Tell us about yourself, where you’re from and what you studied at college

I’m from a small parish outside Naas called Eadestown. For college I went to Maynooth and studied psychology through science. I chose to study that because I was really interested in people, and when I first chose it, I didn’t really know where I wanted to go with it. But I knew I was interested in how people think, how they interact in different social scenarios. So as I worked more through college, I found that I really wanted to use my degree in a business setting rather than the typical psychological route.

How did you find out about the Vodafone graduate programme?

Through their attraction campaign. I saw it on LinkedIn, because I was scrolling one day, and I thought it would be a cool opportunity. I knew somebody who had done it before, so I reached out to them, and they said it was great.

Why did you decide to apply?

I knew that Vodafone was market leading. I think what attracted me mainly was reading into it and seeing the different things that they offered. I found that there’s the rotational element of the Vodafone grad programme, in which you’ll do one placement for nine months in one team, and then a second placement for 12 months in a different team. It gives you that sense of versatility of experience, of being in different business units and seeing how different teams work.

How has your experience of the graduate programme been so far?

It’s been amazing. There are so many great things that the graduate programme offers. I mentioned the rotational element and how you get different experience across teams, but as well, there’s flexible working, so you get to be in two days a week and work three days from home. I come in a bit more because I think it’s great to talk to people and be in the office.

There’s a really strong learning culture and supportive work environment. It’s one thing I noticed in comparison to some internships I did during college: Vodafone was just so welcoming. Everyone was so happy to support you and help you, and everyone knows that you’re there to learn.

There’s so many opportunities within the grad programme for improving yourself and development. We have a specific learning platform that I help work on, and it has loads of courses that you can upskill yourself in, whether it’s AI or if you want to move into a different kind of business aspect, such as finance or HR.

What are your career plans now?

One cool thing about the graduate programme is, after 12 months of being on the programme, you’re eligible to apply for full-time roles. So I’ve just about crossed that mark and it’s something I’m looking at. I just know I want to stay at Vodafone.

What’s your advice to graduates applying to the programme?

I had a bit of impostor syndrome, thinking that I couldn’t do it, but from going through it, my advice would be just to be yourself. Be confident in what you can bring to a business like Vodafone. There’s such a wide-ranging, diverse group of people working here that everyone has something to bring, and it’s about shaping what you can bring to Vodafone.