Graduate Profiles: Sarah Harkin, Workday HCM Consultant

Date posted
19 February 2021
Reading time
9 Minutes
Sarah Harkin
Graduate Worksmart Consultant · Kainos

Graduate Profiles: Sarah Harkin, Workday HCM Consultant

Hi, I'm Sarah and I joined Kainos in October 2019. Before joining Kainos, I studied BSc Business Technology at The Manchester Metropolitan University, graduating in the Summer of 2017. After graduating, I worked for one of the 'Big Four' where I was mainly responsible for client administration and maintaining the IT systems across the team. This job provided me with good experience of working in a business environment in which I met many new friends however I did not believe I was reaching my full potential. This is when I came across Kainos and applied for their Graduate Scheme. At first, I was quite hesitant due to my lack of knowledge of Workday but since my first day with Kainos, I have never looked back!

How was your start at Kainos?

On my first week with Kainos, myself and approximately 10 other graduates participated in an induction session. This session involved meeting a selection of Kainos employees to talk us through each department within Kainos, what to expect while working with Kainos and answering any questions we may have had. Each person who spoke to us throughout the induction welcomed us into the company and provided us with their contact information in case we needed to reach out with any questions in the future. A few weeks later, we travelled to the Workday Headquarters in Amsterdam to participate in a two-week training course to achieve our Workday HCM Certification.

After achieving my HCM Certification, I was informed I would be joining the Application Management Services team within Kainos and this is when my Kainos career began! I was assigned a 'buddy' who I shadowed for the first few weeks to learn the basic day to day tasks within AMS. I gradually became more independent, picking up my tickets, communicating with customers and reaching/building solutions.

What does an average day look like in your role?

Before the COVID 19 pandemic, I would always start my day by getting a Cappuccino from one of the Kainos coffee machines and a bowl of cereal from the breakfast bar! This helped fuel my mornings, especially if they were going to be busy. I would then prioritise my tasks whether it be completing configuration for one of the tickets I have been assigned or having a call with clients to discuss requirements. I usually have around 15 tickets at the one time but the urgency and deadline of each of these vary although it is important to keep organised and use your initiative. An average day now is quite different from when I first started Kainos as we all now must work from home. Despite the situation, Kainos ensures to keep a great work community by offering a lot of virtual quizzes, games and catch-ups. Employees are also offered sessions in mindfulness, coaching and most recently lunchtime yoga sessions on zoom.

What advice would you give to someone thinking to apply for a graduate position?

1) Research, Research, RESEARCH! Ensure to research the company you are considering applying to. There are many useful websites such as LinkedIn and Glassdoor that provide information on the work culture of companies from current/previous employees which can be extremely helpful when deciding what is best for you.

2) Prepare your questions to ask - Write a list of questions you want to ask interviewers about the graduate scheme and working life within the company. Sometimes nerves can get the better of us during interviews, so be sure to make note of any questions you may have. This will help to ensure this job is the right fit for you both.

3) Be confident and stay positive applying for graduate schemes can be exhausting with extensive application forms, psychometric tests, and daunting interviews. Give yourself some credit even if your application is unsuccessful. This all adds to your experience and development.

Learn more about careers at Kainos here.

About the author

Sarah Harkin
Graduate Worksmart Consultant · Kainos
Sarah joined Kainos as a Graduate Worksmart Consultant in 2019