JLR |

What position did you start in and what is your position now? Please describe your current responsibilities.

I am an undergraduate studio engineer and will stay in the role throughout my placement year at JLR. Currently I am sharing the responsibilities of a Lead studio engineer by shadowing them to gain experience from the work that they do on a day to day basis. My main responsibility as a studio engineer is to push the boundaries of our engineers to follow a design-led process. This is what makes our cars the definition of modern luxury. This involves creating and adapting CAD models, performing studies on legal design requirements, conversing with engineers and designers to reach viable solutions.

Are you involved in any other projects / networks? If so, please describe what they are and what your contributions are.

I am also involved with Early Careers as an Early Careers Ambassador. So far I have contributed media content and stories to help boost their outreach to new starters from schools all the way up to university level students.

What do you like about working here?

The workplace culture and atmosphere is really open and inclusive, which not only helps support a productive work environment, but it also helps to promote great relationships amongst colleagues. I think I could ask anyone around me for help and they wouldn’t hesitate to do so.

What are your career aspirations? Do you feel that you get the necessary support from your management / department to help achieve your learning & development goal?

I hope to progress my career at JLR after I finish my university degree. JLR are keen to retain people from early careers and have a good scheme in place to push forward your application as an undergrad to become graduate after finishing your degree. 1:1s, team chats and personal development agendas help to push me towards the goals I want to achieve as part of my placement but also my future career.

Describe your team / department, and what makes it stand out from our competition?

Studio Engineering is growing team made up of talented people from a variety of backgrounds, design, engineering, manufacturing etc. This makes for a team with a wide pool of knowledge that be applied to all stages of the design/car development process, right from concept to delivery. Having such a strong studio engineering team at JLR means that we can deliver our luxurious fleet of vehicles that are designed and engineered to such a high standard. The team really cares about the product we deliver, and therefore aim for the best in everything, not letting any details go amiss. On top of this, it’s a great team who know how to have a laugh and make the job so much fun.

Tell us 3 interesting facts about yourself.

1. I’m a qualified ski instructor – getting my level 2 qualification whilst on my gap year.
2. I worked at Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm Shop for 3 years whilst they filmed the amazon series – that was a crazy but fun job and I got to serve David Beckham.
3. I’ve driven a skidoo across the worlds 2nd largest glacier in the world, it was -27 degrees plus wind chill. This was on a trip to Iceland.

What hints and tips can you share with the potential candidates who are going through the application / interview process?

Be yourself, the interviewer is trying to understand you as a person as much as your skills, if not more. So talk about professional but also personal interests and hobbies, weaknesses, ambitions…Don’t get caught up on having the perfect application (particularly if you’re coming in as an Early career candidate). JLR know that you will be right at the beginning of your professional career and don’t expect a fully polished portfolio. Just show what you have, how you got there and what you’ve learnt in the process.

Do your research first, this is important – having a good knowledge of your job role and the business of the wider company is really useful to show you really want to work here.

What position did you start in and what is your position now? Please describe your current responsibilities.

I am currently on the HR (People Experience) undergraduate programme, working in the Performance and Reward Transformation team. Currently, I am primarily focused on supporting my team as we navigate and implement changes to JLR’s performance and recognition approaches.

Are you involved in any other projects / networks? If so, please describe what they are and what your contributions are.

At JLR I am a part of both the Christian network and GEN (Gender Equality Network). Although JLR is such a big company, these networks really help to create a sense of community and help you meet a variety of people from across the company. Also, networks provide you with the chance to engage with exciting opportunities, for example this week I am attending a GEN conference where Erin Baker will be a guest speaker.

What do you like about working here?

JLR has undoubtedly proven to be a place where I can grow both professionally and personally. My manager actively encourages my team to maintain a healthy work-life balance and there is the flexibility to work from home if needed. Additionally, the nature of my role allows me to collaborate with a diverse range of departments and individuals beyond my immediate team – allowing me to broaden my network within the organisation. Furthermore, I really like that there is a strong early careers community at JLR. With a significant number of early career professionals, they have an influential presence at JLR.

