Work experience brings a fresh perspective at CMC

We welcomed our first work experience placement at CMC last week, which proved enlightening all round.

A' level student, Orla, joined us for the week to find out if working in PR might be for her. Although based remotely, Orla was able to take part in a client meeting, conduct an interview via Teams, and experience both the challenges and benefits of working independently. We checked in regularly, using a mixture of Teams calls and emails to set briefs, discuss progress and review outputs. Overall, this gave her a good feel for some of the work we do and the different elements of PR and communications. But don't take my word for it - take a look at Orla's reflections on her week, below.

For my part, it's been a great experience. Yes, you do have to make time to think about suitable projects or tasks, and make time for briefings and feedback, but it's extremely rewarding, and Orla's input has been genuinely useful. In her short time with CMC, Orla was able to:

• Provide a fresh pair of eyes to help decide where new content should sit on a client website
• Create engaging ways to highlight key messages
• Create some new content for the CMC blog (neglected due to workload!)
• Bring a new perspective to help decide content priorities for a client project

Over to Orla for her thoughts on the week:

"When I was researching what to do for work experience, I was always intrigued about PR and marketing. This being something I was interested in regarding my future, going into the week I was hoping to gather a grasp of what it was like to not only get a taste of work life but also some background knowledge of working in communications. I have to say looking back it gave me everything I was seeking to get out of my experience, and I was able to exercise my independence through a guided manner, leaving me informed and always prepared for the project I was set with.

Throughout the week I was working remotely, which I think worked extremely well as it granted independence, reflecting a true work environment, but also was convenient as no external variables could affect it – for example transport. Furthermore, at the start of the week I received a detailed welcome email, informing me of what was to come over the next week, and each day I would get an agenda. Communication was not just seen through email but also in regular Teams meetings, which helped me to understand the work ahead and answer any questions.

Over the course of the week I was set many projects, from articles, advertisements and taking part in business calls. I’d have to say one of my favourite projects I worked on was making a carousel for a social media page. It enabled me to think critically, through selecting key information to use, but also creatively, using Canva, as I was given freedom to choose the design and layout. Along with this I was given detailed feedback helping me improve the overall project. The importance of doing this by myself, though guided, I think allowed me to really get a feel of what working in PR and marketing is like, giving me an in-depth experience, not one that is surface level.

Understandably, work experience can seem to be quite a daunting week, as it is the first time for many people, where they are placed in an unfamiliar work environment and the world of work in general. I, myself, was quite worried when I started looking into work experience placements. However throughout the whole week I was supported and given helpful advice on each project, therefore I never felt like I was lost when working on anything. Overall, the experience was great, and I would highly recommend it to anyone."

Orla