Meet Louis

My Career

Please tell us about your career since graduating:

I was lucky enough to interview at the University for a People Services (HR) Administrator role, and was successful at interview, so started employment at the University very quickly after graduating (I jokingly say I was 'inherited')!

After 11 months in the role, I decided I was ready for a new challenge/a role with additional responsibilities. I worked closely with the Research Finance Team at the time (there's more of a cross-over between HR and Finance than you'd think), so was lucky enough to observe their work and get a real feel for what the role involved. I have now been working in that role for 2 years, but have taken on 'Lead' responsibilities in the last 12 months

Student life at Newcastle

How did your course and experience at Newcastle University prepare you for your current role?

In many ways:

• Academic study of my subjects introduced relevant theories/concepts that are used routinely in my role and further study.
• Encouraged/nurtured me to build strong, cross-disciplinary relationships; individuals will have different perspectives/views, but Combined Honours equips you to treat those views with respect and argue any differences sensitively/professionally.
• My role involves lots of problem-solving and being solutions-focused; the diversity of the modules on offer, particularly the Combined Honours modules of Graduate Development and the Final Year Project teach you to analyse a variety of issues and consider the impact of your suggestions on others. That's particularly pertinent in Finance/HR when you're considering the impact of your actions on colleague and customer experience

What did you enjoy most about your course?

I look back fondly at many aspects of my course, but what really stands out is the pastoral support and Student-Staff partnerships that can be achieved by immersing yourself on the extra-curriculars that Combined Honours has to offer.

Staff and students often sit horizontally on Combined Honour's various schemes: Peer-Mentoring, Peer Assisted Study Support, Student-Staff Committee etc. - and that was really beneficial as we felt listened to and valued.

What advice would you give to students starting to explore the next steps after graduating?

• It's OK if plans don't turn out as you expect them to. The Combined Honours programme will equip you with grit and resilience to pick yourself up again. I changed my mind numerous times during my degree on the direction I wanted to take.
• Use the Combined Honours Team and alumni for support and guidance as you take your next steps. Former students go on to a real range of careers, and we've all been in your position where we may not have known what we wanted to do, we may be receiving frequent rejections from our applications, there's pressure when we see peers receiving positive news.
• Sometimes the 'wrong thing' helps you to find the 'right thing' - that is, sometimes you need to make a mistake/question why you're doing something, in order to put yourself on a better path.
• DON'T. GIVE. UP.

How has your degree helped you outside of your job, in your personal life or other pursuits?

My degree has been absolutely invaluable in shaping the way that I think/perceive the world and problems.

Particularly, it's taught me to look at problems with a critical eye and from an inter-disciplinary perspective i.e., to analyse problems and potential solutions by considering others' perception of those actions, to marshal facts, and reach a balanced conclusion based on how those actions will bring about the best result for the greatest number of individuals (very Utilitarian!)

In a high-volume role, it's easy to become blinkered and to not consider how one's own practice, communications, actions etc. impact others and the organisation as a whole. What the Combined Honours programme/modules equip and inspire you to do is consider your actions in various contexts, to accept constructive criticism/feedback from others and to utilise this to improve your practice.