Wednesday, 18 September 2013

Out of this World Work Experience

After being in full time employment for near to 6 years in the retail management industry I decided I wanted to follow in a different career path. Taking advantage of my qualifications I achieved at the Grange School 6 form in 2008, 3 A-Levels in business studies, I decided I wanted to enter into the business sector of management and more specifically the fast passed world of advertising and marketing. In order to hope to achieve this I have taken up a part time (BA Hons) degree in business management and marketing which I begin late in September.

Since deciding to go traveling around Europe throughout August I realised I would have near to three weeks before my university enrolment when I returned. Realising this I decided to take this opportunity to look for and obtain possible work experience in marketing as I would be looked at as a novice entering a field I had zero experience in and put me ahead of the game when applying for internships or entrée level positions. This is where I came across Enterprise Marketing Solutions, after looking into their website and discovering not only were they a well-established marketing firm in my home town they were situated in walking distance from my home. I contacted Karen Moule via email along with my CV and cover letter and within 30 minutes I had a response from Andrew McIntyre, who then forwarded myself to Karen who then rang me personally to arrange a date I could come in and gain the experience I was looking for.

Once I returned from traveling I began my initial 1 week work placement with Karen and the team at Enterprise Marketing Solutions. Within the first initial meeting, where there was an introduction to the business, the employees and Karen herself, I could tell I was in an environment I could not only learn but feel comfortable and along with Karen’s long wealth of experience not only in marketing but also in advertising Karen was the perfect person to work alongside to get the experience I was looking for. By the end of the first two days I had created an e-newsletter, created and edited a few social media networks for clients including email communication to clients discussing the progress and changes, read and understand the final strategic plan for another client and started managing and editing a website using word press, along with some admin work so this was not a case of sit back and make tea for Karen and Andrew. Throughout these tasks though I was not at any stage ‘thrown into the deep end’ I was always given easy to follow instructions and guidance during every task I was given.

Nearing the end of my third day I had learnt so much with Karen and Enterprise Marketing I decided I would request to lengthen my initial time another week which Karen was happy to accept, so what started as an initial one week work placement had now turned into two which I was extremely happy about. My time at Enterprise was not however confined to the office and this was shown near the end of my first week when I was asked to join Andrew in an off-site meeting with a current client who was requesting a review on the status of his on-going social networking sites including his website and SEO responses while keeping notes. I also put myself forward to accompany Andrew at the beginning of my second week to oxford to represent Enterprise Marketing Solutions at the Business Wealth Club meeting, this was highly rewarding as this gave me an insight not only into the running of many entrepreneurial businesses small and large but also the key marketing points, known as the marketing wheel, these businesses focus on during their yearly quarter. I also assisted Karen and Andrew in shooting two adverts for clients who were looking to re-brand there image, giving my opinions and ideas of shooting angles when and if they were needed, this was great experience as it focused more on the advertising side of marketing.

Overall I only have to thank Karen and the team at Enterprise Marketing not only for the amount I have learnt over my two week work placement but for the welcoming and supportive environment they provide that allowed my learning to take place. My time with Enterprise Marketing Solutions was highly rewarding and if you are in the Aylesbury or local Buckinghamshire region and looking for some real hands on experience you can take with you, I would 110% recommend Karen and the team at Enterprise Marketing Solutions and in fact would love to come back in the near future and work for them again.

Luke De Benedictis

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