By Anastasia Constantine, mechanical, materials and manufacturing engineering student
In the aerospace department, there is often a massive amount of pressure to follow a specific path. You’re frequently made to feel like you’re at a disadvantage if you don’t do a year in industry, and there’s a common assumption that a master's is the only way to be "competitive" enough for the big companies.
Because I hadn’t signed up for a master's and hadn't completed a year in industry, I felt like I was already behind.
I was genuinely worried that my experience wasn’t going to be enough to get me through the door at a company like BAE Systems.
Breaking the CV burnout cycle
When I started working with Andy Smith from the Careers team, his approach was a crucial turning point. He completely reassured me regarding my concerns about not doing a master's. He helped me see that while further study is a great option for some, it was not a requirement for success.
His advice was practical and exactly what I needed: once you have a high-quality, professional CV draft, you must stop endlessly rewriting and editing it.
At the start, I was exhausting myself trying to rework my CV for applications. Andy showed me how to build a single, comprehensive impactful CV that accurately reflected my work. Because he was so enthusiastic about my experience, I started to believe in it myself.
Mastering interviews
Instead of obsessing over the CV, we shifted the focus to where I was actually struggling: the interviews.
I was incredibly nervous about how to perform well in an interview. Andy taught me to translate my university projects into solid answers.
Andy was invaluable in this regard - the help made a massive difference. Not only did I land my role at BAE, but I was also offered final round interviews with MBDA and Leonardo. I truly believe that achieving this level of interest would not have been possible without his guidance.
The best part of the service was the flexibility - you can book support whenever you need it.
I spent hours practicing mock interviews until my STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) answers were solid for multiple scenarios. It wasn't about memorising a script; it was about learning how to apply my specific experiences to a company’s values, ensuring I could walk into the room with genuine confidence and a range of knowledge that I could just naturally expand on.
The BAE Systems process
When it came to the BAE, I was surprised by how manageable the interview process felt compared to others I had done. There were no stressful group interviews; the online tests were fair, and the initial phone calls were a genuine space to talk about what I knew.
By the time I reached the final interview, I still felt the nerves, but the preparation meant I didn't feel rushed.
BAE gave me the time to explain how my background fit their culture. Because I’d practised so much, I could focus entirely on being enthusiastic rather than just trying to remember my talking points.
You realise quickly that while you can’t learn everything about a company beforehand, showing you are eager and willing to learn is half the battle.
My new chapter as an aerospace integration engineer
I’m now about to start as an aerospace integration engineer at BAE. The role is all about systems-level thinking - making sure every individual component on an aircraft works together seamlessly.
This is exactly the complex engineering role I’ve been working towards, and I am immensely grateful for the opportunity.
Final advice: You don’t have to do it alone
The biggest takeaway for me was that you really have to put the work in over the summer to be ready for the September graduate openings, but you don’t have to do it alone. I made lots of drafts and an Excel spreadsheet of all the companies.
As soon as I got back to university in my final year - I contacted the Careers team. I’m incredibly grateful for the team's reassurance.
If you’re feeling stressed about your path or worried that you've missed out on certain "requirements" like a master's, I’d really recommend speaking to the Careers team first. It might save you a lot of anxiety and get you into your dream graduate job a lot faster.
If you're graduating this year, take a look at our Graduating in 2026 webpage with live vacancies and book an appointment with our team to talk over your ideas or plans.
If you're moving into your final year from September, visit our graduate jobs webpages and talk to our staff. We have four large careers fairs taking place in October and the employers attending will be keen to talk to you!
Posted on Thursday 12th March 2026