If you’re struggling to decide on what you’d like to do after university, it’s sometimes useful to gain inspiration from students who have come before you.
Here you can find profiles from Northumbria graduates and discover – in their own words – what they studied during their time here and what they went on to do. Hopefully hearing from your peers will help you in determining how best to utilise your degree.
Have you accessed Graduate Futures careers support to help your progress? Do you have a Graduate Success Story to share? If so, we would really like to hear from you. All you need to do is send an email to the Graduate Futures Team nucareers@northumbria.ac.uk with the subject heading ‘ Graduate Success’ and a note that you are interested in sharing your success story and we will be in touch with you to tell you more. We look forward to hearing from you.
Kirsty McConville, BA (Hons) English Language Studies
Kirsty McConville graduated in May 2022 with a BA (Hons) English Language Studies progressing quickly into professional marketing executive roles.
The fast-paced
world of marketing requires creativity, clear engaging communication and strategy
combined with a broad skills and personal attributes for positive impact. This was a world that Kirsty was well prepared
for as a graduate. As a proactive
undergraduate she actively sought and engaged in opportunities and experiences
that helped lay strong foundations for her future career.
Building Employability Through Graduate Futures
During her studies Kirsty completed a Graduate Futures placement as a Marketing and Communications Assistant. With social media at the core of the role, she developed her skills in content creation, planning, organisation, scheduling and monitoring engagement. In addition, she had to learn and apply Graduate Futures and Northumbria University brand consistency and the importance of creating relevant, appealing content. A lot to learn whilst rising to the challenges of working remotely during Covid restrictions.
My placement year with Graduate Futures definitely helped shape my journey, as I had no marketing experience prior to this. I got to try marketing before committing to it as a career and it boosted my confidence going into a graduate role. It really helped me understand how to create relevant and appealing content, and how to work effectively even when working independently from home,” she explains.
Her involvement in Graduate Futures didn’t stop there. Kirsty was also successful in gaining a Senior Career Advocate with the careers service. She led a small team in developing brand awareness and creative social media campaigns to boost student engagement. She also successfully coordinated an audience engagement survey, turning analytics into actionable strategies for improvement.
Not only did Kirsty have a number of roles she performed well in for Graduate Futures she also engaged in careers support to position herself well for job applications, attending a number of workshops with peers.
“We loved how accessible and interactive the session was,” she recalls. “It made the whole concept of creating a graduate CV feel a lot less intimidating.”
That initial experience helped her gain confidence and understanding to position her skills for future employers. Something she could share with other students as Senior Advocate.
Career Journey
After graduation Kirsty went on to gain valuable experience as a Marketing Executive for a restaurant group.
“It’s a family-owned business with a small team, which means I’ve had the chance to take on a lot of responsibility and gain amazing experience early in my career. One of the most exciting parts is travelling around the country for campaigns and photoshoots!”
From her first Graduate Futures workshop to her current marketing career, Kirsty has built a path defined by creativity, confidence, and continuous learning. Her story is a reminder of how the right support and persistence can help graduates turn their skills into success.
Kirsty’s Career Tip
Don’t stress if you don’t get the first role you apply for. Clearly, you’re not right for that job — and that’s okay. Something great will come up instead!
If you are interested in finding out about graduate employment and earnings and other graduate data you might like to visit Discover Uni website.
You can also join your Northumbria Alumni Association and keep up to date with all the latest alumni and University news whilst ensuring that you retain the lifelong connections you made whilst studying with us. Moreover, using Northumbria University’s Alumni information on LinkedIn will give you the opportunity to network, allowing you to connect with more than 150,000 graduates and learn about their career paths.
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