The latest in our blog series about the team here at Bullens is written by Holly McCormack. Holly is our Marketing Assistant and joined us in June. She is working with us for the next 12 months as part of her Business Studies degree at Liverpool John Moores University.
To think back a couple of months to April and May of this year; the idea that I would soon embark on a year-long placement within an industry that I intend to work within in my future career; was one that put a lot of doubt in my mind. The thought of producing covering letters and preparing for interviews whilst revising for my final exam period, having taken on an extra qualification, caused A LOT of stress! (something my Dad never fails to remind me of- apparently I was ‘A Nightmare!’). I somehow managed to come out of that stressful two month period not only with my sanity still intact, but also having secured a year-long placement as a Marketing Assistant here at Bullen Healthcare.
Despite looking forward to my first day at Bullens, I was nervous that my limited knowledge of urology and stoma products and the conditions that relate to the use of such appliances would hinder me in my role. However, I had nothing to worry about! During my first week at Bullens I received in depth training on all things stoma related. My team were also extremely friendly and welcoming which has made the whole experience more enjoyable and enabled me to settle into my role relatively quickly.
During the short time I have been in this role, I have expanded on my existing skill set and have learnt a number of new skills that will assist me in my future career role. Working as part of a team to work towards set targets is something that I had a lot of prior experience in; however within this role I have been able to see exactly how our individual contributions and that as a team ultimately benefit the business and understand how my input has helped towards that.
As an individual, I like to be challenged and have particularly enjoyed the diversity that this role provides. From managing our social media pages, to producing reports and inputting new leads; each task is different to the next and I enjoy that. I have been trusted to take on new tasks both from a Bullens perspective and also working alongside some of our partnering charities. I appreciate the opportunity that I have been given to take on these new tasks and have found the responsibility rewarding.
Despite only being in the first few months of my placement, I already feel that I have learnt a lot. Prior to starting at Bullens, I only had an academic understanding of marketing and whilst that has helped me when applying it to tasks that I have undertaken so far, it is the practical aspect of this role that has provided me with a greater understanding. I have witnessed first-hand the extent to how essential the role of marketing is to the success of a business and know that this is definitely something that I can apply to my studies going into my final year at University.
In the future I hope to work in branding. Being involved in the design of a company’s brand is something that I think I would enjoy. Branding is such an important aspect of marketing and is often what we as consumers recognise. I have previously enjoyed undertaking market research within industries that interest me as part of my studies at University and hope to work in a role where I could apply this. I am sure that my time here at Bullens will ultimately provide me with the skill set and knowledge to help me succeed in a marketing role in the future.
I am looking forward to working on new campaigns and undertaking new tasks during the rest of my time here. I am also grateful to work with such a great team and can honestly say that this has made my experience so far.