Over the coming weeks our Graduate Internships blog will be moving to the new CareerCentral blog. All of our new interns' experiences will become available at http://ueacareercentral.blogspot.co.uk/
Why not check it out now and see what else is on there!
Perhaps you are currently undertaking one of our internships or have recently finished one? Want to be the first to write on our new blog at CareerCentral about your internship experience? If you are interested, do get in touch with us at internship@uea.ac.uk.
Friday, 10 October 2014
Monday, 1 September 2014
Hannah's Digital Archivist Internship with The Parham Airfield Museum -- End of First Week
How did you feel about the internship leading up to the start?
I felt excited about starting the project, especially knowing it would help the museum further develop and improve their ease of access to records. Having records digitised is important not only as a step forward to achieve additional museum accreditation but also in case of a disaster such as a fire. It ensures they are safe for the future. Having a searchable database also allows for names to be put into the search tool if visitors are enquiring about a relative. This allows the particular page of interest to be found quickly and studied in detail.
What was your first day like?
On the first day, I had an induction meeting with David, the Project Manager from Eighth in the East (the organisation involved with funding) and also Tim and Peter who help run the museum. I was a little nervous about knowing where to start off, so it was great to have such clear communication with the team involved in this project. We spoke about the system I would be using for cataloguing the records and also about the general facilities and layout of the area I would be working in so I knew where everything was. I felt supported by everyone which put me at ease. After that I started cataloguing the first folder which detailed the operational history of the 390th group after they first arrived here.
What have you been up to each day in your first week e.g. what tasks have you been doing, have you learnt new skills?
I think this role has really refined the analytical skills which I gained studying for my history degree at UEA. Whilst working in the database I look through each particular record and pick out the key details which people may want to search for, as well as the date if this is mentioned. Before this internship I had worked on Excel before, but I have learnt new skills on this particular programme during this first week.
Has your experience of your first week been what you expected?
It has been what I expected to be doing. I like the fact I can also get involved with other projects which Eighth in the East are part of and also to be involved with the visitors when the museum is open. Although I hadn’t studied this particular area of history in great detail I am finding it interesting learning new terms each day.
What have you enjoyed the most about your first week?
I enjoyed meeting all the volunteers at the museum when it was open on the Wednesday and also seeing visitors. They were all interested in the work I have been doing and it was enjoyable to engage with them about the digitisation process. Everyone here has made me feel really welcome which has contributed to making my week enjoyable. Whilst working on the records, particularly the Daily Bulletins issued during 1943 it is fascinating to read about the social side of day to day life, for example the cinema schedule of movies which were shown!
How do you think the next few weeks will be?
I think the next few weeks will continue to be interesting as I will be working through the operational history folders from the very beginning and then towards the end of the period so it will be interesting to see changes across that time. I will also later be digitising photo albums from the period which adds another dimension to the project.
I felt excited about starting the project, especially knowing it would help the museum further develop and improve their ease of access to records. Having records digitised is important not only as a step forward to achieve additional museum accreditation but also in case of a disaster such as a fire. It ensures they are safe for the future. Having a searchable database also allows for names to be put into the search tool if visitors are enquiring about a relative. This allows the particular page of interest to be found quickly and studied in detail.
What was your first day like?
On the first day, I had an induction meeting with David, the Project Manager from Eighth in the East (the organisation involved with funding) and also Tim and Peter who help run the museum. I was a little nervous about knowing where to start off, so it was great to have such clear communication with the team involved in this project. We spoke about the system I would be using for cataloguing the records and also about the general facilities and layout of the area I would be working in so I knew where everything was. I felt supported by everyone which put me at ease. After that I started cataloguing the first folder which detailed the operational history of the 390th group after they first arrived here.
What have you been up to each day in your first week e.g. what tasks have you been doing, have you learnt new skills?
I think this role has really refined the analytical skills which I gained studying for my history degree at UEA. Whilst working in the database I look through each particular record and pick out the key details which people may want to search for, as well as the date if this is mentioned. Before this internship I had worked on Excel before, but I have learnt new skills on this particular programme during this first week.
Has your experience of your first week been what you expected?
