Written by Joe, Communications Assistant

Over the course of my two-month communications internship at Hey Me as a ‘Marketing Communications Assistant’, I have learnt a wide array of valuable skills that I will continue to use throughout my career trajectory.

After completing my undergraduate degree as a media production: film and television student, there were numerous paths I could go down to further develop my skills in this area. With the overwhelming career possibilities and my passionate interest in social media marketing, I was lucky enough to come across an advertised graduate position from the university’s career team through Instagram. Although I had doubts that I would make it to the interview stage, fortunately for me, I gave the application process a shot.

The interview stage was both daunting and exciting. Like many interviews I attend, I seem to become a bit of a nervous wreck, as I’m sure many of you will also relate. However, after speaking to a handful of the Hey Me team during the interview process, within minutes I began to feel a sense of ease. The team were both welcoming and supportive and the interview allowed me to understand the company’s core values and principles. Despite this, there were still moments of internal panic, it had been my first time attending a sixty-minute interview and I had doubts as to whether I could fill the time up just talking about myself! Nevertheless, the hour flew by, and I somewhat felt it went positively, whether I had received the role or not.

My first week as an intern was very enjoyable as I got the chance to meet the rest of the team in person and was briefed in more detail on what the role would entail. I immediately felt like part of the team, despite having only just started, due to the friendly, welcoming atmosphere and this enabled me to feel genuinely confident approaching anybody with potential worries or concerns I may have had at the time. I started my role by conducting a communications audit to monitor Hey Me’s external channels and determine the style of content that the audience engages with most. It allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of the target audience and as a result, outline future content based on the strengths of previous posts.   

As the weeks progressed, I undertook a range of tasks which allowed me to fully immerse myself in the role of a Marketing Communications Assistant and develop my skills in a variety of ways. I completed an awareness days calendar, listing all upcoming international commemoration days that Hey Me could utilise in its social posts. Who knew there was an International Pillow Fight Day? Moreover, I was involved in several projects based around some of Hey Me’s clients, particularly those involved within the rail industry. Not only have I enhanced some useful techniques when undertaking these tasks, such as developing my text summarisation skills, but I have also gained knowledge of how the rail industry operates.

One project I notably enjoyed working on was creating a blog post to commemorate Earth Day. The process of completing this required using an assortment of skills, from the early planning stages to the initial write up. To begin with, I needed to employ my research skills to ensure I was including key historical facts regarding the formation of Earth Day. All planning needed to include relevant, accurate and engaging information, with the target audience always in mind. Secondly, it was essential to use my writing skills to ensure my message is conveyed clearly and captured the audience’s attention from the get-go. It was also important to express, through the creativity of word choice, a positive undertone to the post, which leaves the reader feeling optimistic towards the fight against climate change. Having my post featured on Hey Me’s blog was definitely a satisfactory experience, and I was happy to write content based on the crucial topic of the climate crisis.

I have undoubtedly gained and advanced many skills throughout my time working at Hey Me. From applying analytical skills in relation to the communications audit to utilising writing and creativity skills when producing the commemoration blog post, the internship has allowed me to experience first hand the role of a Marketing Communications Assistant. Noticeably, one skill I have particularly flourished in is my time management. Beforehand, this was something I tended to struggle with throughout university and during previous internships. However, being assigned multiple tasks at once has allowed me to prioritise my workload based on which project is most time-consuming or needed most urgently. Moreover, the continuous support from the Hey Me team regarding work prioritisation and any struggles I have faced has had a substantial, positive impact on my resilience in this role. I have felt thoroughly supported throughout my time here and it makes all the difference!

Although I am currently undecided about which career path to take, I believe my time at Hey Me has reignited my passion for creativity, which had somewhat dissipated since graduating from university, after facing the dilemmas of job hunting. The collective experience I have gained from this opportunity will most definitely be essential for whatever pathway I decide to go down.

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