What are your career aspirations? Do you feel that you get the necessary support from your management / department to help achieve your learning & development goal?

At this stage in my career, being an undergraduate and at the very beginning of my professional journey, I am in the fortunate position to be able to explore different career paths. What is great about JLR’s programme is that there is the opportunity to shadow different teams that you are interested in. Therefore, while I am a part of the Performance and Reward Transformation team, I am able to get exposure from many different areas within HR, to explore which department is of greatest interest to myself. My manger and Cohort Lead are incredibly supportive and help to facilitate any interest of mine.

Describe your team / department, and what makes it stand out from our competition?

I am a part of the ‘Performance and Reward Transformation’ team which sits within the ‘My Recognition and Global Mobility’ team. My team is responsible for the change that occurs within the performance, recognition and pay spaces. At JLR HR is divided into numerous specialised departments, each dedicated to specific areas of expertise. This means that I am able to focus on a particular HR aspect that truly interests me and gain a comprehensive understanding of it. Having said this, if I wanted a more general understanding there is the flexibility to support other teams if I wanted to.

Tell us 3 interesting facts about yourself.

– In my free time I like to go to the gym
– My very first car was a Toyota Aygo (hopefully my next will be a Range Rover Sport)
– I am currently learning French

What hints and tips can you share with the potential candidates who are going through the application / interview process?

During the interview, be yourself and provide honest responses. Authenticity shines through and will leave a positive impression on your interviewers. Highlight your genuine enthusiasm for the role and your true motivations for wanting to work at JLR,

What position did you start in and what is your position now? Please describe your current responsibilities.

I started on the Hardware and Mechatronics Engineering Graduate scheme last September, in my home team which is in the Sustainable Technologies Research Chapter. During my first 6 months I worked on a sustainable future transport project in research. Since then, I have completed a placement in the Sustainability Office and I’m currently on placement in Product Sustainability.

Working in various sustainability teams has helped me to grow my knowledge on how the different areas of the business work together to deliver on our science-based targets. Whilst on placement in the Sustainability Office, I was responsible for leading a project on vehicle targets. During my current placement in Product Sustainability, I have been working alongside teams of engineers to deliver decarbonisation projects for powertrain.

Are you involved in any other projects / networks? If so, please describe what they are and what your contributions are.

I am a member of the Women in Engineering & Allies (WIE&A) network which is a community promoting a diverse and inclusive working environment within engineering. I’m also a graduate representative for Research and an Early Careers ambassador.

What do you like about working here?

For me, I love the diverse and inclusive culture where everyone is welcome. There are loads of different networks to join and opportunities to meet people.

I also like the variety of innovative and interesting projects to get involved with and the emphasis on personal development. For graduates, 20% of your time should be spent on training. This has given me the chance to develop my own learning and attend engineering conferences, exhibitions and tours. These opportunities have helped me to learn about trends in the wider industry and develop professional skills.

What are your career aspirations? Do you feel that you get the necessary support from your management / department to help achieve your learning & development goal?

I’m currently working towards becoming a chartered engineer with IET. In the future, I would like to become a technical specialist.

I was lucky to meet a few of the managers I currently work with throughout the recruitment process. It was motivating to see how passionate they are about their areas of expertise. The managers in my department have always been really supportive of my development goals and have helped me to secure relevant placements

Describe your team / department, and what makes it stand out from our competition?

My home department in research have a strong team morale. From my first day I was welcomed into the team.

Within research there is an open and innovative culture, where everyone’s ideas are valued and recognised. The team have a lot of technical knowledge, they are experienced, and dedicated to providing creative solutions.

Tell us 3 interesting facts about yourself.

I studied Chemical Engineering at University. During university I authored a book chapter and collaborated on a review paper with BRAC University, both have now been published.

