Chantel Pereira

I was interested in building my CV and gaining work experience.

I’ve always had a passion for writing, and I thought the CME magazine was the best place to explore this.

I would advise students to apply for all types of placements, even if it is outside their field of study as placement year is in place to allow you to try new things and expand your horizons.

I was assigned to write 4-5 articles for the magazine’s website, and I was also responsible for posting on their social media pages. The role also involved assisting with photoshoots, video shoots, interviews, and any other events the magazine hosted.

I expected to get stuck doing small jobs; however, as time went on, I was entrusted with more responsibilities and took on more projects.

I had 3 articles published in the main magazine, along with other restaurant and product reviews, as well as wrote advertorials for several brands the company worked in partnership with.

I was tasked with conducting an interview when my digital editor canceled at the last second, and I had to do it on my own. I did my research on the person I was interviewing and gathered all the intel and notes from my digital editor, and I was able to conduct the interview successfully.

I was tasked with interviewing the top 10 bachelors for the Cosmopolitan Middle East’s Bachelor Of The Year awards, and this involved transcribing the interviews as well as writing an article on it in the magazine. This was the first independent project I was assigned, and I was able to carry it out without the guidance of my editors successfully.

On placement, I have acquired the ability to successfully prioritise tasks according to their importance, to time manage myself more effectively, and to meet deadlines at a faster pace due to the hustle and bustle of the magazine publishing industry. I also learned how to conduct myself in the working environment by developing my communication and networking skills.

Doing placement year will allow you to train and adapt yourself to increase your employability by giving you a brief taste of what the working world is like. It provides you with valuable work experience that instantly makes you seem more hirable to employers.

When an organisation hires a student on placement, they expect a certain level of professionalism and dedication from the student. They are provided with an employee that is fresh out of their second year at university, determined to make the best out of the opportunity they have, and are motivated to do an excellent job. This is why it is always in an organisation’s best interests to hire placement students.