We caught up with one intern, Shannon Berridge, to find out what inspired her to choose a summer internship and what it’s like working at Creative Quarter-based company, Strafe Creative. Shannon explained:
“As tempting as an Ibiza holiday would have been, being jobless this summer wasn’t really an option for me. But I didn’t particularly want a standard bar job on minimum wage either. I wanted a job that was going to really challenge me, harness my skill set, and allow me to improve upon any professional weaknesses.
So I signed up to The University of Nottingham Internship Scheme, which, as well as giving me a CV MOT and interview advice, acted as a platform to get in touch with their business partners who were looking for summer interns.
It was after many weeks of applications and interviews that Strafe Creative, an award winning creative agency, offered me the role of Studio Manager/Admin for the summer. Their services range from building websites to designing brochures, from logo creations to providing clients with branding strategies.
As an English student, working in such a young and creative environment has made me feel right at home! Every day at the office is varied, from having meetings with clients, making editorial changes to websites, and chasing up content and feedback from clients to make projects run smoothly and on time. Anything that makes the designers’ jobs a lot easier basically, and yes, there is tea and coffee making alongside these roles…
Being involved in a small team at Strafe Creative, your contributions are actually really important to the running of a project, and there’s nothing more satisfying that working with a client on a project from start to finish, and seeing the difference your efforts have made.
Now I’m over halfway through my internship, my CV is looking better than ever, I’ve made invaluable professional connections and brushed up on my previously very unpractised IT & digital skills and knowledge. Most importantly the internship has boosted my confidence that my English degree has made me employable, and the prospect of finding a job after graduating is suddenly a lot less scary!
So to all the young adults out there who are job hunting, I would highly recommend having a summer internship in Nottingham; you’ll improve on more than just your coffee-making skills.”
