Rose Treacy, Scotland’s Attractions
What is your background?
I’m from Yorkshire originally and I went to college in Winchester before studying at the University of Edinburgh. I completed an MA Hons in Spanish and History in 2011, with a first class distinction in Spanish, and decided to stay in Edinburgh because I really like the city.
I came across TalentScotland when I began looking for jobs and through them I found my current role as Business Development Manager with Scotland’s Attractions, which is a start-up company. I’m now working with the general manager to develop the business, but I’m also continuing my professional development and hope to start a Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) qualification soon.
Why did you apply for the Graduate Placement Programme?
I found that it’s very difficult to find a job in anything to do with business if you’ve got an arts degree, and the Graduate Placement Programme is a good stepping stone to get into a company. The employers understand that you might not have a business-related background and they’re willing to accommodate that and help train you.
How have you benefitted from the programme?
I’ve recently been invited to the three-day residential course which looks really good and I hope to learn a lot from, and I have also been involved in some of the discussions with people from the TalentScotland programme on LinkedIn. This is quite useful as you feel like you have additional support there.
What advice would you give to other graduates?
I think that it’s really important to use LinkedIn and make sure that your details and qualifications are up-to-date as recruitment companies use social media a lot now. The job market is very competitive at the moment and I think, as a graduate, you have to take opportunities that come your way and not think about money so much as about the opportunities that you’re going to get. Going through TalentScotland can also help with your training for future opportunities which can be really useful.