KU grads: “Our future’s bright”

Hollie Wilson

With graduation creeping closer, many of us are starting to think about the dreaded thing called ‘a job’. Three KU graduates tell The River about their success stories.

“I get paid to style celebrities”

In the last month, Rosie Underwood, 25, reported with Lancôme at the BAFTAS, worked the red carpet with George Clooney and Bradley Cooper, ate dinner with Elizabeth Olsen and was flown to LA to write about fashion at the Oscars. 

Rosie says: It’s not all glamour though As OK! is a weekly, I produce and style shoots sometimes up to three times a week, as well as writing pages and attending events to represent the magazine. I’m often running in and out of stores and PR companies with a suitcase in tow, grabbing pieces for celebrities and models.”

Her advice to students is: “Get yourself out there and let them see your face, and meet you, otherwise you’re just a piece of paper to them.

“In terms of doing anything differently, I would have interned even more than I did. The best advice anyone’s ever given me is ‘You wouldn’t learn a language and walk around showing people the certificate. You go out there and you practice what you’ve learnt.’” 

“I work for one of the largest IT companies”

Just six weeks after completing his degree, Alex Lemon landed himself a job at CA Technologies. “To be part of such a large company like this is a massive achievement as to get into the company is not easy. Within the software industry you gain a lot of respect if you have worked for this company,” he says. 

In Alex’s case it wasn’t about interning. He took a proactive approach straight away and signed up to sales agency Pareto where he had an extensive phone interview and half a day’s assessment before he was put on their books.

“I design clothes for a major high-street brand”

When Kate Falcus, 22, graduated in fashion from Kingston in June 2012 she went straight to work as a design protégé for Karen Millen. A highlight in her already impressive career was seeing one of her designs being sampled for the first time, which felt like Christmas morning to her.

Before graduating, Kate won an three-month-long internship with Gap in San Francisco, which was invaluable experience for her and looks great on her CV. The fashion graduate said: “This experience played a huge part in getting me my job today and is always an impressive talking point in interviews.”

Despite her internships and hard work, even Kate was nervous while at university and anxious that getting a job would be impossible. Her advice to students is: “Work hard, be open minded, accept criticism but also trust your instincts.”