My name is Shaun and I’ve just completed 10 weeks in my role as the SSF Social Media Intern at the UEA. On Monday, I shall start a new job in the School of International Development – but let’s rewind a few months first.
I’m not a UEA Graduate. Shocking, I know. I graduated in Politics from the University of Nottingham in the summer of 2013 and began seeking opportunities in the Media or Marketing. However, finding graduate employment proved difficult, very difficult. Excessive expectations regarding the working experience of graduates severely restricts the opportunities graduates are deemed ‘capable’ of – sometimes, people just need an opportunity to prove their worth. This is exactly what the UEA Graduate Internships Scheme provided. The best thing (for me, selfishly) was that for many opportunities you didn’t have to be a UEA graduate specifically! And so I grabbed the opportunity to get a fixed term, paid internship.
The role of Social Media Intern was ambiguous, but not in a negative sense. Effectively, the existing social media presence of the various Schools’ across the faculty differed; meaning the work to be done within each individual school varied markedly. The aim of the role was to help improve communications between Careers & Employability, and the students, through their various social media channels. During the internship, I became responsible for 3 Twitter channels and also helped to establish 1 additional channel; 3 Facebook pages; 2 LinkedIn alumni Groups (which both were created from scratch); and 1 WordPress blog. In addition, I also tasked myself with teaching the Employability Officer in the School of Social Work how to use Twitter to the benefit of her and her students. I found further ways to improve the job I was doing, such as designing and creating marketing materials, writing blog entries, and managing web content.
I worked within the Schools of Law, Economics, Social Work, International Development, Education, and Psychology. I thoroughly enjoyed working within each individual school – considering the size, structure and existing social media presence to better develop a social media strategy tailored for each School. The position gave me experience in managing numerous channels of communication, marketing events and services, organising employability strategies, communicating with a variety of people and also gave me responsibility in ensuring the positive online image of the Faculty. It allowed me to solve problems, handle confidential information, and use my imagination to implement better forms of communication. The skills I have developed through the position are both extensive, and vital to my future employability.
I was asked to give a presentation at the SSF Executive meeting, displaying the work I had done and recommendations for going forward. My presentation was well received, which resulted in significant recognition for my efforts during the internship. Speaking in front of the Faculty Executive’s has further increased my confidence, and my ability to present to an audience.
Fast-forward to 10-weeks later and my work within the School of International Development has resulted in the offer of a permanent position. The School have taken into account what I am interested in, what I want to do, and have provided an excellent position for me to gain further experience and learn new skills. 10 weeks was all it took for me to show what I can do, and find permanent employment within a great organisation that has both the development of the School, and the professional development of the employee, in mind.
I recommend the UEA Graduate Internship Scheme to any graduate wanting an opportunity to prove themselves, develop their attributes and gain valuable experience. With all the negativity surrounding the exploitative nature of unpaid internships, this scheme gives you the opportunity of an equally valuable experience, whilst getting paid for your hard work. It’s certainly paid off for me!
Friday, 24 January 2014
Tuesday, 21 January 2014
Leigh's Customer Service & Marketing Internship with Sale Supply Diary -- Week Two
Having just finished the second week of my internship, I can confidently say I am starting to feel more comfortable working independently. I do believe that the more I have been exposed, the more I have learnt and although this can be a daunting prospect for some, it is far more beneficial.
I am finding that throwing myself into situations that I am unsure of often result in two possible outcomes- right or wrong. The beauty in the learning process is that both teach us something valuable for the next time.
Volunteering for tasks will help you on your way to confidently carry out the tasks needed in your chosen career; it displays your genuine interest in your sector to your manager which in turn can lead to more opportunities and it gives you experience.
In turn, I do feel that it is up to the organisation to assist with the learning process. Sale Supply regularly check that I am comfortable and sure about what I am doing. They have adapted their training process to suit my learning style, something I feel all companies should adopt if they haven’t done so already- after all, you wouldn’t try and fit a square peg into a round hole, so why would you try and train a kinaesthetic learner with an audio style?
For me, the learning by doing element has helped me immensely. Whether it be a case of allowing me to explore software systems or role playing situations I may face throughout the day, this has enabled me to face situations both independently and confidently.
As an intern, it is worth remembering that you’re not expected to know all the answers all of the time. It is OK to say you have no experience in a certain area. You’re there to learn. I can’t advise on the best way to learn, everyone is different, in regards to this I would advise getting to know your style and discussing it with your manager in order to achieve your full potential.
