Ellen's story
A year-long marketing placement in the Careers Service at Newcastle University helped Ellen to build practical experience and decide on future career goals.
Why were you interested in doing an internship, and why did you choose your specific internship role?
I wanted to boost my experience within marketing as I felt my course was very theoretical and I was lacking some practical experience.
I also wanted to get an insight into what a career in marketing could look like and whether that is the right industry for me.
What support did the Careers Service give you with your internship?
I used their online CV resources including CareerSet to build and improve my CV, helping me secure my placement role.
Whilst on placement, I had two 121 meetings with the placements team to discuss how my placement was going. They were very supportive and even though I had no concerns, I knew they were always available if I ever needed to reach out.
I also had group meetings which helped me stay up to date with information and dates and help with the two assignments.
What have you got out of your experience?
I absolutely loved my placement year; it was a great opportunity to experience the marketing industry and confirm that I would like a future career in marketing. I was pleasantly surprised by how much responsibility I was given across the year, which has massively improved my confidence in my abilities.
Not only have I developed my design skills using different software, including Adobe Creative Cloud, and come away with a large portfolio of marketing assets I created but I have also expanded my interpersonal skills such as communication and problem-solving. I have been able to put into practice the theory I learned during my first two years of study, and I feel more confident going into my final year with the knowledge and experience I now have.