Patent and Information Management

"My first job after I graduated was for the same company I am at now, six years later! After graduating I applied for hundreds of jobs. I had quite a few interviews but I had little experience and was going up against hundreds of other graduates. I then got an interview with a music copyright protection organization. The interview went really well and I could tell they were very impressed with my music knowledge which is an important part of the job. I was very upset when the agency called back to tell me I didn't get the job, as I had convinced myself that I would. Then, a week or so later, I got a call saying that they had another vacancy and they would like to offer the job to me!

My job involves working out who should receive the royalty payments from the music that is played on the radio, on television and on the internet. Working here has really helped my personal and professional development. When I first started I was very shy and not very confident. Now I am outgoing and chatty. Recently I went to a music festival with work to collect set lists from the artists who were playing. I had to go up to artists and/or their tour managers to ask them for the set lists and not take no for an answer. When I first started I would not have had the confidence to do that, but now I am assertive enough to argue with the famous bands' big scary security staff!"

LUCY, UNIVERSITY OF COVENTRY

"I didn't actually get my first graduate job when I applied for it. I made it to the final two candidates and didn't end up getting the position. A month later I was contacted and told that the candidate they had chosen hadn't worked out. The position was initially described as an internship and was lowly paid for job in central London. On weighing up the companies second offer I decided to turn them down, the pay was too low for what was a full time role. The company rang me the next day with a significantly improved offer and full time graduate position, which I agreed to take right then.

The job was working in public affairs for a trade body representing the interests of the drug development industry. The main purpose of my role was to communicate the key policy points of the sector to decision makers such as MPs and members of the investment community. The company was relatively small so from my first day I was given projects to run and a lot of responsibility. I was tasked with bringing a website for medical research funding online, I had to work with web design teams and manage a team of interns while we collected hundreds of sets of data. I also managed events such as a day at the House of Commons which involved organising chief executives from drug development companies to meet with MPs and ministers to discuss the industries most pressing issues.

I am a history graduate, so I was glad that I could apply the skills which I had used during university when I was asked to research industry statistics and write policy and position papers. Being able to take on new information quickly was also important as I was required to understand certain science and business issues in-depth. By the end of my first year I was knowledgeable in issues such as UK business tax laws and stem cell research.

Although there was quite a lot of standard admin tasks involved with the job, I found that getting through that meant that I had more time for the more interesting work. Being friendly with my co-workers and always being eager to take on new work meant that I was quickly promoted and given more opportunities to take responsibility for projects.

My main advice to recent graduate would be that, although you are on the bottom rung of the career ladder that does not mean that you should be taken advantage of. You will add value to the business of any potential employer and you should keep this in mind when you are engaging with them."

DANIEL, UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS

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