My favourite hobby is horse riding and I have loaned 3 horses.

I’m half Irish.

What hints and tips can you share with the potential candidates who are going through the application / interview process?

You don’t need to know what you want to do yet, be open about your interests and be yourself during the interview process.

Do your research, make sure you have an awareness of the company strategy and the Creators’ code.

What position did you start in and what is your position now? Please describe your current responsibilities.

I started as a software developer, mainly developing the front-end of the PIVI web apps. I spent 4 months in that role, and now I have just started the UX designer role, designing the Jaguar Land Rover mobile app. As I am on an industrial placement, I have the opportunity to rotate around different positions in the business every few months, to get a taste for all the roles which I’m interested in trying.

Are you involved in any other projects / networks? If so, please describe what they are and what your contributions are.

I am a part of the ECI (Early Careers Innovations) committee, where I present and organise guest speakers to present to the Early Careers employees, about current innovations occurring across various departments.

What do you like about working here?

I like the opportunity I am given, as an undergraduate, to try out various departments which I am interested in, rather than just working in the same role for the whole placement. It allows me to try new things which I may have not considered before. I have been surprised at how much I enjoyed the roles which I didn’t initially sign up to.

What are your career aspirations? Do you feel that you get the necessary support from your management / department to help achieve your learning & development goal?

I aspire to progress in a technology-related role; I’m not entirely sure what job specifically yet, as I’m still trying out many roles in my placement. I am hoping to be offered a gradate job at the end of my industrial placement, and then be offered a permanent job with the company, post-grad.

Describe your team / department, and what makes it stand out from our competition?

Jaguar Land Rover stands out by providing undergraduates/graduates, like myself, with many opportunities. They offer exciting business trips, where you can visit the different sites and explore your work in action in our vehicles. They also give you the opportunity to try out various roles in the company and allow you to find out which role you enjoy/suits you the best.

Tell us some interesting facts about yourself.

• I really enjoy hiking in the UK’s national parks; I completed the DofE Bronze, Silver and Gold awards.
• Soon, I want to travel Europe and in particular explore Iceland and the Switzerland mountains.
• My favourite season of the year is summer and I’m not a fan of winter.

What hints and tips can you share with the potential candidates who are going through the application / interview process?

Find out a lot about the company and the current goals Jaguar Land Rover is working towards. Not only will it give you better knowledge of the company which you are hoping to work for, it may also give you a better idea of what areas of the business you’re more interested in working in. For example, when I was applying to the company, I realised that I was very interested in PIVI. I mentioned that I was particularly interested in this in the interview, and to my surprise, I was offered a job as a software developer in the PIVI team.

What position did you start in and what is your position now? Please describe your current responsibilities.

I started on the Graduate Program at JLR as a Facilities Engineer, where I played a crucial role within the Global Manufacturing Engineering – Facilities Team. In this position, I contributed to the global manufacturing strategy, assessed the feasibility of new facilities and processes, managed projects for cost, quality, and timing, and supported the introduction of new facilities, materials, and vehicle programs at the JLR’s Solihull site. My responsibilities included collaborating with stakeholders, developing layout solutions, managing contractors, health and safety, operational risk management, environmental innovation, and compliance reporting. I also led New Equipment Procurement Teams and tracked project-based KPIs regularly.

Are you involved in any other projects / networks? If so, please describe what they are and what your contributions are.

Yes, I am actively engaged in multiple projects and networks that contribute to my professional development and the broader engineering community.

Firstly, I serve as a Manufacturing Graduate Lead, where I play a pivotal role in overseeing and guiding the development of Graduate professionals within the manufacturing department. This involves mentoring and providing insights to help them navigate their early careers successfully.

Additionally, I am a mentor for the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) professional registration, offering guidance and support to individuals seeking professional recognition in their areas of expertise.

