Our Senior Marketing & PR Executive, expert wordsmith and avid F1 superfan Beckie Barrett joined V Formation five years ago as a PR and Marketing Assistant, following a 12-week internship with us, and has since become an invaluable part of our team.
To celebrate her five-year anniversary, we asked Beckie five questions about her time at V Formation.
Q: How did you land at V?
I graduated from Nottingham Trent University (NTU) in 2018 with an English and Creative Writing degree, and no idea what to do with it. I spoke to the brilliant employability advisers at NTU, who helped me see that my skills and passion for writing were a good fit for a career in communications. I came across an internship at V Formation through NTU’s GRADS for D2N2 project, which was the perfect way to dip my toe in the water of a busy agency environment. Five years later, I think it’s safe to say I’m now fully submerged!
Q: How has your role evolved?
After cutting my teeth as an intern, I was thrilled to be offered a full-time position at V as a PR and marketing assistant in 2019. Since then, I’ve gained invaluable experience across both the marketing and PR spheres. I often joke that I do a bit of everything, but that has mainly been because I love learning new things, and V Formation has allowed my role to evolve in a way that encompasses this rather than limiting me to one particular area. I’ve progressed to being Senior PR and Marketing Executive, and would say my specialist skills are in creative copywriting and SEO.
Q: What skills or knowledge have you gained?
So much! From pitching press releases to designing social media campaigns, and everything in between. I’ve also received training across a whole host of digital marketing and PR tools, including Cision, Ace Media, the Adobe suite, Canva Pro, Sendible, Moz and many more. I thought I was a pretty good writer when I first joined V, but I have learned a huge amount from the expert writers within the team, from how to draft copy for different audiences and platforms to the best ways of optimising it for search engines. Since day one, the team has always been so generous with knowledge-sharing, and I feel extremely lucky to work with such an experienced bunch!
In 2021, V Formation also supported me in completing a level 4 digital marketing apprenticeship, which was a fantastic learning opportunity, and means I have a recognised marketing qualification under my belt now too.
Q: What do you enjoy most about your role?
As well as being part of a fab team, the most enjoyable part of my job is getting to work with such a wide variety of clients across different sectors. It’s exciting to dive into what makes each business tick and figure out how to help them succeed. I love seeing the results of our efforts and knowing that we’re making a real difference. I also really enjoy the creative side of copywriting, and crafting messages that really connect with people. Every day is different, and that variety keeps things fresh and exciting for me.
Q: What’s your most memorable moment?
Well, it’s hard to forget the day I got locked in the office loo – the team certainly haven’t let me live that one down! Or any of the annual Christmas quizzes, not that I take them too seriously or anything…
In all seriousness, if I had to choose just one standout moment, it is probably being part of the team that delivered Lodders Life Issue 9 last year. From interviewing clients that are working in fascinating spaces to writing compelling features, it was incredible to be involved in the creative process of bringing a magazine to life. We’re currently working on Issue 10, and I can’t wait to see the final product.
Here’s to the next five years!
Beckie’s journey at V Formation is not just a story of professional growth, but also one of great triumph and dedication. It’s been a pleasure to see Beckie hone her skills and make some outstanding contributions for our clients and the V team.
At V Formation, we’re passionate about our commitment to supporting marketers looking to develop their careers. We are always on the lookout for enthusiastic marketers and PR professionals to join our team, so if you think V Formation might be for you, then we would love to hear from you. Please send us an email with your CV to info@vformation.biz or give us a call on 0115 667 0131.
If you are a business that would like to explore how V Formation’s talented team of writers can help your business, please get in touch.