First-class Louise is on course for a new career

Louise Daly had little time for relaxation after she completed her BA (Hons) degree in Human Resource Management at the University of Teesside. For she started a graduate trainee post with Compaq, the international computer firm, straight after graduating.

Louise, 21, from Fairfield, Stockton, clinched the post in April following her first interview. The good news continued when Louise achieved a First Class Degree, the only one on her course to do so.

She came to the University with three good ‘A’ levels in Maths, English and French from Bede Sixth Form College in Billingham and said: “I chose Teesside as I wanted to stay local. I’ve always wanted to go into business, more the people management side.”

Louise combined her studies with part-time work at Middlesbrough Football Club’s Study Support Centre. She worked with Middlesbrough children aged 10-14 for two years, helping to motivate them with extra curricular work. This involved appearing on Boro TV, and joining the children in canoeing and abseiling down a waterfall at Whitby.

The daylong selection with Compaq proved a tough experience, combining a group assessment, a demanding role play exercise, followed by a forty-five minute interview. Louise said: “The degree was an invaluable preparation for the interview, as it was practical as well as theoretical, we had role play sessions when looking at areas like grievance and discipline. The assessors at Compaq said that in all the years they had used the role-play in selection, they had never seen it done so well. The other four candidates hadn’t done that kind of role-play before. I’d like to thank my Lectures Nick Creaby and Pat McColl, who motivated me so much.”

Louise will be based in Reading and is the first in her family to graduate from University. She added: “My parents Sandra and Bernie are really ecstatic that I got this job with my first interview.”

For more details on the BA (Hons) degree in Human Resource Management please call 01642 342807, or check the University of Teesside’s web site at www.tees.ac.uk

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