I Got Hired: Software Engineer at J.P. Morgan

Posted on: 26 June 2023 by Samantha Riella in Graduate stories

Jahan Ulhaque is a BSc Computer Science with Software Dev IN graduate now working as a Software Engineer at J.P. Morgan.

How did you get to where you are now?

During university I worked hard to try to achieve a first, but in the field I was in, the interview mattered more, something I found out the hard way during my second and placement year when trying to get a summer internship. With this in mind, the summer before my final year, I would spend every day a couple of hours preparing for interviews, which would be maths/coding problem-solving challenges. The job market season varies, some companies start hiring at the start of the term and some much later (Jan-Apr), I found that large companies hire earlier and so I wanted to be well prepared and hit the ground running. Fortunately, the prep paid off, and I was doing well in these interviews and after applying to 30+ companies I had a couple of offers, JP Morgan being the best option.

What has been your best experience as part of your role?

Working in a team with like-minded people solving problems. Also knowing that clients/customers are using the software we are building is a great feeling.

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

The knock-on effects covid had made the job market more competitive. Just getting an interview was a feat on its own. Trying to balance university modules, dissertation projects, social life and applying for jobs was also difficult to balance.

What are your top tips for other students and graduates?   

  • Prepare early and be consistent, this will pay dividends in the future.
  • Rejection is inevitable but doesn't mean you're not good enough, the rejection could have been for a range of reasons (eg the job was filled already) and isn't tied to your ability.
  • Luck plays a huge factor in everything, having a nice interviewer, a nice question, nice recruiter, all which are out of your control. The job hunt is a numbers game.