Five Minutes with… Michael
Each month, we’ll feature one of our team members in a brief Q&A, so you can get to know us all better! This month we meet Michael, our current placement student and Admin and Marketing Assistant.
What brought you to the company?
When I started looking for a placement, I wanted to find something that would suit me and be varied enough. Then I found this one which had the admin and IT side and the marketing side of things and because it’s a boutique agency, I’d have the opportunity to get involved in all of the different industries, which really appealed and, thankfully, they liked me enough in my interview!
Give me some context – why were you looking for a placement?
My current uni course is a four year degree and the third year is an industry placement, so when you leave uni and you’re looking for graduate jobs, you have experience to go alongside your academic qualifications. Coming here has given me a lot of skills and experience to back up what I’ve learnt on my course.
Tell us a bit about what you do for Media Contacts…
On the admin side of things, I answer the phones, greet candidates who are visiting the office, deal with our CRM system and our suppliers, amongst other things. For marketing, I work on social media, our recently-launched newsletter, market research for consultants and our website too. There’s a lot to do, so I’m always busy, which I like!
What do you enjoy most about working here?
Not the commute, but the time spent on trains is worth it for a variety of reasons. I like the people, particularly my manager, Rayhana, who is sadly leaving us soon – she’s been a great help to me. And, as I’ve mentioned, I particularly appreciate the variety of the work, not only because I enjoy it but because it’s preparing me for the future.
What are your plans for the future?
In the short term, I’m going to go back to uni and graduate, hopefully with a first. Getting a good degree is important to me. Straight after uni, I’ll hopefully be accepted onto a graduate scheme – I’ve already found several that look interesting involving marketing, business management etc. Long term I’d like to run my own business, but I’m not sure what type of business yet. Thankfully I have time to decide!
Now to get to know you! If you never had to work again and money was no object, what would you do?
As I said, I’d like to start my own business, so if money was no object I’d probably start or work with a charity. I’m quite passionate about working with young people with mental health issues, so probably something like that. I definitely wouldn’t sit on my bum all day, as I’d get bored very easily.
What is your guiltiest pleasure?
I’ll say my love of Star Wars – my family would describe it as “guilty” but I wouldn’t! I’m definitely a bit of a nerd.
Who would play you in the film of your life?
That’s a hard question! I’ll go for Matt Smith, because when he played The Doctor, he was very weird and very awkward, and I think that would suit me well!
What’s the worst job you’ve done?
This is actually my first proper job. There was one time tried working part time in Subway, which was fine, except that my boss just happened to be my little brother, so I gave that up quite quickly…
What’s your favourite book?
Really difficult to pick one – so difficult that I can’t. I’ll go with 1984, which is great and feels relevant today. I also love the Lord of the Rings trilogy, it’s just totally engrossing.
Also, recently I read Michelle Obama’s autobiography – she’s one of my icons and the book is fantastic.
If you were stranded on a desert island, what’s the first thing you’d do?
I’m picturing an island with beautiful sand, lovely sun so I’d just go for a swim. Make the most of a bad situation!
And finally, what’s your favourite colour?
Well, all my clothes are black…