Student success stories

Combined honours student Rachel studied Marketing alongside Film & Visual Culture during her time at Hope, graduating in 2018. 'click for the full article'

Rachel has gone on to secure a highly sought-after role as Digital and Social Media Marketing Coordinator for Kew Green Hotels, one of the UK’s leading hotel management companies. Crucially, the 23-year-old says Hope was able to give her vital industry experience, helping her to bridge the gap between theory and application. And having been equipped with the right skills, she’s flourishing. Rachel, from Sheffield, reveals: “As well as arranging work experience placements, the tutors at Hope were really keen for us to get out of the classroom and see real work in action. “We spoke with a visual merchandising specialist at Marks & Spencer, we visited a marketing agency in Liverpool’s ‘Baltic Triangle’ creative and digital quarter, and saw first hand how they work. “And this is what sticks in my mind about Hope - the external experiences we were given, and realising that however much knowledge you gain from University, industry experience provides a means to adapt that knowledge and put what you’ve learned into practice.”

Kew Green Hotels own and operate around 50 hotels across the UK - including the Crowne Plaza at Liverpool John Lennon Airport, Speke. It’s here, thanks to an initial introduction through Hope, where Rachel gained valuable experience before ultimately being offered a full-time role at Crowne Plaza’s management company. Rachel’s role is highly varied and continually challenging. She adds: “There’s a lot of hotels in the portfolio who all have individual marketing needs. “There really is always something different going on every day, and it’s a brilliant role in that respect. I really enjoy it. “My work might involve highlighting leisure clubs that have just reopened, or designing collateral to go in the hotels themselves - such as posters and external banners. “This industry is also extremely competitive, so I’m really grateful for the career I’m enjoying. “And if I could give one piece of advice to anyone studying at Hope right now, I’d tell them to grab any opportunities you’re given. “It’s so important to gain that industry experience.”

A real spanner in the works for Rachel has been the Coronavirus pandemic, which forced hotels to temporarily close their doors. Rachel, however, says having lived through that challenge she’s better equipped to cope with other periods of uncertainty in the future. She adds: “Covid-19 meant having to adapt very quickly to strange circumstances, to say the least. “When the Government first announced the lockdown our workload went from zero to a hundred in the space of an hour! You have to learn how to keep up with the pace and also learn how to adapt. “It was challenging. But I hope to be able to draw on this experience going forwards.” Dr Clay Gransden, Senior Lecturer in Marketing at Hope, said Rachel’s was one of many success stories enjoyed by the department. He added: “We understand the importance of blending studies with industry experience. “This is one of the reasons we run live business improvement projects and group placements with companies, Rachel is one of many success stories from our industry contacts - we aim to produce many more”

Not only has Joe Perrins cleared his overdraft and bolstered his finances ahead of his final year of study, both his CV and his confidence have been transformed. 'click for the full article'

Joe, who is studying Business Management, opted to turn his three-year course into a four year one - spending his third year on a paid work placement with car rental giants Enterprise. It’s a scheme that’s new to Hope - but which Joe says has been invaluable in terms of his near £20,000-a-year salary and his on-the-job education. Joe said: “I’d recommend the work placement year to anyone. “Yes, it was hard work, and it’s very different from being at university full time. “But for me it’s about the freedom to spend a year in industry and then go back to your studies with a fresh perspective and impetus. “And in terms of my options after I graduate, it’s definitely helping to steer me in a positive new direction.” Joe worked at an Enterprise branch in Liverpool city centre, in a role that encompassed everything from logistics planning to sales, promotional work and marketing.

