My Placement at Xtra Mile Marketing

Thomas Culpan

Business with Marketing BA(Hons)

Hi, I'm Tom, a final year student in the Huddersfield Business School at the University of Huddersfield. I'm here to share my experience on placement.

Hi, I’m Tom, a final year student here at the University of Huddersfield currently studying Business with Marketing. In this blog, I will be telling you all about my year out on placement with Xtra Mile Marketing, a Yorkshire-based digital marketing and web development agency. Starting with how I found my placement, my roles, and responsibilities whilst working there as well as sharing the advice I have learned along the way!

1. How I got my placement

When I began looking for my placement, I knew I wanted to work in the world of marketing, however due to the pandemic there were fewer placement opportunities than there would have been in previous years. When researching local marketing agencies, Xtra Mile Marketing stood out as it had previously taken on University of Huddersfield students .

The application process was informative and easy involving a relaxed in-person chat before a team bonding session in the on-site gym. This was a regular occurrence when working in the office and helped blend a great work-life balance, a dedicated time for personal development and really helped me feel a part of the team.

2. Who is Xtra Mile Marketing?

As previously mentioned, it is a digital marketing and web development agency based locally in Cleckheaton and owned by University alumnus Robert Hunter-Paul, another huge reason why I was excited to take my placement there.

it offers a wide range of digital marketing practices to external businesses including website development, website grading, social media, content, inbound marketing, and account-based marketing.

A white male wearing glasses with a hard part fade hair style smiles back at the camera, the background is a well lit gym. Subject is holding a large kettlebell.

Having an on-site gym was just one a few amazing perks available at Xtra Mile

3. My roles and responsibilities

During my time at the company, I was tasked with many different roles and responsibilities, and it helped me try my hand at everything I could expect when leaving university and really see what I enjoyed doing. I was also able to provide content for companies in a wide variety of industries which also helped widen my learning.

I was employed as a Marketing Executive and my main job role and responsibility was in social media content creation. This entailed creating and drafting social posts for external companies across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter which involved acquiring images from other members of the team and writing copy based on products, services, and anniversary dates.

I also helped create wire frameworks for new website builds, collate and present monthly analytic reports for all clients as well as general day-to-day tasks around the office.

4. What I gained

My placement allowed me to not only build and develop my workplace skills, but also allowed me to grow as a person and earn industry-specific certificates and software knowledge on the way which I can take into my graduate life.

Working as part of a team on a daily basis allowed me to vastly develop my communication, teamworking, and organisational skills as I needed to stay on track in order for the team to also stay on track. I enjoyed the challenge as well as an increase in responsibility which are important skills to take into my final year and further.

I was also able to gain skills in industry software such as Trello, Hootsuite, HubSpot, and Slack and had full access to the HubSpot Academy where I was able to obtain certifications in industry practices, such as Content and Inbound Marketing and Social Media Marketing, which I would not have been able to access and achieve without my placement.

A typical boardroom, a large white table centres the room, blue tiled carpet fills the large room with plenty of natural light.

5. Life after placement

I am now deep into my final year at the University, and I have already noticed the benefits of taking my placement year. I have more knowledge and experience around module topics which has helped me produce better work for my assignments as well as manage my time better to make the most of my time left before graduating.

The experience I gained is also invaluable for my CV and will help me find a job and set me above other potential candidates as well as giving me the potential to continue working for the company once I graduate; I really could not recommend it enough!

6. Final Advice

Don’t fear rejection – apply for as many placements and job roles as you can, hearing no is okay and there are endless opportunities out there for you when you look hard enough!
No one expects you to be an expert - I know it can feel daunting joining a new team without experience, but don’t worry they don’t expect you to know everything and will help you all the way.
Enjoy it - it is a unique experience to get a taste of the working world, so remember to make the most of it and enjoy the chance.

In conclusion, I would recommend Xtra Mile Marketing as an option for your placement year, the team is great, and helpful and will provide you with the perfect experience of the working world. Obtaining a placement is something I’ll never regret and has given me key skills for life.

An outdoor deck with lots of tables and chairs set out cabaret style with a lush green forest in the background

Another bonus of working at Xtra Mile- working at this location was a regular occurrence, weather permitting of course!

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