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Chemical Engineering Career Pathways: Top tips from 皇家华人
22 November 2021
On Wednesday 17 November, we had the privilege of meeting with six UCL Chemical Engineering alumni with a range of expert industry and academic sector knowledge.
The following alumni joined the session to share their experiences with students:听
- Giovanna Fiandaca (UCL PhD Chemical Engineering 2010)听NLNG Process Engineering Lead - Asset Focal Point at Shell听
- (UCL MEng Chemical Engineering 2007)听Global Director, Business Development @ Digital Construction Works听
- (UCL MEng Chemical Engineering 2018)听PhD Candidate in Molecular Engineering at University of Chicago听
- (UCL MSc Chemical Process Engineering 2014 & UCL Research Degree 2018)听Junior Associate at McKinsey & Company
- (UCL MSc Chemical Process Engineering 2016)听MD of Biofuel Evolution | R&D at BioQuest Alliance听
- Jessica Guzzetta-King (UCL MEng Chemical with Biochemical Engineering 2008) Consultant Safety Engineer at Genesis Energies
Catch up on the full interview on our YouTube
Here are some of their top tips to help you advance your own personal and professional development.
Career Choices听
鈥淚t鈥檚 always good to begin with a why and how! Always have something to wow you, something you gravitate towards.鈥� -听Jaymish Patel听
鈥淪tay hungry to learn.... 听Ask questions... be curious!鈥� -听David Ayeni听
Top Tips:听
- Experimentation is important to build knowledge and skills听
- Get involved in as many things as possible.听
- Reflect on your experiences to date.听
- Consider your skills and interests, where can those skills help you in unique ways to stand out.听
- Never say no to new experiences.听
Building Connections and Developing Workplace Skills听
鈥淕et a mentor. 听It鈥檚 valuable to connect with role models that can advise you.鈥� -听David Ayeni听
鈥淪kills gained during your degree are very relevant: resilience, sticking through projects when experiments aren鈥檛 going to plan; science communication, communicating your science to different levels of audience; teamwork experience, communicating between different people; leadership experience... there's a lot of these soft skills that really help you stand out!鈥� -听Fabian Byl茅hn听
Top tips:听
- Pick up the phone. Reach out to friends, mentors, advisors and ask them to read your CV. Others can help you to display the best of yourself. 听
- Research projects are relevant to your future in terms of the skills you will also need in industry. 听
- Gain leadership experience during your studies, this can help you stand out.听
- Good communication skills are key! You will often need to explain complex problems.听
- Teamwork is very important鈥� be conscious of how you come across. 听
Career Development听
鈥淔ollow your passions but also have a plan B 鈥� sometimes you end up in a role that is unexpected but incredibly fruitful.鈥� - Jessica Guzzetta-King听
Top tips:听
- People don鈥檛 stay in one job; you will have career changes. Seek advice from your network.听
- Changes in markets can cause unexpected difficulties, you may end up on a different path but your skills are transferable.听
- Take life and jobs as they come and continue to develop throughout your career.听
- Don鈥檛 chase the money, chase your passion!听
Applications and Interviews听
鈥淒on鈥檛 decide if you are good enough for a job or not. Let the company make that decision. Put yourself out there and don鈥檛 pull yourself out of potential opportunities.鈥� -听Dina Ibrahim
"When job hunting, don鈥檛 let the situation discourage you 鈥� it will happen.鈥� -听Giovanna Fiandaca听
Top tips:听
- Be resilient, don鈥檛 get disheartened by the application process.听
- Don鈥檛 be too shy to put yourself out there. Be upfront, have self-confidence 鈥� we all have our own unique path. 听
- Don鈥檛 lie on your CV, they will ask!听
- Practise, find questions online and utilise your networks to have mock interviews so you feel more comfortable. 听
- Recruiters are looking for someone who is a good fit for the company. They need good team members so utilise your personal skills as well. 听
- Don鈥檛 be nervous in interviews - you are an asset!听
- Recruiters will look at the person you are and the role you can play in that industry.听
Getting Ahead in an Entrepreneurial Career 听
鈥淓mbrace diversity and stand out 鈥� you can bring different personality traits and skills sets鈥�. -听Jaymish Patel听
Top tips:听
- Make the most out of every contact and every interaction. 听
- Learn from your course how to communicate and solve problems 鈥� this is integral in the workplace. 听
- Embrace rejection and be persistent! It is part of an entrepreneurial career.听