FRANCESCA WHYTE (17012772) WORK PLACEMENT YEAR (AD5005) www.francescawhyte.co.uk
HIRESTREET Georgia Whyte 19011312
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CONTENTS
Introduction
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Placement year opportunities 3 Professional competency 4 Placement experiences 5 Hard work brings its own reward 7 Reflections on a year in industry
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Appendices Appendix 1: CV Appendix 2: Personal competence self-assessment form Appendix 3: Initial work plans Appendix 4: Quarterly reflective reports Appendix 5: Placement posters
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Introduction
The first achievement of my placement year was to present my concept, negotiate and gain approval from the university authorities for my plan to undertake a multi-placement year in industry.
The offer of a year in industry as part of my degree course was one of the criteria for choosing to study Fashion Communication at Northumbria University. Not knowing exactly what area of the industry I was interested in, I aimed to use my placement year to flexibly explore different industry areas and job roles, but 2019 was the inaugural year of the opportunity and the concept of undertaking multiple placements was new for the department and, indeed it transpired, for the university.
Placement year opportunities I started my placement year at Skinnydip London as their events and influencer intern (13–31 May 2019). I joined them again as an events, social and influencer intern (30 Sept-29 Nov 2019) and was then offered a paid job as a digital marketing assistant (1 Jan – ongoing till Sept 2020) March. In between my time at Skinnydip, I worked at Jules B as a styling intern (10 June – 6 Sept 2019) and Hirestreet as a social and graphics intern (9 Sept – 27 Sept 2019).
The fashion industry is a very large, global industry, with a hugely diverse range of jobs and a lot of specialised fields. Knowing I gain a good understanding of a job or an area of expertise pretty promptly, a single 30-week placement had the potential to quickly reveal itself as of little interest or could fail to challenge me to my full potential. In addition, while the industry arguably offers lots of intern opportunities, the majority of these are in London and very few of them are paid; 30 weeks with no income in a city known for its sky-high rent, and where even travel and lunch expenses are seen as a bit of a luxury, would be hard to sustain and would require an alternative funding source.
Skinnydip London – A fashion and lifestyle brand founded in 2011 by Lewis Blitz and brothers James and Richard Gold, Skinnydip London began when they saw a gap in the market for ‘fun and exciting’ phone cases. The brands' popularity skyrocketed, and they now produce a whole range of items including clothing, bags and even tech accessories. The brand has its own stores in key London locations and across the southeast but is also stocked in global retailers such as ASOS, Topshop, John Lewis and Harrods.
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JulesB – Jules B was founded in 1984 by husband and wife design team Julian and Rhona Blades. They stock both mens and womenswear luxury and high-end fashion. Their head office, warehouse and dispatch teams are all based in central Newcastle. In 2017, Jules B’s sister brand, Zen Wardrobe, was born and they now have six boutiques across Jesmond, Kendal and Yarn as well as an online store that sells worldwide. They are a perfect example of a ‘bricks and clicks’ brand. Hirestreet – Hirestreet launched in 2018 as the UK's first highstreet fashion rental service. Hirestreet stocks major high street brands as well as international brands unavailable to consumers in the UK (or they come with a major customs charge). Some stock is sold out from the original retailer but Hirestreet customers can rent them for the fraction of their original retail price.
Professional competency Using the personal competence form to assess my current skills proved insightful, and it was useful to see these skills strengthen in areas I may have previously lacked. Before commencing my placement year, I had already completed a 10-week paid internship during the summer of 2018 (and continued working freelance for them once back at university for second year), had 5 years of hospitality experience and had been running my own import-export business since 2015.
FRANCESCA WHYTE PROFILE A creative, free-thinking second-year Fashion Communication student with experience in social media, digital marketing, photography and trend forecasting. Looking for internships within the fashion and lifestyle industries to build on my experience and contacts.
EDUCATION NORTHUMBRIA UNIVERSITY BA (Hons) Fashion Communication 2017 - ongoing Specialising in modules such as PR and events, photography and styling and journalism. Achieved ‘exceptional firsts’ and ‘firsts’ finishing my initial year with a ‘first class’ overall.
This accumulated knowledge and expertise meant that, at the outset, self-assessment results of my personal competence were quite high, but I recognised I could still bolster these and gain new skills during placement, such as monitoring quality of work and progress in plans. For example, previously I would plan the steps needed to reach an end goal but not always reflect on activity along the way to monitor my progress against the aims and objectives.
ADAMS COLLAGE 2015 - 2017 B Textiles, B Photography C Geography B Psychology (AS Level) THOMAS ADAMS SCHOOL 2010 - 2015 10 GCSE’s A*–C including Maths, English, Sciences, Textiles and French.
