"Being organised runs through my blood, stemming from my first days of school where each evening I'd lay out my uniform and everything I'd needed in prep for the next school day - this was purely out of choice, no gold stars or sweeties rewarded. "
What inspired you to follow this career path?
From a young age, I always knew I wanted to be in the creative industry. My dad was an artist and designer, before taking over the family engineering business. I was brought up surrounded by creativity which is what I believe sparked my passion to pursue the creative line of work.
What was your experience of getting into the industry?
I actually thought I'd be a creative when I started looking for placements. My first placement in the industry was in 2009 at a small Design company called Design Links, based at Giles St in Edinburgh. I spent my week delving into the world of Adobe programmes, visualising ideas for the Director of Design Links motivational speaking organisation, Thinktastic.
During University, I reached out for work experience at the Union in the planning department. This is where I became aware of the Account Management roles available, which suited me down to a tee. Being organised runs through my blood, stemming from my first days of school where each evening I'd lay out my uniform and everything I'd needed in prep for the next school day - this was purely out of choice, no gold stars or sweeties rewarded.
From there I headed south, to Essex, for a month's placement at a recruitment agency developing their Social Media Marketing, supported in the planning of conferences and international exhibitions and the creation of visual aids to help recruiters achieve their targets and demonstrate the board leaders.
I applied for my first role in the agency world whilst back packing, with a quick stop over and an interview back home, I accepted the role whilst travelling around Vietnam.
What were some big opportunities that shaped your career?
I'd say that all of the opportunities I've outlined above have shaped my career, particularly Design Links and the Union. Each provided me with unique experiences, I learnt more than I could have imagined, I realised early on I was pursuing the wrong role but gained knowledge on what is now an important aspect of my job and most importantly developed a real passion and hunger for the industry.
What challenges did you face?
What I found challenging about my first role, was the inability to articulate the ideas on paper/computer and with that came a lot of apprehension about whether or not I was pursuing the right career. But further work experience opened my eyes up to many more roles I did not know existed.
Looking back, what opportunities do you wish you had when starting out?
I think I've been pretty fortune with the opportunities I've had, they've paved my way into the industry well.
If you could give one piece of advice to your former self, what would it be?
Do what you love and you will love what you do. If you love what you do, you'll do well.
Jenni Jones, Senior Account Manager, Dentsu Creative