I Got Hired: QC Analyst

Posted on: 25 January 2023 by Samantha Riella in Graduate stories

Shauna McCallion is a class of 2021 Biochemistry graduate, who is now working at Labcorp UK as a QC Analyst.

How did you find out about the role?

My partner who graduated a year before me had started working for covance/labcorp and recommended me for a few jobs. Some really stood out to me and so I applied to the ones best suited to my skill set and most interesting to me.

How did you get to where you are now?

A lot of hard work! I first got a job at Nestle in the food quality labs in York after I graduated. I gained some experience there, working in an industrial lab setting and so I was able to progress my development and understanding of the industrial lab setting. This then allowed me to move on to another company and do something a bit more scientific and similar to analysis I was used to from my degree modules at uni.

What has been your best experience as part of your role?

So far my favourite experience would be seeing the drug development process through the eyes of an analyst. Working to check the manufacturing and shelf life of drugs through the tests we do here is super interesting!

What has been the most challenging part of your graduate journey?

For me, it was the initial job hunt after uni that was the most challenging. Once you start a job/career, it's relatively easy to move around or progress upwards as you have the safety net of knowing you already have a job. But when initially searching for a job, it can be stressful and disheartening to get rejections. My advice would be to not give up! No matter how many rejections, there will be a perfect role for you out there.

What are your top three tips for other students and graduates?

1. When looking for a job, treat your job searching/hunting like it is a job! Wake up at a reasonable time each day and get into the routine of applying for jobs. Take breaks for lunch and snacks and finish at a reasonable time each day. Keep track of one's you've applied for so you know who's calling you for interviews!

2. Don't panic when looking for a job. It's really easy to get overwhelmed with things like not knowing what you want to do exactly or being overwhelmed with the choice. It's okay to take some time and figure out the sorts of roles you would be interested in before jumping into applying. And it's okay if you think you might like something but you actually don't! It's never too late to change your career path.

3. Make connections and to make use of the ones you might not realise you have. Reach out to people and see if anyone (friends, family, old school friends, old colleagues, etc.) can help you in your job hunt. Whether that's as simple as them sending you job adverts they see, or if they work in a specific sector you're interested in, seeing if you can shadow to gain experience or if there are any new starter roles you can apply for.