Re-imagining what's possible: our graduates impact (with Capgemini and Capgemini Invent)

In this episode of Future You, four graduates join the podcast to help us explore exciting career opportunities in technology consultancy with Capgemini and Capgemini Invent

Participants

In order of first appearance:

• Dan Mason - editorial manager, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ»ÆƬ
• Ffion Williams - business analyst, Capgemini
• Rhui Shah - consultant, Capgemini Invent
• Safia Awil - associate consultant, Capgemini Invent
• Zaynob Sumon - dev ops engineer, Capgemini

Transcript

Dan Mason: Are you ambitious for a career at the forefront of business and technology with the opportunity to shape your own future and contribute to society? Find out about early careers at Capgemini in this episode of Future You.

Dan Mason: Hello, and welcome to Future You the podcast from graduate careers experts Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ»ÆƬ, we're here to help you achieve your career goals. My name is Dan Mason and in this episode, we're going to hear from four graduates who have started their early careers in tech consultancy at Capgemini and Capgemini Invent. They're going to talk about the application process, the skills they learned in the first 90 days on the job, the culture of the organisation, and advice for you if you're thinking of applying. And yes, before you ask, we are also going to find out the difference between the Capgemini and Capgemini Invent graduate schemes. You can subscribe to Future You in your podcast app, and head to prospects.ac.uk to search for graduate jobs, including at Capgemini. But let's get straight to it. There's a lot to get through. So here are Ffion, Ruhi, Safia and Zaynob to tell you all about it.

Ffion Williams: Hi, my name is Ffion. I'm a business analyst and I work for Capgemini.

Ruhi Shah: Hi, I'm Ruhi. I'm a consultant at Capgemini Invent.

Safia Awil: Hi everyone. My name is Safia, and I'm an associate consultant at Capgemini Invent.

Zaynob Sumon: Hello everyone. My name is Zaynob. I am a dev ops engineer at Capgemini.

Dan Mason: Fantastic. Well, thank you so much for joining us, all of you. Perhaps the thing that everyone noticed as you introduced yourselves is that two of you said you were from Capgemini, two of you said you were from Capgemini Invent. Could you talk a little bit, perhaps one of you from each about what the differences are between Capgemini and Capgemini Invent when it comes to early careers?

Speaker: I guess I can go first and share my Capgemini Invent experience.

Dan Mason: Perfect.

Speaker: So, well before I start, just bear in mind that I did join Capgemini Invent nearly two years ago. So the first few months.

Dan Mason: I think that's still counts as early careers.

Speaker: Yeah, the first few months of my journey now just seem like a distant memory. But the main sort of thing in terms of like Capgemini Invent is that we have this accelerate program, which is a 21 month program. And during that we have a bit of like an institute for the first three months where it's really good for someone that's coming straight from uni, because when I joined, I was straight from uni. And the institute was basically that safe space where I could learn a bit more about consulting a bit more about some of the corporate language as well, without sort of feeling like people are going to judge me or if I make a mistake, it's going to sort of stay on my record forever. And it was sort of a learning experience because you get to meet other people in your cohort as well and you sort of have that time where you're working with others, you're learning and at the same time, you're learning a bit more about the company as well, because you get to meet members that are outside of your team. Because you work with them on like internal projects or bids or stuff. So you get to build your network while being in a safe space. And then you sort of then after you've graduated from the institute, you move into the academy, which is where you're then sort of looked after a bit more by your specific business area. But with all of that, you know, you still have the constant support from the graduate community, you still have your cohort that you can reach out to. And during the whole graduate program L&D is a big part. So you know, you're able to explore different areas, you're able to do different courses and trainings. And that, for me, was something that really stood out as well during my grad journey.

Dan Mason: That's great. Thanks. Thanks very much for that. Does one of you, perhaps Ffion or Zaynob want to come in from the Capgemini side?