It has been what I expected to be doing. I like the fact I can also get involved with other projects which Eighth in the East are part of and also to be involved with the visitors when the museum is open. Although I hadn’t studied this particular area of history in great detail I am finding it interesting learning new terms each day.
What have you enjoyed the most about your first week?
I enjoyed meeting all the volunteers at the museum when it was open on the Wednesday and also seeing visitors. They were all interested in the work I have been doing and it was enjoyable to engage with them about the digitisation process. Everyone here has made me feel really welcome which has contributed to making my week enjoyable. Whilst working on the records, particularly the Daily Bulletins issued during 1943 it is fascinating to read about the social side of day to day life, for example the cinema schedule of movies which were shown!
How do you think the next few weeks will be?
I think the next few weeks will continue to be interesting as I will be working through the operational history folders from the very beginning and then towards the end of the period so it will be interesting to see changes across that time. I will also later be digitising photo albums from the period which adds another dimension to the project.
Monday, 14 July 2014
Charlie's Outreach Executive/Online PR Internship with Further -- End of First Week
How did you feel about the internship leading up to the start?
I was nervous. The whole process moved very quickly. I had the interview with the company on a Thursday, found out I got the job on the Friday, and started the week after. I wasn’t planning on staying in Norwich so I had loads of stuff to do such as finding a place to live, transporting stuff from my home in London, and getting things for work. Before I knew it, it was the night before I started. It suddenly dawned on me I was going into full employment Monday to Friday, 9-5. I had a bit of a freak out but pulled it together in time for the morning.
What was your first day like?
Very different to what I have been used to over the last four years. I felt integrated into the company part of the make-up. We were given a schedule that had been drawn up, a calendar detailing our first 7 days. This included training and master classes from other employees at the company. I felt very welcome.
What have you been up to each day in your first week e.g. what tasks have you been doing, have you learnt new skills?
The first week has consisted of taking in a lot of information. There is a lot to learn for my role, but this has been good. I’m enjoying learning about new ideas and methodology that make up the company. An important task has been to try and integrate into the group already working here. It’s clear that the company want me to feel comfortable as soon as possible, and that this is more important than solitary hard work.
Has your experience of your first week been what you expected?
No. I was worried it might be slightly boring at times: the cliché of the intern who does nothing, but it hasn’t been like that at all. There’s been lots of training, coffee, reading, building relationships, and excessive smiling.
What have you enjoyed the most about your first week?
The coffee van that comes outside the office at 9:15 every morning :-) I have also enjoyed working with and meeting the other intern. We are both doing the same thing, starting from scratch, so we are learning together.
How do you think the next few weeks will be?
As far as I can tell, the next few weeks should be great. It’s going to be a big transition from university to the work place, but this is a challenge I’m excited for. The next few weeks will require me to get used to the working environment while also learning how to do my job. I’m not expecting to be a pro quickly either. I can see leaving university and entering the workplace is a steady journey, I’m just very happy to be given the opportunity to do it.
I was nervous. The whole process moved very quickly. I had the interview with the company on a Thursday, found out I got the job on the Friday, and started the week after. I wasn’t planning on staying in Norwich so I had loads of stuff to do such as finding a place to live, transporting stuff from my home in London, and getting things for work. Before I knew it, it was the night before I started. It suddenly dawned on me I was going into full employment Monday to Friday, 9-5. I had a bit of a freak out but pulled it together in time for the morning.
What was your first day like?
Very different to what I have been used to over the last four years. I felt integrated into the company part of the make-up. We were given a schedule that had been drawn up, a calendar detailing our first 7 days. This included training and master classes from other employees at the company. I felt very welcome.
What have you been up to each day in your first week e.g. what tasks have you been doing, have you learnt new skills?
The first week has consisted of taking in a lot of information. There is a lot to learn for my role, but this has been good. I’m enjoying learning about new ideas and methodology that make up the company. An important task has been to try and integrate into the group already working here. It’s clear that the company want me to feel comfortable as soon as possible, and that this is more important than solitary hard work.
Has your experience of your first week been what you expected?
No. I was worried it might be slightly boring at times: the cliché of the intern who does nothing, but it hasn’t been like that at all. There’s been lots of training, coffee, reading, building relationships, and excessive smiling.
