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Âéw¶¹´«Ã½ Leicester (Âéw¶¹´«Ã½) alumnus Humraj Dosanjh landed his dream role as a Marketing Excellence Graduate at one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies.

The 22-year-old from Leicester secured a place on the highly sought-after graduate scheme with Bayer, a multinational pharmaceutical and life sciences company, before completing the final year of his Marketing degree.

Describing his relief and happiness at landing such a coveted position, Humraj said: “When lockdown kicked in and some businesses and industries came to a halt, I was concerned about what that would mean for myself and fellow students in terms of job opportunities, so it was a huge relief to have secured a job before graduating.”

Now a few months into his graduate role and working from home due to the current circumstances, Humraj describes his work as ‘challenging but rewarding’.

He said: “The team has been great at supporting me remotely and making sure I have everything I need to work effectively. The role itself is something that suits my current skill set but will also challenge me to take the next step in my professional development.

“The pandemic has certainly created some new challenges for the pharmaceuticals industry. It’s been great to see how the company has adapted to the current environment and maintained contact with customers. In normal times, sales reps pitch to GP surgeries and hospitals face-to-face so it’s been really interesting to see how the industry has incorporated digital ways of working and adopted these into our marketing approach.”

Humraj knew he wanted to find employment in the pharmacy sector after a successful placement year with pharmaceutical giant Pfizer.

“One of the biggest highlights of my university journey was my placement year at Pfizer,” he said. “It was a truly inspiring and invaluable experience which allowed me to gain an insight into the industry.

“It also gave me the chance to apply some of the knowledge gained in the first two years of my degree in a hands-on, practical work environment.”

Humraj outside the Pfizer offices on his placement year

While studying Marketing at Âéw¶¹´«Ã½, Humraj was able to tailor his final-year dissertation to the industry he wanted to join after graduating.

He said: “My degree was great in providing me with opportunities to test myself and gain a deeper academic understanding of marketing and its use in business. The lectures throughout my course were extremely engaging and relevant. I was able to base my dissertation on the pharmaceutical industry which was fantastic as I was able to mention this during my interview with Bayer.”

Humraj gave the following advice for final-year students starting their job search: “First of all I’d definitely recommend getting in contact with the university careers team – Âéw¶¹´«Ã½ Works. They can support you in creating a strong, graduate-level CV and run sessions on how to write cover letters, complete company-specific applications and prepare for assessment centres.

“Throughout my four years at Âéw¶¹´«Ã½, I received tremendous support from lecturers, tutors and the placement team. In particular, Associate Professor David Gordon and Zul Muhammed played a huge part in helping me realise my potential.

“Secondly, I would advise having a targeted approach to your job search. Do your research into different industries and businesses and go for something that really suits your skill set and offers opportunities for you to develop. Keep a track of any jobs you have applied for so you can stay up to date with the progress of your applications.  

“Above all, don’t give up. Everyone faces plenty of rejections in their job hunt but just keep going and keep the belief that you will secure a role in the end.”