Interview with New Starter, Rebecca Holehouse
Rebecca Holehouse is a recent addition to the data team in tech at News UK. A major highlight of her time here has been the great networking opportunities, as well as the “incredible food” available at the canteen. Outside of the office Rebecca can be found baking cookies and spending time with her dog Cooper. While doing work experience at News UK I was asked to interview her.
What does your job involve?
I’m an ‘Experimentation Analysist’ so I work across the various titles under News UK as part of the experimentation team testing out changes to the websites and apps. My job is to analyse the results so that I can make recommendations for next steps. The work is very collaborative in nature and the experimentation team are really supportive. I’ve found that learning is really encouraged here, so although I hadn’t used JavaScript before this job, I’ve been able to start learning it while I’m here.
What work were you doing before?
I’ve only been here for a month as a consultant placement, so prior to this I was at a different placement. Although I studied geography at Manchester, I have always really enjoyed maths and working with data. After my first job I trained as a data product consultant and from there I’ve been in several different placements where I can fit my skills in based on what the role requires.
Why did you choose a placement at News UK?
The role itself is what really attracted me because there was an emphasis on creative thinking alongside data and analysis. News UK is a company that really prioritises experimenting, so the experimentation team here are really at the forefront of this area and recently won an award for being the best experimentation program. The experiments we do are able to support the company, and test out big changes that can make a big impact.
What have you enjoyed the most about working at News UK?
In my very first week here there was a Women in Tech event which was a whole day of enriching events primarily for the women at News UK. I was really impressed by the way the company prioritises events like this during the workday. I was surprised so happy about how quickly I was embraced by the company and was able to take advantage of the event. I think events like that show how News UK has created a really supportive and collaborative work culture. I don’t dread going into the office, in fact I prefer working in the office than working at home.
What are you looking forward to doing next?
Next month I’m participating in a school STEM outreach program to give A level students a taste of what working in STEM is like. I think it’s really cool that this company puts on events like this and I’m really looking forward to being a part of it.
For further in the future, I’m interested in staying in experimentation but moving to the developer side of things. My goal now is to become more articulate in JavaScript so I can start writing more code and have greater involvement in more complex projects.
What do you do outside the office?
I really enjoy baking; I’ve been making cookies recently. As well as that I go to the gym, do yoga, reading and I love houseplants, especially the ones that stay alive.
