Taylor Carey – First Month at Purpol Marketing

Looking back on my first month at Purpol Marketing, it is extraordinary to see how much I have learned in such a short space of time. When I started, I had only basic IT skills and a very limited understanding of what marketing actually involved. I was eager to learn how strategies were used within the industry. Four weeks later, I can confidently say that this experience has transformed my understanding of marketing and given me skills that I never imagined I would develop so quickly.

My journey began with completing the Kickstart My Career course, which provided an introduction to the recruitment process and what employers are looking for when hiring. Before taking the course, I had very little confidence in writing a CV or application letter as I simply haven’t had the experience previously. After the course, I created my first CV and wrote a mock application letter for the role of Marketing Assistant. Receiving feedback and making improvements I had a finalised 2-page CV. The feedback helped me understand what employers are actually searching for within a candidate. I now feel far more confident approaching job applications in the future.

Another important first step was creating my LinkedIn profile. Before starting at Purpol Marketing, I didn’t have the understanding of how much value LinkedIn has as a professional networking platform. Throughout the month, I have explored profiles from successful people across a range of industries, gaining inspiration and an insight from their career journeys. Writing weekly blogs has also encouraged me to reflect on my progress and document everything I am learning, creating a portfolio that I will continue to build on.

I completed the Magnificent Marketing course, which introduced me to the core principles of marketing and helped me understand how businesses attract, retain and create value for their customers. This course opened my eyes to how wide and important marketing is for businesses and organisations.
One of the most interesting aspects of this experience was learning how technology can support and improve work. I used AI to strengthen my application letter, demonstrating how AI can be used as a valuable tool to refine terminology and improve phrasing.

Throughout the month, I have had the opportunity to work on a variety of creative projects. I created personalised testimonial graphics and promotional graphics to support the upcoming launch of WINNER, which is launching in early September. These projects helped me improve my design skills while understanding the importance of branding and accessibility. I also revisited existing designs using feedback to improve readability and cohesiveness. I created these graphics using Canva. After upgrading, I explored a range of advanced features including: AI to generate design suggestions, magic expand, image editing tools and layout features. Canva AI has been particularly helpful to generate starting templates from my instructions, allowing me to express my ideas more efficiently before refining them to final designs.

One of my tasks was to write my first whitepaper. Initially, I found this task challenging because I was unfamiliar with both the structure and the terminology used within this type of document. I discussed my work with Denise, who provided guidance and valuable feedback. I was able to refine my work into a much stronger final product. It reminded me that asking questions and seeking guidance are important parts of learning.

Alongside these practical projects, I completed a wide range of courses made by Purpol Marketing that significantly expanded my knowledge. These included: The Better Way to Bid, Market Yourself Build Your Brand live seminar, How to WIN Grants, Digitally Marketing Yourself to Recovery
and Build Your Online Course. Each course explored a different aspect of business development from procurement and bid writing to grant funding, personal branding, business resilience and digital product creation to create passive income. Together, they demonstrated how marketing supports each stage of business growth and gave me a much broader understanding of the steps organisations undergo. I previously have not had any knowledge or understanding of any of these aspects. The courses broke everything down and the video parts were clearly labelled, which was very helpful when I wanted to go back to a particular concept I didn’t understand fully.

I was introduced to WeTransfer, a platform I had never used before. As many of my projects involve working with large amounts of files, learning how to transfer files quickly and securely has made sharing much more efficient. Understanding these practical tools has shown me how important efficiency in workflows are.
Reflecting on this first month, what stands out most in not just the number of projects I have completed but how much I have grown personally and professionally. Only a few weeks ago, I had very little knowledge of marketing, design software, professional networking, bid writing, grant applications or content creation. This experience has shown me that stepping into a professional workforce is the best way to gain skills and experience I can apply to in other areas of my life and in the future. Every challenge has become an opportunity to develop a new skill, and every piece of feedback has helped me improve. This first month has given me a strong foundation and an ambition to keep going.

I am incredibly grateful for Purpol Marketing to give me this opportunity to pursue, and I am especially grateful for Denise. She has given me endless support and encouragement whilst sharing her own knowledge. I am excited to continue learning and taking on new challenges.