What have you enjoyed the most about your first week?
The coffee van that comes outside the office at 9:15 every morning :-) I have also enjoyed working with and meeting the other intern. We are both doing the same thing, starting from scratch, so we are learning together.
How do you think the next few weeks will be?
As far as I can tell, the next few weeks should be great. It’s going to be a big transition from university to the work place, but this is a challenge I’m excited for. The next few weeks will require me to get used to the working environment while also learning how to do my job. I’m not expecting to be a pro quickly either. I can see leaving university and entering the workplace is a steady journey, I’m just very happy to be given the opportunity to do it.
Wednesday, 21 May 2014
Melissa's Marketing Internship with PolicyBee -- Review
After graduating from UEA last year, I started my internship at PolicyBee in September. They were looking for someone to help with their marketing, and although I started as an intern, I now work here full time. PolicyBee is an online insurance broker specialising in arranging insurance for independent professionals and small consultancies.
After earning my 2:1 in English Literature, I knew I wanted a career involving writing. However, knowing writing jobs can be difficult to find, I decided to broaden my job search to those involving social media and marketing. Even these roles were pretty scarce, especially in Suffolk, so I’d been job hunting for several months before I found my internship advertised on the UEA graduate website.
I actually didn’t get the internship I originally applied for. This was a role working on the company’s email marketing campaigns and I definitely wasn’t well suited to it. However, PolicyBee also needed a lot of content for their new website, and since I had a lot of writing experience, they decided to offer me a different internship. When I applied, I never imagined it could work out so well. My current role is much more relevant to my skills and interests.
As you’d expect, I spend most of my time writing. Each week, I create several posts for the blog and online insurance guide. The blog usually covers small business news and events, such as relevant competitions and tax reforms. I also write copy for the website, emails, guest posts, as well as some social media and design work.
Before I started, I knew nothing about insurance or small businesses. It took me a while to get my head around what the company does, but now I can write about the main products quite easily. Being the most inexperienced member of a team can be daunting. However, you shouldn’t be afraid to attempt new things. Your employers won’t expect you to know everything, but they will appreciate willingness to try.
Copywriting is very different to any writing I’d done for my degree or in my free time. As well as being more concise, everything I write has to be appropriate for the customer who’ll read it, and match our company personality. Since I’ve been here, my writing style has definitely improved; the help provided by the rest of my team has been incredibly valuable.
I’d advise anyone interested in marketing to familiarise themselves with tools like Hootsuite, Wordpress, and Google+. I use these on a regular basis, so I’m glad I’d at least looked at them before I started. It’s also worth getting a basic knowledge of SEO. Every piece of online content I write is optimised to appear higher in Google’s organic search results. Although there are people here more specialised in that, it’s good to have an idea of what they’re talking about.
Another important thing I’d recommend to graduates looking for jobs and internships is not to overlook positions in a sector you don’t necessarily want to work in. Even un-sexy industries like insurance need people to do their marketing. If you’re part of a helpful team, you’ll be learning the same skills as you would in a specialist media or marketing agency.
I’ve been incredibly lucky as I managed to get an internship that I liked even more than the one I applied for. Not only that, I was offered a permanent position off the back of it. My work has improved noticeably and I’m continuing to learn new things all the time. I’d recommend a UEA internship to anyone looking to gain career experience.
After earning my 2:1 in English Literature, I knew I wanted a career involving writing. However, knowing writing jobs can be difficult to find, I decided to broaden my job search to those involving social media and marketing. Even these roles were pretty scarce, especially in Suffolk, so I’d been job hunting for several months before I found my internship advertised on the UEA graduate website.
I actually didn’t get the internship I originally applied for. This was a role working on the company’s email marketing campaigns and I definitely wasn’t well suited to it. However, PolicyBee also needed a lot of content for their new website, and since I had a lot of writing experience, they decided to offer me a different internship. When I applied, I never imagined it could work out so well. My current role is much more relevant to my skills and interests.
As you’d expect, I spend most of my time writing. Each week, I create several posts for the blog and online insurance guide. The blog usually covers small business news and events, such as relevant competitions and tax reforms. I also write copy for the website, emails, guest posts, as well as some social media and design work.