SKILLS Photography Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Indesign, Illustrator) Microsoft Office
There was no doubt that my previous experience within the real working world was helpful when it came to finding and applying for internships. However, the competency assessment offered extra insight into how I might take my independent business and work skills and apply them into an established business and working within a larger team
Driving license Problem solving Creative thinking Attention to detail Customer service Time management Presentation skills Leadership Team work
07928513302 Francesca.whyte@hotmail.co.uk www.linkedin.com/in/francesca-whyte www.francescawhyte.wixsite.com/mysite www.francescawhyte.co.uk
EXPERIENCE SKINNYDIP LONDON Events and PR intern May 2019 - May 2019 The role included preparing for their four-day Pride event; identifying key invitees from among the influencers involved within the LGBTQ+ community and contacting agents for product gifting destinations. I was responsible for writing profiles on key individuals within the LGBTQ+ community for their Wall of Fame display and copy for brand titles on the website. As well as taking photos for the social media feeds, sourcing content and writing copy for their Hate Sucks platform. I also assisted in the studio: collecting stock from stores, styling and preparing outfits, and assisting with photo shoots. I created playlists for store events, as well as sourcing DJs and up and coming artists for their Skinnydip Sessions events and used diary directory to send press edits to fashion editors and assistants. I assisted the influencer team with sourcing influencers and gifting products. Skinnydip I was a key member within the Amelia Liana x Skinnydip jewellery launch 1 Whittlebury Mews West events which consisted of a press breakfast and a meet and greet in store.Hill Primrose
Francesca Whyte Grange Villa Northwood Shrewsbury SY45NP 07928 513302 Francesca.whyte@hotmail.co.uk https://www.linkedin.com/in/francesca-whyte-776137114/
London NOA VEE NW1 8JB Ecommerce intern April 2019 - ongoing Dear Ella, Identifying and contacting potential brands that meet the sustainability criteria for the store; liaise with the sign-on process; and, assist with Please find enclosed my CV in application for any internship opportunities that may arise. uploading stock onto the website.
WEEKEND BOX CLUB I am a second-year Fashion Communication student at Northumbria University in Newcastle, specialising in Social media manager modules such as PR and events, photography and styling and journalism. September 2018 - ongoing Skinnydip Following an internship I took on the role of social media manager part- is a stylish and on-trend business offering an exciting and fun in-store experience. As a consumer time. I maximise engagement across all digital platforms by creating, and fashion student, I am drawn to the extensive range of products available and by the way that Skinnydip planning and scheduling content. I have increased following, engagement uses captivating imagery, flat lays and aesthetically pleasing promotions. Working within the Skinnydip as well as the quality and quantity of content. team would be the ideal place to hone my own aesthetic skills base, gain industry insight as new trends are
unveiled into a target market, and consolidate a wider business acumen. WEEKEND BOX CLUB Digital marketing intern I have gained significant experience in the photography sector through previous and current work July - September 2018 A 10-week Santander-sponsored marketing internship evolvedexperiences, into taking university live briefs, freelance work and in pursuit of my own financial and social interests. I know my way around a camera, lighting and other studio equipment set-ups, am confident in Adobe on the marketing manager’s full role on his departure two weeks in. During suite software and bring styling, model casting and photoshoot experience from my blog and university my internship: I represented the company at the Great Exhibition of the portfolios. I have an eye for detail and love to be part of a creative and vibrant team but am also a selfNorth; managed all digital marketing activity, including social media, emails and affiliate partners; and revamped their onboarding campaign motivated and independent go-getter. A portfolio of my work is available on request. and their refer-a-friend scheme. I assisted in design work, photography and videography of products, and worked closely with the printersIto deliver tohave a part-time internship (as part of a team of three), working remotely for Paris Dress House currently print deadlines. I also provided holiday cover on the customer based service in desk. the Metro Centre, Gateshead. We have a comprehensive strategy to promote the company and sell their products to new customers using social media. As the primary photographer and editor within the PARIS DRESS HOUSE group, we use Instagram to deliver greater engagement and an increase in exposure by creating shareable Social media intern and aesthetically pleasing content aimed at our target audience. May 2018 - May 2019 Working as part of a team of three to create a comprehensive strategy to sell I can also offer Skinnydip an entrepreneurial insight and mindset. For several years, I have been managing the company and products to new customers using social media. Focusing myaudience; own import/export business specialising in the identification and sourcing of trending goods, such as on Instagram, our end targets included increasing following and binder clips, sunglasses and inflatable pool floats, before photographing and selling through online creating shareable and aesthetically pleasing content aimed atretro our target audience; working towards higher engagement and an increase in exposure. portals, such as eBay, Etsy and Depop. This has taught me skills in photography, trend spotting, retail We increased following, engagement, quality and quantity of content. negotiation and marketing across the digital platforms. I am excited at the prospect of working with like-minded creatives on an expertly crafted and innovatively designed multi-channel portfolio. I would welcome the opportunity to talk to you further regarding an internship. I can be contacted at Francesca.whyte@hotmail.co.uk or on 07928 513302.
All my internships were found from reaching out directly to the companies I was interested in with my CV and a cover letter and asking if they had opportunities available.
Yours sincerely, Francesca Whyte
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Placement experiences
work, such as merchandising the website, than I would have liked although I did spend quality time casting models, physically styling and assisting on studio and on-location shoots.
Before I started looking for placements I was aware that a smaller, start-up company would probably offer a close teamwork approach and more diverse responsibilities, and by return also a bigger learning curve as new ideas were tried and tested for the first time. The bigger, more established company, on the other hand, could offer previous experience in the market, pre-established contacts and have larger budgets or other leverage, such as a large social media following. However, I was mindful that larger companies with diverse internal teams may not always offer opportunities to be involved in brainstorming and decision making across the business.
