From work experience to client executive - Millie’s Pace journey
How long have you been at Pace?
Whilst I officially started my role as a client executive at Pace in January, I first joined the team in September for work experience.
However, though my work experience was only planned to last a month, I was kept on for longer and then offered a permanent role - which I was over the moon about!
Starting life at Pace on a work experience placement meant learning ‘The Pace Way’ from the beginning, which has really helped in my role.
It allowed me to get a taste of what each team does, from writing press releases and building media lists for the PR team to helping with writing shoot lists for social content creation - and even doing a bit of modelling!
My work experience placement meant I was constantly learning while working. Since starting my work experience, watching how the team worked and how they all came together only grew my desire to land a permanent role at Pace.
Talk us through your CV
Before starting at Pace I worked in hospitality for five years, which massively shaped me as a person.
Anticipating customers’ needs, ensuring they have the best experience and keeping things running smoothly - these skills have all translated into my role in client services.
I stayed at my first waitressing job for five years, working there during the periods I returned home from university.
At one point, I had three jobs and one volunteering job at the same time - waitressing at home, bartending at uni, working as a student ambassador and volunteering whilst juggling my studies!
Studying History at the University of Sheffield was a great experience as I’ve always loved learning about the past (especially the Early Modern Era which was the focus of my dissertation).
To be honest, I’d chosen this degree as I didn’t know what I wanted to do career-wise, with the question of ‘what are you going to do with your degree’ constantly being asked throughout my studies.
It wasn’t until my third year that I started exploring career options and took on a social media and marketing volunteer role at a children’s education charity. This was when I discovered my passion for marketing and communications.
After graduating, I was eager to land a role in the marketing world and wanted hands-on experience to develop real-world skills. I researched local agencies, found Pace, and instantly knew it was where I wanted to work.
After emailing, securing an interview and landing a work experience placement, I worked as hard as I could - juggling working weekends at yet another waitressing job - because I knew I really wanted this role. And here I am today!
Why do you like working at pace?
Working at Pace is great as I’m surrounded by creative minds who all inspire each other. I love that no two days are the same and that I don’t know what project I’ll be working on next.
I’ve never wanted a job where everyday feels the same, and that’s always been a big factor when it came to thinking about where I wanted to work and what I wanted to do.
Whether I’m in a creative session, building relationships with clients, or ordering brand collateral, I genuinely love my role at Pace.
As I’m just beginning my career, Pace allows me to constantly learn whilst applying my skills to projects, which I would argue is an extremely valuable start to my career.
Did you always know you wanted to do your role?
In all honesty, I never had a definitive idea of what I wanted to be or where I was going to end up. Looking back I could say that I loved providing great service in hospitality, now channeling elements of this into building client relationships and delivering the best work possible.
My advice to anyone struggling to determine what they want to do in the future would be to get yourself out there and try doing work experience at a company that inspires you.
Without volunteering at university and doing my work experience at Pace, my career may have looked different.
And whilst I’m only at the start of my career, thanks to all the opportunities I’ve had I can confidently say that the world of marketing and communications is one I want to stick around in.
Find out more about opportunities and services by contacting us here.
