GBA Flashcards
1
Q
Why SE?
A
- Brother = I understand how important it is to generate genuinely positive and tangible impact and I want to do that/public sector work
- Economic transformation for wider community benefit is one of their main goals
- More I dived into policy, politics, and economics the more I’ve appreciated how important businesses are for driving change and generating positive social impact (e.g. )
- To help business then through supporting SE’s mission would be incredibly satisfying and somewhere where arguably some of the most profound social impact can occur
- Indeed, CEO Gillespie declaration that SE aims to build a fairer Scotland the economy and I couldn’t agree more
- Also very proud of the rich history Scotland has of entrepreneurialism (from speedos, to skyscanner, to brew dog, to rockstar games, craft prospect, arnlea and microbreweries) and to help businesses will help Scotland (especially in energy security) which is important in geopolitical instability
- And also that Scotland is placed to be a global leader in energy (SE article on Hydrogen energy) and comparative advantage here too (Octopus CEO)
- Also a fantastic opportunity to be exposed to many different businesses and sectors and engage with many different issues – I love to always learn and expand my knowledge and experience and I believe this is what the role and SE offer
- Reached out to one of your current business analysts and she said the people in SE are fantastic, friendly, and always willing to help, and the decades of experience many employees have also make it a great starting point for someone looking to start a career in the public sector.
- Delivering effectively is a chief concern of mine (moved from philosophy to policy in this regard – want it to be applicable and actually create tangible impact)
- HSBC article on Scotland having an innovation ecosystem which will become successful when Scotland passes a tipping point where it becomes home to a critical mass of viable start-ups and scale-ups according to Mark Logan, chief entrepreneur of the Scottish Government – SE will have a critical role to play in this and so it’s a super exciting time to be in this space and play a part in building a tech ecosystem in Scotland for the betterment of everyone.
- People make business and SE’s future-oriented goals, in combination with the people-facing nature of the business analyst role, perfectly aligns with my long-term career aspirations
- A realism of where SE can add value and where it cant, aligns with my way of thinking
2
Q
Give us an example of our value being brave (continuously improve and trust and learn from each other)
A
- (S) Gaelic football
- (T) District title
- (A) Getting advice from teammates on positioning, next time should I do this in that situation, one game we lost which we should have won and sat down afterwards and talked it out as a team and communication was most lacking, we fixed this in next game and won
- They had to trust me and I had to trust that they wouldn’t ostracise me
- (R) District title (which we very much celebrated)
- Training gelato-makers
- Encouraged but was firm about HACCP and company standards
- Learnt from them (creative role where a lot of design is up to you) which furthered product quality (variety is good)
3
Q
Provide an example of when you utilised our value of being fair
A
- (S) Volunteering at CSA after school
- (T) To complete students’ tasks including milk delivery, eggs, and fruver
- (A) Understanding student needs, different ways to communicate (gestures as well as speech), quotes to motivate or calm them, rainy days were slower and that’s something you accepted and appreciated. Some students better at certain tasks than others – again building up everyone and their unique skills and expertise creates better results for everyone.
- (R) Every week we got the tasks done.
- (R) Bettered me as a person – far more compassionate, patient, and empathetic which have helped me collaborate with others and provide better customer service. Also gained value in seeing the world in different ways and with different focusses which helps in coming up to solutions to problems (e.g. thinking outside the box, or really gaining a deep understanding of a client’s needs and concerns).
- People are what make the difference
- CIVICA – understanding pressures on other delegates to achieve compromise
4
Q
Provide an example of when you were being the difference (connect and collaborate with others to unlock collective potential)
A
- (S) Malcolm inviting the Slovakian Ambassador to Ireland related to a schools partnership
- (T) Coordinating with local councillors and mayor for a date and itinerary
- (A) Emailed asking for a window when free, they’d then respond and I’d try and coordinate based on feedback, making sure the mayor was definitely able to attend. Informed them about itinerary of visiting the school and reception after and asked if there was anywhere else in the town they wanted to show the ambassador (as they knew the area best and wanted to show wider benefits exchanges with gorey would offer to Slovakian students).
- (R) Successful meeting, ambassador was impressed with the new school and Gorey – no problems, enjoyed a few drinks afterwards.
- Again, understanding and reaching out to utilise others’ expertise to produce better collective results (for SE and clients)
- Co-creating a speech and written statement for EU450, positive feedback from workshop coordinator
5
Q
Tell us about a time when you were being your best (looking after yourself to better help others)
A
- (S) Feeling burnout (or so I thought) and struggling to focus, fed up at work
- (A) Eating and sleeping better at undergrad during covid and making sure I went climbing at least once a week (and that a day where I did no work)
- (R) Way more focussed and energetic, my results improved and my productivity did too (instead of all day not doing much and feeling frustrated and guilty, had a regime of 9-13 then 15-19), hung out more with friends, and way faster and more proactive in work (communicating with kitchen to prioritise what was clean when and help them when needed too etc.)