Hirestreet Hirestreet was a smaller, start-up company and my job role was very varied, which suited me. I enjoyed getting involved with the different areas of the business. I had previously undertaken research into the rental industry for one of my university modules, but it was interesting to be tasked to conduct a competitor analysis on Hirestreet and its direct competitors. Based on more research combined with my existing knowledge, alongside my own online shopping experience and habits, I presented the team with a 10-page document that detailed my findings and ideas. The feedback I received was remarkable and my suggestions were largely taken on board and respected, with some of my ideas were implemented immediately.
During my placement year, I enjoyed the experience of working within company teams that varied in size and status; ranging from 5 people in a start-up (Hirestreet) through 25 in an established customer-focused outlet (Jules B) to 50+ people in an online, high street and concession-led business (Skinnydip). There is no doubt that I have developed and honed my skillset further in a varied marketplace with differing consumers, outlets and approaches to delivering their business strategy.
At Hirestreet, I didn’t just learn about this specific area within the fashion industry; I also learned a lot about how to begin and build a successful start-up business. I enjoyed the flattened hierarchy and that there were plenty of opportunities for open collaboration, teamwork and exploration of new ideas.
Jules B Of all my placements, I felt my time at Jules B was the least fulfilling. Once I had learned the new software and the rules around merchandising, styling and shoots, there was not much variety in the role; every day was quite similar with little stimulation or new challenges. There was also little opportunity to generate new ideas and group discussions were not particularly creative or inspiring. This may, in part, have been because I joined them at a quiet time of year in between the S/S and A/W shoots, but they had also just ceased to shoot the men’s clothing range themselves, which in effect halved the potential number of shoots. As a result, more of my time was spent behind the scenes completing computer-based
Skinnydip London At Skinnydip, every day was different. Of course, I started with the easier, straight forward, typical intern tasks but my managers soon realised I was very capable and would welcome more responsibility. As well as taking on work tasks with the various teams, as time went on, and having gained insight on how everything worked, it was much easier for me to see opportunities to use my initiative, to identify tasks off my own back and to take on role responsibility without my managers having to direct my every move.
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I was completely submerged in the world of fashion at Skinnydip. I have worked alongside a team of extremely hardworking and inspiring people and I learned a lot in such a short space of time. The role proved to be very varied; for example, one part of my day could be spent organising an upcoming event and in the other part I would be working with influencers on social content. It has also enabled huge variety and flexibility in my role and opportunities to test my own personal creative and organisational boundaries. I have found areas of the industry that I enjoy and excel in, and I have been able to apply skills that I have learned in university modules and projects. For example, I demonstrated the value of YouTube and Instagram videos to the team, and the concept was embraced with enthusiasm. This work was about to be outsourced to a freelance video editor when I volunteered my editing skills and I have headed up this production role ever since. An area that I found I really enjoyed and excelled in was event management. I have enjoyed being involved in organising an event from the start and the feeling of reward in it all coming together on the day. My first experience with event management at Skinnydip was at the end of my initial month when we launched the Amelia Liana collection. This involved two events; the morning consisted of an exclusive influencer brunch with Amelia and her friends in a central London restaurant, while the evening event was a meetand-greet at our Neal Street store in Covent Garden, London. My involvement included helping to prep and plan in the office in the weeks beforehand before assisting at the event with table decoration, balloons and individual gifting. Fast forward a few months and I was in sole charge of organising and budgeting a store event for our bath and shower collaboration with Imperial Leather and the chosen influencer, Made in Chelsea's Louise Thompson. I was left responsible for everything from organising gifted food and drink in exchange for social coverage, through booking a DJ, to working out how many plastic balls it would take to fill the bathtub I had hired and setting up the venue. It wasn’t all plain sailing; I had been given a very small budget and I had to keep the costs low whilst pulling off a professional, immersive and interactive customer event for an external brand. As a team, before beginning to organise this event, we had discussed a themed ‘Instagramable moment’ that was going to be the main feature of the event; we had agreed a shower scene could work well and I was sent away to plan this further. As I started to look into the idea further, it became clear it wasn’t going to be as effective as first envisaged and, as I wanted to make sure the event was done to the highest professional standard, I voiced my opinion and put forward a new idea to create a bathing scene; including a bathtub and other props, such as a branded bath mat and bubble machines. This was very well received by my team and management, and they backed my new idea. It was so rewarding to see all my ideas and hard work coming together on the day and hearing positive feedback from my managers, as well as Imperial Leather and the customers.
Hard work brings its own reward Having completed my seven months of interning, I was delighted to be invited to return to Skinnydip in January 2020 as a full-time member of the team in the role of digital marketing assistant. As an employee, I immediately had a lot more responsibility and was involved in bigger decisions and meetings, and even had my own intern to manage at times. By the time I return to university for my final year, I will have been part of the Skinnydip team for over 12 months and will look back with pride on my work there and how I excelled in the challenge and opportunities I was offered.
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Reflections on a year in industry
I believe that the experience I have gained and the contacts I have made will be priceless when it comes to standing out from the crowd when applying for graduate jobs, and for assisting in my final year studies.
I am so glad I chose to take a year in industry and that I negotiated with the university to undertake placements at multiple companies rather than a longer placement at one place. Without doubt, this has enabled me to embrace an in-depth and plethora of real-world experiences.
My greatest achievement on my placement year was a job offer from Skinnydip as a digital marketing assistant. Knowing that I have impressed both my immediate colleagues and those further up the management chain with my three months of hard work and dedication was very rewarding.
