7 things I have learnt whilst working for Alison Edgar MBE
Entering my final year of university, I could never have foreseen how it was going to end.
But after three fantastic years at Plymouth Uni, I graduated with a 2:1 in marketing and a lot of question marks as to what my future would hold. It was the summer of 2020 and Covid-19 had locked down the country not to mention the world. People were being furloughed and worst-case losing their jobs as businesses were being forced to close. As a new graduate entering the working world, things didn’t look too promising.
That didn’t stop me from trying to land a job related to my degree, but after applying to hundreds of different marketing jobs the reality hit me that times are hard and I would need to go out and get real-world experience in marketing to have a chance of getting my foot in the door and stand out from being just another guy with a marketing degree.
I wanted to work for someone who had the knowledge and ability to not only develop my marketing skills but also my interpersonal skills. That’s when the opportunity to work for Alison Edgar MBE came up through the Kickstart scheme.
Who was Alison Edgar MBE? What did she do? After some research, I found out more about her background which spoke for itself, and I was delighted to accept the position. I have been working for Alison for close to five months now and I have learnt many new skills and experienced many things that will help me in my future career. In this blog, I am going to discuss some of the things I have leant during my time with Alison Edgar MBE and the team.
How to get what YOU want; ha-ha all jokes aside working with Alison has taught me communication skills in the form of how to adapt to other people. As some of you may know this is part of what Alison teaches, it’s a variation of the DISC model which is a tool that analyses personalities to understand how we as humans behave. From working with her I have come to understand each behaviour type and how to interact with each one. This has allowed me to be more confident when working with clients as I know how to communicate with people in a way that they would understand and appreciate.
To not let perfect, get in the way of good. What I mean by this is often I would spend way too much time on something trying to make it perfect, well to what I thought was perfect. But through working with Alison, I gained business know-how and came to understand that in a small business there isn’t time to go through every detail with a fine-tooth comb. I've learned to recognise when I am being overly critical of my work and I know how to ask for a second opinion when it's needed.
How to sell myself. This may be one of the most important things I have learnt while working with Alison and that’s how to sell myself. And at the base of it, it’s about believing in yourself and having the confidence to put yourself out there because at the end of the day no one else will do it for you.
A bunch of new marketing-related tech skills. During this placement, I have been able to gain experience using software like ActiveCampaign CRM, WordPress CMS, Google Analytics, and scheduling tools which are brilliant skills to take into future roles when I further my career.
Digital marketing techniques. Working with Alison has been invaluable in getting out there and putting theory into practice. Writing content and creating graphics for social media was something I had never done before in a business setting but have gained so much knowledge and experience which will be easily transferrable to future positions.
Importance of goal setting. Before working with Alison I never really set specific goals in my professional or personal life. After seeing Alison run a small business and witnessing the power of goal setting and the loss of direction without them, I now know that going into any organisation large or small I will set goals for myself to perform to my best ability.
Client interactions. As I mentioned before, learning the DISC model and knowing how to deal with people has elevated my communication skills. During my time with Alison, I’ve gained the skill of turning client’s visions and briefs into tangible work that they are happy with. This required not only a lot of listening and understanding but also the knowledge and vision to convert an idea into something physical.
When graduating from university, I could have never predicted going straight into a placement and being unable to get a full-time job. But I wouldn’t change the journey I took at all.
Whilst this placement isn’t my end goal and is a stepping stone to reaching my dream job, it has given me invaluable skills that I can implement moving forward both in my personal and professional lives. Secondly, I have enjoyed my time here so much, I have had the experience of working in a small business with a team that I have built long-lasting business relationships. Working in a small business has also allowed me to understand the impact my work has on the company as a whole, and I believe this is a way of thinking I may have never developed had I not participated in this programme.
I’m currently looking for a role in digital marketing as my kick-start scheme comes to an end. Click here to download my CV.
