone there is in the same situation so don’t be afraid to ask questions, get involved in tasks, and be proactive in your approach!

I would like to thank both Sky and Target Jobs for hosting such a fantastic day, allowing everybody to get exactly what they were looking for out of the event! Due to the event, I now intend on applying for the Finance Graduate Scheme.