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Moving to London



Contributed by Charlie Waterman

I regularly speak to students who have set out on their job search believing all the best opportunities lie London, and I would agree. Emphasising this, The Graduate Market 2018 suggests that 83% of graduate vacancies at leading UK employers are in London. So what is there to hold you back? In my experience, there seem to be three main areas graduates get stressed about when it comes to relocating…

The cost of living in London

The first (and some would argue the biggest issue) is the cost of living in London. Having been a 2013 graduate myself, I remember this feeling only too well. So what’s my advice for trying to make sure that you’re not just living to work but working to live? Apply for jobs that have extra benefits or incentives. This could include something as simple as free fruit, discounted gym membership or something that may help you out long-term – interest free travel loans for instance.

One major aspect that appealed about my role was the commission. I love being rewarded for all the hard work I put in, and I’m in charge of my own earnings so can earn as much as I want. It is very unlikely that you’ll be able to afford a one bedroom flat, so instead, another budget friendly option could be a house share. They’re a great way of involving yourself in the busy London lifestyle, making new friends and saving money. They could be compared to your ex-student lifestyle as you’ll be living with young professionals who are in a similar situation to you.


Where to live in London?

The next nerve-wracking decision seems to be where to live. London is the biggest and arguably the most diverse city in the UK, so how do you find your patch? Lots of graduates seem to perceive that ‘living the London lifestyle’ is only possible if you live and work in Central London, zone 1.

Yes this would be ideal for many, however, with an annual travel card for zone 1 alone costing £1,284, there would be minimal money to enjoy yourself on a graduate salary. So, why not live and work in zones further out from the city where rent is much cheaper and you don’t have to experience a cramped, busy train carriage for hours every day. Being offered a job in Wimbledon was another aspect that sold my job to me.

I live in zone 2, the commute to work is 20 minutes on an unpacked train (going against the traffic!) and it costs me £1.90. Plus, if I want to go into central London after work, Waterloo is a 15 minute train journey away. 



Moving away from your friends & family

My last piece of advice is related to leaving your family and friends. Most people know someone who lives in London, but a lot of us choose to move away from parents, siblings and best friends to be here. In many jobs you are going to be spending a high percentage of your time in your workplace, therefore selecting the right company culture is vital. I knew my chosen industry was going to be hard work and entail long hours so I needed to be around colleagues that would become friends inside and outside of work.

To enable this I would encourage everyone to go to lots of interviews and meet as many people as you can who you might be working with. If you can’t do that, definitely research companies on Glassdoor. Try not to take the first job that’s offered to you and if they put pressure on you to make a decision, question it. Are they worried that you’ll find a better opportunity elsewhere? Above all, remember that these new colleagues are probably going to spend more time with you than your partner and friends so choose wisely.

When you do make that first trip back home to see everyone, you’ll realise that nothing has changed and all the best graduate opportunities really do lie in London.

For more information about working for Harnham or even relocating to London, contact Charlie Waterman, our Graduate Internal Recruiter via email at charliewaterman@harnham.com

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FROM HEALTHCARE TO HOSPITALITY HOW BIG DATA TRANSFORMS INDUSTRY

From Healthcare to Hospitality: How Big Data Transforms Industry

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Eoin Pierce

Eoin Pierce

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HOW PROGRAMMATIC IS REVOLUTIONISING ADVERTISING

How Programmatic Is Revolutionising Advertising

With consumerism on the rise, and a drastic shift away from traditional avenues of advertising, the use of Digital Marketing and the demand for business to become more technically ‘savvy’ is continuously increasing. The extent of different digital media channels in the advertising space, as well as the recent evolution of approaches such as Programmatic Advertising, has caused confusion as to which approach is the best for businesses to adopt and for well versed Digital Marketers to reflect on what their next career step should be.  Irrespective, Programmatic is such a buzzword within the market at present and is widely predicted to become the future of display advertising. Despite this, many have a lack of understanding as to what it actually is. 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Francesca Harris

Francesca Harris

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Web Analytics Career To Data Science

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Harriet Coleman

Harriet Coleman

05. September 2019

How Big Data Is Impacting Logistics

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As Big Data can reveal patterns, trends and associations relating to human behaviour and interactions, it’s no surprise that Data & Analytics are changing the way that the supply chain sector operates today.  From informing and predicting buying trends to streamlining order processing and logistics, technological innovations are impacting the industry, boosting efficiency and improving supply chain management.  Analysing behavioural patterns Using pattern recognition systems, Artificial Intelligence is able to analyse Big Data. During this process, Artificial Intelligence defines and identifies external influences which may affect the process of operations (such as customer purchasing choices) using Machine Learning algorithms. From the Data collected, Artificial Intelligence is able to determine information or characteristics which can inform us of repetitive behaviour or predict statistically probable actions.  Consequently, organisation and planning can be undertaken with ease to improve the efficiency of the supply chain. For example, ordering a calculated amount of stock in preparation for a busy season can be made using much more accurate predictions - contributing to less over-stocking and potentially more profit. As a result, analysing behavioural patterns facilitates better management and administration, with a knock-on effect for improving processes.  Streamlining operations  Using image recognition technology, Artificial Intelligence enables quicker processes that are ideally suited for warehouses and stock control applications. Additionally, transcribing voice to text applications mean stock can be identified and processed quickly to reach its destination, reducing the human resource time required and minimising human error.  Artificial intelligence has also changed the way we use our inventory systems. Using natural language interaction, enterprises have the capability to generate reports on sales, meaning businesses can quickly identify stock concerns and replenish accordingly. Intelligence can even communicate these reports, so Data reliably reaches the next person in the supply chain, expanding capabilities for efficient operations to a level that humans physically cannot attain. It’s no surprise that when it comes to warehousing and packaging operations Artificial Intelligence can revolutionise the efficiency of current systems. With image recognition now capable of detecting which brands and logos are visible on cardboard boxes of all sizes, monitoring shelf space is now possible on a real-time basis. In turn, Artificial Intelligence is able to offer short term insights that would have previously been restricted to broad annual time frames for consumers and management alike.  Forecasting  Many companies manually undertake forecasting predictions using excel spreadsheets that are then subject to communication and data from other departments. Using this method, there’s ample room for human error as forecasting cannot be uniform across all regions in national or global companies. This can create impactful mistakes which have the potential to make predictions increasingly inaccurate.  Using intelligent stock management systems, Machine Learning algorithms can predict when stock replenishment will be required in warehouse environments. When combined with trend prediction technology, warehouses will effectively be capable enough to almost run themselves  negating the risk of human error and wasted time. Automating the forecasting process decreases cycle time, while providing early warning signals for unexpected issues, leaving businesses better prepared for most eventualities that may not have been spotted by the human eye.  Big Data is continuing to transform the world of logistics, and utilising it in the best way possible is essential to meeting customer demands and exercising agile supply chain management.  If you’re interested in utilising Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to help improve processes, Harnham may be able to help. Take a look at our latest opportunities or get in touch with one of our expert consultants to find out more.  Author Bio: Alex Jones is a content creator for Kendon Packaging. Now one of Britain's leading packaging companies, Kendon Packaging has been supporting businesses nationwide since the 1930s.

Guest Blog

Guest Blog

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