Unsworth Sugden Group

Kathryn Murrell

‘They’ say that the ultimate goal of working is to actually enjoy yourself when at work; if you can work hard to achieve set goals, to better yourself and to work in a cohesive team,  then you’re golden. Well, I can honestly say that I think I’ve achieved that goal this week!

Having just finished my Undergraduate American Studies degree at the University of Leicester, and starting my Masters degree in PR in October, I wanted to gain some experience in the world of PR before I really get my teeth stuck into the job market.

I honestly couldn’t have come to a better place to attain some experience and comprehension into what a job in PR truthfully involves. From the first day, I was treated like one of the team. I had a list of goals I was expected to achieve by the end of the week (Everything from creating a database of the contact details of editors and reporters who work on national newspaper’s property sections, to writing up press releases and making them into entries on the company’s blog, to creating a presentation on the usefulness of Twitter for PR agencies and their clients, to attending a photo-shoot at Newby Castleman of their employees who have just received a promotion).

The work was challenging, yet it wasn’t too much to handle at all. I was encouraged to work at my own pace and to not get too caught up about feeling like I had to finish all the tasks that were listed.

Even though some of these tasks were rather daunting, the team made me feel completely at ease. The open plan office we work in has a relaxed atmosphere, even though each member of the team is working hard (And often multi-tasking). Even to the attitude of ‘We’re all equal here, we don’t have a receptionist, we all answer the phone and get coffee’, the whole working environment at Unsworth Sugden was a joy to work in.

I was made to feel completely comfortable in the working environment; surprisingly I didn’t feel like the irritating ‘new girl’. I had no hesitations of asking both really basic and complex questions, to get a better handle on what my job role involved.

The night before I started the work experience I did feel a little apprehensive, as I knew Unsworth Sugden was a small, intimate, close-knit company, and I thought this would make it hard to fit in. In fact, the opposite is true. Sharing an office with Hannah, Sophie, Kayleigh and Dave was a pleasure.

Having done quite a few internships previously, I can only say this has been the best of the bunch. The work ethic of the people who work at Unsworth Sugden, was a strong yet reassuring one. Absolutely massive thanks, well, really to everyone.  Although the biggest thank you goes to Hannah, the main person who oversaw my progress during the week, and also shares my love of the BBC drama Torchwood!