Lastly, I contribute to the engineering community by actively participating in and supporting Early Careers events. These events serve as platforms to share knowledge, foster networking opportunities, and inspire the next generation of engineers and professionals.

What do you like about working here?

Working at JLR is a truly enriching experience that I find immensely rewarding. One aspect that stands out for me is the innovative and collaborative work environment fostered by the company. JLR places a strong emphasis on pushing the boundaries of automotive technology, encouraging colleagues to think creatively and contribute to cutting-edge advancements in the industry. The commitment to sustainability and the development of electric and hybrid vehicles aligns with my passion for environmentally conscious practices, making my work at JLR feel purposeful. Moreover, the company’s commitment to diversity and inclusion creates a workplace culture that values different perspectives and backgrounds, fostering a dynamic and supportive atmosphere. The opportunities for professional growth and the chance to be part of a renowned brand known for its commitment to excellence make working at JLR an exciting and fulfilling journey.

What are your career aspirations?

My career aspirations revolve around continuous growth, both professionally and personally. I am keen on advancing my expertise in engineering, taking on challenging projects, and assuming leadership roles that contribute to the success of the organisation. In terms of learning and development, I am fortunate to be part of a department and work under a management team that values and prioritises team growth. The support I receive is instrumental in helping me achieve my goals. Regular development conversations, constructive feedback, and opportunities for skill enhancement are actively encouraged.

Additionally, the company invests in various training programs and resources that align with my career trajectory, facilitating my learning journey. This support not only enhances my current skill set but also enables me to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving professional landscape. Overall, the backing from my management and department significantly contributes to my confidence in realising my career aspirations.

Describe your team / department, and what makes it stand out from our competition?

Our Manufacturing team and Industrial Operations department are characterised by a unique blend of diverse talents, a collaborative spirit, and a relentless commitment to innovation that sets us apart from our competition. Comprised of individuals with varied expertise and backgrounds, our team brings a rich tapestry of skills to the table, fostering a culture of creativity and problem-solving. What makes us stand out is our agility and adaptability to industry trends and technological advancements. We pride ourselves on a dynamic approach to challenges, constantly seeking novel solutions that push the boundaries of what’s possible. Moreover, our emphasis on open communication and a supportive work environment creates a sense of camaraderie that enhances productivity and morale. This cohesion translates into efficient collaboration on projects, enabling us to deliver high-quality outcomes consistently. In essence, it is the combination of our diverse talents, innovative mindset, and collaborative ethos that distinguishes our team and department, positioning us as leaders in the competitive landscape.

Tell us 3 interesting facts about yourself.

Firstly, I am an avid traveller with a deep appreciation for cultural exploration. Having visited more than ten countries on three different continents, I thrive on immersing myself in new environments, trying local cuisines, and connecting with people from different backgrounds.

Secondly, beyond my professional pursuits, I am deeply involved in bodybuilding, finding solace and inspiration in this expressive outlet. It not only provides balance to my life but also fuels my innovative thinking in unexpected ways.

Lastly, I am a lifelong learner and am currently engrossed in programmes, whether it be mastering a new language or delving into a niche field of study. These facets of my life contribute to a well-rounded perspective and an eagerness to embrace new challenges and opportunities.

What hints and tips can you share with the potential candidates who are going through the application / interview process?

For candidates navigating the application and interview process, my advice is to thoroughly research JLR and understand its values, mission, and culture. Tailoring your application to demonstrate how your skills align with JLR’s goals. During the interview, be prepared to showcase not only your technical competencies but also your ability to adapt and collaborate. Share specific examples from your past experiences that highlight your problem-solving skills and accomplishments. Additionally, ask questions about JLR and the role you’re applying for, to demonstrate your genuine interest and initiative. Confidence is crucial, but so is humility – be open to discussing areas for growth and how you actively seek improvement. These steps can make a lasting impression and set you apart when going through the application/interview process.

What position did you start in and what is your position now? Please describe your current responsibilities.

