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Finding Your Place During an Enhancement Year in Industry

Destination: Unknown

A look at just how important it is to be fluid in your profession.

The Biggest Critic

Sometimes the enemy can also be the hero.

Reflections

Personal, educational and professional changes throughout the year.

Cover Photo: David Besh

Hello & Welcome

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s the days get longer and we head into summer, there's an air of promise; of new beginnings. Stepping out of my office for the last time, surrounded by this air, it was a bittersweet reminder that my time at FurtherMore Marketing had come to an end.

This time a year prior, I thought that I would be finishing my degree and saying farewell to Coventry University forever.

However, a twist in fate and a few handy network connections saw me embark on a placement year in the marketing industry.

Although it wasn't a career I had previously considered, it was well suited to my skillset and hey - how hard could it be?

As it turns out it, it was harder than I thought. Despite it's challenging nature, it was also incredibly inspiring and gave me a perspective on an industry I hadn't given thought to before.

Too often people pigeonhole themselves, focused on their end goal, not realising what they could be missing out on. Being afraid to throw caution to the wind will only ever stop you from flying.

Holly McLaren Editor

Morning views at FurtherMore Marketing HQ // Photo: Holly McLaren

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DESTINATION: UNKNOWN DEPARTURE TIME: NOW “The best laid schemes of mice & mean often go awry�... but sometimes they atually go all right. Student journalist, Holly McLaren, explores the need for fluidity when undertaking an Enhancement Year in her chosen industry.

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oventry University prides itself on allowing students to explore. Whether it be career fairs, extra curricular trips abroad or even just encouraging independent study, feeling trapped is rarely an option.

Slowly, but surely, my start date rolled around.

It had already been pushed back a week due to the fact the office would be practically empty during my initially planned start date.

While this would mean I lost out of a week's worth of wages, it allowed me to brush up on things I hadn't previously thought of, like knowing the business history inside and out.

The end of my second year studying Journalism & Media felt liberating. I had achieved so much, learned so many skills and I was excited to progress into the next Throughout my time at FurtherMore stage of my academic career. However, one Marketing, this need to quickly adapt and short phone call changed that, instantly. change plans was apparent. With our marketing strategies having to be flexible to factor in On the other end of the line was Alexis external impacts, I often had to put projects Brackpool, Managing Director of FurtherMore aside to focus on more impending issues.

Marketing. The agency was a Norfolk based marketing company, specialising in strategy, One such issue was when newsletter emails had web design and social media. With their current been sent out with an incorrect opening date for intern reaching the end of their placement, I had one of the businesses we market. All jobs went come highly reccommended and was invited on hold until we brainstormed an innovative to the office for a chat to discuss the potential and harm reducing way to let recipients know of undertaking a placement year myself. it was incorrect. It was an embarrassing mistake, but due to quick thinking and taking control of Though it was something I hadn't considered the narrative, it was rectified calmly and quickly. doing in my field, let alone marketing, I wasn't sure if I was making the right choice. Despite Invaluable lessons such as this proved the having a relevant skillset and believing myself to need to be flexible when working in such be easily adaptable, I felt like a novice. I'd have a fast paced industry. Without fluidity, to go into a professionally environment and be marketing may as well be carried out by AI expected to just 'know' what to do. A lot of it software. It's the human touches that makes would be common sense, but it still left me feeling marketing engaging for consumers and is anxious. I wasn't sure if I would be well suited to it. ultimately what it's success is hinged on.

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Coventry Cathederal// Photo: Holly McLaren

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Retired Bunkers at Scottow Enterprise Park // Photo: Holly McLaren

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THE BIGGEST CRITIC Personal hang ups can impact your professional work in surprising ways.

Communications Assistant, Holly McLaren, explores her own vices and virtues.

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valuations have always been fundamental in understanding developments, whether personal, professional or educational.

Without them, it can be difficult to pin point exact successes and outline where failures occurred - and what led to them.

However, a few months later when our client was scrolling through the magazine, they noticed a pretty awful blunder - a typo in their website address.