I am finding that throwing myself into situations that I am unsure of often result in two possible outcomes- right or wrong. The beauty in the learning process is that both teach us something valuable for the next time.
Volunteering for tasks will help you on your way to confidently carry out the tasks needed in your chosen career; it displays your genuine interest in your sector to your manager which in turn can lead to more opportunities and it gives you experience.
In turn, I do feel that it is up to the organisation to assist with the learning process. Sale Supply regularly check that I am comfortable and sure about what I am doing. They have adapted their training process to suit my learning style, something I feel all companies should adopt if they haven’t done so already- after all, you wouldn’t try and fit a square peg into a round hole, so why would you try and train a kinaesthetic learner with an audio style?
For me, the learning by doing element has helped me immensely. Whether it be a case of allowing me to explore software systems or role playing situations I may face throughout the day, this has enabled me to face situations both independently and confidently.
As an intern, it is worth remembering that you’re not expected to know all the answers all of the time. It is OK to say you have no experience in a certain area. You’re there to learn. I can’t advise on the best way to learn, everyone is different, in regards to this I would advise getting to know your style and discussing it with your manager in order to achieve your full potential.
Monday, 13 January 2014
Leigh's Customer Service & Marketing Internship with Salesupply Diary -- End of Week One
The Intern Diaries
Why an Internship?
I was one of a generation who was promised that going to university would equal guaranteed employment and a bigger salary. However, after graduating I found this not to be true. If you’ve found yourself struggling to find work in your desired career post-university you are certainly not alone. I, like many others, seem to be hearing the same thing “You have a clear passion for the sector, but not enough experience”.
After a change of heart ¾ of the way through my teacher training course, I found myself at square one again. I knew I wanted to apply my creativity in some way and there are lots of jobs out there that will allow you to do this. I’m quite good with words and social media savvy, so I started to look at jobs in the media. I read hundreds of articles on how to make myself stand out from the crowd and I started to apply all of the advice: I started a blog- which has led to outside writing opportunities, I have grown my social media presence- making sure there was nothing I wouldn’t want a potential employer to see; following the accounts of all the right people in the same industry; tweeting about things that were important to me and generally making myself known, I linked my social media accounts to my CV and I had numerous people look over my CV for feedback. I had no problem getting interviews. I was invited to some pretty impressive ones at that; from a columnist at a local newspaper in Brighton, to an Account Executive at and advertising agency. Many of the interviews seemed to go well, most invited me back for second interviews, all of them replied with the same thing: “We really liked you, but we feel you don’t have enough experience for the position.”
After countless rejections I considered giving up. Being unemployed can have a massive affect on your confidence and self worth. I soon started to avoid answering the phone or the door during the daytime, as I didn’t want anyone to know I didn’t have a job, and I stopped going out because I was scared of the dreaded questions like “How is the job search going”. It was by chance that I came across the UEA’s Internship Programme via twitter (see how following the right people can come in handy?!) You may have noticed that internships around this region are very few and far between, and most of the few offered are unpaid (something which I know I can’t afford to do because I have bills to pay, an overdraft and travelling expenses to cover).
Internships have raised a lot of questions recently; is it fair to allow people to work for free? Are unpaid internships only for a privileged few who can afford to work for free? Will I actually get the experience I need during my internship, instead of being a general dogsbody and tea lady? I know these were all questions that worried me. UEA’s scheme offers a wage and a beneficial opportunity for both host and intern. Acting as a go between, if there were to be any concerns you can rest in the knowledge that you can talk to the UEA complete confidentiality. This means the above concerns are non-existent, which is why an internship through the UEA is worth going for. They offer a range of paid opportunities (so you can get to work on paying that overdraft off and still have a social life) which in turn will offer the much needed experience you need to get your foot on the career ladder. And who knows, some internships even lead to full time employment.
Week 1
Before Christmas I managed to secure a 12 week internship with Sale Supply. A global e-business that allows companies to expand their international growth quickly through a wide range of solutions such as research and strategy, effective localisation of web shops; traffic generation and brand management, and complete operational support. Sale Supply uses a wide range of advance systems such as CMS, VMWare and Google Dropbox- the very systems that had meant I wasn’t offered jobs due to my “lack of experience with them”. I was being instantly exposed to new skills I could add to my CV. I was free to ask as many questions as possible and given the opportunity to explore and get my head around them without the fear of messing up.
One of the best things about the way Sale Supply works with their interns is the open and honest communication they offer and ask for in return. They offer quick and positive feedback with suggestions on how your work can be improved. Upon discussions with the owner I mentioned that I would be interested in assisting with designs of websites and brochures’ which led to me being given the opportunity to translate some work for two website pages for an existing client, and a leaflet with an up and coming one.
