Factual writing in a creative way. So once I'd graduated in Linguistics and English Language, my first job was writing promotional literature for a university. It was the perfect first step for me to turn my passion into a career.
Fast forward six years. It was 2007 and I'd changed employers since my uni starting point. I'd been working in a different external-facing comms role and although I'd been enjoying it, I still hadn't found something that really excited me. That was when I saw the intranet advert for an internal comms role. I was sold. I chose IC.
I was nervous the first time I pressed the button to publish an article that all my colleagues could read. But that was the start of my confidence growing. Internal comms isn't all about writing so since then I've been fine-tuning my presentation and video-hosting skills, strategic planning and measurement, event management and much more, including leadership capabilities. If you'd have told me back in my uni days I'd have been happy to speak on stage in front of hundreds of people I'd have thought you'd lost the plot. It shows how my career has helped me to develop. Within my current organisation, where I've been since 2013, I have weekly catch ups with our CEO, work closely with the Exec team and lead a team of four - it's been a long but rewarding path.
So why did I step away from internal comms at one point? Sometimes, taking a sideways step gives you such valuable experience that you just can't get from your everyday role. An opportunity came up in another part of the business. It had elements of comms and engagement wrapped up within it, but with some completely new experiences added in. I learnt about risk and change management, worked in a very different culture and built some strong relationships with new people. But I was itching to get back to what I loved when my secondment came to an end, complete with additional skills and knowledge. And, of course, those relationships have come in handy ever since, when I've needed a favour from my secondment team!
Internal comms is anything but a boring career choice. I can move from partnering with the Chief Exec to communicate strategy, to helping colleagues celebrate how they make a difference, to contributing to our end of year Dingbat competition. I'm always in the know, I get involved in projects and initiatives, and all sorts of opportunities come my way.
If I'd have known about internal comms earlier in my career, I'd have chosen it straight away!
