My Week at Futures - Molly's Work Experience Story

As a third year Journalism student with graduation quickly approaching, work experience is more important than ever to deliver an insight into what I might like to think about job wise in the near future. Fortunately, Futures in Nottingham gave me an opportunity to work alongside their Customer Experience & Marketing team and gain invaluable experience that has provided clarity on a potential career direction for me, post university.  

In the week that I spent with the Futures Customer Experience & Marketing team, I was given the chance to meet directly with each member of the team and gain an insight into their role and how they apply themselves within the company. I was able to explore and get a feel for roles that focus on social media, event planning, and even the IT side of things. I looked into strategies that are currently being used to promote their careers advice service and understood how campaigns are planned, with a focus on National Careers Week.

As well as working alongside individual team members, I was given the opportunity to work independently and apply myself to a range of tasks. Via a combination of working remotely as well as in the workplace, I completed various jobs such as considering the company's competitors and suggesting ways in which Futures could perhaps improve their current strategies. To feedback my work, I conducted a mini presentation and had the chance to elaborate on my ideas to members of the team while receiving their feedback in return. This was highly beneficial and allowed me to voice my opinions openly while offering original ideas of my own that could potentially be put to use. 

Throughout the week, a highlight of mine was the opportunity to join the team for a whole team meeting. To have the entire team together and listen in on their discussions about what is working and perhaps what isn’t working was really helpful and provided a true insight into whether I could see myself in a role of this nature in future. Being present at the meeting was interesting and enlightening and a day that really put into perspective the kind of jobs I could see myself applying for in future. 

In summary, the Customer Experience & Marketing team at Futures made an effort to ensure I felt welcomed and involved. The team were friendly and available to provide advice or answer any questions I had to enhance my experience. There was a real sense of closeness within the team and along with the relaxed nature of the remote-workplace balance, this kind of role really appealed to me. As a Journalism student with a love for creativity and writing, I feel as though I could definitely apply my skills and my passion in a job in this particular sector. So, for the opportunity, I’m very grateful to Futures.