Student Review

I very much enjoyed meeting the other students who attended the insight day, as we all came from a variety of educational backgrounds (psychology, mathematics, engineering, etc.). The lunch at the company cafeteria was also very good and the shuttles to the station very convenient.

For the entire time I was there, I felt that the day centered around us, the visiting students, and educating us about Centrica, and the benefits we could gain by working at Centrica. We were treated very well, even given tea and coffee in the morning.

The level of support was very high. Both the graduate recruiters running the insight day as well as the current Centrica graduates, were extremely helpful, open and willing to share their opinions about work, and give advice or information they could.

I think that the session on job application skills and tips on writing a good CV and cover letter will definitely benefit me in the near future as a current graduate seeking employment. Additionally, the presentation about the energy trilemma was well delivered and really opened my eyes to the challenges faced by the energy industry. It increased my understanding in a broader sense, rather than just technically (I am currently studying Petroleum Engineering) and really made me think past the question of just "how can we generate/supply enough energy?".

I did enjoy all the sessions of the insight day, and everything ran to time. However, I do feel that the team building exercise in the morning was a could have been a bit better organized in terms of logistics and making sure everyone was clear on the rules.

The atmosphere was very welcoming, and made me feel comfortable despite the fact that I was in the office of potential employer. The lead Graduate recruiter, as well as the current graduates, that ran the programme, were very approachable, and very willing to share information. I think that having such a relaxed, less formal, atmosphere made all participants feel not just comfortable at the venue, but with each other, and interactions were more of a friendly nature rather than competitive.

The lead Graduate recruiter did take the time at the end of the afternoon to lead session where she gave us very useful tips on what would be expected from a good CV and cover letter. This, in addition to the team building exercise in the morning, I think was very beneficial to us, the participating students.

I think the testimonies and experiences that the current Centrica graduates shared with us was extremely helpful in giving me a true insight into what working with the company would be like. They seemed to be very honest about the challenges and difficulties involved in the role, but also were sure to emphasize the support and the benefits you would receive as a graduate.

The insight was very successful in helping me understand the company culture. I think simply by observing the interactions between the lead Graduate recruiter and the current Centrica graduates alone, I was able to see how relaxed the company culture is. The shared experiences of the Centrica graduates I think was most helpful, especially when one graduate shared that the head of her department came to her for help with using a specific software. It shows that there is no segregation between Management and graduates.

I think that I was even a bit more unsure at the end of the day given the variety of areas that I could potentially pursue, whether this was directly related to my degree of study or not! For example, the person who did the morning presentation was a Physicist, but is now a top analyst.

I have submitted my payment request form and documents, and am currently awaiting reimbursement.

Yes, the current Centrica Graduates over lunch and throughout the course of the day. However, as an Engineering student, I do think that there could have been more opportunity to talk with employees in an Engineering role as the graduates present were Finance, analyst, IT and HSE.

We were able to network with the current Centrica graduates over lunch, as well as during a tour of the company office. The team building exercise also provided the opportunity to interact with them as there was one assigned to each group. Networking with the other attending students was also quite enjoyable.

Yes, I did, indirectly through the Centrica graduates sharing their work experiences. The company did seem to promote a very healthy work-life balance which was made very clear from the start. However, I think that they could be a bit more up-front about the kinds of activities you could get involved in outside of work. I did ask the Centrica graduate who was giving my group a tour of the office about outside activities, but she was not too knowledgeable about that.

Yes. The insight definitely helped me learn more about the company in general and what it would be like as a new graduate working there. Furthermore, it was extremely convenient that the company reimbursed travel expenses as many of the attending students I chatted to had traveled from quite far!