This week we welcomed two new team members; Catherine who is taking on the role of Marketing and Business Support Officer and Alex in role of Technology Journalist.
Both on a LJMU funded 20-day Internship placement, they hope to gain valuable experience at Sensor City which will help kick-start their future careers.
We asked them to share some insight into their student lives, their reasons for undertaking an Internship and what they’re looking forward to learning, and this is what they had to say:
Initial introductions
Alex: I have just begun my internship at Sensor City. I am delighted to have been selected for this internship and I hope that I can help Sensor City whilst also learning and experiencing life in a marketing department.
Catherine: To give you a little insight to myself, I am a 2nd year student at LJMU currently studying Business with Marketing. I am very excited to start this new role, as I believe it will give me a lot of insight into the career I would like to pursue and provide me with a lot of experience.
What made you apply for this role at Sensor City and what do you hope to gain from this?
Catherine: What had drawn me to the Sensor City internship is what the company specialises in. Although, it is a bit out of my comfort zone as I don’t really know much about technology, I have always been interested. I thought Sensor City would be able to provide me with a lot of knowledge about this sector but also offer a range of experience into the Marketing career I am enthusiastic to pursue. The main goal I hope to achieve from this internship is to gain a range of experience in marketing, to have a good time and maybe even have the chance to undertake a future placement in marketing with Sensor City.
What jobs will you be doing at Sensor City?
Alex: I will be assisting in writing a two-page article about Sensor City for UKSPA based on our technical and business support services, drawing on case studies from successfully delivered projects. Also, I will be helping to write up profile pieces about resident members and create content for a range of online channels.
What part of technology are you most interested in?
Catherine: The area of technology that interests me the most is how much it has changed and is always developing. This interests me because before digitalisation, technology was much more basic and people could live without using it in their day to day lives. Now, people would struggle without technology (this being something like the internet or their mobile phone, something I struggle to live without), and people can’t help but use technology at work, as most jobs require the use of at least one form of technology. Therefore, it must always be developing to keep up with demands.
How are you finding your internship so far?
Alex: I am enjoying it! At first I was a bit apprehensive as I didn’t know what to expect, but it has been good and I am learning a lot about what it’s like to work in marketing.
Why have you chosen to take the path towards a marketing career?
Catherine: I believe that everything needs a selling point, whether this be a product or a business. Everything that needs marketing also requires an understand of its customer/consumer, such as their habits, to understand how to make a sale and keep getting them to continue buying their product. I find this interesting as it involves research but also creativeness as you must use many different platforms to market a business/product. My favourite activity is the use of social media which falls under digital marketing.
Alex: I am interested in Digital Marketing mainly and would like to pursue that area of marketing more specifically. I am interested in how a company can be using a marketing technique on a customer without that customer even realising that the post they are reading is actually an advertisement for something.
What had drawn you to move to Liverpool?
Catherine: I am originally from London and moved to Liverpool for university. The initial reason for moving to Liverpool was because LJMU had a good business school and I believed I would get a lot of opportunities studying here. Also, moving away would help me gain a lot of independence and help me develop life skills I wouldn’t necessarily have learnt if I stayed at home. Another reason is that Liverpool seemed like it would have provided me a great student experience (which it has done!) and it is much cheaper than London.
What are your passions and hobbies outside studying?
Alex: I like football. I am a big Liverpool fan and share a season ticket on the Kop with my brother. However, if you are busy it’s maybe best to avoid the subject, as I could end up taking up your whole day talking about the reds.
Catherine: One of my main passions outside studying is animals. What I mean by this is that I love to have animals and help them; I am even vegetarian! My favourite animal being cats and owning 3 myself. I have also previously volunteered for animal charity shops and would like to volunteer more in the future. One of my main hobbies is exercising at the gym. This is because I quite like to stay healthy as it keeps my mind healthy for university and work.