With just two weeks to go until I finish my placement at ProspectSoft, I’ve taken some time to reflect on my experience – what a placement year it’s been! 

Enthusiastic, open minded and approachable are just a few ways to describe ProspectSoft’s close-knit culture. Their passion for teamwork and creating a welcoming environment didn’t waver during the pandemic – they still managed to make us feel part of the team, even when we were working from home.

Our Beer Fridays brought us all together during lockdown, giving every department the chance to catch up virtually. Who’d have thought I’d be spending late afternoons on a Friday with a pint in hand over Zoom?! 

Each team have morning catchups to discuss all things work related, however, it’s safe to say these conversations do take a little detour from time to time to catch up on our weekends and share any must-see films – but this meant we really got to know our colleagues despite working virtually. Even those who live halfway across the world were able to join in! 

Despite COVID throwing a spanner in the works, I can confidently say I’ve had a great placement year and have learnt more than I could’ve imagined! 

Training

Our placement journey began with a whirlwind first two months in the office. The first few weeks of training were intense, but this definitely set us off on the right foot for the rest of the year, teaching us everything we needed to know about the products and business processes. The office was a bit of a ghost town thanks to lockdown, but this worked in our favour when we fancied playing bowling in the corridors at lunch, or if we needed to film content for our social media pages!

Location

Now that ProspectSoft’s office is in Oxford, you’ll never be short of things to do. If you do decide to live locally, there’s tonnes to do; whether it’s a tour of Blenheim Palace, pretending you’re in Venice whilst punting along the river Thames, or a night out, there’s something for everyone in this vibrant city.

There’s plenty of restaurants to test your tastebuds, so if you’re off for a meal out with your department, friends and family, or for one of our company socials, the choice is yours! Whether it’s Henley Regatta, Christmas parties or summer barbeques, ProspectSoft is a sociable company who’ll make sure you have an unforgettable year getting out and about. 

Highlights

One of my personal highlights from the year has to be leading a project to create an informational video depicting our product’s USP, which is now displayed front and centre on ProspectSoft’s website - eek!

Before starting my placement, I never would’ve imagined I’d be able to create videos of a professional quality. Fast-forward 10 months, and I now feel confident enough to shout about these skills on my CV.

On top of this, I was given creative freedom when creating our “New Features Wrap-Up Videos’- short videos that run through exciting new functionality, recently released in Prospect. Working on this allowed me to develop my Adobe skills vastly when utilising tools such as Premiere Pro and After Effects - both of which I hadn’t previously used! Watching this project develop from scruffy sketches on my kitchen table into a professional video (that was emailed out to our whole customer and trialist base!), was a great experience and confirmed to me my capabilities as a creator.  

Other exciting projects I worked on included animations, which are now used by the Sales team during demos, as well as illustrating icons which are now displayed within the product itself! 

ProspectSoft are all ears when it comes to new ideas – so I even suggested a product modification for the CRM - something I never would’ve considered doing until I worked with such an openminded team who encourage you to constantly think outside the box.

Responsibility

"Am I just going to be the tea and coffee girl?" This was a question that constantly bounced around my head as I was searching for placements. The answer to this is definitely a firm “No!” if you get a placement at ProspectSoft. 

With a relatively small Marketing department, your opinions really do hold a lot of weight and your ideas are always listened to. One example of this is when I suggested a redesign of our YouTube channel art. After a few iterations, this came to fruition, and in fact lead to the rest of our social channels being re-branded! 

Career Development

Since working at Prospect, with encouragement from my manager/hype-woman, Jess, I’ve identified my strongest skills and have seen the value I can bring to a company. I now know what sets me apart from other candidates and would be confident to articulate this in future interviews, especially now that I have so many examples to draw upon. My role has been heavily design-based and this is something I hope to specialise in during years to come.

I’m incredibly grateful to have had this opportunity, and I’ll definitely be looking to work within an SME in the future as you can actually see your ideas being implemented and the change you’re making within a company. You’re never overlooked as a placement, and on many occasions, I’ve lead projects and been given the freedom to explore many creative avenues, which is perhaps not an experience you’d get in larger companies.