April 4, 2019, by Postgraduate Placements Nottingham
“If you want to do this job right…”
This week Postgraduate Placements Nottingham (PPN) hears from Gabriela about her placement experience with the executive travel company Exclusive Ten.
Gabriela’s placement involved Research & Development into luxury travel agents, specifically within the UAE & Australia, as well as research into business growth & expansion into the offer of Social Media & Digital Marketing support to agents, operators & private chalet owners specifically within the Luxury Ski Industry in France & Switzerland.
After completing a three-month placement with Exclusive Ten, I can genuinely say I’ve gained incredibly valuable work skills that I will be taking with me towards future employment. Previously the type of placement work experience I gained was very specific to the luxury ski holiday consultancy industry, however working extensively alongside the director Holly McQueen gave me a more thorough and generally applicable insight into how to effectively manage a small company.
At Exclusive Ten I was granted opportunities to construct illustrious marketing campaigns. These projects required a combination of creative flair and strategic business acumen, and I found that my skills with online marketing tools such as MailChimp and Canva were very relevant. As a student currently on a postgraduate Entrepreneurship (Business School) course, it was fascinating to work alongside Holly – who is an entrepreneur herself – and apply the skills I learnt from her into my studies. Furthermore, I was able to contribute a variety of analytical and strategy management theories that I learned on my course to the successful management of my professional projects.
One of the first things Holly said to me was “If you want to do this job right, you don’t need a big office in the city or a receptionist. As long as you’ve got wifi and your phone, you’re sorted”. I found this remark intimidating at first, having previously been accustomed to working in a traditional office nine-to-five work setting. However, I was frequently required to work remotely, and expected to manage my time appropriately – a skill which I came to greatly appreciate on reflection. Furthermore, working alongside a Nottingham local like Holly gave me a better understanding of how small business owners like herself utilise their immediate environments to their advantage, especially for remote work. I was also able to explore areas of Nottingham that I would not have done previously if it wasn’t for her.
This was a fantastic placement to be given the opportunity to be part of, and I will definitely be staying in touch with Holly McQueen. Thank you to the University of Nottingham’s placement team for the opportunity, I gained invaluable skills that I am proud to take forward with me in the future.
If you’re a student interested in doing a postgraduate placement visit our webpage for more information, or check out current opportunities at the Placements Portal
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