Interview with Shriya Mistry by Louise Bunce August 2022

 

This week we said a sad farewell to Shriya Mistry, a placement student from Cardiff University, who over the past year has been working in our Business Analyst team.

Before she departed, I managed to catch up with her to find out how she had found her time at BlueLight Commercial.

Given that BlueLight Commercial has been set up as a virtual organisation I wondered how she had found the culture and working remotely?

“Everyone is very friendly and even though I’ve only here a year, I have been given the same opportunities as everyone else for example attending courses, events, and training.

I’ve enjoyed working virtually, especially when I first started because it was much less nerve wracking being in your own home where you are familiar with the environment. Initially I didn’t really like video calling but now I feel a lot more confident with it and I think it’s an important skill for me as going forward as so many companies have adopted hybrid working.

Whilst my team have always been so friendly and open if I needed help, working virtually can mean it can be harder to get to know people from outside of your immediate team. I found our in-person events like our annual planning days have helped and I especially enjoyed meeting and talking to everyone. It’s been interesting to find out about the different career paths they took, especially as I’m starting to think about what I want to do in the future.”

 

I was also curious to know what Shriya had learnt with us and whether she thought it would help her once she’d finished her degree.

“Before joining the team, I wasn’t completely sure what a data analysts’ role did. I have enjoyed learning something new and it was very useful to see the type of career this could lead to. Being in work and the new experiences this has bought, like getting to go to the world procurement awards, has been both exciting and fun. I have learnt so many things in my year from the structure of the police, how to use Power BI and Excel, to how companies use data and how to present confidently. I now have a Microsoft Associate qualification to add to my CV.  

I’ve also learnt a lot about myself, in terms of how I like to work. The placement will help me find a job that is suited to me and my personality as I now have a better understanding of my own work style.

Working at BlueLight Commercial has made me excited about my future and getting a job in something I enjoy which will encourage me to work harder in my final year of my degree.”

Finally, I managed to catch up with Michael, Shriya manager, for his thoughts on how Shriya’s placement had gone.

“Shriya has been a highly valuable member of the team and the speed of her transition from an inexperienced placement student to a trusted analyst was incredibly fast. This meant I was able to give her important pieces of work and had the confidence she could deliver them independently.

From standalone projects, where she was first required to independently gain knowledge and expertise, to working collaborating as a member of the analytics team, Shriya has added a fresh perspective, becoming the expert in newer technologies and software. She even trained the rest of the team on what she had learnt.”

 

If you're interested in applying for a role at BlueLight Commercial, please submit a CV and cover letter to recruitment@bluelight.police.uk