So you're searching for a grad programme.
In July of 2019, I started on a Bord Bia International Graduate Programme that combines work experience with an MSc. in Global Business from UCD Michael Smurfit Business Graduate School.
Below are my 6 steps for all of you seeking the grad programme of your dreams, tied in to my own experience of being on a working Masters programme.
Photo by Dmitriy Frantsev on Unsplash.
(This isn't me).
The first step with any grad programme or Master’s Degree is to look for one. Sounds simple, but in my final year of college I was sitting around hoping an opportunity would fall into my lap. Granted, this one kind of did. It was February when I saw an email in my inbox from a lecturer posting job opportunities for final years in our college forum. At this stage I had applied for a few internships and one grad programme, but nothing really that I wanted very badly.
The application process for this was very easy – although I’ve heard since that it was more intensive for others who applied before I did, so I’m guessing they simplified the process at some stage. For me, I just had to email in my CV and write a little bit about why I wanted to be on the programme. Easy-peasy.
Some weeks later I was sent an intelligence test to do online, and a few days after that I was given a personality test to complete. I passed with flying colours of course, and was given a date for an interview over my Easter break from college.
Photo by Cytonn Photography on Unsplash.
I don’t need to tell you to dress to impress. When my interview day came around, I was dressed to the nines in my brand new suit. My mother stood back, admiring me. ‘Look how good she looks in that suit, Joe’, she’d said to my dad. ‘Of course she’ll get a place’.
Punctuality is key. I arrived way too early after a long drive from the Hills of Donegal and so sipped tea nervously in a nearby café. My interview experience was limited, to say the least. As it stood, I had done a mock interview in secondary school, two interviews for the glamorous role of housekeeper in a hotel, and a casual interview with a college lecturer so I could volunteer as a tutor. Important to note that I did ace them all, though.
There were two other candidates waiting in Smurfit on arrival. Neither of them made it onto the programme, so let’s feel free to discuss them openly. We’ll give them fake names – Maisy and Mark. Maisy didn’t seem at all confident, and what she lacked, Mark had in bucketfuls. Overbearing handshake, asked too many questions, thought he had it in the bag – you know the type. They’re not here now, so let’s avoid being like either of them.
The interview process was compiled of a presentation and a traditional interview. On arrival, I was given a short case study and had 30 minutes to prepare a presentation on it. A five minute Q&A followed that, and then the traditional interview took place, which went on for about 30 minutes in front of a panel of three.
Prepare as much as you can for an interview, and then prepare some more. In my case, the actual interview part of the process kicked off with some questions from who I later found out was the Director of Talent at Bord Bia. If I remember correctly, his first question was something like ‘Do you know much about the food industry in Ireland?’ This threw me off a little – I’d been preparing to talk about myself to start. My brain was buzzing but words weren’t coming out of my mouth.
‘Say something clever. Okay it doesn’t have to be clever, it just has to be words.’
Gif By Giphy
My advice: take a deep breath and just say something. After staring and smiling for what felt like aeons but was probably only four seconds, I blurted out ‘Well, my dad’s a chef!’ It wasn’t much but it got the ball rolling. Your brain will catch up. And it gets easier and easier as the interview continues.
I didn’t actually realize how badly I wanted to get on this programme until after the interview. All along I had been playing it cool, and then when it was all said and done I thought, damn. I want this. I should have tried harder.
As my interview had been during the first week that they were being held, I was told that I would have a four to six week wait before I heard back, which sounded excruciating. And it was. During the meantime I had many other interviews (okay fine, one other interview) and I was still applying for internships and researching Masters. It wasn’t until two days before my last final college exam that I heard back.
Let me set the scene – it was a Tuesday. A gorgeous day – typical exam season sunshine. I had walked back to my apartment from the library for lunch. My phone rang and I thought about not answering. I think I was actually scared that it was a guy ringing back after an interview for a job I didn’t want. Anyways, I picked up. (Top tip – always answer unknown numbers).
’Hello?’ I said, still chewing food.
The lady on the other end introduced herself but I couldn’t hear a word of it.
‘I’m good’, I said. ‘How are you?’
‘Good!’ She replied. ‘I’m ringing to tell you that – congratulations! – you’ve been offered a place on the Bord Bia programme!’
I stopped eating. There wasn’t any more confusion then, I knew exactly who I was talking to.
‘Oh my God’, I choked, immediately welling up. How embarrassing. I’m not a happy crier at all, but I was that day. I rang everyone I could think of to share the good news. And that was just the beginning.
(This is me)
Success doesn’t end there!
Every grad programme is different, but let me share some details about this particular one.
32 people gained a place on the programme, with half of us being placed in the Bord Bia office in Dublin, and the other half being sent to various overseas offices.
The set up for the year/s is two weeks of college, five months of work, two weeks of college, and five months of work… and so on for 23 months.
Induction began the 8th of July 2019. The first few days were a bit of a shock to the system. It’s a little intense. It consisted of various presentations of people telling us how lucky we were to be chosen, and how such great things would be expected of us. As a 21 year old with no experience of a real life job, I realized that I might not be the special snowflake that my parents told me I was, but may indeed be the stupidest person in the room. (I’m not the stupidest person in the room. That’s someone else.)
I got used to things pretty quickly, and everyone is super helpful. Seven months later, there are still times when I turn the person beside me and ask to be steered in the right direction, and that’s completely fine.
I was placed on the communications team, and given my undergraduate Arts degree in English and Business, this made sense. Communications is basically anything to do with media and public relations. Anything that has to do communicating to our stakeholders, we're involved in. So things like writing and sending out press releases, writing speeches, running social media, answering journalist queries, organizing advertisements and interviews – that all comes under our remit.
Photo by Sammy B - The library at UCD Smirfit.
The great thing this about this programme is that it truly is the best of both worlds. We get almost two years of invaluable work experience at a company that every person on this island knows the name of. At the same time, we’ll walk away with a MSc. Degree from the best business school in Ireland. That’s something with a hefty price tag, and certainly not something many of us would be able to afford straight after our undergrads.
As I’ve previously mentioned, the amount of time spent at work is far greater than the amount of time spent in the classroom, which is probably preferable for most. We get a couple of months to complete our assignments after a module ends, so everyone is very understanding of our work commitments.
Of course you should take your assignments seriously, but even lecturers will tell you that it doesn’t matter what grade you get, people just care about what you can do. So spend your time in the workplace working hard, and making connections that will help you for Life After the Grad Programme.
I’m only a third of the way through my grad programme, so I can’t guarantee a happily ever after, but I can guarantee that I am happy now. Writing this blog post has allowed me to reflect on my time in Bord Bia, and made me realize how much I genuinely enjoy what I’m doing.
Last year I worked on the Food and Drink Awards, which was exciting because I got to shake the hands of some pretty high-up people. I’m going to be heavily involved in Bloom for the next two years which I’m really excited for. I also get to work a lot with editors and publishers of magazines, and as someone with a keen interest in writing, I know this is going to be über helpful to my future.
A little bit of luck goes a long way when searching applying for grad programmes. So finally, best of luck to all you job-seeking graduates out there!