Sarah Shillingford Graduate Recruitment Partner, Deloitte.
interviewed. Sarah used her time
to have fun, and she made no
attempt to hide the fact that she did
many of the things that students
at university do. Interestingly,
as she made the point, one got
the distinct impression that she
could still visualise some of her
misdemeanors to this day. Of
course, she never told us what
they were. She did however,
tell us that she joined societies,
became a committee member,
organised events, and genuinely
got a lot out of doing so. It
wasn’t something she was doing
to mindlessly put on her CV.
In fact, Sarah made the point
that interviewers can spot those
applicants who tell white lies,
or those that did things without
any conviction or enthusiasm,
needless to say these individuals
are rooted out quickly. “You can
always spot someone who joined
a society simply because they
thought it’d come across well,
and not because they genuinely
school teacher, but something Sarah is bright, well balanced
enjoy working for them; those
about her made it clear that she and determined. These aptitudes
who enjoy what they do will
was a person carrying the weights are there to be seen by anyone
no doubt learn a lot more, and
of responsibility and know-how, sensitive enough to take note,
we’re looking for people who
and when it came to talking about but there was more to her. Sarah
have learnt something useful. All
graduates, she articulated her spoke lucidly about her time at
societies will teach you that, you
views without much hesitation, university. How did she spend her
just need to be willing to learn
from what appeared like years of days at university, and was there
the skills, not the reputation,” she
experience. anything she did beyond getting
says.
a degree that may have given
The Uni Years her an extra edge in becoming as
Another point she alluded too,
Sarah is no Oxbridge buff, having successful as she has done? The
which is deemed important for
studied Maths and Economics at answer is maybe.
a graduate to possess is a certain
Bristol instead. It became bluntly
amount of independence. In
obvious within moments that she She was an active student, just
asking about her university days,
had a warm persona, something like so many other Directors,
she makes it clear that moving
which can be rather disarming. and Corporate leaders we’ve
away from home was something
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