Summer is the perfect time for students to hunt down work experience, learn new skills, and build CVs before heading back to university in Autumn. For second-year students Felicity and Bertie, this summer was no exception.
HUB offered the pair a chance to embed themselves into the day-to-day of an integrated agency for two weeks, and they didn’t hesitate to dive right in! From social media to coding, here’s what they took away from their time at HUB.
What do you study at university?
Bertie: Computer Science with Maths at University of Leeds, going into second year.
Felicity: I study Modern Languages and Cultures at Durham University and am going into my second year this October.
Why did you choose to intern at HUB?
Felicity: Due to the nature of my university course, there is no linear career path for me to follow. I have spent the year looking into different industries and trying to think what kind of work I would enjoy.
Marketing is very high on my shortlist. Not only is it an industry that travels well, but the work is project-based which is something that appeals to me as it seems more exciting.
Bertie: Mainly to gain some interesting, hands-on experience in the areas related to my degree that I’m interested – software development and data science – but also to experience an office environment and culture in general.
What were you most excited about?
Felicity: I looked forward to seeing how the different services HUB offers come together, and how the different departments work together because there is such an array of different types of work going on the office.
Bertie: I remember looking forward to seeing the specific ways that data was used in HUB’s operations (with that being so central to how a lot of companies work nowadays!) and getting stuck in with some coding.
What do you think of HUB’s culture?
Felicity: HUB is quite literally an “open door” agency. The work area is completely open plan which not only makes constructive teamwork possible, but creates a social environment which everyone is naturally included in. It is very clear that every voice and opinion, whether that be staff or client, is valued at HUB.
Bertie: Being part of HUB’s office culture for a couple of weeks was great – everyone was really friendly and welcoming. It was great seeing the spirit of collaboration both within teams and between them, and it seems like a great place to work.
Has anything surprised you while you’ve been here?
Felicity: I have been surprised by how all the different marketing services compliment one another and, when used in conjunction with one another, create successful marketing strategies.
Before coming here, I viewed marketing more simplistically, but understanding the intricacies of different services, I now understand the significance of multi-channel marketing.
Bertie: I really enjoyed learning about SEO from a technical perspective. It was something which I had very little prior understanding of (hence unexpected!), so learning about how it works and how both search engines and SEO have evolved over time was really interesting.
What will you take away from the experience?
Felicity: I am taking away a basic knowledge of many different services within marketing e.g., PPC, SEO, digital PR, analytics… none of which I had any real knowledge of before. But now I feel I understand the basics of many different areas thanks to the sit-down sessions I had with different colleagues.
Due to the fact I do not study marketing, it is unlikely I would have had access to the knowledge without coming to HUB.
Bertie: It was a great all-round experience – I gained some really valuable insight on the roles of software development and data within the bigger picture an agency environment, as well as specific skills within those that I’m sure will be useful in the future!
We loved having Felicity and Bertie in the office, and we’re wishing them all the best as they head into the second year at university. You’re welcome back any time, guys!
