Ria Bhatt

"Working in Sales, Ria needs to be persuasive and helpful, and willing to talk to new people every day, which really suits the ‘Campaigner’ and ‘Trainer’ types. Being out-going and organised helps with the work Ria does as it helps her to network and also to complete any tasks efficiently. This suits the ‘Manager’ type."

"Ria is on a placement year working as an intern in sales and continuous delivery for a company that develops software. This involves working closely with the marketing team to help arrange pipeline development events, such as meet-ups and breakfast briefings. She also has the opportunity to find out how a software unit team is run, as well as taking part in team meetings, team building events, training programs and call-out days.A typical day for Ria involves reading emails and checking what tasks have been assigned to her. She then checks in with her manager to make sure she has completed her tasks correctly and to look at what she can move onto next. She really enjoys having the opportunity to visit external customer headquarters and particularly likes being able to choose what she wants to gain out of her placement year. The most exciting part of Ria’s career has been shadowing account directors in their meetings with high-level platinum customers, which has given her a real insight into the process of finding a lead, making a sale and making further sales to existing customers."

"Ria started off by taking A-Levels in Media, Business and Geography. It was important to her to build a basic knowledge of the business and IT world. She then got a place on a Business and International Relations course at university, which also included a placement year. When the time came to apply for placements, she found that CA Technologies stood out from the rest, and got a place there on a competitively paid internship. Working there has really helped her to get her foot in the door within the IT world. Ria’s Mum inspired her by helping her to get work experience, through which Ria gained more confidence which she has applied to roles in different sectors throughout her life. This has helped her to find it easier to pick and choose what she likes and what she does not like doing. It is from this that she has chosen to go into IT sales, as it is something that she enjoys and also finds challenging."

"In her spare time, Ria likes to take her dog for a walk, go swimming and meet up with friends and family. She also likes to read books relevant to the IT industry in order to expand her knowledge and keep learning. She is also a part of the Aston Women in Business Society at her university. She is a huge supporter of gender equality, especially in the work place.Every day Ria has opportunities to learn and progress in her career, and she likes choosing which opportunities she thinks will benefit her the most. She has shadowed directors and learned how to use relevant online tools. She hopes to eventually gain a graduate role within the IT sector and thought that gaining first-hand experience in IT during her placement year would help her to progress in the future when it comes to full-time work after she graduates. In the future she would like to see herself becoming a leader in a technology organisation, like CA Technologies. She would like to work alongside a team of people whilst progressing into different levels of management."