My first job? I’m loving it!

After a university experience disrupted by the Covid pandemic, our newest account executive, Francesca Cronk, took her first steps into the world of work with a degree of trepidation (and one in psychology!). She needn’t have worried.

I started working at CPL One in September 2022 after graduating from the University of Liverpool with a 2:1 degree in psychology. 

My university experience was interesting to say the least. My first year was cut short by the Covid pandemic in March 2020 and I had to finish the year online, including my exams. My second year was then fully online, and my final year was a mix of online and in-person lectures, with exams online once again. 

For me, one of the most interesting things about a psychology degree is the research for your third-year dissertation. Unfortunately, Covid meant we didn’t have the opportunity to conduct any in-person, laboratory studies and were limited to online questionnaires.

Graduation was a bittersweet moment – feeling sad because that part of my life was over, but excited (and scared) to start the next chapter and get a job. 

After applying for various jobs in marketing, I had two successful interviews at CPL One in August, and started my current role as an account executive at the beginning of September. My first ‘adult’ job!

New projects, fresh excitement

The past six months have been a whirlwind of taking in lots of new information. I have had the opportunity to work on different projects, including with Bourn Hall Fertility Clinic, the Royal College of GPs and the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management.

I’ve learned many new skills, too, including how to set up Facebook and Google ads, writing engaging copy for social media, and project management skills.

There have been some very busy times, but I’ve really enjoyed the past six months and I’m looking forward to what’s to come.

The thing that has most surprised me about starting full-time work is just how much I enjoy it. To be honest, when I was coming to the end of my degree I was worried about what to do next. When I did get a job, what if I didn’t like it? 

Lots of people go through multiple jobs before they work out which sector they really enjoy, so I’m lucky and excited that I really enjoy my first job. I think content marketing is the sector for me.

Transferable skills

Before I started this job, I thought content marketing was simply a marketing approach that involved various forms of writing, including magazine content, blog posts and social media posts. Having been here for six months, I know that, while this isn’t wrong, there’s a lot more to it than I thought.

Studying psychology has provided me with skills that can be applied to so many areas, including my work at CPL One. For example, time management, organisation and project management, are all proving very useful. In terms of skills specific to my degree, the research and analytical skills, as well as understanding consumer behaviour, have been great skills to bring to my role. 

I’m actually much more relaxed here than when I was under the constant pressure of essay writing at university. I finish work and look forward to the next day, knowing that I’m learning. I needn’t have worried so much about taking that big step into work.