Blog

Hi, I’m Mat and I work in the Finance & Professional Services directorate at Telefónica UK. I started in September 2010 as part of the F&PS graduate scheme, after I finished at Durham studying Philosophy and Politics.
In this blog I’ll try to give you an idea of Telefónica, the work that I do and also my thoughts since starting.
I initially found the job through Milkround, whilst searching in my third year. I’ve done a lot of work experience and I had a vague idea I wanted to do something in business; in a company that interested me but most importantly one that would invest in me through training and development.
When I started to read about the job it really did tick all of those criteria. The mobile market really is in a revolutionary period, after 10 years of stratospheric growth the market is saturated but there is an ongoing explosion of innovation around the core services. The scheme itself is very focussed on development, not only technical skills such as chartered accountancy (which we do by sitting the CIMA qualification) but on development of softer skills; pushing us to do new things to approach problems in innovative ways and challenging us to work outside of our comfort zones to hone new skills. Finally it was clear by the small volume of graduates that we would be given the attention we needed to grow and excel.
The application process only reinforced this - it’s fair to say it was challenging. It was one of the most thorough application processes I’d gone through and when I finally got to the assessment centre we resat the online tests and then were launched into presentations and interviews.
After two group exercises, an interview, a presentation and other tasks the assessment centre was over and I felt exhausted but was also buzzing. The people we were interviewed by were all senior finance managers or directors who had conceived the scheme and were now integral to running it. They were passionate about the scheme and the people involved and very knowledgeable about the business, the mobile market and finance and I really felt their desire to want to bring people on and give them their knowledge and passion and help them grow.
What I had read about the business on line was clear to see in the way the people interacted with each other and the other graduates. They were open and friendly with each other and all spoke as equals who were willing to listen to what the other people had to say and really take it on board. The careers site says that ‘O2 is a breath of fresh air’ and I can really attest to that - it is different to anywhere else I’ve ever worked and compared to some of the experiences my friends have had elsewhere I feel happy and lucky to work here every day.
In the end I did get offered the job (which you should have guessed already…) and I accepted there and then on the phone without any hesitation. In my applications and interviews with other businesses I didn’t feel the same excitement and connection as I did during those with Telefónica and it made it a really easy decision to choose to come and work here.
Thanks for spending the time reading this and over the next few months I’ll cover the work I do and my thoughts on it all. Until then, if you are reading this as part of your job research - apply now! And best of luck.

If you are interested in the O2 Finance Graduate Programme please follow this link http://bit.ly/bqxssh to find out more and make an application.

Mat

So first of all I must introduce myself- My name is Jonny Kew and I have recently started a year-long internship with O2 working as the Sponsorship Assistant.  I will explain more about how I got the role in later posts but for my first entry I wanted to give you a snapshot of my first month at O2.
So, what I quickly realised was that O2 is all about working hard and playing hard. O2 people definitely work on the premise that you get the fruits from your labour- and these fruits aren’t half juicy! In my first few days the intern I am taking over from (Jonny Excell) set me up with everything I needed for the world of work including a business use phone and laptop. Alongside this he gave me the complete lowdown on everybody within the Brand and Marketing team here. Working within Brand I soon realised that O2 collaborate with many agencies whereby more names needed to be remembered- it was a struggle but I’m getting there. I was living the true London lifestyle a few days a week socialising with agencies after work and finding out more about what they do in the day. It was great getting a real feel for the amount of work that goes into everything O2 push out, and really interesting to see what the agencies do and how each one differs even if it is only slightly.
I will save most of the everyday work for later posts as I have so many ‘fruits’, as I called them, to tell you about. Having been here for just over a month I already compiled a list of experiences to rival most. Below is the shortlist:
• Hosted the O2 box at Emirates for the Emirates cup
• Attended the media launch for the Get up for England campaign- whereby my job (if you can call it that) was to usher Riki Flutey round to various interviews and watch the England team cook pies
• Hosted the box at Arsenal v Liverpool and helped run the O2 blueroom
• Visited the O2 Arena
• Helped with the running of Arsenal members day whereby I brushed shoulder’s with the likes of Theo Walcott, Arsene Wenger and Martin Keown
• Obviously I had to save the best till last- I attended the England Wales rugby international at Twickenham. But that’s not all- we went on a pre-match stadium tour, had a pre-match meal with RFU council and affiliates and attended a post-match buffet with all the players. Probably the most awe-inspiring moment since working for O2, unsurprisingly.
I have tried to keep this as short as possible but I have worked here for over a month so I’m sure you can understand it is rather lengthy for a first blog post. With this in mind I should encourage you to keep track of what I’m doing as I’ll try and write short posts alongside more meaty pieces for you to get your teeth into. This is only the start of what is set to be a great year for me- I promise to discuss more of the work side- as I said O2 is all about working hard and playing hard!

I’m Jack Tyler and I joined O2 as an Advanced Apprentice at the start of September (2010).  I originally went to university to study computing, but the course was not for me. I left with the aim of joining an apprenticeship scheme. I narrowed down my search to two schemes; one with O2, the other being with another telecoms corporate.  I was offered a job in both schemes, but chose O2.
The application process for the apprenticeship scheme was very thorough. There were several initial stages. The most important, and final stage, was an assessment centre. I stayed in a hotel overnight and the next day had to do various tasks. We had all been sent an agenda for the day a few weeks before, so I had plenty of time to prepare.
Although in the previous stages, I had felt anxious to hear my results, I had never felt nervous. On the day of the assessment centre however, I was very tense.  I quickly settled though due to the assessment staff from O2 and PDS. We were all made to feel relaxed and comfortable during an introduction.  The day consisted of a presentation, team exercises and a final interview.  The presentation was on a subject of my choice, which made it easier, because I could just talk about a hobby. The final interview was performed by management within O2.  Within a week I was told I had the job. I was really excited to get started.

9 months in…

I’ve now been working for O2 for 9 months and currently work within The Lab. The Lab is our innovation team who work to create new products for O2. In this role I have had a really good opportunity to network with others around the business. It has also given me the opportunity to work on brand new services and products, which are key to our business. This gives me great exposure to management within the business.
I have also had other opportunities since I have joined. I am a mentor for young people running projects under the Think Big scheme. I get to help young people create projects to support their community. This has been a really good experience, as it’s allowed me the ability to help someone make a difference in their area. It’s a really good feeling. It’s been a highlight of the apprenticeship so far.
On the apprenticeship scheme, we also have a week long residential in Snowdonia. We did various outdoor activities to help us learn more about ourselves and each other. This includes raft building, hiking and team activities. It was a brilliant experience and helped all the apprentices to get to know each other.
I have learnt so much during the past nine months, and expect to learn even more. The apprenticeship scheme has given me a great foundation to what I hope will be a successful career. The support from our apprenticeship managers and PDS has allowed me to feel heard and recognised across the business.