Shaun's Social Media Internship with the Faculty of Social Sciences at UEA

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!