Sarah Scholes-Lawrence's Graduate Story

What did you study at Manchester Met and why?

“I studied BSc Product Design and Technology. Before I chose to go to University, I was on the fence about whether to go and what I would study if I went through the process. There were areas I was interested in but wasn’t sure what I would study full time and it already felt like everyone had their life planned out and a specific career path which I found a tad unnerving.

After looking at different Universities, it will sound cheesy, but it never felt right till I looked around MMU. The level of detail in the Department of Engineering and the variety of topics that were covered in the course as opposed to other Universities, was just fantastic.  I was also a big fan of the class sizes, especially as someone who wants to fully engage with my lecturers and get the most out of the course.”

Did you enjoy your time at Manchester Met? What was your favourite part of your experience?

“I did enjoy my time at Manchester Met. Are there some things I would do differently If I went back and did the whole thing again? Sure, but hindsight is a wonderful thing. I enjoyed the range of clubs and societies that were available, and all the volunteering opportunities I was able to get involved in – such as helping at open days and speaking to school groups.”

What journey did you take whilst looking for a job once finishing University?

“So, this one is a strange journey but an important one. In my second year of university (2019), I entered a competition for Female Undergraduate of the year sponsored by Rolls-Royce, In the end, I came in the top 10 in the country. This opportunity was fantastic and allowed me to land a summer internship at their Derby Civil Aerospace Centre, where a lot of my work was around the quality and tolerancing of parts.  While I was there, I ended up finding new ways to complete long processes. This sparked my interest in process improvement.

Going into my third year and final year at university, there had been talk of graduate scheme progressions for interns that impressed the company, so I was beyond thrilled when one day in March I got the call to say that Rolls-Royce wanted to offer me a graduate scheme starting September of that year. I got a mortgage with my partner on a house near the site in Derby. Then the Covid-19 Pandemic hit – and the graduate scheme was cancelled.

So, I was down a job, with a house but now unemployed – as you can imagine, I was panicking! I spent every day for about 2 months applying to about 5 jobs a day and being very careful with money. It’s not all doom and gloom, this is where it starts getting better: I got a job at a Sock gift company. From there, I managed to land a job working at Unipart Logistics for Waterstones in Operational Excellence. This was a fantastic job using data and information to streamline processes and improve logistics throughout the warehouse. After that I worked for the NHS in Business Intelligence for the Emergency Department, and now I’m working at Chester Zoo, where I’ve been since July 2023.”

What is it like working in your field?

“My field is a strange one, it’s hard to define, as it has such a variety of aspects. That is something I love about process improvement, as you can tailor it to what you want to do and what you are good at. Something to always bear in mind is people can be resistant to change but that doesn’t mean you should stop trying. Innovative people are needed, though you will likely run into a lot of “naysayers”. But always keep going, as if no one tries, nothing changes.”

What does your day-to-day life look like at work?

“My day-to-day is very varied, as my role is quite siloed. I have a reporting partner who I sometimes need to work with, but my role tends to be quite independent. I don’t have any regular tasks as it’s my job to stop the regular tasks from needing to be done. My time is predominately spent finding processes, learning about them and the people doing them, and then working with them to help create a solution that works for everyone. I have recently been asked to pick up being the lead for sustainability reporting, which is very cool and a big opportunity.”

What skills or experience did you learn at Manchester Met that are key to your work life?

“I learned a lot of good skills at Manchester Met and have found that more often than not the softer skills are the ones that are transferable. The technical ones are fantastic if you have the opportunity to use them.  I also know people may have mixed views of group projects – but they can be really beneficial in terms of developing abilities such as negotiation, leadership and organisation. Everything that will be needed in work.

I also developed key skills from my sessions where I was doing magazine or video interviews for the university. These gave me structured opportunities to learn the best way to get my point across and significantly helped with my public speaking.”

Do you think you could have done anything differently during your course which could have better prepared you for working life after graduation?

“I definitely started applying for jobs at the right time. If you are wanting a summer internship, start looking halfway through your first year. This will help you find companies you want to try for as typically you will get your summer internship during your second year. They will tend to open places from September to December. When it comes to Graduate schemes, they will tend to open around November to February, but always keep an eye on the company’s page and try to join a mailing list.

Whilst at university take every random opportunity that comes your way, it is always worth trying something, and you never know where it may lead. There are always opportunities and lots of support from the Careers Service if you are ever feeling a bit lost or daunted by your future prospects.”

If you could give one piece of advice for those starting their career journey, what would you say?

“I would say, graduate schemes, if you can get on them, are fantastic, but something you definitely need to know is the world will not end if you don’t get one. Make sure you take time to enjoy life as well. There are so many wonderful opportunities and brilliant people who took their time or didn’t manage to get into their dream career right away. You can get experience anywhere no job is a bad job if you can get experience from it.

If you are struggling to get a job, always consider checking your CV or cover letter with others. Sometimes it is a very weird thing where you need to write in a certain way, or you haven’t evidenced things clearly enough, it’s not always you specifically. Also, at interviews everyone will tell you to be yourself, please do. If you create a persona, you will drive yourself mad trying to keep it up. If it is meant to be, it will be. Remember the interview is not just for them to decide if you are right for the job, it’s for you to decide if you want to work for them.”