Where are they now? Serena Battistoni - Resilience Engine

12th Jun 2018

e-Placement Scotland has recently created its 2000th placement, we thought this would be a good opportunity to touch base with some of our past placement students to find out why they undertook a placement and “where are they now?”

We recently spoke with Serena Battisoni, who undertook her e-Placement Scotland placement with The Reslience Engine.

Serena Battistoni

During my second year of the Computing, Graphics and Animation course at the Robert Gordon University, I enjoyed my studies, but I didn't feel competent enough to join the real job market and was working part time in an unrelated field to be able to pay my bills. 

I am an EU mature student and was concerned that I would be overlooked when it came to looking for a placement, however I trusted in my abilities and decided to start applying to suitable roles.   I wrote a good CV and I started applying before Christmas (In my opinion, the best period to get a placement!), personalizing every cover letter I sent. I was lucky enough to be invited to a few interviews which eventually led me to the job I was looking for!

I started working for The Resilience Engine in January 2017 and I am learning new skills and competencies with them.   The role was officially advertised as "content editor" but not only am I a  content editor I also get to work as a graphic designer, one of my dream jobs.  

During my time in the company, I truly learned the real meaning of working in an AGILE way, I discovered new software and languages. I worked on the company website, the SEO, the blog, the marketing, the contents (images, videos, motivational posters, brochures...) and much more.  

My Placement didn't end. After the placement period, I was offered to stay longer and I am currently a member of the team, working up to 20 hours every week. It's not easy to study and work so hard but I gain a lot in terms of satisfaction, confidence and self-esteem.

I saw my confidence and skills grow quickly. As a matter of fact, the deadlines in a real job are strict:  you must complete your task and well. When I look back at the initial work I carried out, I am proud to see how my much I have improved now. 

I still have a lot to learn but I am grateful to be part of the Resilience Engine team, I learned a lot from every member of the company and I still do. My LinkedIn profile and my CV are now better than ever and I am proud of every step I did.

I often thought to myself  "I am not good enough for this"  however  I have proved myself wrong every single time, and instead, I succeeded in the tasks I have been asked to achieve.

The Resilience Engine placement truly changed my life and boosted my career. 

We would like to take this opportunity to thank both Serena and The Resilience Engine for using the e-Placement Scotland service.

For more information on The Resilience Engine please see their website http://www.resiliencengine.com/

If you are a past e-Placement Scotland placement student and are interested in writing your own #wherearetheynow blog article please contact Nicola Taylor, Candidate Matching Co-ordinator : nicola.taylor@scotlandis.com