Paul Dennis (Human Geography, 1999, Fylde) tells how he changed tack and checked out organisations not positions to find his role at CEB.

"I didn’t have a long-term career plan when I came to Lancaster, and after three of the most enjoyable years of my life, I still didn’t know what I wanted to do when I left.

After graduation, I took a gap year (or two) to do an international internship and travel. I came back to the UK to get a master’s degree and then, when I felt I could delay it no longer, I forced myself to find a proper job.

Looking for an entry level position was a daunting experience. Most of the postings seemed uninspiring and yet every position was incredibly competitive. After a few failed applications, I stopped looking at the specific role description and instead tried to focus on the organisation itself. I looked for organisations where I could advance quickly. I targeted companies with ambitious growth plans and where the leaders had clear, swift trajectories. I also narrowed my search to companies with an international footprint, where my experience would be valued, and where I would feel part of a larger team. That initial feeling of being unable to find any job soon disappeared once I started to focus on these organisational traits. Soon I was getting interviews and then offers. Eventually, much to the relief of my parents, I joined a global research and advisory company called CEB.

CEB was a US headquartered company with a small but growing footprint in Europe and an office in central London just a few yards from the British Museum. It was a perfect fit for me. Over the next few years, CEB more than tripled in size, and was eventually acquired by Gartner, a company on a similarly aggressive growth trajectory. Working in this fast-paced, high-growth environment led to many “in at the deep end” moments for which I had little preparation but from which I learned a lot. After just a couple of years I was already working with top-tier clients including Chief Financial Officers at FTSE 100 companies. Shortly after that, I started managing a global team of advisors and as I built a stronger external brand, I started receiving opportunities to speak at large scale events, requests for media interviews, and even one appearance in front of the TV cameras on CNN.

In 2016, I had the opportunity to move with my family to Washington D.C. I jumped at this chance to challenge myself in a new environment and to find new ways to develop and deploy my skills. Today, many of my clients are working intensely to protect the health and safety of thousands of staff and customers and at the same time they must steer their businesses through unprecedented levels of disruption and uncertainty.

While my career hasn’t been without some setbacks along the way (no career is completely smooth sailing), I’m fortunate to work with and influence key decision makers in the business community and to be part of an extremely talented team of people from different backgrounds and experiences from all over the world."