I feel for an internship to be the most beneficial that communication is key. The host needs to be open to allowing you to try and discuss what appeals to you, but the intern also needs to be forward in saying what it is they hope to gain from their placement. As I saw within my first week, by showing an interest in things I would like to try I was given opportunities.
I learnt so much in my first week and hope that I can continue to gain more knowledge over the coming months. For anyone starting their internships my only advice would be to ask lots of questions and show an active interest in any project you would like to be involved in- it really does pay off.
Why an Internship?
I was one of a generation who was promised that going to university would equal guaranteed employment and a bigger salary. However, after graduating I found this not to be true. If you’ve found yourself struggling to find work in your desired career post-university you are certainly not alone. I, like many others, seem to be hearing the same thing “You have a clear passion for the sector, but not enough experience”.
After a change of heart ¾ of the way through my teacher training course, I found myself at square one again. I knew I wanted to apply my creativity in some way and there are lots of jobs out there that will allow you to do this. I’m quite good with words and social media savvy, so I started to look at jobs in the media. I read hundreds of articles on how to make myself stand out from the crowd and I started to apply all of the advice: I started a blog- which has led to outside writing opportunities, I have grown my social media presence- making sure there was nothing I wouldn’t want a potential employer to see; following the accounts of all the right people in the same industry; tweeting about things that were important to me and generally making myself known, I linked my social media accounts to my CV and I had numerous people look over my CV for feedback. I had no problem getting interviews. I was invited to some pretty impressive ones at that; from a columnist at a local newspaper in Brighton, to an Account Executive at and advertising agency. Many of the interviews seemed to go well, most invited me back for second interviews, all of them replied with the same thing: “We really liked you, but we feel you don’t have enough experience for the position.”
After countless rejections I considered giving up. Being unemployed can have a massive affect on your confidence and self worth. I soon started to avoid answering the phone or the door during the daytime, as I didn’t want anyone to know I didn’t have a job, and I stopped going out because I was scared of the dreaded questions like “How is the job search going”. It was by chance that I came across the UEA’s Internship Programme via twitter (see how following the right people can come in handy?!) You may have noticed that internships around this region are very few and far between, and most of the few offered are unpaid (something which I know I can’t afford to do because I have bills to pay, an overdraft and travelling expenses to cover).
Internships have raised a lot of questions recently; is it fair to allow people to work for free? Are unpaid internships only for a privileged few who can afford to work for free? Will I actually get the experience I need during my internship, instead of being a general dogsbody and tea lady? I know these were all questions that worried me. UEA’s scheme offers a wage and a beneficial opportunity for both host and intern. Acting as a go between, if there were to be any concerns you can rest in the knowledge that you can talk to the UEA complete confidentiality. This means the above concerns are non-existent, which is why an internship through the UEA is worth going for. They offer a range of paid opportunities (so you can get to work on paying that overdraft off and still have a social life) which in turn will offer the much needed experience you need to get your foot on the career ladder. And who knows, some internships even lead to full time employment.
Week 1
Before Christmas I managed to secure a 12 week internship with Sale Supply. A global e-business that allows companies to expand their international growth quickly through a wide range of solutions such as research and strategy, effective localisation of web shops; traffic generation and brand management, and complete operational support. Sale Supply uses a wide range of advance systems such as CMS, VMWare and Google Dropbox- the very systems that had meant I wasn’t offered jobs due to my “lack of experience with them”. I was being instantly exposed to new skills I could add to my CV. I was free to ask as many questions as possible and given the opportunity to explore and get my head around them without the fear of messing up.
One of the best things about the way Sale Supply works with their interns is the open and honest communication they offer and ask for in return. They offer quick and positive feedback with suggestions on how your work can be improved. Upon discussions with the owner I mentioned that I would be interested in assisting with designs of websites and brochures’ which led to me being given the opportunity to translate some work for two website pages for an existing client, and a leaflet with an up and coming one.
I feel for an internship to be the most beneficial that communication is key. The host needs to be open to allowing you to try and discuss what appeals to you, but the intern also needs to be forward in saying what it is they hope to gain from their placement. As I saw within my first week, by showing an interest in things I would like to try I was given opportunities.
I learnt so much in my first week and hope that I can continue to gain more knowledge over the coming months. For anyone starting their internships my only advice would be to ask lots of questions and show an active interest in any project you would like to be involved in- it really does pay off.
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