Benefits of Doing a Placement

Hi, I’m Sophie, and I have the absolute honour of being this years marketing placement student with Newcastle University’s Career Service. Despite me only going into my 3^rd month out of 12 here at placement, there have already been so many benefits that I must share with you all.

Like me, you might have been keen to complete a placement year ever since the beginning of your university journey to develop key skills and gain industry level experience. I’m not going to sugar coat it, getting a placement required a lot of determination and hard work. Nevertheless, it made obtaining this one even more rewarding.

Let me give you a bit of back story. A few months into my psychology degree I discovered that the School of Psychology professional placements were only available to students who had an average of 65+ in their first year. This motivated me to work extremely hard to get the grades in a subject I had never studied before, but unfortunately, my average came to 64%. I was devastated I’d narrowly missed the threshold criteria, however, I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason so I didn’t let this stop me.

I took matters into my own hands and started the quest of sourcing my own placement. I quickly discovered that psychology placements are incredibly difficult to find and like other placement applications, are extremely competitive. One day I stumbled across a Newcastle University Careers Service Instagram story which was promoting their marketing placement. This sparked an immediate interest as I was the Newcastle University Dance Club’s media officer 23/24. Out of curiosity I clicked on the link and instantly knew I had no choice but to apply.

Persevering with the application and interview process was 100% worth it, especially when I got the call to offer me the position. I would highly recommend you to be persistent with placement applications to earn a once in a lifetime experience.

By completing a placement you’ll gain so many valuable industry level skills, learn from experts in the field and discover if this area of work is for you.

Keep on reading to discover why I think completing a placement is so beneficial.

Gain industry level work experience

No day in the office is the same. One day I find myself in team meetings where discussions about career events or budgets are taking place, and the next I am completing social media reports or creating content for the @nclcareers Instagram. I have been given the incredible opportunity to have so much independence over the social media content, planning and creation, with the perfect amount of guidance from my colleagues with any task that is thrown my way.

Although I’ve only been at my placement for 2 months, I can confidently say I’ve already gained so much valuable experience that will hopefully result in me being more employable after university.

Get a taste of what working a 9-5 is like

A large majority of jobs will follow a 9-5 schedule. Luckily, I didn’t find this too tricky to adjustment to. as while I was at university I tried to keep a consistent working day approach (I do realise this isn’t the case for a lot of students). In my 2^nd year I particularly had numerous commitments in the evenings and weekends with being an active NCL Dance Club committee member, so I had to create good habits of completing my work in the day so I could enjoy my extra-curricular activities.

When I first started my placement, I put pressure on myself to always be productive and thought I wasn’t allowed to take breaks. This was a struggle, as when my concentration was off whilst studying, I would take a break and then go back to university work when I felt ready. I now know it’s more than ok to take a 10-minute breather to get a snack or distract myself and come back to the task later with a fresh mind.

Discover if the field of work is right you

Being on this placement has reaffirmed my desire to work in this field once I graduate from university. I thoroughly enjoy coming into the office, completing my daily tasks and being in the company of such a wonderful, supportive group of colleagues. I am desperately trying to cherish the fact sometimes I enjoy my work so much it doesn’t feel like “work”, which can be so rare to find in the workplace.

Learn from the experts

Despite me being on a marketing placement I have never studied marketing before, it is just something that I have an interest in. Luckily, I am surrounded by a lovely group of colleagues who do have backgrounds in this area, and they have already taught me so much.

Develop key skills

My placement has further enabled me to develop skills in areas such as communication, decision making and teamwork. It’s crucial to work collaboratively to get our jobs done successfully, be confident in making work related decisions and be proficient in time management to create and post content when planned.

Good for job applications

Thanks to my placement I will have fantastic practical experience, from copywriting, graphic design and social media management. All of which I can include in future job applications to demonstrate the skills I have.

Chance to apply academic knowledge in the workplace

As a psychology student, I am applying things I have been taught in my degree in my placement. Psychology, the study of the mind and behaviour, is crucial to apply in marketing to understand what influences our audience’s consumer behaviour. It is fascinating to see which content is more successful than others and why it captures and engages with them more.

Networking

During your placement you’ll create valuable connections in the industry and beyond. On my placement I have made connections with people in marketing as well as those who have different roles in other areas such as career consultants, internship and placement specialists.

Try something new

Completing a placement year allows you to have the chance to try out something not directly related to your degree. Although I am a psychology student I am doing a marketing placement which is providing me with an amazing new experience.

Financial benefits

Perhaps a slightly taboo topic but I am here to be completely honest. I am incredibly fortunate that my placement is paid so I have further developed fantastic financial independence skills this year. Whether you earn a salary, really depends on who your placement is with and what sector it is in. Some of my friends on my psychology course are not so fortuitous in their healthcare placements, as they do their work voluntarily.

I am incredibly fortunate for this experience and am beyond excited to see what the next 10 months will hold. 

If these benefits have motivated you to consider applying for placements, check out available vacancies on MyCareer and on @nclcareers. Also feel free to use our online resources to improve your applications so you stand out from the competition.