Jamie Harris - Graduate Case Study
Jamie Harris graduated from LJMU with a degree in Media, Culture, Communication and then went on to get a Masters in Digital Marketing before securing a role as a Social Media Executive at THG.
What does your job involve?
My job involves a range of things including:
- managing social activities and conceptualising ideas
- briefing ideas and assets to designers
- running awareness and engagement ads for Facebook and Instagram
- writing and proofing copy
- reporting and tracking and activating brand partnerships and competitions
I also work collaboratively with Influencers, Paid Media and Studio teams, supporting wider marketing campaigns and manage apprentices and provide structured development to enable their growth.
How did you get to where you are today?
I used connections from LJMU and my LJMU internships to build recommendations on my LinkedIn profile. The LJMU paid internship during my second year summer provided me with hands-on experience that I could talk about in interviews in the future. I built a great relationship with my manager who wrote me an excellent reference on my LinkedIn. I also had a Social Media freelance job alongside my studies for a Manchester-based company managing all their socials. I was able to implement Mailchimp into their eco-system to allow for additional tracking and revenue.
Three things that you like about your job:
- The creativity - I get to plan, create and animate assets for client’s social media platforms and this is probably the best part.
- Every day is different, I could be working on a campaign in a foreign language editing assets, activating competitions on socials or shooting mobile first reactive content for TikTok or Instagram Reels.
- It’s a global company, I get to work with many well-known companies like Nestle and Campari! I’ve managed accounts in Japan, Australia, Germany, America and Jamaica. This definitely changes how and the way that you work as you’re exposed to many issues or regulations that you wouldn’t expect in the UK. It is great experience from a global perspective.
What skills are important in your job?
Being able to conduct yourself professionally with clients (client relations and management), good presentation and time keeping skills. My degree and masters gave me the building blocks to get to where I am today.
What advice would you give to other students to improve their employability?
As important as the degree is, work experience is vital and will take you so much further. If possible, volunteer at a company or complete an LJMU internships or placement. I would highly recommend creating a LinkedIn profile and working on personal branding especially if you don’t have that much work experience. I would also suggest having a great selection of connections and staying up to date with your area of speciality updates – social media marketing evolves hourly!
Support from the Student Futures team
If you want to talk about potential careers options with your degree, need help finding opportunities or want support with your CV, application forms or preparing for an interview, you can get advice and guidance by booking a 30-minute 1-2-1 careers meeting with a Careers and Employability Adviser from the LJMU Student Futures Team. You can also come along to a Careers drop-in or CV Café which take place weekly at the Careers Zones for quick careers queries.
If you are thinking about starting a business, freelancing, pursuing a side-hustle or have an idea that you want to explore further, email the Start-up Hub and a member of the team will be back in touch. For more information about the Bathgate Boost Award, visit the Start-up Hub website.
For help finding part-time, temporary or casual you can fit around your studies, email the Unitemps team or visit their website.