Speaker: Yeah, so I can share my experience from the Capgemini side and I would probably say so in the first few months of joining Capgemini. We initially have the onboarding in the first week, it's quite high intensive, a really good introduction into consulting how to communicate with stakeholders. And then as a business analyst, I think it's quite specific to be in a BA, and I had a two month academy, where it was a mixture between shadowing, and online learning, self learning, and some also external courses that we did with some external companies. During those two months in the academy, that was really the foundation to my start at Capgemini, it gave me it gave me a really good chance to meet new people in the BA space specifically, and learn lots of skills to do with business analysis, and also understand the structure of Capgemini that I'd be working with, on from those two months, I would say that you are integrated into the business quite fluidly. And the difference with being a graduate is that you have an additional support network of the graduate community who is a group of people or graduates led by a senior member of staff, who then gives you additional support and opportunities throughout your time as a graduate. And that adds an additional support and encouragement to progress your career quite rapidly. But apart from the graduate community, you are integrated quite nicely into the company, you get given quite a lot of responsibility. And it's quite nice because you don't feel like you're under qualified or you don't know what's going on, you've got that additional support if you need it. But essentially, you are a Capgemini employee working the same as everybody else, and you really make a contribution to the work that we do with our clients.

Dan Mason: Brilliant. Yeah, that's, that's a really good introduction. Is there anything anyone wants to add to that to the sort of introductory piece there?

Speaker: I think what I would like to add just on your question, that the beginning kind of the difference, I'd say from what I've noticed is that Capgemini Invent kind of deals with a lot more new, inclusive, interactive technology, that also I think the whole idea behind Capgemini Invent from Capgemini was so they could bring in more smaller companies. So for example, Capgemini might do a lot with bigger company, or a lot other more established company, but I think Invent, you can bring in a smaller company with more interactive technology. But it's kind of more consultancies side of Capgemini. I think for graduates that are looking into coming in just looking at like the different type of roles so you can get between Capgemini Invent and Capgemini even though we're all kind of like a big company, one that is slightly different and different prospects of work that you do. I know that for example Capgemini Invent they're doing a lot with the future of shopping and interactive shopping, they have done a pop up stand in central London, which is quite cool, where you can kind of go in and shop it wouldn't be now interact away with technology. So that's a lot of the things that they do with their Invent.

Dan Mason: Okay, that's, I think that gives us a quick background. Let's step back a little bit and talk about the application process that you all went through. Who wants to give us maybe a standout moment from that application process, it could be maybe it's a particularly stressful or challenging moment or a moment that where you really thought this was, you know, the right job for you. Who wants to come in on that?

Speaker: I can go first. So initially, I was quite interested in applying to Capgemini Invent as I knew one of the colleagues who currently work here and they couldn't recommend it highly enough. But one of the standout moments for me was actually attending a virtual in those days insight event. And what I found really interesting was there was a mixture of senior leadership as well as grads presenting and sharing about their journeys and internal networks within Capgemini Invent as well. And what I took away from that insight event, was not obviously like, a really interesting journey ahead of me, but it was full cycle it didn't just include the work but also some of the inclusion network some of the things that current grads had set up. And for me that that kind of stood out to me, rather than persuading me on the role, it kind of persuaded me on the company as a whole. So that was one thing that really stood out to me.

Dan Mason: Interesting. Yeah, anyone else got a particular moment they want to talk about.

Speaker: And for me, as well, it was that virtual assessment center, the I was applying for Capgemini. And the mine was also virtual. And we had about six people in our assessment center, it was really organised and run really well. But what stood out to me was the variety of activities that we were asked to do, it really helped me showcase my understanding and ability in lots of different ways. And it wasn't all about you what you knew, Capgemini aren't really looking for what you know in that moment. It's more about how you apply your skills that you already have, and how eager you are to develop those skills and develop new skills. And I think you were really given the opportunity to show that during the activities in the assessment center. And again, I saw graduates, I saw people that manage me now, it wasn't people, sometimes you see in interviews or assessment centres, you know, people high up in a company or people from HR, and you never see them ever again. But the people that interviewed me and my assessment center, I interact with them regularly, I still have contact with a lot of them. And that was something that was really nice to see that continuity from the really early stages of recruitment, right into, you know, everyday working life.

