Sarah Boreham

From Oxford, England	Place of study and course English Literature at Durham University	Fun fact I love reading – Donna Tartt’s “The Goldfinch” and Henry Fielding’s “Tom Jones” are up there with my favourite books of all time. I also love the theatre (the Hamilton soundtrack was my most listened to Spotify playlist for 2019… and I haven’t even seen the show!)

Skills developed in this scheme

I was drawn to the NRF Transform graduate scheme by its promise to deliver a new breed of experts with the skillset required to help lead the firm into the future – and I have not been disappointed! My first seat in applied tech exposed me to a wealth of skills beyond what is traditionally associated with a law firm, including web development, business analysis and product management.

Beyond this, two of the most valuable skills I have had the opportunity to develop on the scheme are influencing and stakeholder management. We work on large-scale projects with multiple stakeholders, who each have contrasting priorities, interests and opinions. Having an active role in such projects has taught me the importance of being able to convey a clear message, and tailor it to the audience, in order to secure each stakeholder’s engagement and guarantee the success of a project. These skills go hand-in-hand with presentation skills, which you are given frequent opportunities to practise on the scheme.

One of the things I love about the scheme is that you are encouraged to think creatively, take risks and pursue ideas, such as identifying solutions for existing issues or coming up with new project concepts. Once a project is underway, you then have the opportunity to develop expertise in areas such as data analysis and design thinking, amongst many others.