We caught up with Joanne Durber to find out more about her new role as Social Media Marketing Assistant at The Sefton Group.
Congratulations on your new role, what are you looking forward to the most?
Thank you! I am looking forward to enhancing my practical marketing skills and learning more about the hospitality industry. I love to travel and feel very fortunate to be helping to create fabulous hotel packages, for those living on and off the Island. The Sefton Group's operations are varied and offer a lot of creative scope for the marketing team.
Any advice for people looking to work in this area of business?
My advice would be to undertake as many work experience opportunities as possible and absorb every word your mentors say. While studying in the USA, I applied for unpaid internships and work experience in social media, blogging and journalism; these experiences introduced me to so many new ideas and gave me practical perspective to share at interview.
In such a role, what strengths would you say are needed?
As a Social Media Marketing Assistant, it is imperative that the consumer is the top priority. This means marketers must be balanced, able to lock personal bias away and step into the consumer's shoes. Other important strengths include being highly organised, confident in taking on a variety of projects at once and being open to the unexpected.
Any technology you personally couldn't live without?
I'm not much of a radio person, so I definitely couldn't live without listening to my Spotify playlists via Bluetooth in my car. Listening to my favourite music on the way to work is the best way to wake my brain up in the morning.
Outside of work, how do you like to relax?
I spend a lot of time with family and friends outside of work, either walking, enjoying a coffee in one of the many cafés on the Island or planning my next trip away. I love watching the Great British Bake Off too and am quite a keen baker, although I do often misread recipes - some of my bakes wouldn't impress Paul Hollywood!