During the year, I encountered a lot of people; new colleagues, the photographers on shoot days and even celebrities/influencers who we worked with on collections or at events. Working in marketing you are also communicating with people at other brands, journalists/press assistants and even those working at talent agencies. You build relationships speaking to these people week in and week out and, especially in the fashion industry, networking is key to winning new roles and opportunities. There is no knowing where those people I have worked with may end up during their own careers and what opportunities may arise for me through these connections in the future.
My time on placement and in employment has allowed me to use the skills I have developed in the first two years of my course but, more importantly, it has prepared me for final year. More thought and discussion with my tutor is required but it is likely that my extended essay will be based on how strategic but imaginative collaboration with other brands and influencers could benefit a company's business success.
Across the three placements, I completed seven months of unpaid interning, three of those whilst living in central London. This meant budgeting was a skill that I heavily depended on this last year but
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Appendix 1: CV
FRANCESCA WHYTE PROFILE
A creative, free-thinking final-year Fashion Communication student with experience in events, social, digital marketing and styling.
EDUCATION NORTHUMBRIA UNIVERSITY BA (Hons) Fashion Communication 2017 – ongoing Specialising in modules such as PR and events, photography and styling and journalism. Second year results indicate a ‘first class’ degree trajectory. ADAMS COLLAGE 2015 – 2017 B Textiles (A level) B Photography (A level) C Geography (A level) B Psychology (AS level) THOMAS ADAMS SCHOOL 2010 – 2015 10 GCSE’s A*–C including Maths, English, Sciences, Textiles and French.
SKILLS Photography Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Indesign, Illustrator) Microsoft Office VScommerce Driving license Problem solving Creative thinking Attention to detail Customer service Time management Presentation skills Leadership Team work
07928 513302 francesca.whyte@hotmail.co.uk www.linkedin.com/in/francesca-whyte www.francescawhyte.wixsite.com/mysite
EXPERIENCE
SKINNYDIP LONDON Digital marketing assistant January 2020 – ongoing While organising and assisting with high profile events and collaboration launches, I help manage the influencer interface and collect and review social media coverage. I also handle all press enquires and regularly gain feature coverage for Skinnydip in publications, including Heat Magazine, Tyla and The Sun. I am part of the videography team, which involves planning, shooting and editing content for social media, and I am responsible for scheduling placement using Planoly. I assist in coordinatoring office internal activities and celebrations, such as International Women’s Day and Skinnydip’s birthday. I provide online support via social media to the customer service team during busy promotional periods. SKINNYDIP LONDON Events and PR intern and events, social and influencer intern May and October - December 2019 The role included preparing for their four-day Pride event; identifying key invitees within the LGBTQ+ community and writing profiles on key individuals for their Wall of Fame display. I assisted in the studio: collecting stock from stores, styling and preparing outfits, and assisting with photo shoots. I assisted the influencer team with sourcing influencers and gifting products. I was a key member within the Amelia Liana x Skinnydip jewellery launch events, hosting a press breakfast and a meet-and-greet in store. HIRESTREET Social and graphics intern September 2019 I conducted a well-researched and thorough competitor analysis with findings and presented proposals for application by Hirestreet, and used HotJar for consumer behaviour analysis. I reached out to influencers, created graphics for social media and emails, and compiled blog posts and brand specific questions for Q&A sessions. I assisted with videography shoots for IGTV and was tasked with raising awareness of Hirestreet within the student/graduate community via event outreach. JULES B Styling and merchandising intern June - September 2019 Responsibilities included using VScommerse to merchandise the new arrivals page daily and outfit building; selecting products for the ‘stylist edits’ that feature on the home page; finding brand images for stocked products; research and writing blog posts and copy for emails. I was also tasked with assisting with model scouting, shoot prep and shoots alongslide the stylist as well as checking samples in and out. WEEKEND BOX CLUB Digital marketing intern and social media manager July – September 2018 and October - June 2019 A 10-week Santander-sponsored marketing internship evolved into taking on the marketing manager’s full role on his departure two weeks in. During my internship: I represented the company at the Great Exhibition of the North; managed all digital marketing activity. I assisted in design work, photography and videography of products. Following the internship, I took on the role of social media manager part-time. I maximised engagement across all digital platforms by creating, planning and scheduling content. I increased following, engagement as well as the quality and quantity of content.
