Securing a part time job through my Marketing MSc

Meet Ayo,  currently studying our Marketing MSc (PGCert PGDip). We caught up with Ayo recently to hear more about how she successfully managed to secure a part-time job with a PR company, through attending a lecture with a guest speaker at the university.

Tell us some more about the lecture you attended?

We frequently have guest speakers who present talks about their marketing journey and what they do now in the industry. This particular workshop was hosted by guest speaker Jo Sutherland, a Managing Director at a PR company called Magenta.

Jo spoke to us about the world of PR, and specifically, crisis management. She also spoke about the company Magenta Associates and the work they do, their values and vision. The lecture was fascinating and engaging and made me think of a career in PR. She mentioned after the talk that Magenta is hiring!

Why did you choose to approach the guest speaker?

Before the lecture, our course leader informed us that Magenta had previously hired a student from one of his classes a few years ago. We were encouraged to do our own independent research beforehand, to be engaging and come up with questions, and I did just that!

I really liked the core values of the company and the work they had done and through Jo’s talk, I became very interested in PR and Magenta and I wanted to know more about the job roles, so I approached her.

I introduced myself to Jo after the workshop and gave her a brief summary of my previous experience (I’m a law graduate who has no marketing background, however gaining the skills and knowledge needed in the marketing industry through this course).

I was unsure as to whether I would be a right fit as had no marketing experience, however, Jo reassured me that she once started from somewhere and my law degree had given me a lot of transferable skills that will be needed for this role.

She told me to email the company so we could have a chat and she could give me more information about the role.

What did the recruitment and admission process involve?

This interview consisted of me doing 2 tasks: the first was a proofreading task where I had to identify any errors in a press release. The second was a prioritisation task where I was given a list of tasks and I had to select which one I would do first and why. These 2 tasks tested my attention to detail, and my ability to delegate and prioritise tasks.

After being successful with the interview and tasks, the last step in the recruitment stage was to meet the wider team. This was a chance for me to get to know the team better but in a more social setting.

A week after meeting the team, I was offered an offer of employment.

Tell us more about your place at Magenta Associates.

I am currently working 2 full days a week (9am – 5pm). My responsibilities include writing articles and press releases, doing research tasks to identify relevant events and press opportunities and building strong relationships with journalists.

What experience have you gained and how can you use these skills after graduating?

Through this experience, I have gained practical and theoretical knowledge, and it has taught me about workplace dynamics. I have learnt how to interact with journalists, how to write press releases and many more.

Although my degree in marketing has given me a solid foundation, this experience has allowed me to build on that foundation and broaden and strengthen my skills. Before this experience, I lacked a lot of confidence as I have no marketing background so I always felt like an amateur. However, from this experience I have become more confident in my skills, I feel more like a marketing professional.

I have been offered a fulltime role after I graduate; this experience has provided me with job security but also knowledge.

Course leader Dr Rodrigo Lucena said:

“One of our priorities on the MSc Marketing courses is to invite guest speakers or alumni to talk about their experiences in Marketing. This is a unique opportunity for students. These speakers have vast knowledge of Marketing in practice; so our students learn a lot from their stories and insights.

“Very importantly, they are also people with strong connections within the industry, which opens many networking opportunities, and quite often, job offers for our students!”

Find our more about our postgraduate marketing courses on the university website.