I Got Hired - Business Development Executive

Posted on: 7 September 2022 by Richard Finch in Graduate stories

Liam Brill is Law class of 2021 graduate. Here he talks about the importance of resilience when applying for graduate jobs.

What is your current role and how did you hear about it?

I am a Business Development Executive at Compass Group. I found out about the opportunity through a LinkedIn job advertisement. When graduating I didn’t know that companies advertised for roles directly through LinkedIn. I would recommend following the companies you’re interested in working for and keeping an eye out!

Was there anything that you did while at university that helped when applying for the role?

I got involved with as much as possible while I was at University. In my free time I attended internships, took part in voluntary work and enrolled myself on to free online training courses. When I applied to Compass Group, they had put huge weight to the things I had done outside of the classroom to elevate myself - ultimately, this led to a job with a great company.

What has been your favourite experience in your role?

Landing my first substantial sales lead - not only did I feel very accomplished; the company also went above and beyond to celebrate my achievement. Our Chief Growth Officer personally handed me a bottle of champagne and a hand-written card, I really felt part of the team.

What has been the most challenging part of your graduate journey?

Landing the job! I had applied for over 30 different graduate schemes and was rejected by every single one, until landing the role I’m in now.

What are your top three tips for other students?

Stay resilient - I received lots of job rejections before landing the role I’m in now. Don’t give up.

The same equals the same - if you do 20 push-ups today and don’t see any results, don’t do 20 push-ups tomorrow expecting a different result. Change your game.

Network - put yourself in as many situations to meet as many people as possible. You never know who might be able to help you.