Credit: Ross Carstairs
Deputy Editor & Features Editor
Ross Carstairs talks to the Glasgow Guardian about how he found employment following graduation.
Final year students across campus are living in fear, not knowing what we’ll do come the inevitable time when we face graduation. There seems to be no available jobs for graduates upon first glance, we’ve spent nearly four years doing a degree and now we’re up the creek without a paddle. But we took it upon ourselves to expel this myth and get in contact with recent graduates, who have actually found employment. Ross Carstairs graduated in 2011 with an MA in History, and he told us what he does and how he got there.
What is your job title and can you give a brief summary of what you do?
I recently started a new job as an Account Executive with LinkedIn here in Melbourne, Australia, as part of their Learning Solutions division. Essentially, I sell LinkedIn Learning, an online learning software platform, to corporate and educational institutions here in Australia and New Zealand.
How long have you worked there?
3 weeks.
Why would this job appeal to students yet to graduate?
LinkedIn’s mission is to create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce, which is something you can take pride in, and it has a very powerful brand that is also very disruptive, so a great place to start and build your career. You also get to work with top-tier clients and help them with industry-leading tech solutions.
How did you get the job and what was the process like?
Unsurprisingly, I found and applied for the role on LinkedIn.com. After the initial phone screening interview with one of the internal recruiters it then took another 3 stages, culminating in a scenario-based role play with management. The whole process took around 3 weeks.
What are the main perks of the job?
It has a great office culture; everyone genuinely wants to help and make you feel welcome, and the offices I’ve been in so far are pretty cool as well. They have all the tech startup mod cons like table tennis, Xboxes, beer kegs, etc., we also get breakfast, lunch and barista [style] coffee provided for us every day which has already saved me lots of cash. I also get private health insurance for me and my partner, free in-office gym and PT sessions, the list goes on. Oh, and I’m going to Chicago next week for training which is not too shabby.
Do you have any tips for students entering the job market soon?
Don’t stress if you feel you don’t “have your shit together” – I certainly didn’t when I graduated. Some studies have suggested that our generation will on average make 7 major career changes in our lifetime, so don’t worry about finding the perfect role or career straight away and definitely don’t be afraid to take professional risks and make mistakes. And for those Arts grads who will be getting the inevitable ‘what can you do with an Arts degree?’ questions from family/friends, I’ve come across many Arts grads who are now in senior/executive positions within global organisations. Lastly, the University of Glasgow genuinely is a globally recognised and respected institution, so take confidence from this when you enter the job market wherever you find yourself!
