We’ve recently opened the application process for our Graduate Programmes in Technology, Data Science & Analytics and Assurance, Risk & Compliance, and Finance which start in September 2022. Over the course of their programmes, our new colleagues will have the opportunity to make their mark in an ambitious, rapidly growing and digitally driven business.
Are you looking for a career after university? Maybe you know someone who is? We caught up with members of our previous cohorts, Shenali and Egor, to find out about their experience having joined us as graduates last year.
Meet Shenali – Assistant Accountant
“Hastings Direct is great at what it does and at the heart of everything is the 4Cs culture and the people-focused working environment. The finance graduate programme that I’m proud to be part of provides a clear path for career progression that helps develop your skills and knowledge within key areas of finance such as Tax, Finance Reporting, Financial Accounts, Financial Planning and Analysis, just to name a few. There’s a well-structured process for performance reviews and feedback that encourages continuous improvement and brings out a sense of personal accomplishment for a job well done. The support and guidance I’ve received, including valuable study leave for my ACCA studies, has contributed immensely in my journey towards becoming a qualified accountant.
“It’s the people within Hastings that makes it an enjoyable environment. This, together with the many opportunities presented for career development and progression, go hand-in-hand in making it a great place to work. Hastings also recognises colleagues’ achievements and celebrates success by showing appreciation for hard work and talent.”
Meet Egor – Graduate Data Scientist
“The breadth of work available and the technologies being used were key reasons I applied to join Hastings on the graduate programme. There’s so many departments that utilise data in different ways, so the opportunity to have so much variety in my work really appealed to me. Furthermore, the tech stack was so diverse: DataBricks, Git, SnowFlake, Python, SQL, Azure, AWS were just a few that were mentioned to me. This, again, was a big draw, as it would enable me build up skills in multiple areas which was an essential requirement for me. The recruitment process that followed ran very smoothly, everyone was friendly and I really enjoyed it. Every stage was clear in what I needed to do, and they all had a clear purpose.
“My day normally starts with a quick SCRUM stand-up meeting for my current project to discuss what I did yesterday, what I am going to do tomorrow and any issues preventing me from accomplishing this. The rest of my morning is normally free to work on my current project. Collaboration is really important in our team so we have regular Data Science development meetings, where we present on a small topic in Data Science such as Neural Networks or Natural Language Processing.
“The scope of insurance is so broad that there will be something that interests everyone! Furthermore, insurance is becoming primarily driven by data, so it is a great time to work as Data Analyst or Scientist in this industry. My advice would be to make sure you know why you want to work in Data and what you find interesting about it. Furthermore, try to pick up Python as that’s the universal language of data and is the main thing you need to nail for a career in Data Analytics.”
Join us: Like Shenali and Egor, if you’d like to jump into a career with an agile and fast-paced company after university, find out about our Graduate Programmes in Technology, Data Science & Analytics and Assurance, Risk & Compliance, and Finance.