Chris Contos

What degree/s have you earned? 

I did a Bachelor of Business with Honours in Marketing. I majored in marketing and did a sub-major in Management Reporting, and electives in event management. 
 

Why did you choose UTS? 

When you think of a business school, UTS is the first thing to come to mind. It’s got the prestigious image and its reputation for having high-class courses, distinguished academics and distinguished industry professionals. Being able to study within that network was why I chose UTS. 
 

Why did you choose to do honours?

I’ve always had a passion for problem solving. I love getting a challenge and being able to find a solution for it. Doing the market research subject and the capstone project in Marketing really fuelled that. In the capstone you get to work with a real client. In our year it was Oxfam for Fair Trade chocolate. You do a real tangible project and present it back, branded for a client and with recommendations. I really enjoyed that whole experience, so being able to develop it further was why I thought honours would be perfect. You’re learning critical thinking skills, data and analytical skills. It really does stand out on the resume that you’ve done this project that you can show employers when you go to a job interview. 
 

What was your honours project about? 

It’s centred around m-commerce adoption; m-commerce is buying stuff on your phone. Everyone goes on their phone to search stuff, but no one really commits to buying. I thought that was pretty ironic given the fact that Australia is one of the highest-adopters of smart phones – why are people using their phones to research but not buy? So I looked at that disconnect whereby you have people that research all the way through but then they just drop out. I said there was a sort of chasm evident in the market where you have one side of consumers who are purchasers on the smartphone, and the other side who are just searchers only. My thesis looked at the differences between the two groups and ways to bridge the chasm. 
 

What do you do now?

I work as a graduate within the Client Service Team at Millward Brown, so it’s the account management side of things. We get an issue from a client and then we work on addressing  and answering it. We do a lot of work on branding and communications – how a client’s brand is perceived in the marketplace and what that does to affect consumer behaviours. 

 

How have your studies at UTS helped you in finding / preparing for a career path?

Studying Honours at UTS and producing my thesis positioned me to stand out in a highly competitive recruitment process at Millward Brown, which helped me secure a graduate role. My studies, particularly within my Honours year, gave me a strong theoretical foundation that I was able to demonstrate during my assessment and interviews. Every day I am presented with opportunities to use and hone my research and analytical skills formed at UTS. Moreover, my Honours degree gave me the confidence to share my knowledge and opinions confidently when providing insights amongst my peers and industry clients.
 

What’s unique about UTS graduates? 

I’d say definitely the practicality of the subjects they’ve sat. A lot of the subjects are designed to link theory to practice, and it really does show. When you do assignments you’re always working with a real business, a real case study. All your lecturers are either really high-end academics or they’ve been big industry professionals, so you really get the experience of linking theory to practice. Everything you do is industry relevant, it is practical. The courses are always changing; it’s not always the same standardised course. If something happens in the area your studying, that course will change to reflect it. 
 

What is your advice for someone who is looking at studying Business at UTS? 

If you have a strong passion for Business, go for it. The UTS Business course is great, even if you’re not too sure about what you want to study yet! The Business course allows you to study a variety of subjects across disciplines during your first year before committing to any majors. It is highly practical and well renowned across multiple industries which are all beneficial in finding employment.