Ever wondered how different it could be working in small teams with tight budgets compared to the sprawling departments of larger firms? Alexandra takes us through the realities of working in fast-paced startup environments, how she's pushed herself to progress and learned a lot about herself along the way. We discuss:

• Versatility: How Alexandra’s diverse experiences from content creation to strategic marketing have built a well-rounded skill set.
• Networking: Leveraging connections and mentors for career growth.
• Always learning: The value of staying current with industry trends and self-improvement.
• Embracing challenge: Taking on opportunities despite fear and uncertainty.
• Balancing structure and flexibility: Managing the demands of a fast-paced startup environment while maintaining personal discipline and structure.

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Julian's been busy tearing up Instagram and TikTok with his hot, extremely practical takes on strategy, navigating culture and getting ahead. And based on his background working with large brands and household names, he's certainly picked up a thing or two:

We sat down to discuss:

• What strategy, and strategic thinking is really all about
• Why being great at your job isn't what gets you promoted
• How artificial intelligence can help you get ahead.

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Stacey discusses her route into public relations, how she's progressed and rose through the ranks at Aspectus, and her work running the Aspectus Academy, an apprenticeship program focused on social mobility in the PR industry. We touched on:

• Whether PR really is just for extraverted party people?
• Why culture fit and the freedom to run with your ideas is so valuable when choosing where to work
• Learning lessons about collaborating, asking questions, and understanding different marketing channels, even when working in specialist roles

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Part two continues the conversation with Carolyn, focusing on

• Her work in crisis management, and the broader skills developed
• What candidates can learn from her experiences as a hiring manager, and how to position yourself for success
• Navigating performance management processes, especially when your goals aren't rapid progression or moving into management

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In the first of our two part episode, Carolyn takes us through her first steps and challenging her perceptions of what marketing was all about, before moving to the US - and back again - while building a successful career supporting institutions including The University of Houston, Glasgow Caledonian University and the NHS, picking up on:

• Why curiosity is an essential characteristic
• How communications is often the 'universal translator' for businesses
• Learning to manage people and teams effectively

Part 2 will continue the conversation - picking up on Carolyn's experience in crisis management, what her role as a hiring manager can teach us as candidates looking to progress and why being a manager and leading a team isn’t the only option on the table if you want to progess.

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Wendy shares her journey and learnings along the way, from her beginnings studying international trade, and having the marketing spark lit during one fateful module...

As we walk through her steps towards bigger and better roles, and ultimately her work with multiple firms on a 'fractional' basis, we pick up on:

• How all important networking skills aren't limited to extroverts, and ways to develop confidence.
• The importance of resilience, what it actually means and how to strengthen it
• Her self-inflicted 'gap analysis' and the approach to filling them

(apologies for some slight audio aberrations this time round, thanks in part to coming out the other end of the flu, and carpet fitters who still manage to make their presence known from the other side of the house... bonus points if you can spot them all!)

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In between interviews with aspiring and developing marketers, I'll be looking at what's on my reading list between now and the end of the year. I'll be sharing some mini-reviews as I go, with some of my key takeaways.

Let me know if there's anything I should be adding to the book pile 🙂

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