5 Durham finalists every company wants to hire
These are the people employers wish you were.
Tom Hutchinson
Engineering, Trevelyan College
Not only does he have a lovely girlfriend, Tom is one of the near mythical men on course to get a first class degree in Engineering. He won a highly competitive internship with Cummins last summer and is the most feared prop on the college rugby circuit.
What do you think makes you so employable? Having a broken nose, it makes me seem trustworthy.
Favourite interview question: Who do you dislike most at the moment, and why?
What made you want to study engineering? Lego. Excessive amounts of lego.
Katie Strick
English, Castle
One of our very own, Tab News Editor Katie Strick is one of the most successful student journalists in the country. When she’s not breaking national news stories and dominating the women’s college rowing circuit, she’s working for the Evening Standard or going to glamorous London venues to interrogate celebrities for the Mail-on-Sunday.
How much did your smile cost? (haha) Let’s just say I won the genetic lottery.
Who is your favourite journalist? Marie Colvin. But she was killed in Syria two years ago…which doesn’t bode well.
Hello or Vanity Fair? If you’re an employer Vanity Fair. If I’m being honest…Hello.
Andrew Matthews
Mathematics, Trevelyan College
Andy, as his friends call him, is a born entrepreneur and set the internet ablaze as a fresher when he set up a website and tricked the world’s media (including NME), into thinking Kanye West was to release a new album called Black American Psycho. These days he’s a legitimate businessman improving the lives of students with his discount card – The Purple Pass. And that’s his Mum, Sue.
What do you think your Mum is most proud of you for? Being on this list.
What’s your least employable trait? My hair. Corporates hate my hair.
Best interview tip you’ve ever been given? Think of yourself as the bread and your interview as the butter. Butter that bread.
Aaron Bassett
Law, Hild and Bede College
Aside from his great dress sense, Belfast born Aaron Bassett is top of the class at Durham Law School. His tutor, Professor Lincoln, describes him as the ‘hardest-working student Durham Law School has ever seen’. But Aaron’s shies from the limelight, ‘I think I’m just a bit too ambitious’, he says of his reputation.
What do you think makes you so employable? My sense of style.
Seriously? A proven work ethic on paper.
Top CV tip? The colour scheme. Avoid pink unless you’re applying to Cancer Research.
Ta-sian Litchfield
PPE, Trevelyan College
It’s not just swagger that makes this Durham graduate so employable. Bedford boy Ta-sian holds a first-class degree in one of the most desirable degree and university combinations in the country, and started up an online marketplace for students to sell their textbooks called Book Regeneration.
What makes you so employable? Swag.
Right, why’s that? You can’t teach it. That’s what gets you to the top. Stuff you can’t teach.
What’s your biggest weakness? I have expensive taste.
In 2014, Aldi will hire 200 exceptionally talented and driven graduates to be Area Managers for its stores. Find out how you can apply to be one of the chosen few.