After graduating from Oxford University this summer, I was unsure which direction I wanted to take in my career plans. I was keen to work in fashion retail and PR, and thought that finding an internship would give me the experience I needed to help me move into this industry.

Within a few days of signing up with WEXO, I found an internship with Claudia Bradby Ltd, a luxury jewellery business based in Hampshire. The business is small but expanding, and was looking for a PR and Marketing intern to help them move forward – particularly in their use of social media.

After my interview I was offered the internship on the STEP scheme at £250 per week, and within a few days I started work. From my first week I was given real responsibility; I took over the business’s Twitter account, and was able to make suggestions and changes as to how the company used social media, which in turn soon brought increased traffic to the website.
I also was given other responsibilities across different aspects of the company. Before long I was not only responsible for Twitter, Facebook and the company’s blog, but was processing wholesale and retail orders, updating and controlling the website, and liaising with customers and stockists – including John Lewis.

I’ve got used to producing weekly analytical reports on the website, highlighting successful points and also areas for improvement. In terms of Marketing and PR plans, I’ve been able to have a real impact on the business by approaching influential bloggers and the press, and even working with the Royal British Legion on the Poppy Friendship Bracelet the company has produced to raise funds for the Poppy Appeal.

This internship has given me a huge amount of experience of retail and PR, and has provided me with opportunities I would never have otherwise had. For example, I was lucky enough to attend a workshop with M&C Saatchi’s, which both exciting and enlightening.

WEXO have supported me throughout my time at Claudia Bradby Jewellery; by advising me before and after the interview and keeping in touch, they have made sure that I have made the most of my experience. However my career progresses from here, I know that this internship has given me invaluable skills and experience for the future.

Camilla

This paid internship was facilitated by STEP – the UK’s leading placement programme for students and recent graduates (originally set up and sponsored by Shell UK). WEXO is an Associate Partner and delivers the full suite of STEP placement programmes, administering the student/graduate training allowance, saving host businesses the burden of time and paperwork…

Internships are almost like relationships – getting one that will be worth it requires a lot of energy and effort, and you never really know what the journey is going to be like, where it will lead or how it may end.

From that perspective, my time at Cowshed could be seen like love at first sight – a really rewarding, unique experience and one that you’d hope would last forever if circumstances allowed.

First, forget about the copying machine or coffee making and think more along the lines of hands-on experience: social media, e-commerce, design, you name it. Add a heaped spoon of motivation that can only be created by a team of people who genuinely love their jobs and do them so well that it makes you wonder whether you’ll ever be this good, too. Finally, stir in some passion for beauty, serve it up in Soho and things can hardly go wrong!

Working as an Online Intern at Cowshed gave me the opportunity to be creative, inventive and push my own boundaries in an environment where exciting things happen right now, in real time. Most importantly though, I genuinely enjoyed myself and believe the experience helped me to get where I am now, which brings us back to where we started.

My relationship with Cowshed has come to an end, but ends happily with a job offer from Google. Unless I’m wrong, getting a job you really want is exactly what the internship business is about, isn’t it? I guess it works then. Good luck on your way, everyone.

Kristyna Mistrikova