Graduating in 2020

Graduating in 2020 was tough; our final year of University was cut short, our graduation was still postponed, online lessons became the new normal, and the job market was pretty much non-existent. We finished our degree and was left to our own devices to find our way in the working world, which was evidently a very different world to the previous year. I handed in my dissertation, virtually of course, and decided I needed to find work, I applied for hundreds of jobs and waited to receive the same generic rejection email, time and time again; “You lack experience”, “Sorry, we are no longer hiring”, “Due to Covid-19 this job is no longer available” There were so many applicants for each position, the competition was fiercer than ever and with every rejection came a knock to my confidence. After what felt like an eternity of applications, I swear if I saw another ‘why would you like this position’ question I would have puked! I was finally offered my internship with the Elliott Scott Group and accepting it was one of the best decisions I have ever made! Over the last three months, I have been able to take the first steps into my career and have solidified that Marketing is the industry I would love to work in. 

I have gained so many skills and enhanced the ones I had already learned. No day has been the same and every task has been different, I have worked on projects across all brands associated with the Elliott Scott Group, from design work to data handling and everything in between. From the beginning I had my own responsibilities and had tasks that helped the business grow and develop, in turn, my skill set grew and developed with them. It is amazing to see the content that I create being used across the company's social media pages and beyond. One of my most memorable moments over the last 3 months would have to be designing the 10 year anniversary logo for Elliott Scott HR, which is being used on all branded items until the end of the year. Aside from design and content creation, communication is a big part of my job. Since joining the Elliott Scott team, I have gained exposure to so many different fields on an international level by interacting with colleagues across a multitude of countries. 

Working in the heart of the London has also had its perks, it has given me the chance to network and build a following on LinkedIn as well as learn about new cultures from our different offices globally. This company took me in when it felt impossible to get a job and for that I am forever grateful, I enhanced my skill set, I met the most amazing team and got to visit so many cool countries (virtually of course). Not only was I able to gain skills that I will take with me through my career journey but I have gained the confidence to know that I am able to do whatever I set my mind to and be an asset to my team. 

As I write this, I have recently received a temporary contract to stay with the Elliott Scott Group and could not be happier in my role as Group Marketing Assistant! Which I will dedicate as a nod to those who graduated during the pandemic and hope it shows other companies the resilience of a 2020 graduate.