Before I started, I knew nothing about insurance or small businesses. It took me a while to get my head around what the company does, but now I can write about the main products quite easily. Being the most inexperienced member of a team can be daunting. However, you shouldn’t be afraid to attempt new things. Your employers won’t expect you to know everything, but they will appreciate willingness to try.
Copywriting is very different to any writing I’d done for my degree or in my free time. As well as being more concise, everything I write has to be appropriate for the customer who’ll read it, and match our company personality. Since I’ve been here, my writing style has definitely improved; the help provided by the rest of my team has been incredibly valuable.
I’d advise anyone interested in marketing to familiarise themselves with tools like Hootsuite, Wordpress, and Google+. I use these on a regular basis, so I’m glad I’d at least looked at them before I started. It’s also worth getting a basic knowledge of SEO. Every piece of online content I write is optimised to appear higher in Google’s organic search results. Although there are people here more specialised in that, it’s good to have an idea of what they’re talking about.
Another important thing I’d recommend to graduates looking for jobs and internships is not to overlook positions in a sector you don’t necessarily want to work in. Even un-sexy industries like insurance need people to do their marketing. If you’re part of a helpful team, you’ll be learning the same skills as you would in a specialist media or marketing agency.
I’ve been incredibly lucky as I managed to get an internship that I liked even more than the one I applied for. Not only that, I was offered a permanent position off the back of it. My work has improved noticeably and I’m continuing to learn new things all the time. I’d recommend a UEA internship to anyone looking to gain career experience.
Thursday, 24 April 2014
Karl's Brand and Marketing Internship with LSI Architects -- Not far off the end
I’m not far off the end point of my brand and marketing
internship at LSI Architects, and I am incredibly excited that I will be
staying here when my internship finishes, and will become the brand and
marketing manager here. I don’t think I could have enjoyed this internship any
more than I have. The main reason it has been such an enjoyable and successful time
is because LSI have given me all the support, space and importantly real
responsibility I needed to really show what I can do.
The majority of my time has been spent working on the
rebranding project, where I have been conducting research into the brands that
LSI are up against with a competitor audit, speaking to brand agencies, and
immersing myself in LSI to find out where the brand is coming from. The project
is really starting to take shape, the research and understanding has largely
been built and we’re now moving into the ‘ideas’ stage of the project, where we
can think about how we can attack the opportunities we’ve identified and bring
the new brand to life, which is very exciting.
Not only have I had the chance to put the skills and
knowledge I learned at UEA to the test, I’ve had the chance to learn new things
and broaden my experience. Nobody has expected me to know how to do everything,
but I’ve been given the opportunities to have a go and learn. I was involved in
a really successful exhibition at City College Norwich, with a theme of
sustainability in construction. The event was for construction students at the
college, and they loved our tech filled stand, so I was pleased that my first
go at an exhibition was a big hit.
I’ve also been putting together submissions for various
different Awards. Last week I attended an awards evening where an application I
helped to piece together and submit, for the new residences project at UEA, won
an award for sustainability. Other awards
that I’ve been able to help with are for being a business with a
responsible approach, which LSI have now been shortlisted for, and for the
AJ100 Awards, where the practice has been named in the top 100 Architects in
the UK, and shortlisted for two prestigious national awards.
As I mentioned in my last blog, this wasn’t my first
internship. I’ve learned a lot from previous internships, especially on where I
can improve. The biggest lesson I’ve learned, and my number one piece of advice,
is that you get out what you put in.
If you say yes to, and throw yourself head first into, as many different things
and talk to as many people as possible, not only will you get a lot more
experience, but you’ll make a real impression. If you sit twiddling your thumbs and waiting
for something to happen, you learn nothing and you make it easy for people to
forget you. If things are a bit quiet, and you find yourself without much to
do, you should have the attitude and the confidence to make things happen for
yourself. Maybe this could be by spending time trying to come up with ideas or
potential opportunities that the company hasn’t thought of or identified.
It’s a really exciting (and busy) time to be at LSI
Architects and I’m delighted that I will be staying here, and even though the
taste in football teams is quite poor, everybody here has been very friendly
and very helpful.
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