My name is Ieva. I studied Business Management and Marketing at Brunel University London and I graduated with 2.1 almost 2 years ago now.
1. Tell me how you got your role and what the job-hunt process was like.
After graduating from university I took a summer off, traveled, came back to London and desperately needed a job. A month later I found myself in a facilities management company working as a Marketing Graduate. I thought it will only be a stopover for a couple of months before going to another ‘more serious’ position, but I ended up working there for one year and I’m actually very glad I did!
During that time I focused a lot on my self-development and developing the right marketing skill-set to help me get a better job. Then Lucy from DM4G found me on LinkedIn and suggested that I might like to try her Digital Marketing 4 Grads Search Engine Marketing course. While doing the course I was actively looking for a new job. Ideally, I wanted to work in the conferences and events sector. I applied to all jobs through every job-hunting website, LinkedIn, and I directly sent emails to relevant companies. I attended at least 3 interviews a month with no luck.
In total, I applied to more than 250 jobs over a period of 4-5 months.
Then finally one day I’ve received an invitation for an interview at a major conferences company and after two stages of interviews they asked me to prepare a final task which was to critically evaluate their website, mobile app and give suggestions for future growth and marketing strategy etc.
Lucy has helped me a lot, giving me suggestions and tips on how to prepare myself better for the interview. Also, I already knew quite a lot from the DM4G training as I was almost at the end of it. So, I nailed the final interview and got the job!
Now, I am a marketing manager in the company, leading an international event series for capital-raising and mining investment. I have been here only 2 months, but next week I’m traveling to the Philippines for a business trip, then to Helsinki for my first event. After that I have an event in London and only God knows where I will be next!
2. What do you enjoy most about your role?
This job role is super-hectic, busy, and stressful – I never know what to expect from each day as everything can change 10 times a day – strategy, opinions, delegates, sponsors, emails etc. But even though it’s quite demanding, I am enjoying every minute of it – I need to be super-organised and on top of everything and that’s what I’m good at – I like it when I know what I’m doing, and I like to tick things off my to-do list and be in charge of things!
3. What are your main daily activities as a Marketing Manager at an events company?
My main daily activities are:
- Taking care of the event website where I update content daily, I take care of the visual side and promote it through Google AdWords pay-per-click advertising.
- I find media partners who will promote the event through their network (research, emails, partnership agreements, planning, deadlines, supervision and checking if everything is done, arranging interviews etc.)
- I send targeted email campaigns promoting the event (data research, segmentation, copywriting, setting up campaigns and HTML emails, daily reporting and following up on replies).
- I also do social media, mostly LinkedIn and Twitter (engaging with the audience, writing relevant and engaging posts, and managing groups).
4. What is your work environment like?
I work in London city centre, just next to St. Pauls; the area is always buzzing – full of office employees, long queues for takeaway lunches, but I enjoy it all a lot! I work in an open-plan office and sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming to try to focus when 20 other people are talking around me, but that’s something I need to learn. Music sometimes helps!
I work in a male-dominated environment, most of them are in their 30s, super friendly and relaxed, so I cannot complain! Everyone is very supportive and helpful. I am not afraid to ask questions which helps you to learn quickly too!
5. Any top tips for graduates looking to work as a Marketing Manager?
My top tips for Graduates looking to work as a digital marketing exec would be to get some sort of training first, whether it’s online training, reading theory in a book or chatting with an expert. It makes a huge difference once you are confident during an interview and you know exactly what are you talking about.
Also never give up trying and applying because you never know when you will get that dream job. For some of us, it can happen after one try, for others, like me, it can take months and months of applying before succeeding. Everyone has their own path and the most important thing is to believe in yourself!
If Ieva’s story inspired you why not read more ‘How I Started’ profiles? Or perhaps it’s time to up-skill with online training, get work experience or start Finding A Job.