My internship with Kiki Kirby Coaching Sophie Tune, Marketing Intern My internship with Kiki Kirby Coaching

The business and my roles KKC is a life coaching company, offering personal, business and youth coaching through workshop sessions, online services and a selection of products. The company is also very active on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. My role as a marketing intern is to help with brainstorming and typing social media content, writing blogs, creating client workbooks and occasionally attending corporate workshops such as in St. James’s Place. I have also been present in meetings to discuss expansion plans and new ventures. I work 8 hours per week mostly from home after receiving a work call of my duties. Usually once a month there is a team meeting at the Cotswold Hotel where we revise 90 day plans for the business and for personal development.

My contributions As a passionate business student, I am always eager to apply my theoretical knowledge to help the business exceed objectives. It has been a pleasure to bring fresh ideas to the the social media platforms such as having themed weeks, where it leads to the promotions of the KKC products whether it’s coaching cards, coaching programs or the gratitude journal. Since joining, Kiki’s network on Instagram and Facebook has continually grown and it’s been amazing to see. There is more engagement and interest now that we work on the ideas together and come up with a plan week to week. My proudest contribution so far is the KKC Advent Calendar! Instead of chocolate, adults can receive a note or video of inspiration daily to keep them motivated through the Christmas period. It’s something unique and I think it’s going to take off really successfully.

Challenges This job has definitely put me out of my comfort zone! After working in retail for 9 months, it was a huge difference in terms of responsibilities, working from home and autonomy. However, I have not looked back and I feel so grateful to have found a job that I love doing, especially at such a young age. There have been some technical difficulties along the way (it’s not always that amazing!) although with good communication, they have been overcome and improved. Starting initially I had fears of how I would cope with working from home and whether I had the self-discipline to do so. However, I can proudly say now that it has enhanced the important skill so valuable in life and has allowed my self- motivation to dramatically increase in terms of study and in general life.

Skills applied and developed Communication – this has dramatically improved, especially in big groups by a boost in confidence Problem solving – there have been challenges in the position which have required me to think efficiently Creativity – something that was a weak point before starting with Kiki, and through use has developed hugely Self-motivation – getting up on a weekend and doing my work straight away, sticking to the routine and never leaving anything until last minute Adaptability – learning to love change ad find it exciting, being able to shift from one task to another Personal development – gaining a great interest in all aspects of business and doing much more further reading and listening to podcasts

It has been a incredible preparation for University This opportunity has enabled so many skills to be developed already. I have done lots of research on companies for Kiki in which I’ve had to summarise each. This is such useful practice for assignments in the future. The interviews (telephone and face-to-face) have given me great experience in professionalism and how to conduct myself well. Regarding social aspects, I feel like I have total confidence in meeting new people and telling them all about my life and experiences now.

Future aspirations This internship has opened the doors to so many possibilities in the future. Before, I had no idea of the route I wanted to take but now I am completely driven to get a degree in Business and Human Resources. Then, I’d love to go on to helping others achieve the best out of their career in a sporting industry, combining both my passions. Throughout all this, I want to love what I’m doing everyday just like I do now, at college and working for Kiki Kirby Coaching. The future really excites me now and I can’t wait to see where it takes me. Hopefully, I will still be a part of Kiki Kirby Coaching in some way, it truly has been a life changing role that I’ll never forget!

Thank you! Any questions? Career Ready - I wouldn’t have this job or experience without the amazing work of this programme, it has certainly opened so many doors for me that I’d never even considered. Gemma, my mentor – regular meetings to check in, giving me really valuable advice, helping me with my employability skills leading up to the internship and reviewing my personal statement which was so useful. Nicola – introducing the position to me and giving me the confidence to go for it despite my doubts. You also played a big part in helping me decide what to do after college and in reviewing my personal statement. And finally, Kiki, for allowing me to get so involved in the business, helping me to learn and grow and of course having loads of fun with it. I am so looking forward to what the future holds with KKC, I have a feeling it’s going to be amazing! Any questions?