I Got Hired: Graduate Management Programme

Posted on: 12 October 2023 by Richard Finch in Graduate stories

Kai is a Class of 2022 International Politics and Relations graduate. He is now working as a Marketing Manager on the Graduate Management programme at Bluetree Group.

I found the opportunity on Indeed around 5 months prior to graduating from university.

As soon as I completed the assessment day, I knew I wanted to be part of this great company, even though it was in the print industry, which I had no experience or knowledge about! Furthermore, I needed to make the decision about moving away from home in the Midlands to South Yorkshire for the opportunity.

I joined Bluetree during the week of my graduation ceremony in mid-July 2022. On the Graduate Management programme I have completed various projects while participating in professional senior management training from renowned industry recognised individuals.

The 20 off-site training days has allowed me to gain the best insight and knowledge into being a senior manager less than a year after my graduation. The various projects I have led include; Financial Audit/Costing Review, Project Operations for a large US client and Marketing Manager.

I have now moved into a role as Marketing Manager for Kingsbury Press. Kingsbury Press is the world's most luxury printing company, for the world's most prestigious brands. Due to our high value clientele and unique marketing strategy, my marketing experience has been extremely different to others. I have photographed and created content for our quarterly magazine which is sent to all of our clients worldwide. This was extremely enjoyable compared but I had never picked up a Canon EOS camera prior to becoming Marketing Manager!

I have gained a plethora of knowledge and experience throughout my first year since graduating. This was down to escaping my comfort zone and acknowledging experiences which I had not thought about before.

My favourite experience since graduating would be creating our company's new client experience. Our teams shared ideas and thoughts have created an exceptional experience for our clients which visit our facilities. During this period, my creative mindset has significantly improved and our client's feedback of the new experience gives me a great sense of achievement.   

Creating our new quarterly magazine was very difficult. I had never experienced anything like this previously, as it involved everything from creative lead to managing the production of the magazine.

One of the biggest challenging after graduating was the transition between university to being in the office 5 times a week!

The transition from university was challenging at the start of my role as I did not have a long break from university to full time work. I would recommend new graduates to take a short break after leaving university, as it is not great seeing your friends enjoy themselves throughout summer while you are stuck in the office.

My advice to current students:

My first tip is to be open minded when searching for a graduate job. Not everyone's first graduate role will be in their dream company, but the most important part of a graduate role is gaining invaluable experience and knowledge. Prior to my graduate role, I had never had experience of marketing or auditing, however I have gained a plethora of knowledge from these experiences which I can use later in life. If you feel valued in your company and have the potential of significant progression, then that is the best graduate role you could wish for.

My second tip for recent graduates is to experience new cities/countries once you have graduated. Moving away from home may be daunting and nerve-racking, however the feeling of regret can also create similar emotions. Once you have finished university after 3-4 years, you may believe the best option is to return home, however the best time to experience a new city and new people would be once graduated. If you had asked me 8 months before I graduated that I would have lived in Sheffield for over a year, I would have been very confused, but it has been a great decision.

My final tip would be to choose a place of work in which you feel valued and appreciated. The worst feeling you can have while working is not feeling valued by your peers and manager. Once you start to feel underappreciated, your work ethic and motivation will significantly decrease, which will affect your overall happiness and enjoyment. Being part of a hardworking, enjoyable culture can improve your productivity outside of work, therefore the most important part of choosing your future employer should be what their culture represents and if hard working individuals are appreciated.