Even though many of our graduates will have progressed in their careers since completing a case study, they are still of interest to students who wish to gain an understanding of the world of work.

As an analyst I am responsible for leading development projects across the breadth of the Tesco supply chain. The focus of these projects is to transform how Tesco orders, forecasts and distributes products from suppliers to our retail shelves. These projects work to improve product availability for customers, reduce our operating costs and minimise the amount of food that is wasted.

Given the scale of the business this role requires a high level of responsibility, yet offers the opportunity to make improvements that regularly reduce Tesco's operating costs by millions of pounds whilst continuing to offer the highest level of service to our customers.

This role requires strong analytical skills, business acumen and the ability to engage stakeholders across the business and beyond.

As the transformational projects change frequently, this role is incredibly varied and offers the ability to develop many key sought after skills in a relatively short amount of time. Consequently there is no "typical" day.

On any given day I could be carrying out detailed analysis of a trial we have been running, meeting with key stakeholders to understand the current situation, challenges and obstacles my current project may face, or building tools to improve how our operational teams function.

While this is primarily an office based role, there are plenty of opportunities to visit stores, training and conferences, depots, suppliers, and to travel internationally depending on the project you're involved with.

The scale and responsibility of the work I do. During my degree I saw that it was common to spend months of scientific research and discover very little with often no real significance outside the field of science you're apart of.

In my current role I now help transform how a multinational business operates on a daily business.

Scientific training: My degree developed strong analytical skills which I use frequently to make data driven decisions.
SQL
VBA
Project management

November 2016: Tesco: Supply Chain Analyst

February 2016 - July 2016: QIMR: Research Technician

November 2015 - August 2016: Travelling Asia/Australasia

July 2015 - November 2015: Tesco: Assistant Category Planner

I plan to develop my career at Tesco and seek an international secondment in the future.

Recruitment into blue chip companies is incredibly competitive. Ensure you are building your extracurricular experience and consider undertaking an internship before leaving university. Whilst graduate schemes are a great opportunity to get into a large company where you can develop your career, remember they are not the only way through the door and many big businesses offer comparable routes through direct entry. No matter how good your CV looks on paper you will need to be able to back this up with strong interview technique, research the company and practice the questions you're likely to be asked. Most importantly do not be afraid to be rejected, very few people get offered the first job they have applied for.

Laura  BA History (Hons) (2018)
Stores Graduate  (Business, administration and public sector)

Accepts questions from students about their career