Christopher Gilbert

Student Project Engineer

What was the interview process like?

The interview process was intense and needs plenty of preparation. There was an online test, an aptitude test and an assessment day. As daunting though as the process seemed, the assessment centre and interviews were relaxed.

How much responsibility do you have?

Just a few weeks after training I was taken on-site to a live factory on a requirements gathering workshop. Since then I have also helped create several high priority sales demos for prospective customers and worked extensively on live customer projects.

What advice would you give to students applying for your role?

The best piece of advice I can give is to be enthusiastic. Lighthouse doesn’t shy away from giving responsibility to people who want it and so if you want to learn and do well then you will go far here. Hard-work is recognised and remembered.

What has been your biggest challenge?

My biggest challenge was working closely with customers. Learning how to communicate effectively with them was completely new to me, especially when trying to explain technical details to non-technical people.

Describe your biggest achievement?

The customer project I completed while here. I have been involved since the start, from requirements gathering to helping design around problems and implementing the solution. Knowing my work is used every day by real customers is exciting.

How has this experience exceeded your expectations?

I didn’t expect to learn so much on my placement year. Last year I would’ve been worried about the challenges of third year but I am now completely relaxed and confident about going back to finish my course and achieving a good grade.

What is the office atmosphere like?

The office is a very relaxed space where even the most experienced of staff ask others for advice and so you are never embarrassed about asking others if you are stuck.

What activities are there outside of work?

Outside of work people are good friends and so there are regular pub visits and socials. The office is located close to Crawley, Brighton and London so there’s plenty to do.

How promising are the graduate prospects?

Lighthouse grows every year and more employees are always wanted to cope with the workload. If you do well on your placement then you will likely receive a graduate job offer. There are always placement students returning after their degree.

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