Appendix 2: Personal competence self-assessment form
Summative Assessment of Personal Competence 1=
At the moment, not competent or confident at this activity
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Often quite good, but inconsistent
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Good performance, usually achieves the required results
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Very strong and consistent performance, even in difficult situations PERSONAL COMPETENCY MODEL – LEVEL 3 MANAGEMENT Start of placement
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Acting Assertively Takes a leading role in initiating action and making decisions Takes personal responsibility for making things happen Takes control of situations and events Acts in an assured and unhesitating manner when faced with a challenge Says no to unreasonable requests States own position and views clearly in conflict situations Maintains beliefs, commitment and effort in spite of set-backs or opposition Behaving ethically Complies with legislation, industry regulation, professional and organisational codes. Shows integrity and fairness in decisionmaking Building teams Managing Others Actively builds relationships with others Makes time available to support others Encourages and stimulates others to make best use of their abilities Evaluates and enhances people’s capability to do their jobs Provides feedback designed to improve peoples’ future performance Shows respect for the views and actions of others Shows sensitivity to the needs and feelings of others Uses power and authority in a fair and equitable manner Relating to Others Keeps other informed about plans and progress Clearly identifies what is required of others Invites others to contribute to planning and organising work
End of placement
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21 Sets objectives which are both achievable and challenging 22 Checks individuals’ commitment to a specific course of action 23 Uses a variety of techniques to promote morale and productivity 24 Identified and resolves causes of conflict or resistance
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Start of placement Communicating 25 Listens actively, asks questions, clarifies points and re-phrases others’ statements to check mutual understanding 26 Identifies the information needs of listeners 27 Adopts communication styles appropriate to listeners and situations, including selecting an appropriate time and place 28 Uses a variety of media and communication aids to reinforce points and maintain interest 29 Presents difficult ideas and problems in ways that promote understanding 30 Confirms listeners’ understanding through questioning and interpretation of non-verbal signals. 31 Encourages listeners to ask questions or rephrase statements to clarify their understanding 32 Modifies communications in response to feedback from listeners Focusing on results Planning and Prioritising 33 Maintains a focus on objectives 34 Tackles problems and takes advantages of opportunities as they arise 35 Prioritises objectives and schedules to make best use of time and resources Striving for excellence 36 Actively seeks to do things better 37 Uses change as an opportunity for improvement 38 Establishes and communicates high expectations of performance, including setting an example to others 39 Monitors quality of work and progress against plans 40 Continually strives to identify and minimise barriers to excellence Influencing others 41 Develops and uses contacts to trade information and obtain support and resources 42 Presents oneself positively to others 43 Uses a variety of means to influence others
End of placement
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44 Understands the culture of the organisation and acts to work within it or influence it Managing Self Controlling emotions and stress 45 Accepts personal comments or criticism without becoming defensive 46 Remains calm in difficult or uncertain situations 47 Handles others’ emotions without becoming personally involved in them Managing personal learning and development 48 Takes responsibility for meeting own learning and development needs 49 Seeks feedback on performance to identify strengths and weaknesses 50 Learns from own mistakes and those of others 51 Changes behaviour where needed as a result of feedback ‌scroll down for more‌
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Start of placement Searching for information 52 Establishes information networks to search for and gather relevant information 53 Actively encourages the free exchange of information 54 Makes best use of existing sources of information 55 Seeks information from multiple sources 56 Challenges the validity and reliability of sources of information 57 Pushes for concrete information in ambiguous situation Thinking and decision-making Analysing 58 Breaks processes down into tasks and activities 59 Identifies a range of elements in and perspectives on a situation 60 Identifies implications, consequences or casual relationships in a situation 61 Uses a range of ideas to explain the actions, needs and motives of others Conceptualising 62 Uses own experience and evidence from others and data which are not obviously related 63 Identifies patterns or meaning from events and data which are not obviously related 64 Builds a total and valid picture from restricted or incomplete data Taking decisions 65 Produces a variety of solutions before taking a decision 66 Reconciles and makes use of a variety of perspective when making sense of a situation 67 Produces own ideas from experience and practice 68 Takes decisions which are realistic for the situation 69 Focuses on facts, problems and solutions when handling an emotional situation
End of placement
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Appendix 3: Initial work plans
Arts, Design and Social Sciences Professional Placements
Initial Work Plan
Work plan for period from: June – September (Jules B) (Please complete this within the first two weeks of placement) Objectives: Using industry software to curate the consumer experience To fully embrace Jules B’s brand voice in marketing output such as emails and blog posts To understand and obey styling, merchandising and sourced imagery rules To use warehouse software to manage stock control
Activities planned: • Daily merchandising using vsCommerce (checklist every AM, new arrivals/sale every PM) • Selecting items for editors picks on the home page • Blog post research and writing • Assisting with shoot prep and on shoots • Sourcing brand imagery • Using Mail Builder to create emails • Checking samples in and out • Researching AW19 themes •
Helping in warehouse/dispatch where needed
Approved by Work-based supervisor:
Jess Mulvaney
Date approved:
14th June 2019
Completed during the first few weeks of placement to help ease transition into the work place. A meeting must be set with your work based supervisor asap to discuss first quarter. Work plan should be a guideline of what to expect during first 3 months.
Arts, Design and Social Sciences Professional Placements
Initial Work Plan
Work plan for period from: September (Hirestreet) (Please complete this within the first two weeks of placement) Objectives: Use industry software to analysis customer behaviour To explore the position Hirestreet in the marketplace To identify appropriate influencers for collaborations To fully embrace Hirestreet’s brand voice and guidelines in marketing output To raise awareness of Hirestreet into the student/graduate community To understand how styling and photoshoots can be used to market the brand
Activities planned: • HotJar review and recommendations • Competitor analysis • Influencer outreach for gifted collaborations • Blog posts • Event outreach – setting up student event pages with a discount code for Hirestreet • Student strategy • Photography/videography assistance
Approved by Work-based supervisor:
Emily Wade
Date approved:
10th September 2019
Completed during the first few weeks of placement to help ease transition into the work place. A meeting must be set with your work based supervisor asap to discuss first quarter. Work plan should be a guideline of what to expect during first 3 months.