Dan Mason: It's very much about identifying potential rather than sort of testing you on current knowledge, as you say.

Speaker: Exactly. Capgemini have values, and it's probably one of the most important things in everyday working life, you know, if you hold if you have those values, if you show an eagerness to learn. to develop, to you know, contribute to what Capgemini are trying to achieve with their clients, and also for the community. And that's something that they really value. And that's what they were looking for, really, throughout that recruitment process. So yeah, it's not all about your ability at the time, because at the end of the day, we're straight out of university, we're still young, we still got a lot of learning potential. And it's potential mixed with your eagerness and willingness to learn that, you know, that's what Capgemini looked for. And that's what they really value.

Dan Mason: Fantastic. And sticking with the application process. What did you guys learn through that process? Was there things that maybe surprised you or, you know, things that you weren't expecting, or that you developed an understanding through the application process itself?

Speaker: I think for me, one of the things that surprised me in a way was, how calm the whole thing was, like the interview the group activity that we had during the assessment center. Like, obviously everyone was sort of nervous and stuff but like the assessors, the way they sort of tried to keep us calm the way they sort of, you know, had conversations with us during the interview where it was like, you know, they weren't constantly making notes, like we could see them looking at us and talking to us. And were sort of interested in us as people rather than us as what value or how are we going to, you know, increase the business in a way.

Dan Mason: Does anyone else have any thoughts on the application process before we before we move on?

Speaker: Yeah, I think for me, something that I found really interesting was the feedback that we that we receive every stage. And I think, not only did it prelude to the importance of feedback at Capgemini both, I think, as part of your grad journey, but also wider. I think there's so many times where, for example, I've been through application processes. I mean, it's just like I'm talking about to a void, like, I don't know if there's anyone behind and actually screening. But at every stage, there was feedback on how I performed, and I really appreciated that, especially at the assessment center. Hearing, the things that I did well, and the things that I could improve on in the future.

Dan Mason: Yeah, that feedback is so important isn’t it and so often lacking from grad job applications as well.

Speaker: I think I would also like to add, like, I've come from a legal background, so I did law at uni, so I think it was definitely I think I thought as well, like doing an assessment center for a tech consultancy company was going to be on another level, like difficult because they're going to ask me all the technical question. And they're gonna expect me to learn 10 different languages and have done x amount of projects. I was just like, kind of over my head, like, what am I doing? I just don't know now I want to work in a tech consultancy. But I would say like some of my teammates already mentioned, it was so collaborative, and it's about your potential, and kind of like, what are your interests? And what, where can you be like, they don't, they're not here to kind of take experienced workers because they could just hire for experience. But they kind of want to listen to you and hear your stories and hear what you've done. Like in my assessments and tests, I spoke about how I worked as a receptionist at a nursery. So it was definitely more very collaborative, and he could really see the potential. So I would say definitely, one of the things that stood out to me was, how interactive it was, and how they're really trying to learn about you. And we're really trying to, like get the best out of you.

Speaker: And it's also a two way conversation. It's not just about, you know, what Capgemini can get out of their employees. And you know, it's more about are you a right fit, is Capgemini going to offer you as a graduate, what you want for your career. And that's something that I really, you know, that really surprised me. And that's really why I joined because obviously, so early on in your career you do want to progress and you do want to, you know see a future for yourself. And it's not just about what you can offer Capgemini it's also what Capgemini offers you and does that fit with what you want for your future as well. And that's really nice.

Dan Mason: Sounds like a really positive process. And of course, it was positive for all of you because it was a successful application. So let's move on now to those first 90 days you've started in the job can you identify any skills that you particularly learn in those first 90 days?

