It has already been a year since I started at Sky. Time has
absolutely flown by and with the recent arrival of this year's intake of
graduates, I can no longer claim to be new. My first year has seen me complete
two different marketing roles, meet and work with hundreds of colleagues, plan
media campaigns, test new apps and get half way through my Chartered Institute
of Marketing (CIM) qualification.
I have learnt a huge amount and have greatly enjoyed it. I
feel increasingly confident as an employee and a marketer, and am making
progress on decisions about my career. For anyone considering a similar route,
here are the three main things I've learnt on the scheme so far:
1. It is much easier to motivate yourself at work if you are
genuinely interested in what you are doing. It is really important to consider
what aspects of work motivate you (eg working with others, being creative)
rather than focusing solely on what area you'd like to specialise in.
2. Personality is key. Everyone I've met in work is highly knowledgeable,
hard-working and good at what they do. The senior staff, however, all seem to
have one thing in common beyond this – loads of personality. Whether they're
incredibly driven, creative, funny or team players, they all have great
personalities. It's essential that you do not attempt to hide or change your
personality at work, just be yourself.
3. Challenge yourself. Starting out in a new company is
difficult, and it's natural to try and make your job as easy as possible. But
you learn the most when you actively challenge yourself and step out of your
comfort zone. It can sometimes feel like a case of sink or swim, but you'll be
surprised at how often you end up swimming.
The one thing I would do differently would be to be more
assertive. In a large company, it's important to ensure your voice is heard and
looking back, there were perhaps times when I didn't speak up when I should
have because I was lacking in confidence. I could have had more impact on my
previous teams if I had been more assertive with my opinions, but it's easy to
worry about saying the wrong thing when you're relatively new. That said, being
assertive requires confidence in your ability and in what you are doing, which
can take time.
On the scheme we're given formal support to help us decide
what area we want to specialise in. Each graduate meets regularly with HR to
discuss their rotations and future career development. We're given advice on
options and, when we approach the end of the scheme, we are able to apply for
permanent roles. We are not guaranteed a role at the end of the scheme and have
to seek out and apply for permanent opportunities, proving our ability much
like any other candidate would.
All of my fellow marketing graduates are in a similar
position to me with regards to their career development. We all still have 12
months left on the scheme, and most of them would agree that we still have the
opportunity to learn a lot more from our final two rotations before we move
into a permanent position. But we have all made significant progress and have a
good chance at succeeding in permanent roles.
Source: 6 November 2012, The Guardian by Alan Firmin
(Marketing graduate and candidate on Sky's marketing graduate scheme).
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