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I was at BAE Systems Applied Intelligence for 11 years before joining Berkeley in 2019. I enjoyed working there but I was at the point in my career where I needed the right change and a fresh challenge. The opportunity to interview at Berkeley came up at the same time; the further I went through the recruitment stages, the more I was drawn into wanting to join.
The biggest appeal for me at the start of the process was the people; everyone came across as friendly, genuinely interested in me and highly competent. From there, the company’s strong client focused ethos and unique position with their clients really stood out.
I had the opportunity to work with great people, and take on challenging, as well as impactful, work while having fun. It’s no surprise that I was more than happy to say yes when offered the job.
There are three things that I look for in my perfect next engagement. First off, I’m really driven by assignments that make a difference and can have a really positive impact on a client. Alongside that, I’m always on the lookout for anything that will challenge and stretch me.
The last thing I look for is the opportunity to enjoy myself; that’s really about positively engaging with my client as we work through their challenges and building an atmosphere where people can enjoy their work, even under pressure.
Luckily, most Berkeley engagements offer all three in good amounts.
I’m a big believer in in seeing change as an opportunity; that attitude has really helped drive my career so far. Change is a constant factor in consulting and working with it (and not against!) has led to opportunities to grow my own skills and experience as well as made me more effective on a day to day basis.
Beyond that, being positive and driven has informed the big steps in my career. I’m always confident that I can deal with any challenge and am driven enough to commit myself to the hard yards needed to deliver against that challenge. That’s led me to some failures as well as successes; both have led me to where I am in my career now.