Meet Sophie, Graduate Marketing Executive

Name: Sophie Van Maanen

Job Title: Graduate Marketing Executive

Location: Tate, Ballyfermot, Dublin

Degree: BSc Marketing

University attended: Technological University Dublin

What does your role in Kingspan involve?

My job involves taking care of the marketing and social media for Tate Europe. On a day to day basis I take care of the Tate Europe LinkedIn account, organize content for the website, take care of the internal communications and gather content and create the Kingspan data and flooring newsletter. In addition, I organize the trade shows for Tate Europe. I have also been involved in new product launches. My job involves communicating and coordinating with colleagues all over the world.

What is the most interesting project you have been involved in since you joined?

Since I joined in September the most interesting project I worked on was the launch of Tate Grid LEC. LEC is a group initiative which involves making products using Lower Embodied Carbon. Tate Grid LEC was the first of its kind, and therefore it was extremely exciting to be part of such a big launch.

What prompted you to apply to Kingspan?

With Kingspan being a hugely successful Irish company, I had heard great things about it, and its graduate programme. In addition, I was keen to find a job after college that offered a graduate programme, as I was keen to develop myself as an employee.

What was your experience of the Kingspan graduate recruitment process?

The process was tough but efficient. It was a Assessment Centre spread out over four hours, which involved an interview with my potential manager, a group case study and an individual case study. I heard back quite soon after this interview, which was reassuring, and I soon had a call with my current manager.

Have you any tips for someone else thinking of applying to Kingspan?

I would encourage anyone wanting to apply to Kingspan to try to gain some relevant experience first. A summer or college internship would provide a great base for starting in Kingspan.

Looking back, what qualities and behaviours do you think you displayed during the recruitment process which made you a good fit for Kingspan?

Looking back, I think my patience and ability to work in a team stood to me.

The Assessment Centre process required working in a team, and understanding when the right time to speak was, and the right time to listen. My final year in college was based entirely on group work, which I think provided me with the experience needed to excel during the recruitment process.