Consumer Communications Assistant at Domino's
BA Philosophy, Religion and Ethics, 2017
What does your role involve?
My position sits within the Domino's Communications team and our role is to promote and protect brand reputation. My main responsibility is drafting press releases for new store openings (we opened 90 stores in 2017 - so around two a week!), creating media target lists and selling in the story to press. My role also involves handling all incoming press office calls, drafting social media posts, delivering media evaluation reports and assisting in the planning and execution of consumer campaigns.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
The thing I love most about my job is how different each day is and how each day brings a new challenge. My to-do list is always full with a variety of tasks; one minute I could be organising a pizza order for a celebrity, the next I could be drafting a reply to a story which has the potential to damage brand reputation.
What’s most challenging?
The most challenging thing has been learning to ‘switch off’. I love working in an extremely fast-paced environment, however always wanting to demonstrate your commitment and ambition can make it easy to burn out! I’ve quickly learnt how important self-care is and I always try to make time away from work to reflect and re-energise.
How did your time at Birmingham help prepare you for this role?
My degree helped me prepare for this role by expanding my organisational, time management and writing skills. As with any job in PR, my job entails constantly meeting deadlines and multitasking, so the skills I learnt when working on a plethora of essays at one time during my degree have been indispensable. The career advisers in Birmingham also played a key part in helping me prepare for this role, as ultimately I wouldn’t be in this role if my CV and cover letter had been thrown straight in the bin! Birmingham’s Careers Network service is one of the best in the country, and I learnt how to enhance my CV and write a cover letter through workshops and tailored one-to-ones. However, I would say I have developed the most valuable skills to prepare me for this role from opportunities outside of my degree, such as completing an internship, having a part-time job and getting involved in societies. Putting yourself out there and participating in extracurricular activities also shows an employer you are ambitious and gives you evidential points to talk about in an interview.
What advice would you give to students interested in your industry or role?
My advice would be to take advantage of the free time you get at university and get as much experience as you can. If you want to go into PR, get involved in university newspapers and magazines to help improve your writing skills. This will also give you an opportunity to meet students outside of your course, and it really helps to build a great network in this industry! Additionally, completing work experience at a local PR/Marketing agency can help you gain knowledge about the industry and will give you a head start by making you stand out from other candidates when you are applying for your first graduate job.