The summer after finishing university can be a daunting one; a brief respite from academic life in which thousands of graduates sit in limbo between the studies they’re leaving behind and the professional career they’re looking to build.
I had long considered a career in communications and the Seven Hills graduate internship seemed an ideal way to start laying the foundations. The enduring fear of every intern is that you will spend your time awkwardly twiddling your thumbs, awaiting the next call up to tea-making duty. However, I quickly discovered such a fear would never be realised at 33 Point Pleasant.
On my first morning I was welcomed and introduced to my ‘buddy’, Sophie Poston, the Campaign Executive I would be working closely with during my internship. The buddy system at Seven Hills means interns never feel forgotten about, providing a port of call for questions and a source of tasks to keep you contributing to office life.
I was soon sent a great stream of work, and by the end of my first week had been given the opportunity to write copy, practice pitching and attend client meetings.
The highlight of my internship was without a doubt helping the Cobra team launch Manoj Ladwa’s new book, Winning Partnership, which explores India-UK relations and the impact of Brexit. My role included pitching to media, arranging the logistics for the event and providing background research on the history of India-UK commercial relations for the keynote speeches.
Despite feeling rather out of my depth to begin with, under the guidance of the Seven Hills team, I (hopefully) provided useful assistance as an intern. The level of trust and responsibility that an intern is afforded from day one makes these placements enjoyable and rewarding – you feel part of the core team, not a spare part searching for something to do.
The Seven Hills graduate internship has confirmed that this is the industry I would like to work in, providing me with a fast-paced and extremely enjoyable two-weeks in which I met fantastic people, and worked on even more fantastic campaigns.
As told to Edward Baggaley