I started 5 months ago as an Industrial Operations undergraduate and remain in that position today.

Are you involved in any other projects / networks? If so, please describe what they are and what your contributions are.

In addition to my day-to-day work I am also working on the Jaguar Electric Architecture (JEA) Programme.

What do you like about working here?

JLR has presented me with many opportunities to learn at a stable pace from highly experienced individuals. As an undergraduate, you can move around the business through shadowing and get good exposure to departments and really get a good understanding of how the business works.

What are your career aspirations? Do you feel that you get the necessary support from your management / department to help achieve your learning & development goal?

I aspire to develop my understanding and acquire knowledge of multiple engineering disciplines and how they deliver innovation. Specific to my department, I have built upon my academic understanding of lean manufacturing and its application at production in Solihull.

Describe your team / department, and what makes it stand out from our competition?

Paint Operations is a very interesting department to work in as you get good exposure to multiple engineering disciplines as you work alongside production, simulation and even chemical engineers. You also pick up a niche understanding of the extensive processes and variables that contribute to getting a vehicle painted/coated and its interaction with other departments like Body in White.

Tell us 3 interesting facts about yourself.

1. I enjoy learning to cook different dishes from all over the world and trying new cuisines.
2. One of my hobbies is Art. When I get time I get involved with things like sculpting or painting.
3. My most recent trip was in Corfu with my university friends. During our trip, we accidently hiked up a cliff in order to get to a beach and it was too late to go down when we realised what we were doing.

What hints and tips can you share with the potential candidates who are going through the application / interview process?

Get your CV in check, personalise it and include things which are relevant to the role. Ensure you practise the psychometric testing stage so you can have a chance to demonstrate what you offer. In the interview, take time to think before answering and make sure you provide concise answers to the questions that best reflect your interests.

What position did you start in and what is your position now? Please describe your current responsibilities.

I am currently a second year graduate on the Electronics & Complex Systems program. I started in the Passenger Entertainment team doing software integration, then completed a placement in virtual reality research at the NAIC, and I am currently on placement in Body & Chassis in the Interior Experiences & Wellbeing team doing system engineering. I am currently working on designing new interior features for the next generation of vehicles.

Are you involved in any other projects / networks? If so, please describe what they are and what your contributions are.

I am a graduate representative for the Digital Product Platform (DPP), where I am responsible for organising graduate and undergraduate inductions, and also supporting the new intake of graduates.

What do you like about working here?

I like that as a graduate, I am given meaningful work which helps me develop my skills. I am also able to do placements in different departments, for example I have completed placements in DPP, research, and body & chassis. This gives me the freedom to explore the business and to find what I really enjoy doing, and also learn about the processes and work other departments do.

I have also done a placement in Solihull, which provided me with an insight into manufacturing and how our vehicles are built.

Additionally, everyone is really friendly and helpful. People are willing to share knowledge to help me develop.

What are your career aspirations? Do you feel that you get the necessary support from your management / department to help achieve your learning & development goal?

My manager has been very supportive, he has arranged placements which would allow me to see how interior features on cars are developed, starting at the research stage going all the way to vehicle integration and testing. Doing placements in these areas helps me understand the process end-to-end, which will help me develop into a system engineer.

Describe your team / department, and what makes it stand out from our competition?

There is a fun and friendly working environment, where everyone is very supportive. My home team has weekly knowledge sharing sessions, where one person prepares a presentation and shares what they do day-to-day. This is really helpful because you get to learn about what other people do, and it highlights the skills present in each squad. It also gives people the chance to be recognised and praised for the work they do.

Tell us 3 interesting facts about yourself.

1. I was born in Hungary and I moved to the UK at the age of 13
2. I was the only girl on my engineering course at university
3. I enjoy climbing in my free time

What hints and tips can you share with the potential candidates who are going through the application / interview process?

Be your authentic self and do not be afraid of taking on new challenges.