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My first week at work by Kate Leonard

My name is Kate Leonard,  I am 16 years old, and I have recently finished my GCSEs at Wakefield Girls’ High School. During the summer, as part of my aim to make my CV stand out to future employers, I have been working with Jackie Cook, Managing Director of CQ Strategic Marketing on a work experience placement for the past week. As well as improving my CV, I think that it is important to gain an understanding of what working life is like, so that eventually, when I finish full time education, working won’t come as a shock. I have learnt a lot during my work experience placement at CQ Strategic Marketing and feel that it has improved my confidence greatly.

 

This week, I have visited many of CQ’s clients including Rollem, LBBC Technologies, Red Dog Linings and The work-wise Foundation. I have learnt about what each company does by taking part in meetings, asking questions and being shown around the different factories. I have found this very interesting as prior to my week at CQ Strategic Marketing, I had little to no experience of the different types of manufacturing and engineering that existed. It was fascinating to learn how the companies were managed and how each one differed from the other. I have also taken part in a meeting to prepare for the Get Up to Speed event in March 2019. This has taught me about the time and effort required to prepare huge and important events such as this.  During the week, I have learnt about a number of different software packages that are used on a day to day basis in working life, such as Word Press which is used for designing websites, Adobe Illustrator for creating logos and artwork and Adobe InDesign for creating newsletters and brochures. I have written social media posts and learnt how to schedule them on a site called ‘Buffer’, and written a couple of news stories that were recently posted on the CQ Strategic Marketing website.

 

Considering I am going to Greenhead College in Huddersfield next year, to study for A -Levels in Maths, Economics, and Spanish, I am hoping that this experience will give me an advantage when looking for future work, something that some of my peers may not have.  Although I have never really had a certain idea of what I would like my career to be like, this week, I have been lucky enough to experience a world of work, giving me the information that I need to make important decisions about my future career.

 

Jackie Cook said “Kate has spent the week with myself, attending client meetings and been involved in writing news articles and social media for ours and our clients businesses. Kate is an intelligent, engaging and well presented young woman with a willingness and interest in learning.”