Marketing Assistant Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement year with RMP Enterprise Ltd. The whole team was exceptionally friendly and helped me feel at home very early on in my placement. I was given endless opportunities to develop my workplace and marketing skills, whilst also enhancing my subject knowledge. The office environment was great, with plenty of perks to make sure I was comfortable and motivated in my role. The work itself was incredibly varied and I was given the opportunity to shape the role to suit my own interests and passions.

I felt incredibly valued. I cannot imagine any other company would place as much interest in my performance and as much commitment to supporting my personal development. I was lucky enough to be awarded Employee of the Month, Best Newcomer, and Employee of the Quarter (for the Innovate value). These awards went far in recognizing my commitment and hard work. But whilst the awards were a great thing to have, it was the daily encouragement, praise, and support provided by my team that really helped me feel valued.

My manager was great in supporting me to create my own role within the company and was constantly encouraging me to try new things and implement my ideas. She provided both the logistical and emotional support throughout the duration of my placement and massively helped develop my confidence within the workplace. The wider marketing team was also great in helping me to develop specific-skills e.g. copywriting, digital marketing, social media, and creative design. My mentor went above and beyond to provide weekly upskilling sessions, supporting me in improving my Adobe Photoshop skills which I'm extremely thankful for.

The levels of busyness varied throughout the year. During the first few weeks on placement, I was participating in a handover from the previous placement student. During this time, my workload was limited and I had little responsibility. However, this was to be expected as I was still getting to grips with the brand voice, software, and business operations. After this, I was able to take on more projects and get involved with a number of campaigns. The great thing with my placement was that I could take on more work, whenever I felt I didn't have enough to do. At RMP Enterprise, there's always something to be getting your teeth stuck into.

I was given an exceptional amount of responsibility during my placement year. From managing social media accounts (FB, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter), to sending out bi-monthly newsletters to a database of thousands of students, the work I did was essential to B2C marketing. I was also able to redesign the social media strategy and implement my own ideas, to really make this project my own. As well as this, I was trusted to manage career fairs and deliver in-person events to hundreds of students. Perhaps the biggest responsibility I was given, was to deliver a live personal branding workshop to Warwick Business School students at The Shard (London).

I study Geography (BA), so there is no content overlap with the work I did during my placement year. However, the soft skills I've developed, including communication, time-management, and organization will help me as I enter my final year of university. This placement experience and training will definitely help me post-university. The positive time I've had at RMP has convinced me that a career in Marketing would be perfect for me. Therefore my experience in social media, content marketing, email marketing, event planning, and presenting will prove useful talking points during interviews for graduate roles.

The atmosphere was electric! The office was rarely silent and there was always background music playing which created a more informal and relaxed atmosphere. Because the office was open plan, there were always people walking about, meeting with others and socializing. This made me feel comfortable enough to always ask questions and approach others without feeling like an annoyance. It was encouraged to share your achievements and successes, so there was always a celebratory atmosphere (especially when sales were made).

The work placement was set up very well. Whilst I was the only placement student in my team, I found that everyone was very welcoming and eager to help me adapt to my new role. During my first few weeks, there were informal meetings scheduled with different teams, to get to know new people and their role in the business. This was particularly useful as it allowed me to see how all the teams work together on a macrolevel to support the overall business function. I was given a laptop and a welcome pack that helped me set up my laptop and logins for all the different software I would be using. Overall, the transition from uni to the workplace was pretty seamless, thanks to the efforts of the Head of People.

Whilst I had no formal training or certifications during my placement year, I was given an exceptional amount of hands-on practical training. This allowed me to develop my marketing skills and increase the efficiency of my work. As mentioned previously, my mentor was kind enough to provide some photoshop training that helped me to develop my branding and design skills. This meant I was able to design social media assets without having to ask the creative team, again giving me more responsibility and helping me to feel in charge of my own projects. I would have been able to sign up for online courses and other training opportunities, but COVID-19 caused some disruption to this, which was entirely expected.

Whilst there are no direct graduate schemes set up, the nature of the organization means that if there is an opening or demand for new blood within the business, then the company will create a role. I know this has happened with a previous placement student, who has now been offered a full-time graduate job. I am unsure if there are any opportunities post-university for me, however, I would seriously consider working for RMP if there was something offered. However, I was lucky enough though to secure a part-time 2 days/ week contract for an additional two months after my placement year ended. I'm really grateful for this, as it's flexible and works around my uni schedule.

Although I was the only placement student, I made an extra effort to get to know the wider team and take part in social activities. I was lucky that the team is generally young and outgoing and so there were plenty of opportunities to socialize outside of the workplace e.g. pub lunches on Fridays, after-work socials, and after-work drinks with colleagues. There were five graduate interns who started a few weeks after me, so it was great to spend time with them too. The quarterly company socials were a highlight for me, including climbing the O2, watching Mary Poppins in theatre, and going bowling!

Living in London is expensive, no matter which way you look at it. My accommodation was approx. £550/ month, which is on the cheaper side for London, to be honest. The more you pay, the higher the quality of the environment you live in. However, if you budget well and don't eat out all the time, the salary paid by RMP Enterprise is more than enough to live on comfortably and still save some money.

Brixton if a fun and vibrant place to socialise. The office is in a great central location, with plenty of bars and pubs around the corner. There are a number of great restaurants too which have some good lunchtime offers. I generally spent more time in bars, rather than clubs, but if you want a more club-focused nightlife, then central London is easy to access via the tube.

There were plenty of social events throughout the year and some good charity fundraising activities too e.g. pub quiz held in the office.