The placement year has helped me refine my career path.
One of the lecturers told me about the placement opportunities and the businesses that the University worked with. I liked the idea of blending education with work and I knew it would give me experience when looking for a job after university. I was looking for marketing, business development and commercial roles as I’ve been in charge of social media accounts, helped with events and also looked after an internal employee app called Strive, so I was keen to build on this experience.
I’m working for one of the UK’s largest port groups, PD Ports. For the first six months I was a marketing and communications assistant and I’m now taking on the role of a commercial assistant.
I’ve been able to see how marketing works in practice, outside of the classroom. I’m enjoying it and I’ve realised that I enjoy the commercial side of things.
I’ve gained experience of working in a professional environment, networking, and writing social media posts and blogs. It’s been great experience for my CV.
I’d like to be a business development manager, being instrumental in the growth of a business. This role has been really useful in helping me find my specialism and the area I want to focus on in my career. Without this experience I’d have probably gone into the wrong role.
Employers look for work experience, which is really hard to get while you’re studying, so take the work placement opportunity. It’s a paid year’s placement and it gives you a potential competitive edge ahead of other applicants when you apply for jobs.