It may have only been one letter, but for a business who completes most of their sales via their website, it couldn't have During my time at FurtherMore been worse. FurtherMore Marketing Marketing, I found myself inherently ended up reimbursing the cost of the ad assessing and reviewing the work that I to the client and for such a prestigious created. From blog posts to brochures, it magazine, it didn't come cheap. was rare for me to have created something While on a technicality, I didn't I was ever 100% happy with. Which then make the typo, I also didn't spot it. led to the though process of : If I'm not I should have, especially working so happy, then why would the client be? closely with the brand. Foolishly, I At the end of the day, FurtherMore had just assumed if things had been Marketing was getting paid to provide all right before, they would be again. a service to it's clients. A lot of my I tried to reassure myself with the insecurity and scrutinity over my work knowledge that I was only human and came from doubts over my ability. They everyone made mistakes, but It was grew over time when mistakes were difficult. If I couldn't do a simple task like made. Stupid typos were the bane of my this correctly, then what hope did I have? life - stupid in both what they were and the fact that I often wouldn't pick up on A few months on, I sat down with them until they were pointed out to me. my boss and discussed the mistakes that had been previously made. By The largest of these mistakes came in the now, I was feeling pretty sorry for form of an advert for one of our clients. myself and a little bit beyond help. I Placed in Tatler Magazine, it didn't was fully expecting a lecture, a critical come cheap but was also great exposure. evaluation of the failures and mishaps I Having already previously advertised had made since being at the company. in the publication, I was given the go ahead to resubmit the previous copy, While they weren't frequent, they and I did so without a second thought. lingered longer than successes.

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Constructing from the criticism

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nstead, she told me of the time she had once sent out a newsletter with the wrong client's contact details on it. A simple, human mistake that was preventable but hadn't been.

It wasn't all doom and gloom. These errors were a tiny fraction of my time at FurtherMore Marketing. From exciting promotional ideas to coining new catchphrases, I'm also leaving a legacy of things done right.

It's important to note that my boss was one of the savviest, smoothest workers I'd ever met so to know My time at FM has seen many great professional that she also made (incredibly rare) mistakes? achievements that also became personal and educational: A social media strategy plan I It made me realise that nobody had asked me produced is rolling out across multiple networks. to be perfect. I was still learning and making Blog posts I created are being consumed by our mistakes was an important part of growing my clients customers. Competitions I ran have set skills. She suggested that I stopped looking at the precedent on successful organic product them as negatives or as a testament to my abilities, promotion. I've built brand relationships, but to start looking at the way I overcame them. conversed with customers and helped to put a Quick thinking, resilience and determination to few more bricks in the FurtherMore Marketing get things right are the skills gained from making wall. Not bad for a rookie with zero experience. mistakes. After all, nobody likes a know it all!

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It's all about the.... // Photo: Scott Webb

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Reflections on the window of an early morning train // Photo: Holly McLaren

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REFLECTIONS Personal - Educational Professional

My name is Holly McLaren. I was a Communications Assistant at FurtherMore Marketing. I drive a Volkswagen Golf. My work has been published in tabloid magazines.

These are all achievements from Enhancement Year. I never realised how incredibly life changing doing a professional placement could be and the impact it could have on my sense of self.

I had always resigned myself to the fact I would spend my career based in London and would call the tube my second home. Therefore, I always saw my need to drive as being non-existent, but I now realise how naive I was. Driving has given me a freedom I never knew existed before. I spent my formative years in a sleepy Norfolk town and dreamed of escape, but had it not been for taking on this placement, I very well could have remained stagnated.

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had always seen education as being a means to an end. I had to get through it in order to achieve qualifications I could then use in the real world.

Throughout my placement, I have realised that could not be more wrong. I was constantly being educated at FurtherMore Marketing. From teaching myself new software to shadowing the talented individuals that worked there, I never stopped learning.

I left my work days inspired to create more than I ever had and learned lessons to stick with me forever.

Coffee & Computers // Photo: Holly McLaren

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rofesionalism was always something I had been highly aware of.. Polished shoes, ironed blouses and a can do attitude were some of the key ingredients I attributed with it.

A professional outfit just wouldn't be complete without a fur coat // Photo: Holly McLaren

However, my time at FurtherMore Marketing proved to me that there is no one definitive set of rules to abide to. In fact, if anything, it taught me to throw the rule book out completely. Managing Director, Lexi, had built the business from the ground up, but not once did she stop us from opening the windows.

Ideas were welcome, encouraged, even!

I had always thought professionalism meant to abide by the rules and keep the creativity at home, but the last 8 had proven me so wrong. While yes, rules were made to follow, they were also made to be broken. Just like eggs, you've got to break a few to make an omelette!

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