My next step - moving from Apprentice to Junior Marketing Specialist
So that’s it, my apprenticeship is done, my first year at Napier is done and what a year it has been.
I’ve learnt so much in the past year about myself and marketing which has been perfect for me. I’ve found out what my strengths and weaknesses are, as well as gaining valuable knowledge and skills that will help me to progress. I’ve found one of my main strengths is my ability to communicate and also analyse data which helped a lot in my day to day activities.
Napier have been great in giving me the opportunity and exposure to all aspects of PR and marketing and how a full service agency works, which has enabled me to see what aspects I enjoy and what skills I want to develop.
I think my main objective when starting my apprenticeship was to set a good foundation for myself. I wanted to be in a better position in my career at 22-23, in comparison to if I had gone to University as for me, choosing what to do was a big decision and it needed to be worthwhile.
Now looking back, I can see that this was the right choice for me and I feel that in 3-4 years when I would have been leaving university, I will now be in a better position. Being offered (and accepting) a permanent job at Napier is the first step towards reaching that goal and Napier will give me more opportunity to grow.
I’m looking forward to the future and developing more in myself and with Napier. I'll still be making the tea though, of course…
Half Way There!
7 months in and it just keeps getting more and more interesting! I’ve definitely become a lot more involved in client work, and have been absorbing as much knowledge as I can.
Prior to starting Napier, I thought a lot about how I learn best, and whether or not I would benefit more from going to University. Since becoming an apprentice, however, I’m confident I made the right choice, and have been fortunate enough to gain practical industry experience, while developing in a role with the support of my colleagues.
Since my previous blog post five months ago, I’ve been given a lot more responsibility and am now heavily involved in a range of client activities, including the handling of one of our clients media competitions, as well as the collection and analysis of stats from another clients digital advertising campaigns. I also recently completed some market research to identify which publications engineers read to consume product and industry information, generating some great market insight.
In addition, I’ve been benefiting from both the fortnightly and online training provided by Napier. It’s been great to learn about Google Analytics and SEO, and I’m excited to continue developing my knowledge in both areas. I’ve even put what I’ve learnt into practise on my mum’s website.
It’s great to have a busy schedule, and the next few weeks will involve completing various projects, as well as aiding the account managers with analysis, upcoming releases and marketing campaigns. My colleagues have been great at making me feel like a valued member of the team, and I’m excited to continue learning from them, as well as developing relationships with editors and journalists in the industry.
It’s great that I can work and learn in an environment that is friendly, helpful and encouraging.
Now on the next few months!
My First Three Months as a Napier Apprentice
It’s crazy to think that I’ve now been at Napier for a quarter of a year! How quickly the time goes. It seems like only the other day I was walking around the office with a little notepad asking how people like there tea! Of course I know it off by heart now…
So far so good. I’ve been able to get involved with some great work for our clients, and am really pleased at how far I’ve come in such a short space of time. The first couple of tasks I was given included entering features into our databases, followed by reviewing and analysing Napier’s internal stats, allowing the management team to see which jobs are efficient and those that aren’t! These were great tasks to start with as they helped me understand how my role supports the company and my colleagues, while also giving me a solid understanding of how Napier operates and works within the industry, with both clients and the media.
I have since become more involved with the PR side of things, having spent some time monitoring our clients’ coverage, as well as developing media databases. I was also recently asked to email and call journalists to try and set up meetings with one of our clients at Mobile World Congress. I was able to book more meetings than anyone expected, which I was really pleased with and it was great to have the opportunity to interact directly with journalists. It’s definitely boosted my confidence in this role, and I look forward to being involved in similar future work.
In the next few weeks I will be contributing to more internal and external analysis, which will help us show new clients how successful we can be in implementing and driving results from campaigns. I will also be aiding my team with Embedded World preparation.
Ultimately, I have really enjoyed my first few months at Napier, everyone has been really helpful and friendly towards me, and welcomed me into the family environment we have here (even if they do call me Brian!). But on a serious note my experience so far has been diverse, challenging, but highly enjoyable, and seeing myself get coverage for the first time and setting up some great meetings for a client, with some hugely influential industry publications has been my personal highlights, and I look forward to my future at Napier!
Let’s just hope I can get everyone calling me Bryn…