Find out about George McLevy BA (Hons) Film Studies and Creative Writing student on placement as a Creative Campaign Support at Oracle
I am currently on placement as a Creative Campaign Support for Oracle, a tech and software-based company. Offering a vast array of cloud technology, applications, and databases for businesses. Oracle offers a large internship program, there are currently 22 other interns with me at Oracle, this has allowed me to make many great new friends and connections.
What do you do as Creative Campaign Support Intern?
To put it simply, I help create and brainstorm campaigns for internal events inside the business. With this, I have got to create and edit videos, travel across the UK to help film in different locations, brainstorm new ideas, write posts and just helping with anything that comes by.
What support did you get from the Creative Careers team?
The support I received from the Creative Careers team was invaluable, without their guidance I would’ve struggled greatly in searching for a placement year. I had kept regular one-to-ones in my placement searching process and the team were quick to answer any questions I had, no matter how simple or complicated it was. The support I am most grateful for, is their work on improving my CV, it made my CV much more appetising and certainly helped improve my ability to stand out to employers.
What is your advice to students applying for placements?
Roll with the punches, you’re going to be hearing the word ‘no’ a lot, but don’t let it deter you from making your next application even better. Try to make every application better than the last one, if you were rejected think about how you can impress the next employer, rather than dwelling on what you could’ve wrong in the moment. Just keep persevering!
I was beyond nervous for my interview with Oracle and once my phone started ringing not long after the interview, I thought I was about to be rejected. However, I remember thinking right before I picked up the phone that I was grateful for the experience I got anyways. But, thankfully, to my surprise I was offered the place!
Oracle Headquarter office in Reading
There is a placement at the end of the rainbow!
What have you learnt so far from your placement experience?
I suppose the most obvious thing is working in a large corporate environment like Oracle, having regular meetings every week and working in an office 5 days a week was certainly a large hurdle to cross at first. (Especially since my sleep schedule at university was sporadic… to say the least.) But I think I adjusted pretty well and it’s not something I think about anymore.
Something more specific to my role here I am learning new programs and improving my skills with software I was already familiar with. Before my time at Oracle, I had only recently moved to Premiere Pro and had never touched After Effects. As of now, I have learned quite a lot about After Effects and only continue to become more proficient in Premiere Pro.
In the more practical sense, I have experienced working with different equipment while out filming, and my peers are more than happy to show me how it works and how to set it up properly. It feels like I learn something new every week here to be honest.
A view of the Oracle office
Highlights so far
Definitely when I was out filming in London, the experience was unforgettable, and I got connect with so many of my peers and colleagues. I also got to help with my first ever LIVE recording. It was a tiring couple of days, but I am appreciative for the experience.
What would you say to a student considering a placement?
Go for it! I was on the fence myself for a long time. At the start of my second year, I didn’t even think a placement was an option for me. The experience is well worth it, not only will the year be beneficial, but you will also get so much useable experience for your future career. I am so grateful I ended up deciding to go for a placement, this year is going by faster than I could possibly imagine. The halfway point is already creeping up on me. The benefits of doing a placement year are just too much to ignore, I thoroughly recommend you explore the possible options for yourself.