At HRW, we are particularly proud of the people who join us as graduates and stay with us as their career grows. As part of our Graduate Academy, we have created our very own structured induction and training scheme for new researchers looking to begin their careers in healthcare market research. We sat down with Channelle Findlay and Tenzin Gyaltsen, both who have recently graduated from our Graduate Academy about their first year at HRW and their experience in our academy. What were you doing before you started at HRW? Tenzin: I was working as a contact tracer and an administrative assistant for the NYC COVID programs. I was eliciting close contacts of people that had tested positive for COVID and providing information on city resources and isolation guidelines. Channelle: I was working as an Executive Assistant for a market research agency for almost 6 years, the role was becoming very monotonous, and I desired something that would challenge and excite me. There was an opportunity with my previous employer to work with a career coach and I remember writing on the form my career goal was to transition into a researcher role in the next 6 to 12 months. I had one session and within a few weeks I had two interviews lined up – one being HRW and was accepted onto their graduate program How did you come across our HRW Graduate Academy? Tenzin: Tony who’s based in our Manhattan office, introduced me to HRW and market research. Channelle: On LinkedIn, to be honest I had no idea what a great platform it would be. There’s no recruiter gatekeeping the job spec, so you get a good gist of what you are applying for. Also seeing a company’s posting activity and the employees who work there gives you a better visibility of the company culture and overall business objectives; HRW ticked all the right boxes for me. What were your expectations? Tenzin: I was expecting it to be a good combination of my previous experience in medical devices research in a lab and the NYC COVID programs and I do find myself using some of my previous experiences at HRW. Channelle: I went into the Graduate Academy open-minded and really excited to learn more about the company and myself. It was the biggest career opportunity to date so I was naturally nervous, eager to make a great impression. It did help I had experience going through the interview process – if anything you learn to better manage your expectations and ask the right questions because you know what to look for. Tell us about the assessment day, how did you find it? Tenzin: It was great opportunity to present and also reflect my time at HRW and the graduate academy. Getting to sit down and map out my journey so far and plan the journey ahead was a great exercise. Channelle: Admittedly it was a full-on day, with lots to take in but I really enjoyed the day which might seem like a weird thing to say when you’re being assessed but I really felt the day. Moreover, the itinerary was designed in a way that allowed candidates to shine by demonstrating their key strengths and potential. In the past I’ve gone to job interviews and kicked myself, wishing I said this or do that, but I didn’t feel that way once the day was over, which in my mind was a good sign. What surprised you most when you started working here? Tenzin: How approachable people are here at HRW. I was honestly surprised I could teams anyone in the company with questions and how willing they were to answer my questions and share their knowledge. Channelle: How quickly you are trusted to work on projects. I believe I worked on a project only a few days after joining – updating some charts within a debrief deck. It wasn’t a dummy project but a real project with a real client. I was so surprised! At the beginning I did have imposter syndrome, but I was well supported by the team, so it faded quite quickly. There’s such a spirit of camaraderie from everyone across the business. How did you adjust your approach of working across our three geos as a seamless team? Tenzin: I think communication is a top priority when working across the three geos. Having mini handovers before you log off or making sure the team is aware of what everyone is working on, so we are all aware of the current status progress of the project is crucial. Channelle: I have experience working with people from different time zones or offices from time to time so not unknow territory – I’ve done this in my previous roles and while doing my master’s degree but as the norm is completely foreign to me. I learnt quickly to develop best practices which has been have widely circulated in the HRW business, particularly working with the US team. You can really utilize the time different, especially if you are working on a US project and team, you can take on something in your UK morning and provide handover notes for the team to pick up before you log off for the day, kind of feel like a super power but it works really well as long as you provide good handover notes each day. That’s been key for me. What do you now enjoy most about your role? Tenzin: I think progressing in my role and becoming more independent as a TRE is something I am enjoying now. Being able to take charge of developing a material or respond to any client/freelancer queries. Another thing I enjoy is general conversations with co-workers and getting to know their background and interests has also been enjoyable. Channelle: Working with different people from across the company, whether it be within the field team, central admin or research team – it keeps the job interesting. Also, you can really learn by osmosis – hot desking offers the great opportunity to get to know my colleagues better and value their ways of working. What is your favourite project to date? Tenzin: I would pick project Combat as it was the first project where I was the sole exec and I also got to travel to a CL Day and meet the clients face to face. Another favourite of mine is Gruyere as it was the first quant project I was a part of from kick-off to report delivery. It was a great change of pace and I got to learn an entirely different project life cycle Channelle: It’s super hard to nail that down. I really enjoyed the projects I’ve worked on so far. All positive – the therapy areas are so interesting and varied. But I’d go with project Smitty, because I joined a really established team who knew the therapy area in and out and had built a strong relationship with the client so initially it felt intimidated joining. But once the team got me up to speed on our previous research and the therapy area, I felt I’ve slotted in well. I think we have naturally found our rhythm and we delight our client, so it works well. What advice would you give to those interested in joining HRW’s Graduate Academy? Tenzin: I think keeping an open mind to things, being open to feedback and asking questions is a great way to for a TRE to start. Take the graduate academy as a learning experience and opportunity and know that the HRW team is there to support your growth is a great mindset to have throughout. Channelle: Go for it! You won’t regret it. Even during the interview process, you discover a lot about yourself, including your strengths and areas for growth. It won’t ever seem like a pointless endeavour. Thus, it’s definitely worth a go! Apply Now!