Speaker: Yeah, like I said, I there was a business analyst academy for all of the BAs that joined my cohort. In the first week of joining, we did an internal course, called collaborating with clients. It's notoriously known as quite a high intensive course. And I think it's three days long and you spend the full three days working with all of the cohort that for the whole over the whole of Capgemini, not just your market unit. And you basically replicate kind of what a client presentation would be like over three days. So you try and gather requirements, you try and implement some sort of solution and then you try and price it up to meet their needs and things like that. And then you present it back to we did to some people over in France I think internal Capgemini employees over in France. And it was really, it was really fun. It was really fun three days, but it was really intense. Especially because I'd never really been in, you know, that consulting environment before so that was a steep learning curve. And actually, that's something that you can do multiple times in your career at Capgemini. It's not something that you just do in the first three days. So maybe in a couple of years, when I've got a little bit more experience, I'll go back to that internal course and hopefully you know, bring some new things to the table. But yeah, so that was the first three days really quite high intensive. And then I went on then to do two months of business analyst academy. So I did courses such as high impact communication that was an external course, where I learned how to present and, you know, speak in front of people. I also did some online courses to do with more techy things like the cloud, AWS, some, you know, some iterative integration all about agile, and business analysts techniques. And then also I started a diploma. So that's the foundation business analyst diploma that I've still got just one module to do left now. I started it in my academy 18 months ago, and then I'll just do this one exam, and then I'll have completed that. So it gets you on the road to completing more qualifications. And so yeah, it was my first 90 days were very, very intense on the learning side of things. But it's really quite good because it again, it gives you a safe space to get things wrong. You also do a lot of networking, I met so many people again that I still keep in touch with now. I was also given a buddy, which was a graduate that started, I think six months before me and again, I still speak to her now we're really quite good friends we've met outside of work. And that's somebody that you can go to to ask all you really silly questions, you know, like, or if you're feeling down one day, and you want somebody friendly to speak to. So they have that buddy initiative, where you get given a graduate when you first join. And if yeah, if there's things that it's not particularly work related, or you don't know who to ask, go to buddy, and then they can guide you in the right direction. So yeah, steep learning curve in the first  90 days, but it sets you up nicely for the rest of your time.

Dan Mason: Brilliant, it certainly sounds intense is that everyone else's experience as well?

Speaker: So at Capgemini Invent it is a little bit different. So we, as graduates when we join, we have three weeks of induction. And those induction sessions are quite collaborative, you're working with members with your own cohort, preparing presentations and case studies. And but there's also lots of learning to do. And so you learn a lot about the business

itself, and different roles are available after induction. And then after induction, there's a three, three months, kind of there's no other way to say it was safe space, it's called the institute. And what you do is you come in, and you're given internal assignments that kind of mimic the skills that you would need for client delivery and being like in a billable role, but it's within that safe space. So you're getting lots and lots of feedback. So for example, people, other members of the business will come and submit assignments. And as an institutee, your role is to figure out the requirements and deliver that work to them in the form of a presentation. And every stage of that you do get feedback both from your client, quote, unquote, but also from your institute coach who works alongside you. And so by the end of the three months, because you've kind of delivered a number of institute assignments, when it gets to being put in front of a client, you've practiced those skills in a safe space, you've got the feedback, you've got the areas of improvement that you've worked on, and so it doesn't seem as daunting. So that is a bit of a difference compared to what was just said.

Dan Mason: That's a really good overview. Before we move on, anyone want to add anything else to the to that that sort of first 90 days experience?

Speaker: I think, just to add to what Safia was saying, in terms of, you know, the clients that you work with during the institute, so you work with people across Capgemini Invent so you know, it's not just people that are specifically in like, the business area that you will be going into. So I've worked with people from across, you know, business technology, and intelligent. Well, I forgot the name I know, a bit so you sort of like work with people across Invent. And with the institute sort of just having new cohorts and grads, everyone sort of waiting for graduates to come in for like ideas and a fresh pair of eyes with things. So, you know, you get to work on some really cool projects as part of the institute as well that sometimes you kind of wouldn't know off if you weren't in the institute. So yeah.

Dan Mason: Okay, let's broaden it out now to talk about the wider culture of the organisation, because it's something that we know new graduates are more and more interested in hearing about before they apply to jobs. What would any of you identify as the key words or your top words that would describe the culture at Capgemini?

