Case studies: Senior shipping clerk: Chris

Chris graduated with a BA (Hons) in Business Management from the University of Derby

When I initially decided upon university, my choice of course was influenced more by my lack of direction than by any particular ideas I had about what I wanted to do when I completed my course.

I was interested in business generally, and I certainly wanted to work for a commercial organisation rather than in the public sector and I felt that a business management degree would provide me with a good grounding in the knowledge that would be useful for a graduate managerial role, possibly within the financial services sector.

In the second year of my course, I found some part-time work through the student employment agency. The job involved working for TNT at its depot at East Midlands Airport, and because it is a 24-hour, 365 days per year operation, I was able work night shifts and at weekends during term time and through vacation periods. It fitted in with my studies and working in the airport environment was something that I enjoyed.

My job role was initially limited to manual tasks such as moving packages in the warehouse, but I eventually moved in to an office-based role in the call centre, tracking and tracing freight. The job was quite demanding because of the importance of working quickly, dealing with lots of detailed information and ensuring that shipments were processed accurately.

Working for an integrated freight and logistics company like TNT was a really good introduction to working within the sector, and I really enjoyed working as part of a team in a fast-paced environment. Also, working with a range of internal and external customers meant that I got plenty of opportunity to really develop my communication skills and become a lot more professional in my dealings with people over the telephone.

When I graduated, I really wanted to continue working in a logistics-related role at the airport. Because I was already working there and knew a lot of the freight forwarders based in and around the airport, I was aware of vacancies that were coming up. I thought it would be a really good use of the skills and experience I had developed whilst working for TNT.

Through my contacts, I became aware of the post of export office administrator with my current employer. Although it is not strictly a 'graduate' position, I saw it as a first step in working for a freight forwarder.

After spending about six months in the export office liaising with clients, taking booking details and booking shipments with airlines, carriers and third party network partners, I was promoted to a senior shipping clerk role. I am effectively now a freight forwarder, and I am responsible for European operations with the team.

The job itself can be demanding, and I often have to work late shifts and at weekends, depending upon the requirements of our clients, who range from local small manufacturers to large, multinational organisations.

A key element of the role is dealing with people, so having strong communication skills and being able to maintain a high level of professionalism is absolutely vital because of the variety of different organisations I work with. This includes the clients, airlines, road and rail freight operators, and HM Revenue & Customs.

Having an eye for detail, being highly organised and having good numerical skills is also important because of the very complex and detailed information I have to work with on a daily basis. Being able to remain motivated and to have an understanding of how commercial organisations manage their logistics operation is very useful.

I would eventually like to have a more international career and move into an international freight forwarding management position, possibly in the Middle East.