Lyndsay Souter

Name: Lyndsay Souter
Club 21 Employer: Glasgow City Marketing Bureau
Degree Subject: English Literature
Year of Graduation: 2011

With my final year of University imminently approaching and the realization that I would soon be thrust into the ‘real’ world of graduate employment, I needed to think seriously about what I planned to do following the conclusion of my University career.

Students must be aware that, with few exceptions, a degree is no longer an employer’s main concern. Whilst it is an invaluable and attractive tool to an employer, it is simply not enough in today’s highly competitive job market. Like many of my peers, the only practical work experience I had was part-time employment. Although this is not to be discounted, I desperately needed something to stand out from the crowd.

And so I turned to Club 21. With a plethora of work experience placements advertised on their comprehensive website, it was a Marketing and Public Relations Internship with Glasgow City Marketing Bureau that immediately caught my eye.

Until this point, I had never contemplated a career in the Marketing and Public Relations industry. In truth, I had very little knowledge about the culture and practices of these sectors. Consequently I viewed this internship not simply as an excellent opportunity to apply basic interpersonal skills to a setting outside the academic classroom, but also as a way of participating in a placement which was so different to any career I had previously considered.

I started my internship with the Marketing Bureau mid-June and from my very first day I was involved in every aspect of Marketing and Public Relations. I supported the Marketing team in organizing stunts in cities across Scotland and Ireland to promote the World Pipe Band Championships. I also coordinated reader competitions for the airline company Aer Lingus and, along with my Marketing Manager and colleagues from the Convention Bureau, I orchestrated the research and production of two-hundred delegate bags for a major Glasgow conference.

For the Public Relations side of the placement, I was invited to attend a photo-call in the newly refurbished The Briggait for the launch of the Merchant City Festival. The photo-call - which involved an aerialist performing an acrobatic display atop an eight-by-eight metre aerial rig -was attended by a variety of media organizations including the BBC, STV, The Herald and Evening Times newspaper group and GMTV Scotland. I was also involved in the evaluation of the Merchant City Festival’s media coverage in addition to creating presentation folders which showcased the Festival’s extensive online and newspaper coverage.

At every turn, Glasgow City Marketing Bureau provided me with the opportunity to develop my working knowledge of the Marketing and Public Relations industry. In consequence of working on almost every major event taking place during the summer months, my communication, teamwork and leaderships skills have developed enormously - beyond what I ever expected.

At no point during my placement was I ever made to feel like an ‘intern’ - an issue which I suspect is a concern for many students considering work experience. Instead, I was fully integrated into the team. From the start I was accepted as an employee, with every member of staff regularly offering help and support. The work placement has been so fantastic that in the short space of twelve weeks, I have progressed from knowing almost nothing about Marketing and Public Relations to now seriously considering pursuing a career in these sectors.   

Not only that, but the assistance I received from Club 21 – from my initial application right through to my End of Placement meeting – has been outstanding. I would strongly urge any student considering participating in a Club 21 placement to stop considering. Rather, just do it. You most definitely will not regret it.