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Large University of Bradford sign and the Horton Building on campus, on a sunny day.

Sidrah

BSc (Hons) International Business and Management

Sidrah's success

  • Has secured a competitive graduate role at Fujitsu 
  • The role had 9000 applicants for just 90 places 
  • Fujitsu is fast becoming a strategic partner of the University 
An image of University of Bradford student, Sidrah Iqbal.

Can you tell us a bit about the job you've been offered?

I have been offered a position as a Digital Business Consultant Graduate Trainee. I'll get to experience the commercial project side, working with clients and using digital technology such as Oracle Suite, AI and 5G networks to build better solutions. 

I'll also be involved in developing client strategy, deriving insight from data and analytics to optimise a clients business processes and helping clients to utilise technology in new and innovative ways.

The graduate job market is competitive. What do you think made you stand out?

Based on the feedback I received from the recruiter, I would probably pinpoint it to being able to communicate my skills and experiences and link them to the job role and the company's culture well.

I think the University of Bradford careers service helped a lot in this regard. 

They really make it clear what employers are looking for when they ask specific interview questions or give specific tasks. 

Having that knowledge enabled me to clearly demonstrate my skills and experiences during the recruitment process. 

I think the careers service are integral when hunting for graduate jobs. I was required to do a presentation which I hadn't done before; they really helped guide me in the structure, content and delivery, so on the day I wasn't as nervous in front of the recruiters.

How have the skills you have picked up at University helped you to secure this role?

I think the main thing is the team working and analytical skills you pick up whilst you're on the course. The role I have secured at Fujitsu relies heavily on a combination of the two. 

All of the group assessments, presentations and analysing of articles help to develop your strengths in a group setting. It also develops your analytical style and how you go about working on a project or tackling a problem. 

 

I think already having some experience of working in groups during assessments will help me apply the same communication and collaborative skills when working in teams with developers, consultants and clients to produce digital business solutions.

I'm more aware now of my own working style and how to complement it to other people's strengths. 

What advice would you give to students looking to follow in your footsteps?

I think my advice would be to take advantage of the facilities, extracurricular activities and opportunities provided at the the University of Bradford. It's easy to get into a mindset of just continuously studying and achieving the best grades which is great, but employers want to see what you've done outside of the lecture theatre.

I think getting involved in the various societies, programmes and international study trips is what is really going to make you stand out from others and become the most memorable. My advice would be to wholly throw yourself into the university life, both socially and academically. 

Professors make you believe you can achieve any career aspirations and push you to develop yourself personally and professionally. There's something about the atmosphere at the University of Bradford that inspires you and gives you that drive to go out and make a real contribution to society in your field.

Have you done a work placement year during your time in Bradford?

Rather than doing a placement year, I opted for a summer internship in a role as an Information Services Officer. There are a lot of organisational theories, methodologies and frameworks you'll learn on your course, but I don't think you can wholly understand them until you've experienced it in a real corporate setting. During my time there, I think I really developed myself personally and professionally.

I got to work in teams and collaborate across different departments, where I could see different processes and develop my existing knowledge from my course. I also found that I was able to develop my team working skills in a whole new context. There's a different underlying atmosphere between working with fellow students on a project to working in a corporate setting with different colleagues. I think having a hands-on experience of this really helped me to develop my skills in this area. 

What has been your favourite thing about studying at Bradford?

I don't think I can pinpoint one thing. The University of Bradford offers so much to students outside the lecture theatre. 

For me, it's been a combination of the knowledge I've come away with through the course and professors, as well as the amazing people I've met through extra curricular activities such as the Career Booster Programme

I had the opportunity to be part of a study trip to Bahrain where I got to witness business activities in a different cultural and economic setting, pick the brains of prominent chief executives and make friends along the way. 

The staff at the University of Bradford really want to see you succeed both inside and outside the classroom and provide all the support and opportunities you need to do this.