Find out what Joe Appleton thought of his 2 week work experience placement at Makemedia and his top tips for getting the most out of your own work experience placements.

Hi, I’m Joe. I’m currently finishing a two week work experience placement at Makemedia, a full service digital agency located in Brighton. At Makemedia I have been working within the digital marketing department, and would like to share with you why I feel it has been worthwhile and my top 5 tips for what you should be looking to gain from your work experience placements.

1, Develop Skills and Knowledge
I went into my placement with a lack of knowledge in terms of the day to day tasks of a business and many aspects of digital marketing, as I had only studied the subject; focussing on theories, models and definitions. I now feel more confident having completed tasks that were important to the business and learnt from others in the working environment. I have learnt valuable information, new skills and have been guided to relevant articles, blogs and videos to help me understand important aspects of digital marketing.

2, Gain a Further Understanding of a Possible Career
After college I didn’t know where I wanted to start my career so I decided to go to University to study Business Management to further understand a variety of areas within business. During this degree I particularly enjoyed the marketing modules. I knew studying a subject for three years and starting a career in it would put a strain on me financially but my marketing related work experiences have confirmed to me that this is a career choice I want to follow and make a success of.

3, Build up a Better Quality CV
What my CV lacked and what many potential employers require is experience.  By participating in a work experience placement it shows employers a willingness and desire to work.  This also improves the quality of your application for job vacancies as you then have experiences to discuss at interview stage.

4, Build Relationships and New Contacts
Depending on the size of the company you are working for, a work experience placement immediately allows you to meet a variety of new people.  These fresh contacts could lead to more work or a recommendation in the future, as well as a good reference on your CV.

5, Find New Opportunities
A work experience placement opens up a new world of opportunities.  For example, guest authoring a blog for the company website!  To get the most out of a placement the opportunities made available to you should be attempted to the best of your ability – this is a chance to show your capabilities and learn new skills that will be relevant to future employers.

Where to next?

Through my work experience I was able to find a two month internship at another digital agency with the view to full time employment.  The role is ideal and is what I have been searching for over the past few months.

How did my work experience help me to reach employment?

I was able to edit and improve my CV and covering letter with help from the Marketing Manager  at Makemedia who also introduced me to an employee at the organisation I was applying to via LinkedIn. During the interview I was able to discuss in depth what I had learnt during my two weeks at Makemedia and how it was appropriate for the role in hand. Finally, Makemedia gave me a glowing reference which played a huge role in getting me a start in my career within digital marketing.

Thanks Makemedia!