Graduate Profiles Detail United Kingdom

As a systems engineer, Diksha is responsible for designing system architectures and integrating the work of engineers from a range of disciplines, including electronic hardware, test systems, software as well as certification authorities to create products that are safe, reliable and efficient. Diksha also liaises closely with clients to understand their requirements at each stage, before deriving solutions to meet these requirements.

As a systems engineer, I get to see the bigger picture. On a project, it can be easy to just work on your own thing, your own piece of code or design. But being a systems engineer enables me to see how the whole system comes together, and to gain an appreciation of why the project is so important. And I like the interaction this brings, talking to so many different engineers and gaining varied perspectives. It really enables me to broaden the way I think.

The opportunity to actually do a systems engineering pathway as part of my course gave me a head start in terms of being able to show direct knowledge and use the right terminology at interview. 

However, what was really great about the course, was the emphasis it placed on working in teams – and it wasn't always the same team. So you had to work with a range of different people, sometimes from different courses, for example on modules like project management or business environment. So there would be a range of people bringing different skills. And that's very similar to what you find working as a systems engineer, because people come with different experiences, they have different sets of knowledge, and you have to work with them, appreciating their expertise and seeing things from their point of view. University really prepared me for that. In fact, when I went for my graduate job interview at GE Aviation, there was an entire interview devoted to teamwork, and I had so many experiences from UWE that I could use for this.

Start early. Research what jobs are out there. You don't need to apply to them straight away, but doing your homework and understanding what these jobs are asking for can give you a sense of where your gaps are, and how to start filling them. And even if you can't fill these gaps, you at least you can let the employer know that you're aware about your development areas and looking for opportunities to work on them rather than going in completely unprepared.

The other thing I would say is leverage the fact that you're an international student. In your job you are more than likely to be working with international teams, with people from different cultures, and you can leverage that you have connected with people in this kind of situation, that you can connect with customers or teammates abroad. Similarly, being an international student is proof that you are resilient and can adapt, for example to a new team in a new job. These are aspects I really found myself talking about a lot at interview, and they were qualities the employer was really interested in.