Name: Zelda Zemzare

Sitting at my desk at Amplicon

Course: BA (Hons) Advertising

Where are you originally from? Latvia

Why did you decide to come to BU? I wanted to study advertising and after meeting BU representatives at a university fair, the course at BU sounded like the perfect fit for me.

Placement company: Amplicon

Placement job title: Marketing Assistant

Three words to describe your placement: interesting, fast paced and valuable!

Most interesting part of your placement? Learning from industry professionals and learning how to apply theory I learned in university. It was exciting to get my first real role and work on international marketing projects. I particularly enjoyed writing press releases and creating a social media strategy for the company.

Hardest aspect of your placement? Adjusting to the 9 to 5 work day and constantly being on the lookout for things to improve.

Most enjoyable aspect of your placement: Being creative, participating in meetings and brainstorming ideas for social media or internal communications.

What have you learned that you never thought you would have this year? How to except and receive constructive criticism and feedback.

What gave you the most satisfaction during placement year? Working in a dynamic business environment, where I had the chance to step out of my comfort zone and accept new challenges everyday.

Two tips for future placement students: Start applying early, however, don’t apply for placements that don’t really interest you. It is scary and the panic might takeover, and you might start using a scatter gun approach and apply for everything. Do take the time to figure out what you really want to do. It doesn’t have to do something you want to do for the rest of your life. Just think about what interests you at the moment. Doing something you are passionate about is so much more rewarding.

One example of how BU supported you during your placement: When I was applying for the placement, the Faculty Placement Office was very helpful with reviewing my CV and giving tips about how to improve it.

One example of how your course prepared you for the placement: I was surprised how much the course work helped me during my placement. As most of our lecturers are previous advertising industry experts they were able to prepare me to give presentations to a high, professional standard and it was positively noted by my colleagues.

Future career goal: To work in HR.

How has your placement helped focus your future plans? It has made me re-evaluate my future goals and realise what truly matters to me.

Zelda’s LinkedIn profile

From the supervisor….

What has it been like having Zelda on your team? Zelda is a nice addition to my team as she has fitted in very well. I’m very pleased with her performance so far.

What made her stand out from the other applicants? She was very well spoken with a good marketing background, and demonstrated a hard-working attitude.

For a student applying for a placement with you, what are 3 things you expect to see on their CV?

• An interest in marketing and new technologies
• Involvement in marketing activities
• Their own website or blog.

Any other tips for students looking for placements? Demonstrate a passion for marketing and the technologies around it

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