Northumbria Marketing Intern Q&A

Our Marketing Department offer various positions for students to partake on a placement year within the team. Below is some questions answered by five interns (Jenny, Jasmine, George, James and Luke) on topics you may be wondering about.

Watch the Undergraduate Marketing Intern Instagram Takeover to get a feel for what some of the roles we offer entail.

Undergraduate Marketing Intern Takeover from Northumbria University on Vimeo.

Why did you apply for this role? (Jenny, Law with Business)

I applied for this marketing role because learning business marketing through lectures and seminars is something I found really interesting. I enjoy taking an idea and making it become real and something everyone can see or benefit from, whilst being as creative as you like.

One of the main reasons I applied for this job is because, the role is extremely varied and there were multiple roles, therefore everyone at the assessment centre day isn’t all competing for 1 job (like a lot of other companies).

How did you find the recruitment process? (Jenny, Law with Business)

I found the recruitment process fun and really quick. This is because once I sent in my application through to Northumbria, I heard back within 2 weeks of the outcome. I was then asked to attend an assessment centre the week after. The assessment centre day was one full day, which consisted of fun and ice breaking activities such as; introduction about yourself, presentation (which was given out before the assessment day so we could prepare), proof reading test, lunch and then 1:1 interviews. After this assessment day I heard back within 2 days whether I had been successful or not for the job.

Tell us about your role. (Jasmine, Business with Marketing Management)

I mainly look after content however it’s not just about thinking of fun ways to get more likes or views on the university site.

Working under content means auditing content materials such as imagery and films that can be turned into promotional videos, email images and anything you see on the website. If we had a gap in content material, my task would be to source content out or arrange photoshoots/filming days to get the material needed. One of the biggest projects for my role has been working on the Undergraduate prospectus. This project has led to me doing copy writing, imagery audits and liaising with different departments within the university but also third party companies like designers or photographers.

This is just a summary of what I have been working on the past few months, other jobs that I was involved with were working on Open Days, editing the website, working on content on InDesign and Premier Pro, acting as Project Manager for prospecting student competitions and working on new course developments with academics.

That being said, I have learnt various editing and communication skills that I would had the chance to learn if not during my placement. I can confidently write a formal email with no worries!

Four months in, how are you finding your role? (George, Business Management)

Four months into the placement and I feel comfortable in my role with most of the daily tasks feeling more straightforward and routine than they were in September. Although they feel more routine now, there are still new jobs to complete in relation to upcoming Open Days and other events which keep the role interesting. We work in a positive and friendly working environment which has allowed me to feel comfortable with involving myself in opportunities outside of my daily tasks. The cycle for the year is also constantly changing (awareness, acquisition, conversion, retention) so there has been new tasks and processes throughout the four months so far.

What do you particularly enjoy? (James, Business with Financial Management)

I particularly enjoy both the freedom I have to work, and the level of trust that both my managers have in me to just simply get on with the work I have to do. For example, I am fully trusted to maintain and run one of our systems, Unibuddy, which allows prospective students to speak to current students about university. There are also many different teams within the marketing department, members from other teams ask my advice on aspects related to systems used within my team, which makes me feel like a valued team member within the department.

What was it like adapting to the working environment? (James, Business with Financial Management)

Being honest, adjusting to the work environment was not bad at all, I have had a few jobs during the summer and Christmas breaks which required to work similar hours (9-5, Monday – Friday), which probably helped me prepare for a professional working environment in terms of working hours. This being said, I was working in retail so I was not used to an office environment but both my managers and members from other teams helped me massively in adapting to the more professional environment including everything from setting up meetings to booking days off.

Top tips for next year’s placement students. (George, Business Management)

My advice for next year’s placement students would be to involve yourself in as many tasks as you can, particularly in the early stages of your placement to help you quickly get to grips with the way University works from a business point of view, and to help build your knowledge.

The department and management are open and supportive (helping you carry out ideas and with funding) with any ideas the interns come up with to help promote the University through social media or for Open Days, to allow yourself to be creative and have fun developing ideas.

The members of the team communicate with each other constantly so it’s important to keep each other in the loop of what’s going on, and with other departments and external organisations, so be prepared to make use of your communication skills.

What are your career aspirations now? (Jasmine, Business with Marketing Management)

Since starting my placement, I am looking into different ways I could transfer my organisation skills, editing skills, writing skills and communication skills to a position still within marketing.

I have always been interested in marketing and thrived on the excitement of keeping up with the latest trends and competing with others in the market. I would want to stay in the marketing field for the foreseeable future. My goal would be to own an independent firm where it would specialise in marketing, PR and web design to clients. I am still growing as a marketer and hope to gain as much real life experience and contacts before I reach that phase in life.

I also hope to work at an office where I can bring a dog in.

What will you miss the most about your placement year when it’s over? (Luke, Business with Marketing Management)

The thing I’ll miss the most is the vast amount of experiences I have had so far, whether they were career based or social based. The routine of coming into the office, seeing all the brilliant people on the team and working on some really interesting and engaging work for the University is something that I have really enjoyed. Keeping busy and meeting new people helps with my development as a marketing student and a person in general. Due to these hands on experience, I feel I am more equipped and confident, ready for the rest of my career. It really lays a foundation. And there is still more to learn, experience and benefit from!

What have you least enjoyed so far? (Luke, Business with Marketing Management)

The thing I have least enjoyed so far is waking up early to commute into the office. As a student, I used to be near nocturnal and preferred staying up late rather than getting up early. But this is something you adjust to and it shapes you ready for the real world of work once you graduate. It’s not all bad but when it’s cold outside, it’s hard to leave bed.

For more information about placement opportunities click here.