Marketing and PR assistant Review

I did work experience for 3 weeks within the Marketing and PR department for a publishing company called DK. My daily tasks consisted of; data input, basic administration tasks such as filing and word documenting, social media research on Instagram and Twitter, partaking in meetings and conducting a research project on high profile book retailers. Other responsibilities included handing out newspapers according to rota system and maintaining data on book rankings.

I did not gain any actual qualifications but I learnt a great deal about the publishing industry, as well as specifics behind the marketing and public relation sectors. I learnt how to organise, prioritise and plan tasks in order to achieve maximum success and execute them in a timely manner. I did learn how to use the company's software.

My placement was within a lively, engaging and friendly team which functioned more as a community. Both PR and Marketing teams worked together seamlessly to create a welcoming environment for me to work in. I was not left with nothing to do at any point of my program. I thoroughly enjoyed my time here and hope to become employed full-time in the future.

I felt very valued throughout my placement; even completing basic and simple tasks was awarded with high praise and thanks by senior members of the team. I was asked to participate in various projects of variable importance which made me feel valued and responsible for the company's performance, whilst also giving me the autonomy to explore my own interests in my role.

Naturally this type of work experience is relaxed. Most of my time was made of doing tasks that the team would ask me to do on a random basis. However I was also delegated routine tasks at the beginning of the day which had to be completed before anything else. If I found myself searching for things to do, I was given a task to occupy my time.

I had multiple training providers/advisors, all of which checked I was okay. Mostly I was treated like an adult, though, and it was up to me to ask for extra guidance (which was good), although I never needed to question. If I had a small problem or needed advice for a task I was given it in spades and with very constructive answers and tips for future use.

I felt very supported by the whole team because they were always very friendly and conscientious about how I was feeling about work experience and what I was learning. If I had any questions they were very happy to answer them. They always made sure I was comfortable with a task before delegating it to me.

Commuting to my work experience cost a lot due to the distance. I was given some travel expenses but this still left me out of pocket a bit. However I was very grateful for any expenses offered to me as this isn't standard! The location itself was easily accessible by public transport and near to many areas of interest.

I wasn't able to experience this directly myself while I was there but it depends on the calendar. I did go and socialize with my colleagues whilst on placement and also for lunch to welcome a new member of staff. I am sure the company activities are fantastic, though, due to location and the nature of the people who work there.

Yes

Very informative, learn alot about the process and procedures of both publishing and marketing, gives a good example of standard responsibilites and tasks without being overbearing or mundane, high level of value and friendly office. Good location,easily reachable by commute, excellent facilities, good management and cheap canteen for food.

The application process is very short and simple; you send in a cover letter and CV and they will offer you a placement based on that. You don't get assessed on numeracy etc but they do value your cover letter content a lot. So doesn't give you experience of assessment days or an interview but you learn a lot in other departments.