Graduating in 2010, at a time where unemployment is at its highest, I realised employment prospects weren’t going to be great. I started applying for jobs at the turn of the year and was adamant I would try and make myself as employable as possible.
I didn’t want to be one of the unlucky graduates with no employment after spending so much time and money on higher education. Though, despite studying Marketing, I still wasn’t entirely sure what career I wanted to pursue. All I knew was that I wanted to be successful in whatever sector I chose. I now hope the Brunswick Internship will be the first step towards that successful career.
I remember hearing about the programme last year, and made a mental note to look out for it again when I was in my final year. Then the email came round from the UEL employability team offering an “opportunity for a fantastic paid internship in communications”.
The email asked: “Are you a great communicator with good writing skills?” and “Are you interested in the media and looking to work with successful businesses?” I found myself saying ‘yes’ to both questions, and decided this opportunity was totally for me.
After replying to the email, I joined about forty other students at a presentation at UEL where we found out what PR and communciations involved, and were told what the internship entailed. Again, I found myself intrigued about this opportunity.
I then attended another more formal information session at the UEL Knowledge Dock where we were told more about PR, communications, Brunswick, Taylor Bennet, Unicorn Jobs and the process of applying and attending the assessment centre. The session also allowed us to meet and talk to current Brunswick employees who were abundantly helpful with hints and tips.
Having heard all of this, I realised that this opportunity suited me very well, and then the realisation of how badly I wanted it hit. I went away to research the industry so that I was informed enough to fill out the application.
Having got through the application process, I got to attend the ‘dreaded’ assessment centre at the Stephen Lawrence Centre in Deptford. The day didn’t start very well for me, because I was involved in a car accident on the way to the Centre. Needless to say, that didn’t help with my nerves. Nonetheless, I managed to get through the intense day, full of tests, tasks, presentations and interviews, and topped off with a delightful lunch.
The long day had drained me out. I headed home knowing I had given it my all and hoped for the best. A couple of hours later I got a call from Laura and I was delighted to hear her say the words, “congratulations you have made it through…” I was ecstatic. I felt privileged, considering so many people had applied. But also pleased with myself, because all the hard work had finally paid dividend.
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