Job searching is hard. Graduate job searching is even harder. So, looking for a graduate job during a pandemic in the marketing space? It’s been a long summer.
Job searching is hard. Graduate job searching is even harder. So, looking for a graduate job during a pandemic in the marketing space? It’s been a long summer – but I got my dream graduate job, and this blog post is all about exactly how it went down.
Graduating In A Pandemic
I handed in both my dissertations a mere three days before the UK went into national lockdown. I was then stuck in Oxford until June due to the travel restrictions. Thankfully, I was staying with my boyfriend – but graduating without any of the celebrations we’d been expecting, or being able to see our friends, was difficult. Then came the realisation that I needed to somehow find a job, in the middle of a pandemic, and I was not at all prepared.
Figuring Out The Dream
I began applying for jobs once I handed in my last assignment. I had no real idea what industry I wanted to enter. I knew that I liked writing and I had a bit of blogging experience – so I ran with it. I started researching social media and digital marketing as careers. I’ve loved the concept of marketing from a distance, but the more I learnt about it, the more I wanted to turn it into my career. Marketing is such a big field and there are many component parts – including copywriting and content writing.
Build A Portfolio
I collected together the best blog posts I had and decided it wasn’t enough. So, I set out to write for free and build up a portfolio. I did pieces of copywriting, I did blogging for my university student union, and I also volunteered to post on social media for a mental health charity. This combination of things meant I could build up a portfolio. At the time I wasn’t sure it would help – but now, looking back, I know that this was the single best thing I could’ve done at the time.
Applications
The first ten, twenty, thirty job applications had me very excited and eager to hear back… only to be faced with deafening silence. Months passed and I moved back home. Thirty job applications turned into fifty, fifty into a hundred, and then I stopped counting because it was a difficult reality to face.
Freelancing
I had one interview for a digital media position at a start up (my dream type of company to work for!), but I wasn’t quite the right fit for the role… which was disappointing, but they were also looking for a freelance content writer and asked me if I was interested. Of course I was! The idea of freelancing quickly made me fall in love and while I was waiting for a response, I started the copy&bake Instagram as a way to get into freelancing in case this opportunity didn’t work out. I did a decent amount of work through Fiverr and Instagram. Freelancing was truly a lifeline when I was struggling with the emotional reality of being newly unemployed during a pandemic.
Part Time At A Startup
The start up got back in touch and invited me in for a chat! I leapt at the change, even with the slight threat of travelling in London during a pandemic. I was already familiar with the area they’re based in and quickly felt at home in the (very small, but very friendly) office. I spent the first week being incredibly overwhelmed (first office job, hello there!) because it was such a shift from what I was used to, but I soon settled in and found my feet.
Finally, A Full Time Role
Here’s where it gets interesting! When I started as a freelancer, the idea of eventually turning full time was brought up. Now, being the cynic I am – and considering the pandemic scenario – I was expecting my freelancing career to be lasting a minimum of six months… but in just two weeks, I was offered a full time role! So, that’s where I’ve been for the past month: working my first full time job in an office, in my dream graduate role, for my dream start up company!
What now?
I am a full time content writer slash digital marketing intern for a luxury homeware ecommerce brand. My responsibilities include writing PPC (pay per click!) ad copy, product descriptions, customer service email templates, product category descriptions, and more! I work with the head of marketing and CEO on a daily basis and really do get to play a vital role in the company of just fifteen people.
Copy&Bake began as a way to get into the marketing industry. Through a lot of hard work and a lot of luck, I found my way in – with zero professional connections and no work experience or prior internships. Copy&Bake is a place to share my journey from English graduate towards being a fully-fledged marketing professional. Make sure to subscribe to copy&bake to get notified when a new post goes up, and follow me on Instagram for all the in-between bits!
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