Rewind 12 months as I braved the early morning London commute to start my role as the Marketing Executive for 11 Investments, a collective of boutique recruitment agencies comprised of 3Search, Executive Partnerships, The Sales Recruitment Company, Higher Capital Consulting and Altiora. Embarking on this journey, I had no idea what to expect – safe to say it was worlds away from working as a waitress in my local pub!
Hands down, the last year has taught me so much more than I could have ever imagined. What did I do? What have I learnt? What have I achieved?… Grab yourself a cup of tea and a ‘Tim Tam’ to read my journey!
What do I do?
This isn’t the first time I have been asked this question. Ultimately, the purpose of my role was to activate 11 Investments’ presence through digital marketing channels, increasing brand awareness and driving traffic to the company websites. As the business doubled in size, so did my responsibilities, and defining specifically what I do becomes a little tricky. From creating written and visual content for LinkedIn, managing multiple social media accounts and job boards, to producing engaging and relevant market update drops for our array of prestigious clients, no two days were the same.
Executive Partnerships pride themselves on their integrity and expertise, being passionate about continually improving their employee experience. With this focus, I was responsible for sending out regular surveys to the team to gain as much feedback on improvements the business could be making, as well as pushing for a more structured internal communications strategy, initiating placement alert emails to acknowledge and praise everyone’s successes across all brands.
I also dipped into the Operations world of the business, supporting with business incentives, the office move and attempting to be the ‘tech-expert’ for any issues or problems with laptops and phones.
Achievements
42 blogs written, an untold amount of job ads posted, four events organised and the launch of an exciting marketing campaign, I definitely have been kept on my toes!
I am extremely grateful and lucky enough to have been pushed into the deep end from the minute I walked in the door, being given the responsibility to take the lead and work on many projects. Whilst at times, things haven’t worked or gone to plan, it has been the most rewarding thing to see hard work and effort paying off. For instance, I almost doubled Executive Partnerships LinkedIn following from just under 3,500 to over 6,000– something I am extremely proud of.
A pivotal achievement, by far, was being involved in the office move. With 11 Investments growing at such a rapid rate, we soon outgrew the Covent Garden office. If you thought moving house was a challenge, try moving offices! Despite the obstacles and difficulties, it was a pleasure to be part of such a panicle part of the 11 Investments journey.
What have I learnt?
Apart from breaking out of my university routine and learning how to wake up before 11 am, I have gained new experiences from an angle that I didn’t expect to have exposure to.
Besides getting to grips with the term’s SEO and PPC, learning to navigate and maintain the back-end of a website has been a challenge in itself. Safe to say, I now like to think I am a wiz at WordPress, being able to edit and update content, create new landing pages and boost SEO to land on page one of Google.
Delivering compelling, engaging and innovative content was a large part of this role. Knowing the latest trends within our market and looking at what competitors were doing became integral to producing collateral that was unique and original. Small steps in trying new things and experimenting.
Being trusted to help organise and support in four company incentives and the ‘high-flyers’ trip to New York emphasised the importance of company culture and finding somewhere that fits in with your personality and way of working. Having an autonomous, transparent space is not for everyone and something to get used to!
Highlights
Where do I even begin? With such a unique and established culture embedded in the business, narrowing down my top highlights was a little more difficult than I expected.
By far, the standout of the show were the unforgettable incentives, or as we like to call them, quarterly bashes. From cooking in The Underground Cookery School, dressing up in golf attire for an evening at Swingers, to spending a luxurious day in a private box at Ascot for King George’s weekend, I quickly learnt the company knows how to celebrate in style!
Not forgetting the little things. Being awarded a bottle of champagne for winning the Team Player award is something I look back at and smile with gratitude and content, not forgetting watching one of my blog’s go viral for Executive Partnerships (well, 1,604 likes).
Graduate employability
Completing a placement within a start-up has opened my eyes to what it takes to build a successful career. This type of environment is not for everyone; it is autonomous, relentless at times and hard-working, but the rewards reap. Since working at 11 Investments, I appreciate the commitment and dedication that goes into starting a business, and I feel these values are now embedded into my work ethic.
Besides the invaluable skills you learn along the way and the 6.30am wake-up call, a solid 12-month placement will no doubt put you in good stead and differentiate you from every other Marketing student across the country.
Thank you
Last, but no means least, I would like to take this chance to say thank you! To Andy Sellers, Joe Curtis, Charlie Rawstron, Jordan Stern, Sam Church, Chris Shewry and Shane Coombes for saying yes and taking me on board over the last 12 months. Their support and guidance has not only led to my personal growth alongside the business, but has also put my foot in the right doors to pursue a (hopefully) successful career in Marketing.
I would also like to say a huge thank you to my Manager, Samantha Phillips. Not only did she break me out of my shell in my first few weeks, she really pushed and challenged my ability to always perform above and beyond. Without her continuous support and help, alongside our regular lunch-break trips to Zara, I wouldn’t have the knowledge, skill and confidence that I do today.
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To simply put it, this has been an unforgettable experience, something I will cherish forever. I look forward to raising a glass with you all on my last day, where I’m sure a few tears will be shed.
