I started my career as a Graduate Associate in late September 2021 at Informed Solutions - a growing international digital transformation practice.
My journey to Informed began early on in my final year at the University of Bristol. I was half-way through my first term - juggling job applications with my final year project, which is when I came across an advert for a role at Informed Solutions. I initially dismissed the advert, as I had never considered a role in digital, and I felt that it wouldn’t be suitable for someone without a computer science background. However, there was something about the content that made me question my preconceptions.
I had been searching for roles where I could use the technical and problem-solving skills developed through my degree studies, along with the skills I had developed when working with other people, which is exactly what Informed looks for. However, it was the final section of the job description that convinced me to apply: “If you’re the right person for us…then we’ll train you!”. I felt I was the right person. But yes, I didn’t necessarily feel that I had the specific technical skills. So, knowing that I could learn on the job was attractive.
My first in-person get together with Informed happened before I had started. It was at a company-wide celebration - the perfect way to integrate into the company quickly and easily. Having conversations with other graduate starters, more experienced leaders, and people from different service groups really helped me get a good feeling for the company. I started the following week, and it quickly became apparent that I was going to enjoy my time at Informed. It has now been over three months and I haven’t looked back.
There are several highlights of my short time at Informed. The first may sound very clichéd, however it must be the friendships that I have already made. Starting as part of a new graduate cohort means that you are alongside people in the same position as you from day one, so there is a real emphasis on facing challenges and enjoying success as a team. Another highlight is related to my professional development: Through the InformedACADEMY© learning and development framework I have already been given opportunities to further my technical knowledge. Alongside this, I’ve been given the chance to develop soft skills and collaboration through client facing roles on a variety of projects.
With the addition of new skills comes confidence – I’ve already noticed an improvement in my professional skills, and I look forward to developing them further in 2022.
In a slightly unusual way of telling the story of my first few months, I’ve come up with an acrostic:
I – Integration
Joining a new company can be daunting, however Informed’s induction plan alongside help from the People Services team and new colleagues made integration easy. Having already met many of my colleagues ahead of joining gave me added confidence, and a clear and well-though-out work plan made it clear what was expected of me in the first few weeks in my new role.
N – Novel
Informed are always looking to use novel technologies to provide the best and most up-to-date solutions for clients. As a new starter, it has been great to have exposure to these technologies, including the latest cloud innovation from Amazon Web Services (AWS), and I am already becoming more familiar with digital tools and techniques used by more experienced colleagues within the business.
F – Friendly
The great thing about working in a mid-sized company is that the infrastructure is as well if not better defined than in most large organisations, but you get to meet all of the people working through different stages of their career, seeing how they have developed, and gaining an insight into future career paths. A very open and collaborative environment means I can approach anyone at any time for help or guidance.
O – Opportunities
Informed is focused on giving you the tools to develop as a professional, as well as allowing you to explore options outside of your role. There have been lots of opportunities for technical development, through internal InformedACADEMY© sessions as well as external training bootcamps, which have given me much more confidence in the technical aspects of my role. This has been especially useful as I do not come from a Computer Science-related background. The company also has business and social value initiatives, which allow you to explore and learn new skills outside of your day-to-day role, for example the skills outreach initiative with Manchester Digital and The Prince’s Trust, which gives us a great opportunity to teach important digital skills to young people in our Manchester community.
R – Rewarding
Seeing real-world improvements as a result of the work that you have done increases your motivation, especially where we apply social value activities. This adds to everyone’s sense of purpose and makes you excited to start work each day. The work at Informed is exactly this, and I am excited for what is to come.
M – Mentoring
There is a great support network from day one of your employment at Informed. It makes the initial integration period much easier, as you can ask advice from a number of people with different experience ranges: A buddy system sees you set up with someone at a similar stage in their career who helps you integrate and shows you the ropes; a coach helps with progression and development; and a line manager helps with skills development and the day-to-day aspects of your role.
E – Ethical
The people at Informed pride themselves on creating social value through their work. Since starting it has been clear that they take time to identify and pick contracts where they can have a positive impact on society - from improving air quality through the Clean Air Zone project, to helping reduce patient safety incidents within the NHS. It’s great to know that you’re working with people whose values align with your own.
D – Dynamic
No two days have been the same at Informed, which has made the start to my career varied and exciting. This also gives me the chance to gain exposure to many different areas of the development lifecycle, giving me a taste of the different roles and responsibilities involved. Everyone works in a dynamic and collaborative way meaning we can achieve so much in relatively short periods of time, which is great for our clients, our business, and for the local communities where we operate.
Informed is a successful and scaling international consultancy. Our teams are always looking for bright and ambitious talent to join us on our journey. To learn a little more about what we do and the opportunities available please get in touch – we’d love to hear from you at recruitment@informed.com
