Son Minhle
What did you study?
I studied BSc Mathematical Economics and Statistics 2013 at University of Birmingham. I
then completed my MSc in Urban Economic Development at University College London in
2014.
Where are you from?
I come from Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam. 12 hours air flight away.
How did you find out about the job?
I applied for the job after completing my MSc in London. I found the job on the company
website and decided to give it a try, despite it’s a different field of industry than my
educational background.
Did your University Careers Service help you? How?
My University career service (UCL) provided me with daily update of new jobs as well as
on-coming jobs. I used the service every day to keep myself updated with the information. I
applied for a wide range of jobs available. University career service also organised career
fairs and exclusive recruitment talks in campus – which I greatly benefited from too.
What was the recruitment process like?
I applied through the company online recruitment portal. I provided my personal information,
my CV and a Covering letter. I also provided an additional document online which lists down
all my academic assignments in MSc. After two weeks of online processing, I was invited to
have an interview with the managers. It was a single-round interview which lasted for 2.5
hours with two managers. To me, it was more of a discussion than an interview as my
managers ask me questions and engaged me in an extended conversation based on my
answers. After two more weeks, I received an email from them saying they are happy to hire
me, plus willing to provide me a certificate of sponsorship.
Why do you think you were selected? What made you stand out?
I think I was selected because of these two primary reasons. One, I was able to show that I
have transferable skills and knowledge from my BSc and MSc that can be used for their
business. For instance, how my background of Economics can be used in Transport
Appraisal; how Econometrics – as numerical as it is – can be used in building Transport
Model; how my research skills could contribute to processing large amount of data for
everyday tasks at work, and so on. Two, I performed well at the interview: to have wide
range of experience from university, good academic performance, answering questions with
confidence and caution. It might as well be good luck; yet you have to prepare well for the
process.
What was the process like getting the visa? Hard/Easy?
I addressed the issue of work permit with my managers during the interview. My mentality at
the time is, if I can show that I contribute productively to the business, and create a good
impression personally, I have an equal chance as many other native applicant. Work permit is
not the biggest barrier to finding a job in the UK, but the above factors.
Once you received the certificate of sponsorship from the employer, the visa application is
very straight forward. The processing speed depends on how much you are able to afford the
application costs. It took me two and a half month for standard service, but on premium
service you might get your tier 2 visa in as much as 1 week.