Speaker: I think three words I would use would be welcoming, inclusive and fun. And I think with fun, I remember reading before I applied that fun is a value. And I was just thinking this last probably the only place that I've heard describing themselves as being fun. But I can confirm it is a case and it is as rewarding as it is to work it is fun and you get to interact with lots of different people, lots of different personality types. And yeah, it's just been a lovely experience so far.

Dan Mason: Could you could just expand a bit more on that actually on the word fun. What do you mean by that? Is it sort of organised fun in the sense that there's lots of, you know, organised social things alongside your work? Or is it that the work itself is made fun? Or what do you mean?

Speaker: So, I think there are so many different opportunities for social. So you are given that option, there are company wide ones, there’s one's within your team. And there is always the importance of ensuring that they are inclusive as well. And I think also from like, speaking of some of my previous experiences, some of the work that I've actually done, has been quite fun as well. And I think also, it's not the nature of the work, but also the team, the teammates that I have. Everyone brings in their own perspective into work. And sometimes when we're thinking about new ideas of work that we can deliver, there is later obviously, we do assess it for feasibility, but at the beginning, you know, we're encouraged to come up with these wacky ideas that, yeah, quite fun to come up with, to be honest. But there's also initiatives at Capgemini Invent such as the personal enrichment fund, and what that is, is around, like 250, I believe, where you are encouraged to, like personally enrich yourself and develop your skills. And a lot of the times people have come up with quite interesting ways to use that. So for example, I've heard of someone doing like, a stand up class, and then they delivered stand up comedy in front of their colleagues. So yeah, so I think you are encouraged to bring your entire self to work. And that is one of the best ways and I think that it makes it fun.

Dan Mason: Fantastic. Anyone else got any other words to throw in?

Speaker: I'd probably say diverse and supportive. So sort of coming in, you know, the first step like in the cohort as what you meet people with different backgrounds with different experience. And then, you know, that just sort of makes you feel very welcomed in itself as well, like Safia said, and then supportive, because, well, you know, it's all about growth. It's all about L&D. It's all about your personal development whilst you're on the grand scheme, and also after that, as well. And you're able to sort of not only grow in terms of work, but also things that you want to experience do outside as well, like Safia mentioned about the personal enrichment fund. So all of that sort of comes into this supportive category for me.

And yeah, I sort of describe it as diverse and supportive as well as all the other words that Safia has mentioned.

Dan Mason: Yeah. Okay. Well, so that's, that's the culture of the organization. Another thing that new graduates in their early careers, are exposed to joining a big organisation like this can be can be some of the corporate language, the corporate buzzwords, that gets thrown around have you guys got any favorites of those that have the jargon that maybe people outside the business might not understand or that kind of thing?

Speaker: Two of my favorite ones are Spock, which is special point of contact. And another one is power up, which is planning the page. And I just like power up, because kind of sounds like a side effect, to be honest.

Speaker: I think for me was probably like, just basic ones, like AL. And also like, whoa, what's AL? Or just seeing someone go oh, I'm gonna be Tripler. I'm like sorry, what? Took me a while to understand them and like, annual leave or out of office. And now that often, I have like, friends that also asked me wait, what do you mean?

Dan Mason: Yeah, these kinds of office based acronyms that you sort of assume people know. Brilliant okay. Let's talk now about something that you've actually touched on earlier when we were talking about the culture. I think inclusive and diverse were mentioned as some of those words. Tell me a bit about the inclusion networks at Capgemini and what they involve?

Speaker: And like I said before, we have a graduate, one graduate community, and that I get involved with quite a lot and quite enjoy. You know, chatting with people in the graduate community. I'm also aware of women at Capgemini. There's a network for women, and they do and there's also there's an LGBTQ one definitely. And then we have one's round your professions as well. So we've got a business analyst community, there's also engagement management community and things like that. And these groups of people they do, they have talks, and they do events and things like that, that aren't just so for women at Capgemini for example, they hold talks to bring awareness to, you know, women in tech and the work, the positive impacts that women in tech could have. And it's not just for women at Capgemini, anybody is invited, anybody can come along to learn about, you know, women in tech or underrepresented people in the business. There was also an initiative at Capgemini not that long ago actually to encourage new mothers who had been out of work for two years or more, to get back into their careers, join Capgemini and come back into the business. So Capgemini really do try to recognise everybody that works for them, and try to support them in any way that they can, whether that's through, you know, creating groups with volunteers, to support or to push an initiative to themselves. There's loads more, but they're the only ones that I'm really too aware of.

