News
Preeta Ghoshal
02.05.2018
Lauren Clark joined our FDM Careers Programme in 2016 and is currently approaching the 2 year mark in her role at HSBC.
Lauren has gone from strength to strength since joining us, including a very well deserved 3rd place in the Rising Star of the Year 2018 awards. She joins us for a Q&A about her experience of the programme and how it has helped prepare her
Lauren, tell us about your placement role and what your day to day looks like
I am a Business Management Analyst within the Change Management Office team which is part of Change Management and Delivery (CM & D).
My role is primarily focused on resourcing – maintaining our master database to manage all resourcing globally across CM&D and for which is used for a number of key reporting purposes.
The role also involves regular communication with senior stakeholders across the wider team. I have also been involved in a number of high importance projects during my time such as arranging the Global CM&D People Conference across 7 locations.
What attracted you to the FDM Careers Programme?
The thing which attracted me to the Programme the most was the training which is included – as a recent graduate I felt that this, along with the industry-recognised qualification – would be beneficial to me, and help kick-start my career.
Before you started at the Academy, did you have any worries about the training (and what would be involved)?
I suppose I was slightly apprehensive, mainly because I didn’t know exactly what to expect. Obviously coming from an accounting background, I knew that there were some modules which would be entirely new to me and so I was a bit worried about that.
And how did you feel about those aspects once you begun your training?
Once I got started on the Programme I soon realized that there was absolutely nothing to worry about! The training given at the Academy is first class and the trainers at the academy are excellent, so I was completely at ease.
What was your favourite thing about the Careers Programme?
There were so many parts that I enjoyed; some of my highlights were the excellent training given, meeting so many lovely people at the Academy and of course being placed at HSBC. My role here is perfectly suited to me and I am really thriving in it!
How has the training you carried out helped prepare you for your placement?
There were several courses, and aspects of the training, which have been really useful for me. The Excel training in particular was beneficial for me as I spend a significant amount of time using the software on a daily basis. Also of value was the Business Analysis and Prince 2 training; these have proven invaluable in allowing me to fully understand frequently used terminology.
Finally, what advice would you give the graduates of today who are looking to break into the business & technology industry?
The best advice I can give is to absolutely just go for it! It is such a fantastic, thriving industry with so many incredible opportunities.
If you’d like to join the ever-changing tech & business industry and fly high like Lauren, apply today to kick-start your career.
We are proud of Lauren’s achievement coming 3rd place in the Rising Star of the Year 2018 awards, which has gained press attention (https://www.theguardian.com/targetjobs/2018/apr/10/diversity-is-key-at-graduate-recruitment-awards).
