Uptree

Brandy is a 2nd year undergraduate student studying Business Management (Finance) and she has been accepted onto the Diversity in Business Technology Programme with PwC.

PwC is a professional services firm who help their clients solve business-related problems through the use of their people who are experts in a range of fields such as Audit, Consulting, Tax, Deals, Legal, Risk and Operations.

Tell us about your Uptree journey.

I registered with Uptree in 2019 and have taken part in multiple career events since, my first being with J.P. Morgan and two at UBS (a masterclass and work experience day).

Each year I have attempted to take on a new challenge and step out of my comfort zone and Uptree has really helped me in achieving that. I think my curiosity and passion has allowed me to try so many opportunities. Finance was the path I thought I would go on, but being flexible and open minded has landed me within the Technology field. 

How did you get this role?

This year I began looking for summer internships and placement years. Through the #10000BlackInterns interns initiative I applied to PwC. I chose Technology for a number a reasons, one of them being due to the experience gained through Uptree and my interest in social media content (how it can be used for a multitude of things). On my assessment day, I talked about the knowledge and experience that I had gained through Uptree and my involvement as an ambassador, focusing on how it helped with team collaboration, organisation, and networking.

The next day I heard back that I had been accepted onto the programme. The Black Talent In Business Programme will allow me to showcase my talents and develop my current skill set. This programme will hopefully lead to a longer summer internship next year and then a place within the PwC’s Graduate Scheme.

I had applied to PwC three times before getting through to an assessment day. It was a nerve wracking experience, but to be successful in my first attempt at an assessment centre is truly something I am proud of (I teared up a bit on the phone to the Hiring Manager).

How did you deal with setbacks?

I think identifying what was going wrong with my application process helped me progress within the last month. After applying for a few opportunities and hearing rejection, I changed my CV, improved my cover letter and went on to have multiple interviews in a month.

2022 has been a year where I have pushed my personal boundaries. I have juggled applying for internships and placements, managed university work and my current retail work at Michael Kors, as well as events with Uptree, but it has been exactly what I asked for - a challenge. It has been completely worthwhile meeting such great people and really improving and developing myself both personally and professionally.

Do you have any advice for students who are also interested in a similar career path?

If I could give any advice it would be to NEVER give up. It is easy to stop trying after so many rejections and it can truthfully get tiring. But as cheesy as it sounds, you can’t give up on yourself. You have to keep going. I would sulk for two days but I would pick myself back up. I know I relied on my family and friends a lot and my personal faith so finding a place where you can lay your burdens down is vital.

Find ways to improve and analyse where you may be going wrong at each application stage. Reach out to people on LinkedIn and ask your questions. I know from first-hand experience that this is what helped me. I made one major change (changing the format of my CV) and experienced such a drastic change. That could be the difference between you and your success story. 

A big thank you to Brandy for her insightful article and we wish her all the best in her future career!

Visit PwC's page to find out more about the company and what work experiences are coming up.