Sharrona (Marketing)
Studies
I have recently finished my placement working as the Marketing Assistant at Asidua during my placement year from my BSc Marketing course at the University of Ulster, Jordanstown. During second year at university, a few final year students joined our careers class to give presentations on their placement year and encourage us all to take a year out and get experience in a Marketing role. They found that the theory was easier to understand if you could relate it to past experience and there was evidence that those final year students who opted for placement, achieved higher grades in their finals than those who did not take a year out. We were also advised by our lecturer that the main concern for employers were that most graduates finish their degree with all the knowledge of what should happen and none of the experience of what could happen.
Work in Asidua
During my time at Asidua I have been involved in many diverse projects from writing copy for blog posts and the news section of the website to carrying out research or helping with the organisation of events. Every week I have a meeting with my manager to discuss how I am getting on with projects and to talk about new projects coming up. The meetings are a good way to highlight and get help with any problems I am having. There are always different projects to be working on or different tasks to be carried out so I never get bored (a common complaint of many placement students!) and I continually learn new things.
Training at Asidua
When I started in Asidua I attended the induction programme, which introduced me to Company procedures. This was a great way for me to get to know some of the other new starts at the time. I’ve also had plenty of on-the-job training which has helped me learn about the different processes within the Marketing Department.
Fun at Asidua
The working environment at Asidua is very relaxed and friendly and there’s always some banter in the teams. In the kitchen there is a Wii for employees to play on their breaks with Mario Kart being the most popular and competitive game. I can safely say I’m no competition for any of the guys - I’m the worst driver in Mario Kart history! The sports and social committee organise events once a month which are guaranteed to be great fun. There is also ‘First Friday Drinks’ on the first Friday of every month which is a good opportunity to meet other people you wouldn’t normally be working with in work.
Final Thought
From talking to my classmates who are also on placement at a range of different companies, I can guarantee that I secured one of the best placements, not only in terms of experience but also the people I have worked with and the general atmosphere of the company. Since day one I was made feel welcome and part of the team and there has never been any shortage of help and support from everyone I have worked with. The skills and experience I have gained through working in Asidua will help me progress through final year and hopefully into a career in Marketing. I would encourage all second year students to consider taking a placement year and hope they are all as lucky as I was to spend a year in a company like Asidua.
