From University to the Working World: Business Analyst

My role as the business analyst consists largely around reporting on the company’s sales data and also around our customer database system. As you would expect for an analyst, I analyse the sales data based on the type of equipment we’ve sold and who sold it. This information is used by the management team and I to assist with the reporting off our market share figures which are submitted to the trade association BCAS. I also get involved with other project-based work with a focus on generating more leads for the sales team through a mixture of telemarketing, external data sources and signing up to supplier bodies. One of the huge positives of this kind of work is that I can directly see the benefits my work has on the company which is a huge motivator for me.

Atlas Copco has a relaxed atmosphere within the office and this really shone through on my selection day. I had been to other assessment days for other companies and no other place quite had an atmosphere like Atlas Copco, this really put me at ease. We were put into a group and performed a group task to see how we would work as part of a team. We were given a tour of the office and workshop at Hemel Hempstead before having some lunch and being given the chance to mingle with the hiring managers and other candidates. Even my interview with my manager was informal, where we were able to have a laugh and it relaxed me for the dreaded interview questions. After being offered the job I was eased in slowly as I came in to meet my manager and team a month before starting which helped remove any nerves for my first day. Overall the recruitment process is very good as I feel it is a brilliant way for the hiring managers to properly get to know the candidates.

I can honestly say that everyone I’ve worked with this year are lovely people and played a big part in helping me to settle in, so I’d like to thank them for that. In March, I was given the opportunity to travel to Glasgow where I visited some of our customer sites and saw our equipment in action. This was really good as normally all I get to see is the name of a compressor and how many we’ve sold in a month on a spreadsheet!

Another big highlight for me was attending the national sales meeting in Northampton, where I assisted in setting up views on some of our sales team’s laptops so that they can prospect more easily. One big highlight from this year was getting involved in the recruitment process for my replacement next year, I really enjoyed this, and it gave me an insight into what makes a candidate stand out!