Harriet James

Harriet James

Tell us about your career journey so far

I started working at Cogito during COVID-19 during completing my Undergraduate course. I started with the research side and soon moved into Hiring Operations. I was able to work alongside my studies and develop skills and experience in an office environment. I decided to complete a year-long masters degree in Human Resources Management, which married up perfectly with the work I was doing at Cogito. I was able to use my experiences in assignments and my new knowledge from my course in work. I completed a live work placement in the Summer of 2022, exploring employee development within a Small/Medium sized enterprise. I was then offered my first full time role at Cogito, utilising my degree as a HR Executive. I started in October 2022 and have since learnt so much about the business and how to apply my degree to the working environment. 

What does a typical day look like?

I start the day by checking emails and planning out the day around scheduled meetings. I will usually plan to complete a few key tasks per day which can include both internal projects and external client projects. Around this, I will leave time to complete daily admin tasks. Lunch usually comes around fast and I enjoy going for a walk at Queen’s Square and having a chat with people in the office. In the afternoon I like to change up what I’m doing to keep my brain fresh and engaged. 

What do you enjoy about the role?

I am given the freedom and independence to manage my own day which gives me the space to do my best and be creative when working on projects. I also enjoy working alongside a great team of people and having a role that contributes towards their working lives. I try and consider employee and business perspective to enhance the employee experience. 

What does it feel like to work at Cogito?

The office is in a great location, so going to work is great. It has an open plan set up encouraging collaboration and socialising. I feel proud to work at Cogito, the work produced for clients is to the highest standard possible. I also think everyone is a great, which makes our culture social but hard working. You will often catch us out on a Friday having some end of week drinks on King Street.