Arts, Design and Social Sciences Professional Placements
Initial Work Plan
Work plan for period from: October – November (Skinnydip London) (Please complete this within the first two weeks of placement) Objectives: To assist with shooting of content for social platforms To fully embrace Skinnydip’s brand voice in marketing output and customer service To manage company social media platforms such as Linkedin and Pinterest To communicate with external press teams To use industry software to schedule and edit content, including video
Activities planned: • Assisting with event planning and general running • Influencer gifting assistance • Handling any press enquires • Collect all social coverage • One Linkedin post per week • Two Pinterest boards per week • Social shooting assisting • Planoly scheduling • Customer service via social • Influencer gifting assistance
Approved by Work-based supervisor:
Laura Timson
Date approved:
2nd October 2019
Completed during the first few weeks of placement to help ease transition into the work place. A meeting must be set with your work based supervisor asap to discuss first quarter. Work plan should be a guideline of what to expect during first 3 months.
Appendix 4: Quarterly reflective reports
Arts, Design & Social Sciences Professional Placements
Student: Francesca Whyte
Log Book Quarterly Reflective Report
Period: June – September
Work-based supervisor: Jess Mulvaney
Achievements and difficulties: I joined Jules B at a quiet time of year, and they had also just ceased to shoot the men’s clothing range themselves, which in effect halved the potential number of shoots. As a result, more of my time was spent behind the scenes completing computer-based work, such as merchandising the website, than I would have liked. I didn’t find this role very challenging once I got my head around the brands aims and objectives. I enjoy the challenge of new tasks and pushing personal boundaries and I found the lack of variation and creativity in this role didn’t allow for this.
What key skills or competencies do you feel you have acquired this month and why? At Jules B, a lot of my work was conducted independently; for example, merchandising the website or writing blog posts or copy for emails. I work well independently but I love group collaboration, so the shoot days were definitely my favourite. Not only was I able to be more creative and see our styling ideas come to life but we were working as a team. Due to size of the company, the teams and my job role I had a very low exposure to the Jules B brand as a whole. Whilst I felt part of the team, I didn’t always feel fully onboard the business. For example, I wasn’t allocated my own email business address and had little engagement with anybody outside of the photography/creative team. When given tasks were completed, I would use the time and my own initiative to come up with suggestions of opportunities for the brand or create content for them to use, such as blog posts. My time at Jules B has shown that maybe the consumer styling industry is not creative and challenging enough for my interests, but I would still like to explore other areas of the industry such as celebrity styling. This would give opportunities to build upon knowledge gained from the past three months.
Areas for improvement, plans and actions for further work during next 3 months: Going back to Skinnydip, I am looking forward to getting stuck into an environment I’m familiar with and alongside people I already know but with new challenges and greater responsibilities.
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Work Based Supervisor Comments: It was unfortunate that our director decided to cancel menswear shoots, I was disappointed not only for myself but for Fran, as the more shoots we had the better it was to gain experience for her. But the shoots Fran did work on were great, she helped me out a lot and I loved her bubbly attitude she brought to the team. I thoroughly enjoyed having Fran with me, you can see she is hardworking and brings intelligence to her work. I wish her all the best in her career!
Approved by Work-based supervisor:
J.Mulvaney
Date approved:
21st August 2019
2
Arts, Design & Social Sciences Professional Placements
Student: Francesca Whyte
Log Book Quarterly Reflective Report
Period: September - November
Work-based supervisor: Laura Timson
Achievements and difficulties: A key difficulty was managing the expectations of other team leaders, who needed short term assistance, so that my regular work was achieved but also helped them out within a timely manner. I felt a little overwhelmed with my workload once or twice with my workload arising from different business areas across the company, and so working with a lot of different people. However, I quickly spoke up about this to my manager and we planned my work schedule so I could prioritise and negotiate with colleagues and managers so I could focus on the jobs with high priority and quick turnaround. At the end of this internship, I have been offered a full time, paid job as a digital marketing assistant. This is a huge achievement and one I that I feel rewards me for the effort and dedication to my intern role.
What key skills or competencies do you feel you have acquired this month and why? I have learnt so much in the past few months. I have been completely submerged in the world of fashion and been given major responsibilities but also the freedom to make mistakes and learn from them. I worked very closely with my two managers and they have taught me a great deal. I feel I have built on skills learned at university and put them into action in a real-world working experience. I have learned the importance of double-checking work to maintain reputation management and accuracy. Within the wider industry. I have also learned time management skills; being able to deal with tight turnaround tasks and prioritise my to-do list. With working closely in a team of 3, as part of the larger creative web of 10, collaboration has been important in my time at Skinnydip. I have enjoyed group work where everyone has their own role to play and contribute to the bigger whole, and jobs are deliciated to the appropriate person. Being so involved with my team, has grown my business awareness of the e-commerce world hugely. I am aware in more detail, for example, of each of the steps and all the little components and individual people it takes for a product or collection to come together as a whole and to make a product available for a consumer to buy. This may potentially be from having seen it on Skinnydip social platforms or via an influencer that we gifted one to. These last few months have involved a lot of problem solving and thinking of my feet. I am very good at using my initiative and looking ahead to what I can do next before necessarily being tasked with it. Working in marketing means there is a lot of communication via email. I have grown more confident in approaching other businesses and individuals for collaboration, gift and press opportunities.
