Are you thinking of applying? If so, check out what current Student Recruitment Intern Mia Schroder had to say about her experience so far.

What inspired you to apply for the University’s Marketing and Advancement intern scheme?
I decided to apply for the M&A intern scheme because there were multiple roles and so many projects across the University to get involved with. The application process matched you to a role that you were best suited for, which I thought would be quite fun as you can learn so many skills from a role you might not have considered before. I also thought it would be nice to stay in Loughborough, so it just made sense to apply!

What skills have you taken from your experience?
I’ve gained a lot from the internship; lots of skills, especially project management and managing my time properly. I know so much more about marketing, like how to use different communication methods to engage with various audiences as well as event management skills and how to manage a budget. I can apply this knowledge to the final year of my degree, as well as taking the skills I’ve gained into any future roles. It’s interesting to see how your team fits into a bigger organisation, and how your role can impact other areas of a business.

What have you enjoyed the most during your placement?
I love the team I work with and have made so many great friends, so I’ve enjoyed shadowing them all and assisting with the projects we have going on. My favourite project would probably have to be Maze Day, one of our on-campus events for younger students. Being asked to create a fake crime scene was so cool and something I never thought I’d be doing in a marketing job! It was really fun to be trusted with a budget and the set-up of an activity, as well as seeing how much the children enjoyed it.

How has it been adapting your role and working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic?
A large part of my role was travelling around the country and visiting schools, chatting with students and helping with on-campus events so it was strange to suddenly have to stop. Thankfully, we can still connect with students online and over the phone, and IT Services have been great so working from home was easy to switch to. I miss being in the office and working with people, though.

What advice would you give those who want to apply for the scheme?
The advice I’d give would be to make sure you really sell yourself by checking off each point on the job description, and that you have an example to demonstrate why you’d be a great fit for the role for each point. Tell them how you got the skills and why you’re confident your skillset would be suitable for the job. Go for it!

What’s your next goal after finishing your internship?
To graduate! I’m still going to be a part of my team as a Student Ambassador helping with events and projects, which I’ll be able to do this alongside completing final year. I might even get a bit of travelling in, but we’ll see how things go.

Mia’s line manager, Lisa Ambler commented: “I feel that both Mia and our other intern, Eleanor Raitt, brought an enormous amount of enthusiasm and interest to their roles. They were always keen to get involved and to learn more and this has led to them being involved in and trusted with a massive range of projects.

“They quickly became self-sufficient in the management of their own logistics for events and have each grown tremendously in terms of their transferable skills and knowledge of how a large employer operates.

“I believe that this internship offers an opportunity for a huge amount of development and growth in a role that is varied, exciting and challenging. I’d love the next interns to be excited, interested, personable, ready to learn and ready to accept a challenge, just like all our previous interns!”

For more information about the Marketing and Advancement internships – including how to apply and the person specification – visit the dedicated webpage.