#GradStories Tara Hyland, Client Capability, Bord Bia

What are your main tasks in a typical week?

The role of client capability is to enhance the marketing capabilities of the industry at large. So that would include brand management, strategy development, digital marketing Innovation and more like that. I work across a variety of projects and my key roles would be within digital marketing where it could range from being on a digital marketing webinar on how to get your brand on TikTok or posting on our social media accounts or I could be doing category research.

What skills do you need to have to be successful in your role?

Communication skills are very important and that includes presenting. Communication is daily contact with clients, it's both verbal and written. Analytical skills are also important. I need to be able to condense research into digestible formats for clients.

How did you get into your job?

I did business, economics and social science at Trinity and within my college experience I worked part-time jobs in the food industry. There’s no one pathway into Board Bia, what you need is a level eight degree and a passion for the food and drink industry.

What advice would you give a new graduate?

My advice would be just to work on building up your skills and your experience to tailor to the role that you're looking for. That could be getting a part-time job in the food industry or joining societies that are involved in the food industry.

How have you adjusted to working from home?

I definitely love working from home and the hybrid working element. Board Bia have been really helpful with it. I would advise graduates to go into the office when possible. I feel like I've learned a lot from being in the office and the relationships and skills that you build from doing so will stand to you.

What do you love about your job?

I like the variety of my role. It is probably what I love most about my job but I'm not going to go into that again, so I'll probably say the fact that Bord Bia is a very supportive environment to work in. My team have always been very supportive and communicative with me, and I feel like that's allowed me to reach my potential and which has been really beneficial to my career.