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There is also a lot of communication via email within the team and head office staff. This could be an all staff email with internal office plans, an email about a task I have completed or to share around a press featured that I secured. I have learnt to make good use of subject lines, being clear but brief and keeping my tone professional and polite, and responding to emails in a timely manner. Interning at Skinnydip has made my desire to succeed even stronger as I can see myself in this kind of role in the future. It’s a very rewarding and exciting job with lots of new opportunities and challenges.
Areas for improvement, plans and actions for further work during next 3 months: Having thoroughly enjoyed and completed the intern requirement of my uni course with this placement, I feel ready for more responsibility and the challenges and rewards that come with it. A job offer from Skinnydip for the remainder of my year in industry is the icing on the cake. I am now looking forward to being a paid member of the Skinnydip team with my own roles and responsibilities; being more accountable in my involvement with projects and tasks but also reaping the rewards of a salary and being an integral part of a creative team.
Work Based Supervisor Comments: Francesca has been a true asset to our team, as an intern she consistently went above and beyond her duties given to her. It was absolutely essential to us as a team to have her on board and she has an incredible work ethic. Particular within the fashion and marketing industry, the allure of this seems very exciting but the reality is tough, Fran took this in her stride and was not phased by the fast pace of the industry. Fran is always positive, full of creative ideas and crucially always on hand to offer help and solutions.
Approved by Work-based supervisor:
Laura Timson
Date approved:
5/12/2019
2
Arts, Design & Social Sciences Professional Placements
Student: Francesca Whyte
Log Book Quarterly Reflective Report
Period: January – March 2020
Work-based supervisor: Laura Timson Achievements and difficulties: Returning to Skinnydip with a designated job role and a salary was such a major achievement for me. Highlights this quarter have included: Event management: being solely in charge of organising and budgeting an event in our Neal Street, Covent Garden store for our bath and shower collaboration with Imperial Leather. My responsibilities covered: planning the internal setup, organising gifted food and drink in exchange for social coverage, booking a DJ, and even working out how many plastic balls it would take to fill the bathtub I had hired, designing, ordering bespoke event and point-of-sale merchandise and setting up the venue. Media management: being responsible for handling all press enquires and regularly gaining coverage for Skinnydip in publications, such as Heat Magazine, Tyla, the London Standard and the Sun. Applying skills gained in uni to provide real life solutions to work situations: for example, I tool on the role of videography editor where otherwise this work would have been outsourced to a freelance editor. This speeded up the turnaround and saved the company third party costs. What key skills or competencies do you feel you have acquired this month and why? As an established member of the team, I was invited to trade meetings where we would discuss the previous week's sales, best sellers, new stock dropping, digital marketing results, influencer coverage and any press received. These have proved to be an even deeper and very useful insight into Skinnydip as a business and the e-commerce world as a whole. I have learned how to work within a tight budget whilst still pulling off a professional and immersive and interactive customer event for an external brand. Whilst it may be easier to pull together a no-budget event, I have learnt a lot by tracking spending and finding creative and clever ways to save money. I have realised that knowing where and when it’s worth spending a little more money on something to deliver the full experience. I have honed my professional communication skills when working with other colleagues and while organising internal office events but also in meetings with external clients and talent management. How to pick out and contact brands and agencies for gifted products, mostly food and drink but also products for gift bags and influencer gifting, is definitely a new skill that I have learned and put into practice in the past few months. I know that by building a relationship with these contacts means that I am able to use them over and over for different events. In return, I have demonstrated to brands that it is an easy way for brands to get their products in front of an audience of over half a million followers as well as any celebrities or influencers that may be at the event.
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Areas for improvement, plans and actions for further work during next 3 months: With the uncertainty of Covid-19 and being placed on furlough for the foreseeable future it is hard to plan for the next few months. However, I plan to use this time efficiently to invest in personal growth and find different ways to learn new skills that will benefit both my employer and my career.
Work Based Supervisor Comments: Francesca joining us as a full team member was a well-deserved reward for her hard work and dedication as an intern. She brings new skills, ideas and perspectives to the business and is an invaluable and integrated member of the team.
Approved by Work-based supervisor:
Laura Timson
Date approved:
06/07/2020
2
Arts, Design & Social Sciences Professional Placements
Student: Francesca Whyte
Log Book Quarterly Reflective Report
Period: April – June
Work-based supervisor: Laura Timson
Achievements and difficulties: At the beginning of April, I was put on furlough alongside most of my immediate team members; though I have kept in communication with my immediate team and the Skinnydip head office as a with regular video conferencing and updates. However, I have used the time productively and proactively to train in new skills and I have also secured a new freelance social media client looking to launch a digital health platform service.
What key skills or competencies do you feel you have acquired this month and why? Health is an industry outside of my immediate knowledge area, but my training and work experience so far have stood me in good stead with my new client Beetroot and I am building their social media presence from the ground up. I initially spent a lot of time researching the industry sector, before providing the client an overview presentation of the type of communications they could use at our kick-off meeting, using both real examples from other clients and some mocked-up ideas specifically aimed at their market. I have joined conference calls discussing the Beetroot platform and its purpose with the team, and with their trial clients. This has helped me understand the services offered by the platform and their target audience, and so determine how best to market the brand through social media platforms. Working with a client who has very little social media knowledge meant that the strategy plan I created and presented needed to be specific and concise to keep it clear and the goals attainable. My plan included everything for goal and objectives to content suggestions and creation. As we move away from the planning and researching stage to publishing and creating a social presence for the brand, I look to test different posts, platforms and campaigns against each other and use data to evaluate the strategy regularly. This level of research and independent work has helped hugely in my understanding of the social media world and more, including understanding business objectives; identifying target audiences and the best communication channels; content creation; scheduling; and, success evaluation and reporting. More importantly, it has showcased that I can work across sectors and apply the skills I have learnt within the previous year to different brands and industry areas.
