James Meryck – Final Year BA (Hons) Sports Marketing Management Student

A chat between Jeff McCarthy (employability lead) and James Meryck, a final year Sports Marketing Management student.

JMc: I hear you have recently secured an internship via RISE, congratulations tell us what your role is and which company you are working for?

JM: Thank you Jeff, yes I have secured the role of marketing intern at Red Jam, a start-up management-consulting firm, reporting directly company director, Andy Almey.

JMc: How did you hear about the role and what was the interview process like?

JM: I was looking for internship opportunities on My Career Hub having been told about the MMU RISE programme by my personal tutor, Catherine Elliot. It seemed like a great way to get relevant experience, which I was keen to have as a final year student looking for graduate roles. Additionally, the RISE programme awards recognition on my degree transcript for completing 100 hours of work, which was a big incentive too. I found the opportunity for a marketing intern at Red Jam, through My Career Hub and applied online using the web form provided by MMU. Despite completing a placement year and working part-time throughout University, I felt I had gaps in my skills and knowledge and this role offered me the chance to address that. Additionally, professional mentoring and networking opportunities were offered in exchange for my services, which I felt would be really beneficial for career progression. I heard from Red Jam within a week of applying and was invited to have an informal chat with Company Director, Andy, via Microsoft Teams.

Andy was keen to know about my professional experience and what I had learned at University that I could apply to the role. I was fortunate enough to be offered the internship at the end of the interview, which I accepted.

JMc: That’s fantastic, what will your role at Red Jam involve?

JM: The role is really varied, it has developed my skills and better prepared me for graduate roles, but covers:

  • Managing all digital and social media:
    • Creating and scheduling LinkedIn and Twitter content that aligns and promotes business objectives.
    • Using social media to generate B2B leads.
    • Promoting events, company announcements and industry news.
    • Generating brand awareness among a relevant audience.
  • Undertaking customer and competitor market research analysis to determine marketing strategies and activities in line with organisational objectives.
  • Create, upload and review website content and processes.
  • Responsible for email marketing campaigns including idea generation and data sourcing.
  • Synthesising data from analytics platforms to inform future decision making and marketing activities.
  • Managing SEO and advertising campaigns across digital and social media.

JMc: Thank you for your time James and good luck.