Becky: Sales and Marketing Assistant at Carcanet Press
Becky, an English Literature and Politics graduate, worked as a Sales and Marketing Assistant at Carcanet Press for 2 months.
How was your first day in the role?
Initially, I was nervous as I took the step from full time student into the world of office work, commuting and surviving on Tesco meal deals and coffee. For me, it was an understatement to say I was nervous about the change after recalling the first 10 minutes of The Devil Wears Prada where the offices are scary, and filled with people who know what they’re doing and have no time for those who don’t. But as I was greeted with a hug, I was shown around the office and introduced to all 5 of my colleagues by my interviewer, Jasmine, all the fears I had were dispelled.
What were your responsibilities?
Technically, my position was ‘Marketing and Sales Assistant’, which consisted of social media scheduling, promoting new poetry books, emailing authors, writing a weekly newsletter and blog posts! I found completing the tasks very time consuming than the role’s small description suggests, as I learned on my first day when it took me over an hour to schedule one Facebook post – whoever said all millennials are technologically advanced was wrong.
As time went on, I became amazed at the things I could do, and the skills I developed. Using Adobe inDesign software, I was aware of its technical usage, but never had to use it prior to the role. Establishing my proficiency in the role, I developed confidence in my abilities, enabling me to say yes to opportunities and challenges that I wouldn’t have in the past.
As it was the summertime period, everyone in the office took their holiday leave, and as the intern, I learnt a lot more than straightforward Sales and Marketing. The administration/financial assistant, took their holiday and I took on the role of phone duties, front of house duties and leafing through hundreds of permission requests for poems. Permission requests are the process of granting the rights for companies/individuals/The World Bank (big deal) to use the poetries of the authors that Carcanet manages. Through my permission request journey, I learned how to invoice, and made a spreadsheet that is to date, the proudest achievements of my 20 years on this planet. Additionally, I got the opportunity to express my creative passions by making promotional materials on inDesign.
How did you find the internship experience?
I recall telling people about working in the summer, moving through the office and doing my ongoing Sales and Marketing role and their cynical reactions with varying snarky remarks about ‘that being the reason you’re a summer intern’. While I acknowledged this to be technically true, the experience I received by moving through these various roles was invaluable, and most of all I enjoyed it immensely.
The small nature of the organisation and the office meant allowed me to get to know the team almost immediately, and within a week it felt as though I had been working there for months already. I was extremely grateful to Carcanet for being so inclusive and welcoming, and thankful to have the opportunity to do all of the things that I wished to do, as well as learning so many other things along the way. I had never imagined that I would love a 9-5 job as much as I did, and I appoint it to the creativity and atmosphere of the role.