I’m Sara, and I am a Communication and Media student at the University of Liverpool currently on my placement year in digital marketing.
From attending lectures and writing assignments to now working a 9-5 office job, I’ve had to do a lot of adapting to make the most of my placement year!
Here are some tips I’ve picked up on the way:
Tip 1 – Don’t be afraid to make mistakes
This is still something I am working on myself, but realistically, perfection is never going to happen so accepting that you need to make mistakes in order to learn is the next best thing! When we make mistakes and learn from them we adapt and grow. For me, I’ve come to understand that it’s ok to get things wrong from time to time whilst on my placement year as I’m there to learn which involves a lot of adapting from your mistakes!
Tip 2- Try new things
By stepping out of your comfort zone and trying new things you naturally become more adaptable as your skill set will expand. I am on rotation around the marketing department and so am constantly trying new things. Each area brings new skills, for example being on the campaign planning team I had to become extremely organised, and on the Social media team, I needed to be creative and reactive.
Tip 3- Be inquisitive and ask questions
This helps you develop a growth mindset. It might seem obvious but the more questions you ask the more you will learn, and understand how to adapt to different situations. Connecting with employers on LinkedIn and joining webinars hosted by companies you would like to work for is one way I adapted to the world of networking.
Tip 4- Take online courses
As my degree doesn’t directly relate to my placement, I ensured that I had solid background knowledge by taking free online courses which enabled me to be confident going into the interviews and assessment centres. During my placement year, I have also been taking online courses to further support my learning and consolidate things I have learned in the office. Some free online course providers I have used are HubSpot, Google Garage, and LinkedIn Learning.