Graduate Marketing & Events Executive Review

I am really pleased with all the experiences I've had as part of STFC. The support for early careers here is excellent, and you are really able to lead your own growth and development, which I have found hugely beneficial, given I've always sought to maximise this. I feel able to contribute, work well as both part of a team, and independently. You are able to get involved in a lot of projects and activities, and I'm really grateful to both my team/department for being able to facilitate this.

My main responsibilities are split across marketing and events. The general scope of the role is to work within the Business & Innovations Directorate to create impact, and encourage new business opportunities to STFC. In marketing, this includes fully-fledged social media campaigns, blogs/articles, and case studies. It includes graphic design/collateral, written abilities, and regular meetings to discuss objectives and goals, which are important to specify and work towards. In events, my role sits both internally and externally. I can work on bringing events together within STFC for retention and relationship building, and equally, I can spend time away from my desk at exhibitions, assisting with stand management to ensure colleagues can maximise business opportunities. The events processes include logistics such as time management, registration, agendas, and often include marketing tasks, like sending out newsletters and e-shots to support delivery.

I have always been extremely grateful to my team for trusting my competencies and really valuing both my opinion and contributions. I never feel like being early in my career has held me back - my team are encouraging, and delegate to me, demonstrating the trust they have in my ability, which I never take for granted. In terms of meaningful contributions, I am always looking at ways that as a team we can improve our processes in order to improve outcomes, and I am encouraged to use my creativity here at STFC to have those open discussions.

I would say that I do feel valued and rewarded for my efforts. At STFC, we have flexible working hours, which are really useful for other life commitments, and provide a real sense of work/life balance. The starting salary, considering I've just come out of university, is really great in my opinion, and is a good stepping stone. STFC also automatically enrols you onto a pension scheme, which is a considerable benefit, even this early on in my career.

I think what I really value about my role at STFC is that there is such a broad scope of activities and projects that I undertake, which I feel really contributes to any future career pathways, as I am balancing creative marketing tasks, with project management and communication skills. As previously mentioned, I am also encouraged to undertake different tasks that might be outside of my comfort zone. The graduate scheme in particular, has particular training options, for example, I have joined the CIM professional body since working here, which means I am developing my learning whilst working on the job. I also actively attend training sessions and webinars, both as part of STFC and CIM, to broaden my learning further. I will also be undertaking a 3-month placement as part of my scheme, which will allow me to develop away from my main team and have a different experience I can take forward with me.

I can't begin to thank my line manager enough for her support. She has become a huge inspiration to me, and I am always learning from her perseverance, dedication, and the high standards she reaches for. But I think what I value most about her is that she's also a human being, who recognises capacity and has provided support both practically and mentally. She listens, values my opinion, and is also able to have potentially difficult conversations if she needs to. Her leadership is one of the biggest things I will take away from my time at STFC and I'm continually grateful for her belief in me. I'm also grateful to my wider team, who are generally a pleasure to work with, and I learn from everyone, regardless of levels of seniority. This has been one of my highlights of my time here.

I have to admit, I find it sometimes difficult to switch off from work, but this is an entirely personal flaw at times. Over time, I've come to recognise the importance of prioritisation and a healthy work/life balance, and I try to meet this as much as I can. In terms of STFC themselves, I can't fault their focus on balance, and the flexible working hours really go towards this.

STFC is really inclusive, to the point where everyone's opinion genuinely matters and people's wellbeing is taken seriously. I've always felt supported here. I also think the culture makes it a really nice place to work. They are also really accommodating to hybrid working, which is really helpful to achieve a level of balance, especially if you're someone who finds that being in the office all the time doesn't make you as productive.

STFC have a really solid ED&I policy and it is an expectation on all staff APR's that these goals are met. For example, in my role, for an event, we have to consider how we can encourage attendance for groups who are less represented. And in marketing, we have to follow digital accessibility guidelines for content creation.

Yes

I feel genuinely supported here, in both my wellbeing and my development. In particular for early career development, it's a great place to develop your confidence and to learn a variety of skills.

As I was here as a placement student too, I knew the expectations of my role, and they were met. I like the fact that I'm now taking on greater responsibility as a graduate.