Derek Du Preez
What were you doing before you became an Incisive Editorial Trainee?
After studying economics at university, I thought it would be a great idea to go into the banking industry – big mistake! Luckily, I saw an advert for the editorial training programme and thought I would give journalism a go. Although I didn't have a background in writing, I was lucky enough that Incisive was willing to give me a chance on one of its publications. Only a couple of months after applying I had moved to London and started with the company.
What were your experiences on the assessment day?
I would love to say that the assessment day is a breeze, but as expected it is quite an intense experience. Not that this should put anyone off. All the managing directors at Incisive were there on the day, and they are all very approachable. We had three one-on-one interviews with different editors, and also did a filmed discussion and a writing test. The day went very quickly, and by the end of it most of the people attending enjoyed the experience. It is a great way of showing you what to expect when you join the company.
What role are you doing now?
I am working as a reporter for Computing. It is a fantastic technology magazine that is targeted at IT leaders working in the enterprise. We are largely news-driven, but there have been lots of opportunities to do features and analysis too. There is so much going on in the tech industry that you are never bored, and it has been really interesting to learn a whole new field. The editorial team is great, and even though you are expected to have stories published from day one, the support is there to make sure you don't feel out of your depth. I attend a lot of events to build contacts and get stories, and there is definitely no routine in this job!
What was the first story that you had published?
Because we write a lot of news for the website, I think it was a short analysis that went online. I hadn't had anything published before, so it was very exciting to see my name next to the copy. Even now, having been here almost a year, that is one of the best parts of the job. And all the travel, of course!
What's been your best moment at Incisive so far?
There have been quite a few of these. Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the internet, once tweeted one of my stories, and that was great. It is exciting when you realise that important people are actually looking at your work. I have also been very fortunate on Computing to travel a lot. In my first six months with the publication, I have been to the US, Barcelona and Paris. One of these trips included flying to New York for 24 hours! Never a dull moment.
