Name: Aino Pietikainen
Job Title: Research Consultant
Location: Cambridge
Degree: MSc Management of Science, Technology & Innovation, BSc (Hons) Management (International Studies)
University: University of Manchester and UMIST
My interest towards consultancy developed during my undergraduate studies when I was studying a BSc (Hons) Management (International Studies) at UMIST, Manchester. I realised then that on my course I was enjoying most the group projects that allowed me to do some research to analytically solve problems and then present the results and recommendations. I also knew I was looking for a career where there would be variety and potential for continuous learning across different topic areas. All these factors drove me to pursue a career in consultancy. My MSc in Management of Science, Technology and Innovation at Manchester Business School got me interested in public policy issues, and I realised that would be something I would like to pursue in a professional sense.
I found out about SQW Consulting from my lecturers, who had previously worked together with some of our consultants; also previous graduates from my course worked for the firm. I joined the Cambridge office as a Research Consultant in October 2007 after a long summer of dissertation writing. I was most impressed about the wide range of services they provided, as this satisfied my need for variety and learning new things. I also liked how the employees were expected to be proactive in getting their own work, as this enabled me to volunteer for projects that I found especially interesting.
Working at SQW Consulting has been as interesting as I expected, and from day one I was thrown into real projects with real responsibility. Whilst using some of the skills and knowledge I learned at university I have been constantly challenged by projects in areas that I never imagined myself working in. I have contributed to a feasibility study of a cultural cluster in Northern Ireland, analysed consultation responses for the Nottingham City Vision public consultations as well as developing technology and sector reports to support the local businesses based in a technology centre. I have also worked on many evaluation projects – with clients ranging from the British Academy and the Department of Health to the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council and local and regional governments. As a Research Consultant you work on multiple projects at a time, and no two projects are ever the same!
My work entails mainly document and literature reviews, qualitative and quantitative analysis of both primary and secondary data and sometimes primary research through interviews or electronic surveys. We also occasionally attend client or project team meetings that can take us anywhere in the country. Although there is no formal graduate training scheme, we have the opportunity to take up training both internally and externally in some basic skills as well as specific topics that are relevant to our work. We are also assigned a mentor and a buddy to act as a point of call with questions about the company, graduate career development and training. However, the way I have learned the most is just by doing the work, and following and listening to the experiences and advice of my peer Research Consultants as well as more senior colleagues.