Nicola Sturgeon sworn in as first minister of Scotland
Nicola Sturgeon in 'open' offer to rivals
(about 2 hours later)
SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon has been formally sworn in as Scotland's first minister in front of senior judges at the Court of Session in Edinburgh.
Scotland's new first minister said she would consider any suggestions from political rivals to help her government to a better job.
Ms Sturgeon was elected to the role by MSPs on Wednesday before receiving the Royal Warrant, which is formal approval of her appointment.
Nicola Sturgeon used her first day in the job to eschew "the usual defensive ding dong" in favour of a more open-minded approach.
She is due to lead First Minister's Questions for the first time as head of the Scottish government.
The comments came as the SNP administration was accused of failing on justice and cancer treatment.
Ms Sturgeon is not expected to announce her new deputy until Friday.
The opposition grilling came during question time in the parliament.
Dundee East MP Stewart Hosie has taken over Ms Sturgeon's role as the SNP's deputy leader but, because he does not serve in the Scottish Parliament, she will need to choose a deputy first minister from among the ranks of the party's MSPs.
The first minister told MSPs: "I am open minded to any proposals that come forward from any side of the chamber as to how the government can do things better."
ANALYSIS
She added: "This is my first day in office - I could stand up here in response to any of the questions I'm asked and engage in the usual defensive ding dong - I daresay there will be weeks when I do exactly that.
BY Glenn Campbell, BBC Scotland political correspondent
"But today of all days, I want to make very clear. I'm a new first minister. I'm a proud member of the government for seven years, but I want to come into this job with an open mind."
The new first minister is also expected to reshuffle the Scottish government's ministerial team later in the week.
Ms Sturgeon was voted in to replace Alex Salmond as first minister on Wednesday after a contest against Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson, who put her name forward as a "Unionist alternative".
Scotland's first female first minister said: "I hope that my election as first minister does indeed help to open the gate to greater opportunity for all women.
"I hope that it sends a strong, positive message to girls and young women, indeed to all women, across our land - there should be no limit to your ambition for what you can achieve.
"If you are good enough and if you work hard enough, the sky is the limit and no glass ceiling should ever stop you from achieving your dreams."
Ms Sturgeon also said she would continue to argue the case for independence, but would also do her best with Scotland's devolved powers to tackle poverty, boost business and the economy, and tackle inequality.
