Marketing and communications officer — Joe Allan

After graduating with a BA in business management and a Masters in marketing, Joe joined the marketing team at Jisc. Learn about his responsibilities and tips for entering the sector 

How did you get your job? 

After graduating, I found my role on Prospects.ac.uk. Initially, the role was a fixed-term contract, but after impressing for that duration, I was made full time.  

What's a typical working day like?  

I lead most of our events marketing and cyber security campaigns and produce our in-house podcast, Tech Takes, so the tasks required by each are often quite different and require different skills. 

Working on campaigns often requires more project management skills, meetings with senior stakeholders and delegation. For events marketing, I write all of our copy and design emails, social posts, and web pages centred around a detailed tactics plan for when content should go out. Podcasts are different as you spend more time searching for leads for episodes, scheduling guests, recording episodes, editing and creating content for promotion, such as episode clips.    

What do you enjoy most?   

My favourite part about working on events marketing is seeing our attendees arrive for one of our events and knowing my efforts helped get them there. It's a real, tangible, and rewarding experience. I also love how creative my role is, from content creation through to email design.  

What are the challenges?  

I work full time from home, so staying motivated and focused throughout the day is key. Most of my colleagues are also home-based, so virtual meetings are our best communication method. Although this helps you feel connected to others, they can often take up most of your working day, leaving little time for tasks you need to complete. A real challenge is knowing which meetings you need to be involved in and which you need to push back on to recover some of your working hours.  

How is your degree relevant?   

I knew before studying that I wanted to be in a creative role that allowed content creation and marketing would be a great career to provide this, so my degree is incredibly relevant. Many of the modules I studied gave me the skills and knowledge I can apply daily within my role.   

How has your role developed, and what are your ambitions?  

I've been very fortunate to expand my role further alongside my interests and career ambitions. Initially, I worked mainly in events marketing, allowing me to try many new ideas and run campaigns. My role then developed further into project managing our cyber security campaigns, which allowed me to develop new skills. I am interested in coaching and mentoring, so I aim to build in this area and gain new skills and knowledge that will allow me to progress into management.  

What advice would you give to others looking to get a role in marketing?  

• Be confident in yourself and your abilities - Don't be afraid if you don't tick every box. It's easy to tell others to take risks or challenge themselves, but these are the experiences that help us learn and develop.
• Make the most of free resources - No matter what you are trying to do, there are likely countless guides and videos on how to get started and improve your skills.  
• Adapt with the industry - New technologies, methods and platforms are being developed daily, and how consumers behave can change dramatically alongside them. Stay up-to-date by following industry leaders, attending insightful events and staying open to new working methods.   

Find out more

• Search for graduate jobs. 
• Explore the salary and role of a marketing executive. 
• Discover what the marketing, advertising and PR sector has to offer.