Hello! What was your day-to-day work like during the graduate scheme?

Morning - Happy New Year! No problem, I took part in the Analytics and Data Science Graduate scheme so perhaps slightly different, but I can provide some broad thoughts regarding my experiences on the scheme which are likely to be universal. In short, most graduate placements come in to the team and focus on specific projects over a 6 month period, rotating between different parts of the business to get a fuller picture of how different departments run. For me, this was in Digital, Customer and Commercial Analytics with various projects such as building a new reporting suite, deep dive in to some of the databases we have and building more robust measurements solutions. I also enjoyed an element of reporting and updating of reports as part of the scheme, which was a great way to raise the profile in the business and meet various people! The exact nature of the projects you will do will vary naturally, but as being a former graduate (as a number of people in my department are) makes me appreciate the importance of guidance and focused projects for graduates, whilst also being given the freedom to explore the data via reporting or other means. Having a number of people join the graduate scheme at the same time and with a number of former grads still in the business, there's a great network for support and friendship as well.

Hope that helps - good luck with your application! I can't provide any specific tips regarding standing out and I am sure there are other resources to assist, but I always find being yourself goes a long way - so don't overthink it would be my advice.