Meet Lucy Kirk, our amazing final-year Kent Business School student, graduating with a BSc in Marketing with a placement year.
As part of her degree, Lucy completed a transformative year in industry at Samsung Electronics, working in the Omnichannel Marketing Team.
During her time at Samsung, Lucy collaborated with major retailers and agencies to deliver creative marketing campaigns across digital and physical platforms, including social media, website banners, influencer content, and in-store displays.
In this interview, she shares how she secured her placement, the support she received from Kent Business School, and the valuable skills and confidence she gained during the year. She also opens up about the challenges she overcame and how the experience helped shape her career goals.
Let’s dive into Lucy’s placement experience:
To start, could you please introduce yourself and tell us where you completed your placement year, along with a brief overview of your role?
Hey, my name is Lucy Kirk, I am in my final year of study at the University of Kent, doing marketing with a year in industry. As part of my 4 years of study, I participated in a one-year placement scheme at Samsung Electronics. My job role for this year was in the omnichannel marketing team. This meant that I sat across a handful of pure player accounts and worked with these companies and agencies to produce and manage marketing materials for multiple campaigns. This includes at least 4 key new go-to-market product launches. The marketing I got to produce ranged per account but included: social media, organic social, website banners, emails, homepage/ landing page listers, influencers and in-store posters and till barrier banners.
How did you find and secure your placement? What was the application process like for the company you worked with?
Personally, I went through Rate My Placement, a well-established website that hosts adverts for both placement schemes and grad schemes for many big-name companies. This platform allowed me to track my application statuses and see them all on one page. I also signed up to University of Kent careers email, that informed me of any upcoming opportunities and deadlines! This allowed me to get access to a lot of options. I used Excel to track key features of each one I applied for too, such as location and distance from home, as I was planning on living at home for this year.
In what ways did Kent Business School and academic staff support you during your placement journey? Were there any resources or guidance that proved especially helpful?
As part of my timetable during my second year, I participated in employability workshops. These signposted me to where I can search for placements and other opportunities. They also gave me insight into the structure of most placement interview applications to help me navigate the process easily. I was also offered to sign up for one-to-one sessions where I was able to get my CV checked over, and a careers advisor’s opinion on my applications so far. This is when I went away and created an Excel sheet to track my applications and key features to help me keep on task while also studying.
What key skills did you develop during your placement year, and how have they contributed to your personal or professional growth?
I was able to develop so many transferable skills during my placement year, from project management to presentation skills. One main takeaway from my experience was the ability to convert myself and the way I presented myself from university to a professional office environment. I was able to make some mistakes and adapt whilst having support from placement teams as well as lower expectations due to employers knowing I was still studying. This allowed me to personally develop as well as professionally, setting me up to be able to progress quicker and stand on my own two feet after graduation.
Can you share a challenge you faced during your placement and how you managed to overcome it?
Samsung is a company that has quite high staff turnover. At points of my placement year, I was left on accounts on my own for periods of time. This was hard to navigate, as I had a lot of pressure on me as an undergraduate. However, I was able to use this as a way to show my progression since I joined the team and use it as a way to gain more experience and skills. This resulted in higher visibility in the company and client relations, which, after being recognised within the company, I received a higher quarterly bonus!
How has your placement experience shaped your career goals? Do you feel more confident and prepared for life after graduation?
I feel way more prepared. Not only do I know what I want to do after graduation and what jobs I want to look for, but I know I am now more confident in myself. This has helped my interview skills for postgraduate jobs, as I have a better idea of what is needed of me and what they are looking for. This has also given me a lot of experience to draw upon examples of skills I have developed.
What advice would you give to future students who are thinking about applying for a course at Kent, particularly those interested in a placement year?
Kent is an amazing place to study. They offer so much support throughout your university journey, not only for your studies but for building your future employability. Kent has given me the tools I need to go into the real working world with confidence. The placement year opportunity offers you opportunities you can’t gain from being in a lecture hall. These 12 months can give you transferable skills to not only be more employable after graduation but also excel during your final year of study. Being able to draw upon your own examples and practice knowledge deepens your understanding of your course. Kent allows you to add a placement year or year abroad onto your degree, even once you have started your first academic year; equally, if you don’t get a placement or change your mind, you can also carry on to your final year instead. There is no loss to adding this year to your degree, only gains. I would recommend this to anyone starting their university journey.
Have you taken part in any other experiential or developmental opportunities at Kent? If so, how have they helped shape your university experience?
Kent offers a vast amount of extra support and facilities to make the most out of your studies. Personally, I was able to use the career services to improve my chances at securing a significant placement. I have also used their student support services from the start of my studies due to my dyslexia. The support services have made my journey at university so much easier. Kent has enabled me to successfully complete my studies with experience from my placement year. I was able to use my experience at Kent to enhance my ability to secure my placement, as the real-world case study group presentations, being president of a society and working as a University ambassador allowed me to give employers real examples of what skills I bring to the job.
