In the age of instant gratification, our expectations for “right here, right now” have never been higher. A trend that’s quickly saturating the job market. Applying for city-based placements in marketing, advertising & PR internships in London is a career move that can expedite your journey.
Whether you’re fresh off a degree, diploma or vocational program; unless you plan on being a person of leisure (tell us how!), finding a job needs to happen quickly. Often we assume that having climbed the prescribed educational rungs, the perfect role should be waiting for you.
What you can expect in this article:
Getting on the marketing career ladder
The reality, of course, is a different story, particularly when it comes to certain niche industries. Marketing and PR is one such profession that you can’t simply stroll into. The very nature of this business centres around networking and professional relationships. Networking is actually a lot more nuanced and a skill that needs to be diligently developed.
Whatever experiences you may have gained during your time studying, networking is rarely formally taught. If you don’t take the time to actively train yourself in this regard, you’ll find yourself at a huge disadvantage.
Thankfully, this shortcoming has an easy and fantastic fix – internships. Now, take the word “easy” with a pinch of salt. Depending on your level of ambition, the most coveted placements at elite companies like Ogilvy or BBDO are subject to fierce competition. But you know what will make you stand out? Previous internships.
Climbing the ladder
You can’t reach the top of the ladder without scaling the lower rungs. But that time investment is worth it. Marketing and PR are all about honing instincts and expanding your contacts. You’ll need to have an in-depth understanding of your industry, market trends, consumer behaviour. And of course, effective dealing with clients and that’s before you even walk through the door. These can’t be achieved without as much hands-on experience as possible.
Sure there are negative aspects. An internship is not yet a proper job. There are no guarantees in the end. You’re unlike to be paid much, or at all. It’s a huge sacrifice, in terms of your time, energy and financial compromises. If you are truly passionate about your profession and determined to achieve our goals; a bit of humility and grunt work is required.
But before you get discouraged at the prospect of running errands and making coffee, you have to weigh these hurdles against the long term benefits. A ream of internships will make your CV not just stand out, but shine above a sea of lacklustre applicants. When applying for your first job, you will already have not only proper industry experience but less requirement for training, demonstrated commitment to the field, glowing (if you’ve done your job right!) recommendations and just as valuable – practice and comfort in a professional environment.
Reach higher rungs before your peers
The sudden transition from college to corporate can be an extremely difficult adjustment, but while your peers are still acclimatising, you already know your way around and can achieve in your role with focus and confidence. With such assets under your belt, who do you think will wind up getting more responsibility and considered first for promotion? You are.
And it will all have started with an internship. Doesn’t matter if the first one or two or not quite at the ideal Marketing firm you’d like to be – wherever you start out, you will gain skills that will serve you throughout your entire professional career and are those all-important building blocks that will ascend you to a successful future.
