Kirsten Hume was a Career Ready student 10 years ago – an experience which led her into an exciting career. Now, she’s become a mentor herself. This is her story.
“I can’t quite believe it was 10 years ago that I started Career Ready,” says Kirsten.
“I was in fifth year at school, and the classroom environment wasn’t the best fit for me in terms of learning and picking up new skills. I felt like I wasn’t going to achieve much in life, because I didn’t have the best grades. I also didn’t really know what I wanted to do.
“But my business teacher in particular could see my potential. That’s when I was introduced to Career Ready.”
Kirsten was matched with mentor Kim Stephen, at Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce.
“We clicked instantly,” says Kirsten. “I felt like I could open up to her about my worries and troubles that I was having at school, and why I couldn’t really figure out what I wanted to do.
“I have that relationship with Kim to this day – she’s still my reference on my CV!”
A new path
Her paid internship at the Chamber of Commerce, focusing on events management, opened up a whole new set of possibilities for Kirsten.
“The internship helped me identify skills I didn’t know I had – like project management and communication skills. In school, chatting too much was a distraction, but in work it meant I could network and make connections. It was about being in the right environment to realise my skills – ones I continue to use to this day.”
A career in events
After the programme, Kirsten’s experience helped her take her first step into events management.
“I was working in John Lewis in retail when an events job came up at the store,” she says. “I wouldn’t have got that opportunity if it weren’t for my experience with Career Ready.”
She went on to work for P&J Live and BrewDog, then OPITO.
“A lot of the opportunities that arose came from connections through Career Ready as well. It wasn’t just a case of I got the experience and that was that. It was the connections I made during the programme as well, through the Chamber of Commerce team, or the delegates who’d been at events we’d attended.
“At OPITO, I got to travel globally, and go to Kuala Lumpur, Abu Dhabi, Dubai – a whole variety of opportunities that wouldn’t have been available to me if it wasn’t for that start in my events journey.
“I never thought I’d go to the other side of the world to work, get to meet some of the celebrities and famous people I’ve met through various roles, work with CEOs. If you’d asked me 10 years ago, I’d never have thought I’d be capable of those things.”
Becoming a mentor
While working at OPITO, Kirsten also became a Career Ready mentor to Aimee, a student from Mackie Academy in Aberdeenshire.
“It’s been a really rewarding experience for me to give back to a programme that did so much for me when I was younger,” she says.
“I was also working in the energy sector, and wanted to help show the opportunities available not just in engineering or hard hat type roles, but on the business side as well.
“When I first met Aimee she was so nervous. But by the time we got to the internship, she was confidently speaking with people, asking questions if she needed to – and did her presentation in front of 20 people in the office.
“It’s been great to see that shift in her, becoming more confident in herself and the opportunities in front of her.
“For myself as well, it’s been about personal growth. I haven’t had any direct line management roles in my journey so far, so it was a first opportunity to do that.”
A new challenge
Now, Kirsten’s moved into a new role as an Account Manager with marketing agency, Mearns & Gill.
“It’s something a bit different, but still in that project management and networking space,” she says.
“I wouldn’t be in the job I am now if it wasn’t for Career Ready. It kickstarted my career, and I think it’s also about that experience of understanding yourself and your capabilities – where you can strive, and push yourself.”
