Hannah H.
About me
| Hannah H. | |
| Sociology | |
| Sociology | |
| Undergraduate | |
| Alcuin | |
| 1999 | |
| United Kingdom |
My employment
| Marketing | |
| United Kingdom |
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A day in the life of a Marketing in the United Kingdom
My career goals when I graduated
Initially I had no idea what I wanted to do, so I took some time temping and travelling and then applied for jobs when I returned and was more focused on pursuing a career in marketing. My limited experience in the finance sector helped me gain my first role as a marketing assistant.
My career history
I worked hard in my marketing assistant role to gain additional industry qualifications in finance and obtain the CIM Advanced Diploma in Marketing (as it was known then) in my own time. I tried to learn as much as I could from others around me, get involved in different projects and progressed to manage the marketing team.
My next role was for a division of a merchant bank in the City and gave me exposure to institutional clients as well as the financial adviser clients I worked with previously. The divisions I worked for underwent a series of mergers and my role expanded to head an enlarged marketing team with multiple investment offerings to institutional, financial adviser and private clients.
My roles since then have been for a variety of businesses in the alternative investment and wealth management sectors. I have focused on working for companies where there has to date been little or no marketing function, or a team that wasn't working as effectively as it could, helping to turn them into well run, effective and profitable teams. I enjoy working for smaller companies where I can be involved in many aspects of the business that may be outside the role in a larger organisation.
What has helped my career to progress
My eagerness to keep learning, be willing to roll my sleeves up and get involved in anything that's thrown at me and networking with colleagues throughout the industry.
Keeping up to date with marketing developments and applying them to our industry.
Courses taken since graduation
Investment Admin Qualification, CIM Advanced Certificate in Marketing, various finance/compliance training course and personal development courses such as presentation training.
How my studies have helped my career
My degree wasn't specifically relevant to my career, however the time management, organisational and 'thinking' skills that I learned, have been invaluable.
What surprised me about my career so far
How many businesses haven't really taken marketing 'seriously' to date and are only now looking at their brand reputation, social media etc. Finance as an industry is always a late adopter to marketing ideas, allowing us to see the impact of technology on other sectors first, but in my opinion needs to catch up and this is an area where new graduates could really make a difference in my view.
Where I hope to be in 5 years
I'm considering working on a freelance business to fit better into family life. My aim is to be a consultant supporting businesses who want to make their marketing more effective, or start marketing themselves for the first time. Helping them set up a strategy and training and developing someone within the business to run this for them, remaining accessible to them should they need further assistance in the future. I've started networking more locally to home in order to identify if there's a sufficient market for this.
My advice to students considering work
Try and get as much experience as you can in the workplace.
Although many graduates seek roles with big well known companies, consider working for smaller businesses, where you can potentially learn more, get thrown into the deep end, getting exposure to many aspects of the company without a formal graduate scheme.
Ensure your social media profiles are up to date and look at how you represent yourself publicly before you start job hunting,
My advice about working in my industry
Try and read as much as you can and familiarise yourself with terminology before interviews. Nobody expects you to know anything, but an understanding of what the role may entail is hugely advantageous. Follow companies you are interested in on social media, think about how they portray themselves.
It is a highly regulated industry, be willing to continue studying once you've graduated and take more specialist industry qualifications.
Other advice
Make the most of the holidays before you graduate to travel, get work experience at home and abroad. Find a career you enjoy. Life is too short to hate your job!
Contacting me
Do get in touch if I can help.
What I do
I lead the marketing team for a Wealth Management Company based in the City. Core to my role is the development and management of a marketing strategy for the firm and the subsequent implementation to increase brand awareness. Marketing activities can include brand development, copywriting and production of compelling marketing materials, digital marketing including social media, PR activities and event management.
Skills I use and how I developed them
Organisational skills have fortunately always been a strength of mine and are much needed in my role, to help me juggle multiple projects and tasks. I have worked hard to develop my management skills, to help develop my team members and help them work towards achieving their career goals.
What I like most
Every day is different. I enjoy that I can see a direct impact from the activities I undertake, raising awareness of the company, helping ensure the team are better aware of news within the business and so on.
What I like least
Marketing can be a subjective area, and there are always those in a business who don't like some of the aspects of what we work on. I have to take time to explain why we are doing something a particular way, and learn to not take any criticism personally.
Sometimes there are just not enough hours in the day!
Next steps...
If you like the look of Hannah ’s profile, the next steps are down to you! You can send Hannah a message to find out more about their career journey. If you feel you would benefit from more in-depth conversations, ask Hannah to be your mentor.