Micro-placement profile

Ryan Seller, BA English 2018

Account Executive at The Comms Co

What do you study?

I study English. For as far back as I remember, reading has always been a passion of mine. Being able to study something that is a hobby and that I really enjoy is a dream come true.During my studies at Royal Holloway, I’ve honed and developed my analysis, close-reading and writing skills.
How did you hear about the micro-placement scheme?In second year, I heard about the micro-placement scheme through the English department and saw it as the perfect opportunity to secure an internship and get experience in PR.

Where did you complete your micro-placement?

My month-long micro-placement was with PR tech agency CommsCo.

What did you enjoy most about your placement?

Writing is an integral part of English and I was really pleased that I got to write on a daily basis. CommsCo is a dynamic environment where I was able to apply my skills to various forms of writing, from creating blogs for clients and curating content for their social media platforms.I liked the diverse workload and it was satisfying to be allocated tasks and see my work published.

What did you learn while on your placement?

CommsCo is a small company of less than ten people, so I literally got to sit at the table with the team and get lots of direct hands-on experience. Their ethos is team-centric and they share the workload. My internship confirmed that I definitely want a graduate career in PR and that I don’t want an ‘ordinary’ job. I’m motivated and want to look forward to going to work every day and be able to apply what I’m good at and see the results.My business acumen also increased in this environment. I realised while interning that commercial awareness is an important skill in a professional environment, even if your role is creative. I had the raw PR skills such as writing and social media but putting it into action in that environment took it to a whole new level.

How has the Careers & Employability Service helped you during your studies?

I was initially interested in a career in journalism but was aware that it may be difficult to secure a graduate role so I used the Prospects website to discover my other options, and PR caught my attention.I attended an alumni panel during the Careers & Employability Service’s Marketing, PR & Event Management week and that’s when I really realised that I wanted to go into PR. The speaker was Head of PR for a fashion brand and as I also love fashion, I realised that I had the potential to combine both of my interests in a career. It was a game changer for me! He was a recent graduate from the university and had risen through the ranks in that company quite quickly.Before then, I didn’t fully understand what was involved in PR, but I could relate to him and the other panellists. It was good to hear what they did on a day-to-day basis, and they were really passionate about their roles. A career in PR suddenly became very achievable.

What else have you done during your studies to increase your employability?

CommsCo

In my final year, I still worked two days a week at CommsCo where I wrote a variety of content and ensured that all copy fits the brand tone for each client and is tailored to the relevant platform. I also supported colleagues with their campaigns. CommsCo supported me with my personal development with weekly skills sessions with different team members on an area of PR which allowed me to develop my communication, content pitching and public-speaking skills. I now have concrete skills that I can add to my CV and LinkedIn profile.I’m often asked how I balanced my part-time job with my studies – I learned how to manage my time effectively and have found that I’m actually more focused and productive the busier I am!

Transworld

I also sourced two weeks’ work experience for the summer of second year with the publishers Transworld which is a division of Penguin Random House. I was placed in their publicity department where I sat in their large open plan office and got a taster of the various aspects of the business.It’s a large global company and it was interesting to see how the concept of teamwork is applied. I had the opportunity to see how the Publicity and marketing reams work alongside one another and combine the creativity of PR with the scientific and analytical approach of marketing.It was a really positive experience to see that I already had skills at that point in my degree that could be immediately put into action in the workplace. I drafted and designed press releases for example in that time. I was comfortable writing but then had to upskill on the design and formatting side of the process which I’d never done before. To get positive feedback was a real confidence-booster as I felt I could already contribute, and my internship confirmed that this definitely was the right career path for me.

Enactus Royal Holloway

I managed the day-to-day running of Enactus Royal Holloway as a Committee Member. I attended regular meetings to coordinate events and aid the management of approximately 50 active members.I was recruited as one of nine Social Media Ambassadors for Enactus UK, using all of my accounts to promote the National Competition and organisation internationally. I developed my interpersonal and networking skills by promoting the society at various events through speaking to students on a personal level and encouraging them to join. Through the society, I built strong relationships with business advisors from sponsor companies suchas Enterprise Rent-A-Car as well as lecturers from Royal Holloway and advisors from Enactus UK.

What would your advice be to current students who are considering doing a placement?

A placement is the ideal way to discover if a particular career is right for you or not. It’s a really useful way to see how your degree skills can be applied in a real-world workplace and in my case, it was a huge confidence booster that I was on the right track and that I have a future career, all of which helped me focus on the final year of my studies and get hired after graduation.

Find out more about the micro-placements scheme.