6
Q
Tell us a time when you demonstrated the value of diversity of thoguht
A
- Super important cos a fairer Scotland can only be achieved by including all people, experiences, and perspectives
- E.g. when this hasn’t happened: emojis being white at the beginning + post office closures
- International cohort (only Brit) and different specialisms (econ, culture, policy etc.) meant engaging with issues far more informative and fruitful
- LSE Congress: Different expertise and knowledge meant we could allocate tasks to maximise efficiency (specialisms on research areas and one peer made videos before, and me and philosophy)
- Still waiting to hear the outcome of it
7
Q
When was a time that you were open to new ideas
A
- Really value always learning (multidisciplinary background and how understanding in one area helps understanding in another)
- During studies taken multiple optional courses, also took a two-day course on financial modelling outside of the uni because I wanted to better understand how businesses measure their financial projections and how this influences business decision making (also CIVICA, wanted exposure to negotiation and crisis simulation)
- Tallied with no mistakes but still lots to learn and want to to better understand these things as im genuinely interested but also appreciate how it can help me better understand businesses, (SE) clients, and help them in this regard.
8
Q
Tell us about a time when you experienced adversity
A
- Eagle Ridge, overcompensating led to slower and more dangerous situation. Lesson learned = discipline, sticking to processes and not letting high risk tasks negatively impact other tasks, the importance of communication cos that’s what got us out of the situation, resilience and and that tough situations can be overcome, we also talked about it afterwards thinking about what we did well and how we could improve this in the future – haven’t had an incident like that so far since
- Contacting MPs for my project
9
Q
Tell us about a time when you demonstrated initiative
A
- Malcolm and thanksgiving
- CIVICA
10
Q
What are your weaknesses?
A
- I really get into what im doing and go 110% into it, so find it hard to switch off. Latter art Youtube and dreams, ban on Warhammer, SE on holiday. Weakness in terms of recognising that it could lead to burnout in the future so I am creating boundaries in my work, exercise more, Sundays with gwen
- Part of my character and background mean I always put others first but I’m increasingly becoming aware of the importance of being able to say no sometimes in order to look after myself so I can better help others than I otherwise would saying yes all the time.
11
Q
What are your strengths?
A
- People facing (CIVICA, FCB, and Gino’s)
- Eye for detail (Philosophy and Policy)
- Resilience (interrail, 3 peaks, climbing)
- Eagerness to learn (financial modelling, R, optional courses at LSE)
12
Q
What makes you unique?
A
- Empathy (brother, camphill, politics – have to be empathetic to reach compromise and compromise is essential for good politics and policymaking)
13
Q
Tell us about a time when you worked in a team
A
- EU 450 NMLC
- Basketball (zone defence, playing to teammates strengths, and promotion)
- Gaelic (not phased by new environment but eager and willing to learn and work toward the team’s goals – district champions)
14
Q
When did you solve a problem?
A
- Enjoy and get a kick out of using data to identify and solve problems and results driven in this approach (my course and board games)
15
Q
Tell us about a time when you had a disagreement with a colleague and how this was resolved
A
- Supervisor didn’t think putting blue roll on the drip tray at the end of the night was worth it
16
Q
Tell us a time when you provided great customer service
A
- When people ask about buying and grinding coffee – either know what they want and ask the specific request and you cross check to double check that that’s appropriate for what they have
- Or they don’t know so need to ask and get that info and their preferences and what flavours they want out of their coffee and then advise what you think is best for them
- (R) $2 tip
17
Q
Questions for the interview
A
- Why do you like it at SE?
- What would you say is the overall strategy for SE over the next 5 years or so?
- What are some of the greatest challenges and opportunities facing SE at the moment?
- What would you say is the most important attribute for the role?
18
Q
Questions for the first bit
A
- How are relationships with clients structured/managed, is it a manager with each client
- What does end to end customer service look like for SE
- How do customers exist and how SE assesses and evaluates these things, measures of success and failure, how measure failure – those people are the most important. Continual improvement
- Meetings and debriefs regarding this to see what went well and how we manage that in the future
- How much of a balance is there between customer service/client and data analysis and technical skills – is there one you prioritise?
- How does career progression look in terms of specialisation?
- What opportunities do you offer for continual learning and development?
- How many directorates are there and opportunity to specialise/progress within SE as a BA
- What does the process for my work look like? The structure of a project eg?
- What does a BA actually do in SE?
- What are some key tasks/skills you will regularly use during a working week?
- What drives the agenda for someone working as a BA – what is SE’s objectives/look for in who it chooses to work with?
- What is like working there (culture, values etc.)
- Favourite and least favourite things about SE?
- What are some key tips/strategies you would recommend for hitting the ground running during the graduate program
19
Q
Why BA?
A
- More I dived into policy, politics, and economics the more I’ve appreciated how important businesses are for driving change and generating positive social impact (e.g. )
- To help business then through supporting SE’s mission would be incredibly satisfying and somewhere where arguably some of the most profound social impact can occur
- Also a fantastic opportunity to be exposed to many different businesses and sectors and engage with many different issues – I love to always learn and expand my knowledge and experience and I believe this is what the role and SE offer
- Sarene said it a great first step
- Love talking to people and finding out what their main concerns and objectives are and then support them to achieve these (e.g. running with friend, accompanying my brother at the pub or board games stuff)
- Love using data and information to identify problems and find outcome-oriented solutions to these
20
Q
A