Speaker: Yeah, I can jump in here. So some of the networks that Ffion mentioned are Capgemini wide. So like the women at Capgemini, the race inequality network out front as well, those are all Capgemini level inclusion networks. And so anyone can join and it's open to members from Invent. And one of the things that I've actually found to be quite welcoming and inclusive about Capgemini is if you, for example, there is a network, you might not, you feel the need for a network that represents you, you're very, very welcome to set that up and get it running. And there's always support from every level. So for example, recently, within the last sixish months, there's been a new network launched called Black women at Capgemini. And so they have been organising events, just making it so that people, there's a safe space for black women to talk about their careers, but themselves and some issues that we face as well. And also, there are other inclusion networks, such as capability, which is to do with is for disability and carers. And so one of the really cool initiatives that they ran before, when I joined is something called reverse mentoring. And so you're paired up with someone who is more senior in the business, but they're the mentee, and you're the mentor on disability. So that was really interesting, and something unique that I thought Capgemini does. But yeah, again, even if, for example, there is you know  you don't you want to set up a new network, that's absolutely fine. And there, there have been quite a few action in the past couple of months.

Speaker: Yeah, and then I would sort of I just wanted to add on that as well. Like everyone said, there are quite a few and whichever one you are suited to you can join. And as you mentioned, the black woman at Capgemini they are currently doing a kind of like a meeting. So we meet each other and you kind of go through like a see like you meet one person and you talk about them and you share out and then that person writes a little bit about the next person so that way you can get to meet everyone. So they actually do event as well. And we host events in the office as well. So everyone gets to meet. I was also a Muslims at Capgemini as well. And we actually just celebrated the first of Feb for the word hijab day. So there's definitely quite a few and I think it's just like whichever one you feel more comfortable with or like, you can just join as many as you want. Like I've joined loads and just see kind of like what's going on around Capgemini.

Dan Mason: Fantastic. Let's move on. I want to talk finally, thinking about potential new applicants who might be listening to this and having heard all of the positive things you've had to say about Capgemini and Capgemini Invent. What advice do you have for someone who is thinking of doing that as applying what would be what would be your key key tips, shall we say?

Speaker: For anybody wanting to join Capgemini well, for either Capgemini or Capgemini, Invent, I would say number one, look at Capgemini’s values 100%, you know, every single employee lives their day to day by these values, whether that's outwardly or, you know, underlying that it doesn't have to be expressed every single day, you know, we've got great team spirit, but everything that we do is our values are incorporated in them. So really, really learn those. The second thing I would say is, identify what you want, you know, write down a list of everything that you want from your career, where you want to be where you want to how you want to get there. And, you know, be open to some sort of change on that or adaptation. But write down what you want, and see if you know what Capgemini offers, can, can fulfill that. And the third thing I would say is don't worry about your capabilities now, always be open to learn new things. Nobody knows everything. And, you know, ask questions, talk to people. You know, we work as a team at Capgemini. It's not about what one person can do. It's what it's about what we can deliver, as a company, as a team to our client. So, you know, always be willing to grow and adapt and learn. And yeah, don't really worry about what capabilities you've got now but just think of your, you know, potential and where you want to go.