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Areas for improvement, plans and actions for further work during next 3 months: I am now looking forward to heading back to work, initially on a 3-day part-time basis as furlough winds down, but hopefully full-time by the end of the summer. I have been asked to continue working for Skinnydip remotely on a part-basis as I complete my final year at university; a fantastic opportunity to keep my hand in, be part of a creative and exciting team, earn money doing something I love and, finally, giving me access to valuable business insight as I complete my final year projects.
Work Based Supervisor Comments: Francesca has embraced the changes in our business during this period of furlough and remained a keen and proactive member on our group calls. I am so looking forward to her coming back in a work capacity and I know the new skills she’s been exploring during furlough will be turned into efficient and effective action immediately.
Approved by Work-based supervisor:
Laura Timson
Date approved:
06/07/2020
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Appendix 5: Placement posters
FRANCESCA WHYTE FASHION COMMUNICATION
ROLE SEP–NOV 2019 Events, social and influencer intern
HEAD OFFICE LOCATION Primrose Hill, London
JAN–SEP 2020 Digital marketing assistant (paid)
PERKS ▼ Flexi-time ▼ Staff benefits (brand discounts, event invitations, gifted products)
PAYMENT Unpaid as intern (travel expenses), £16k as employee PERIOD OF TIME 4 months as intern, 9 months as employee
Spongebob launch event
Skinnydip head office
Skinnydip x Soph influencer brunch event
Imperial Leather influencer packages
ABOUT THE COMPANY A fashion and lifestyle brand founded in 2011 by Lewis Blitz and brothers James and Richard Gold, Skinnydip London began when they saw a gap in the market for ‘fun and exciting’ phone cases. The brands’ popularity skyrocketed, and they now produce a whole range of items including clothing, bags and even tech accessories. The brand has its own stores in key London locations and across the southeast but is also stocked in global retailers such as ASOS, Topshop, John Lewis and Harrods.
MAIN DUTIES ▼ Dealt with all press enquiries and placed features ▼ Organised and assisted with high profile events and collaboration launches ▼ Shooting content for social media and scheduling posts ▼ Influencer management ▼ Videography assistance and editing ▼ Organisation of internal office activities (Valentines Day, International Women’s Day, Skinnydip birthday) ACHIEVEMENTS ▼ Solo organisiation of in-store events ▼ Being offered a full time, paid job as a digital marketing assistant INDUSTRY SOFTWARE UTILISED ▼ Premier Pro ▼ Diary Directory
9th bIrthday office celebrations
TRAVEL AND LIVING Tube from Pimlico
Louise Thompson at our Imperial Leather launch event
MAY 2019 Events and PR intern
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Planoly
FRANCESCA WHYTE FASHION COMMUNICATION
HIRESTREET ROLE
ROLE
JUN–SEP 2019 Merchandising and styling intern
SEP 2019 Social and graphics intern
HEAD OFFICE LOCATION Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
HEAD OFFICE LOCATION Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
PAYMENT Unpaid (travel/lunch expenses up to £6 per day)
PAYMENT Unpaid (travel/lunch expenses covered in full)
PERIOD OF TIME 3 months
PERIOD OF TIME 1 month
ABOUT THE COMPANY Jules B was founded in 1984 by husband and wife design team Julian and Rhona Blades. They stock both mens and womenswear luxury and high-end fashion. Their head office, warehouse and dispatch teams are all based in central Newcastle. In 2017, Jules B’s sister brand, Zen Wardrobe, was born and they now have six boutiques across Jesmond, Kendal and Yarn as well as an online store that sells worldwide. They are a perfect example of a ‘bricks and clicks’ brand.
ABOUT THE COMPANY Hirestreet launched in 2018 as the UK’s first high-street fashion rental service. Hirestreet stocks major high streets brands as well as international brands unavailable to consumers in the UK (or they come with a major customs charge). Some stock is sold out from the original retailer but Hirestreet customers can rent them for the fraction of their original retail price.
PERKS n Photographic studio time MAIN DUTIES n Using VsCommerce to merchandise the website n Creating stylist edits for website homepage n Writing blog posts and copy for emails n Model scouting n Assisting with shoots and styling ADVICE I’D GIVE TO OTHERS Don’t wait for an intern opportunity to be advertised; approach companies directly with a CV and a covering letter explaining why you’d like to work for them and what existing expertise you can bring to their business.
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MAIN DUTIES n Influencer outreach n Blog posts n Creating graphics for social media and emails n Videography and photography assistance n Event planning ADVICE I’D GIVE TO OTHERS Embrace the opportunity you have been given fully; work hard, use your initiative, ask questions, seek advice, think strategically and contribute your creative ideas willingly. INDUSTRY SOFTWARE UTILISED n HotJar n Adobe Creative Suite
Eurostop
Brand ambassador e-letter
Studio e-commerce shoot
INDUSTRY SOFTWARE UTILISED n VsCommerce n Mailchimp
PERKS n Smaller team n NCL location