Name
Thinusa Thilagarajan
Which company do you work for?
Klarius
What is your job?
Business Development Executive
The main focus of my role is customer service and contract negotiation with new and existing customers in Germany and Austria.
Where did you go to university?
I studied Psychology at Warwick University. I really wasn’t sure what I wanted to do after I completed my studies so I submitted my CV to a number of job search agencies and I was contacted by Gemma at Discovery Graduates regarding a position that would use my German language skills.
Tell us about your experience of working with Discovery Graduates
Discovery Graduates are a very professional company. They gave me advice on how to prepare for my interview which helped a lot. I wouldn’t have applied for this role if I hadn’t been approached – I didn’t even know that I could do a job like this that would use my language skills. I’m very glad they got in touch with me.
The training provided by Discovery Graduates was the best bit. I learnt how to speak to customers and the types of questions to ask. We did a lot of role plays which dealt with difficult situations. I didn’t have that experience so this was a great help because it helped me to prepare for dealing with difficult situations and customers. I wasn’t sure what I needed to ask the customers before I did the training but afterwards I felt that I was much more prepared. It was also interesting to see how different people react to different situations and to learn from that.
Tell us about your experience of starting work
At the beginning I struggled with the cold calls as it wasn’t something that I’d done before but after the Discovery training it was much easier and I quickly got used to it.
The first time travelling on my own was a bit scary but now I’m used to it and really enjoy it. I also have to drive in Germany and Austria which wasn’t something I’d done before!
What have you learnt in your first 6 months?
Now I am much more confident and I enjoy meeting and talking to people – before I didn’t like talking to people I didn’t know. I can stand on my own two feet now – I travel by myself which I hadn’t done before and I’m learning a lot about what I can do.
I really like my company as I can be myself – my company allows us to be individual. I speak to managers and directors every day – they are very approachable and supportive. In other companies it can be hard to speak to senior people but at Klarius it’s a very open team.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
Travelling to Germany and Austria – I travel at least three times a month for a few days at a time – technically I’m half living in Germany!
