Name: Megan Prosser
Degree details: BSc Business Management with Communications
Job title: Communications Assistant (and part time Masters student)
Can you briefly describe your current role? I currently work as a communications assistant for a Local Government Organisation called Publica, helping run internal and external communications for three district councils writing press releases, scheduling social media, dealing with press enquiries and helping out the team with administrative tasks.
What is the biggest mistake you have made since graduating and what have you learnt from it?
The biggest mistake I’ve made is thinking my first role had to be my dream role…or even my second or my third. I had two jobs when I first came out of uni and I’m now in a third role and its been 18 months since I graduated. None of these have been my dream role and each have had their challenges, but there’s been something to learn from each of them, and each of them has helped me develop professionally beyond how you can when interning whilst at University. It’s ok to still be figuring out what you want to do and what roles will fit you best even after graduating over a year ago. Whilst some of my friends are in amazing roles, a lot are travelling, going back for further study, or working a job to keep them going whilst they pursue experience in what they really want.
What is the best piece of advice you have been given?
The best piece of advice I’ve been given is to picture your career as a long line, you are at the beginning of it now at age 21/22 and the end of line is you around 65-70. Remember this is only the very beginning of a long line and whilst there feels pressure to get onto the career ladder and be in your dream job within a year of graduating, realistically the first decade of your career can often be about figuring out what you enjoy and what industry you fit best before you have to start worrying about climbing the ladder.
What have you learned since graduating that could be helpful to other graduates like you?
Don’t compare your experience with someone else’s. Everyone’s journey into a job looks different and just because it takes you longer than someone else doesn’t necessarily mean you’re less qualified or doing anything wrong! Don’t be afraid to switch track, just because you studied one thing and thought that was what you wanted to go into, it doesn’t mean you have to pigeonhole yourself into a career as soon as you gradaute. It’s ok to try different things out or completely move away from what you thought you wanted!
Can you recommend us something?
I would recommend the podcast How to Fail with Elizabeth Day. As my answers may suggest most of the things I’ve found hard after uni are job rejections and the consequent feeling of failure, that even after attaining a good degree from a good uni I wasn’t landing the roles I wanted. On her podcast, Elizabeth interviews high profile businessmen and women, politicians, successful actors and actresses about their biggest failures in life. It’s an encouraging reminder of how some very influential and successful industry leaders got to where they are now and that they have also failed along the way.
I’d also recommend Why You?: 101 Interview Questions You’ll Never Fear Again, by James Reed. One of my key problems I found in interviews was that every time I was asked a question, half my brain was trying to figure out how to answer whilst the other half of my brain was pre-occupied trying to ascertain why they had asked that question and what they wanted to hear. This book goes through the most common questions and explains why they’re asked and what interviewers are looking for. I found it really helped me understand why I was being asked certain questions, even when they felt irrelevant to me!