Speaker: I think one thing that I would like to add, I know, I've mentioned that before, as well, I didn't come from a tech background, I didn't do a STEM degree I didn't do anything kind of like I just didn't use to like STEM subjects a lot. And I would say I would I kind of came to the tech space a bit later. But there was always a lot of interest in me on like, in tech, and just new tech gadgets. And I'll be interested in like, oh, what's new in the market, what they do now. So I think don't be afraid to apply, you know, you're not really going to lose anything, if you apply. And even if you get rejected, you haven't lost anything you might have some time might have gone by, but you've learned from there, you've learned from this application, and now you can, you know, use it elsewhere in another application again, so don't be afraid at speak to a lot of people that are interested in technical are moving from another field to another. And they think, oh, you know, I don't know, x amount of coding languages, or I don't you know that from experience, I would say try or do research, have a look at the company and still go for it. They are not looking for years of experience, especially if you're applying for a graduate role, or even an apprenticeship role that you can even apply for. So I would say definitely try give it a go as long as you have that interest in tech, then they will definitely be able to see a potential and potential kind of like manifesting grow and build you. So yeah, I would definitely say don't be afraid to still apply. Have a look into it. And yeah.

Dan Mason: Yeah, so important, isn't it to say that about you don't have to have come from a formal tech STEM background?

Speaker: Yeah, yes. It's quite, I think it's just to do with the tech field. Sometimes you think, you know, you have to be a genius, especially being maybe a software engineer. I think if you tell people like I'm a software engineer, you need to know maths you’re probably like a genius, etc. But really, a lot of the things I do day to day is just Googling and kind of like trying to figure out what happens, like what's going on there. How do I fix this? I'm just like problem solving really.

Speaker: I think definitely what they mentioned, like just to reiterate, you do not have to be from a STEM background. You don't have to have like a computer science degree or anything like that. And I think the more different, actually, the better because you've got a different way of thinking compared to everyone else. And that's what and a different way of problem solving. And sometimes, you know, that's what is needed. And I think specifically to applications. Don't underestimate the value of giving examples in your application. Even if you might not think for example, oh, I don't have that relevant experience. Draw from your experience, you know, working in retail or if you've volunteered or anything like that, because I'm certain there are transferable skills that you can put in your application. And it just goes to show that you have a history of demonstrating those skills and you just need to now apply them in a different context. And I think, definitely, also reach out to people online who, on LinkedIn, for example, who have the role that you are you're applying for, if you have any specific questions about their experience, or if you're on the fence, or you just want to hear more, reach out, like, definitely, that's something that I do not regret doing when I was applying, and you just hear firstly, it's just a way to actually understand about the company and about the role from someone who's living it day to day. But you also can ask questions that you might not feel comfortable asking, for example, in front of everyone assessment center. So I would say definitely reach out to people on LinkedIn, and I think definitely do research as well. So like we mentioned earlier today, there are differences between Capgemini and Capgemini Invent and knowing which one, which graduate scheme you're applying to just make sure you know, the differences because that is something that you will be asked. And yeah, I think that’s everything from me.

Speaker: I think just one thing that I'd like to add on everything else that everyone has said is we also like, I know Capgemini Invent did like insight days as well. So, you know, those are really good for people to sort of understand the support that we provide into and the graduate program, what sort of work that we do, you know, you get to hear a bit around people's experience, as well. And then we've also started doing like the hybrid ones. So you can sort of come into the office as well. So one, you get to see the place, you get to also meet some of the grads in person, you get to meet some of the leadership team as well. And that interaction as well can give you a bit of an idea of, you know, one if this if you want to apply two if you have any questions, you can, you know, just ask them there and then and you can start building your network there as well even before you are in the company, so that if you do when you do start, you already know a few people that you can reach out to.

So I think that is also one way that you could approach this, which is insight days because they do help graduates understand what the what the excellent program is, and what Capgemini Invent is as well. So definitely have a look at those.

Dan Mason: Excellent. And that's loads of great advice for new graduates potential applicants. We'll leave it there. I just want to finish by saying thank you all so much for your time today.

All: Thank you, Dan. Thank you.

Dan Mason: Thanks so much to all my guests on this episode Ffion, Ruhi, Safia, and Zaynob. As I said earlier, you can search for graduate jobs at Capgemini by going to prospects.ac.uk. Or visit the Capgemini website. To hear more from Future You find us on Spotify, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts, or prospects.ac.uk/podcasts. You can get in touch with comments, feedback or suggestions. Just email podcast@prospects.ac.uk. That's it for this episode. Thanks very much for listening. And we'll see you soon

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