He was praised for using his initiative to bring in 25 new major corporate clients. And his sales figures saw him place second in the North West during his final weeks - a region that involves hundreds of employees and extends as far south as Stoke and as far north as Kendal, Cumbria. Joe added: “I’m really proud of what I achieved. And the work placement also improved my confidence massively - 100 per cent. “Before university, I was quite nervous in certain situations. But having to work on major corporate accounts forces you to come out of your shell. “So many of my skills have improved - and I think employers will take notice of that in the future.” The Enterprise role was secured through Hope’s Careers & Employability Service, as well as the Business School, which work with local businesses to identify roles that compliment a student’s given degree. Meanwhile having to negotiate the current Coronavirus situation has, ironically, also given Joe an important lesson in crisis management. He reveals: “A lot of businesses describe themselves as operating in a ‘fast-paced environment’ - and this was certainly the case. “And I never thought I’d have to be part of a crisis management team - but that’s what we found ourselves going up against. “In the future, potential employers are going to be asking candidates, ‘What hurdles did you have to overcome during Covid-19?’ “And, ironically, if you haven’t got a lot to say, you’re going to be at a disadvantage. I was able to learn things which I hope I can carry forward to future roles.” As Joe watches friends approach the end of their own degrees, he’s got no regrets about the fact he’ll be staying on for a further 12 months. He adds: “One of the big differences between me and my friends is our bank balances. “I was on a good wage, I got my student loan on top of that, and it’s a nice feeling knowing that I’m in a really good financial position going into my last year of study. “I’ve well and truly cleared my overdraft. “And I’d like to think I’m also much more employable than I was before. “In the current climate of jobs uncertainty, I think that’s worth its weight in gold.” Now Joe is hoping to use his work placement experience to inform his dissertation next year, potentially examining the car rental market. And he can also see it influencing his career direction, too, as he eyes a future role in logistics management. He says: “No matter what happens, I want to have a real influence on whatever business I find myself working at. “And if the opportunity ever arose to start a new business from scratch, I’d jump at the chance.”

Lucy followed the Hope Uni Careers Twitter and Instagram pages (HopeUniCareers). They posted about the opportunity and she found the details on the My Careers Centre job search in My Hope that they posted the link to. 'click for the full article'

I work for MMA Defence, a self-defence martial class company, as a marketing assistant. The company hosts self-defence classes/seminars and charity events. My role is to market the company and raise awareness of the classes and events through social media and leafleting in order to raise awareness of the company and grow the start-up brand online. I wanted a paid placement that would give me marketing experience as this was related to my degree and the career I wanted to enter after university. This paid placement is exactly what I was looking for. I work remotely which allows me to work from home in my own time creating social media posts and marketing material The application process consisted of completing the initial application form and sending my CV. I was then invited to interview. I received a lot of help with my application and updating my CV from Oliver at the careers centre. Oliver assisted in ensuring my application contained information the company was looking for, that it identified my skills and experience in relation to the job description and person specification the employer had outlined and he helped me to update my CV to professional standard.

After a day at university I have the responsibility of editing a continuous marketing report that establishes ideas for the company and creates schedules for the upcoming social media posts. It has aims and objectives as well as future goals for the company and how I plan to achieve them. I enjoy this placement as it gives me flexible working hours alongside my studies and experience in an industry that I find interesting. This placement also offers me opportunities to work in different roles and to earn more distributing leaflets before and after university. This is good for students as it is an opportunity to make money around your studies. During this work I have met other students working on the placement and we have worked together on certain projects. It has been fun to work with other students in the same position as me and working on a project that we are excited about due to having autonomy to be creative. This role provides me with real-life experiences of how companies are run and real-life experience of marketing a company.

The biggest challenge has been creating awareness as the company is a start-up. It was difficult to have so much autonomy in the beginning for a company that didn’t already have procedures and processes in place. However, this became a benefit of the job as it allowed me to use my knowledge from my degree and put it in to practise. The company’s growth has been a success as the number of returning members has grown enormously and students from my marketing degree now attend the classes. My knowledge of the marketing industry has also increased through my research and working alongside the owner as they set up a new business. My degree is marketing and business management and it has been enlightening to watch and help a new company be created. An additional note it’d like to make is it is that the careers centre has helped me a lot by finding this placement and offering it to students, secondly by helping to ensure my CV and application were up to a great standard before sending it. Additionally, during the placement the team has continuously encouraged and supported my work. I believe this placement will definitely help me to stand out in the job market once I have graduated due to the experience and knowledge it has provided me with.