Maximising graduate success through industry exposure

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In today’s job market, practical skills and industry networks can be crucial for success. Queen’s Business School (QBS) at Queen’s University Belfast empowers students by combining academic excellence, work experience and tailored career support. Ruchira Radhe Rangaprasad, a marketing student from India, says she is career-confident having completed her master’s degree at QBS.

Rangaprasad was excited to start her postgraduate course at QBS in 2023 as it was the only university among her top choices that offered an industry placement as part of its marketing programme. She had completed an undergraduate degree in journalism, English and psychology in India and worked as an influencer marketer alongside her studies. “I wanted to expand my marketing knowledge and get more technical with it,” she says. “The MSc in marketing at Queen’s is more holistic and allowed me to dip into different types of expertise.” The course content offered a solid foundation for her professional ambitions while the networking opportunities and exposure to industry set her apart in the job market.

“I squeezed in anything I could do during my master’s degree,” Rangaprasad says. “I had two part-time jobs within the university – as a student skills assistant for the business school and social media and video content creator for the course’s social channels.” She recognised that these roles would enhance her CV and provide networking opportunities outside of her course. 

In addition to course-specific advice, the school has a dedicated Careers and Work Placement Office, which provides tailored one-to-one support for students to develop their employability and interview skills and secure industry placements and graduate jobs in the UK, Ireland and around the world.

Because Queen’s Business School is strategically located in Belfast, students can make the most of its connections to global employers such as PwC, Deloitte, Citi, Liberty Mutual and Allstate. Rangaprasad attended a number of networking events and career fairs where she recieved feedback on her job applications. Queen’s University Belfast also supported her through its QUest start-up accelerator programme, which offers students and graduates funding to grow their businesses. 

Rangaprasad benefited from a weekly employability skills module on her programme. When a work placement opportunity was advertised at Grand Scale, a leading marketing company in Belfast, Rangaprasad knew she would be a good fit and passed the interview process with confidence. “I’m doing lots of marketing tasks I had not done before and learning new tools that marketers use,” she explains. “There is a lot of learning that happened within the classroom at QBS but you learn a lot outside too. All of this helped me showcase my skills to my employer.” 

Grand Scale has asked Rangaprasad to stay on after her placement and she is confident she will have a successful future career in Belfast. “I wanted to be in a place where opportunities felt accessible,” she says. “If we ask the business school for help and they can see your work is good, they will go the extra mile to make those connections for you.” 

Find out more about Queen’s University Belfast.