Voluntary/Spec Work
I have undertaken a handful of assignments for professional clients on a voluntary basis to generate material for my portfolio. I sought out these clients and offered support in a field I felt might help, and they agreed.
DEBRA Volunteer Story
[Context: This work was regarding drafting a post for the official DEBRA Charity newletter, with special emphasis placed on quotes that could be picked out. This involved researching previous blog posts and leveraging my experience volunteering for the charity. I worked with DEBRA's Chief Marketing Director, Anna McPherson. This is an ongoing voluntary role that will include further assignments in the future.]
I joined DEBRA Whitton almost five years ago when I was sixteen. At school we’d been encouraged to take part in some charity volunteering, and I really sympathized with DEBRA’s goals. I hadn’t done any volunteering before that and only a little bit of paid work, but my manager and the rest of the volunteers were super friendly and helped me acclimatize to the work. There’s a great collaborative atmosphere at DEBRA – I’ve never worked with a friendlier group of people and we really are invested in the charity and what it stands for. DEBRA taught me so many great lessons that really helped me when I got into paid work. My first job in retail was won thanks to the experience I got whilst volunteering at the store each week. I’ve really enjoyed the regular routine of going to DEBRA and doing work I believe in, from working the till to sorting donations. Because of my background in technology I’ve ended up becoming a sort of tech expert for the store – I’m always thrilled when we get another interesting bit of tech in a donation for me to work out, and sometimes fix. The environment is so supportive and engaging – once I started volunteering, I realized I never wanted to stop helping out! My parents have always been big supporters of charity and drop in donations at the store regularly and have even occasionally dropped in for a bit of volunteering themselves. Volunteering at DEBRA opened so much for me and helped me develop skills I wouldn’t have otherwise. I really feel I’m making a difference here and it’s a great way for a young person to develop their skills. I haven’t regretted a minute of my time at DEBRA and I encourage anyone to get stuck in and do some work for a good cause!
Client: Anna McPherson, Head of Marketing and Communications at DEBRA (LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annamcpherson/ )
Quote: “[…] It's great - really personal tone of voice and clearly explains the benefits of the role […] We will definitely use it.”
ServiceNow - Senior Position Job Description
[Context: Dave Gomm undertakes recruitment for his team at ServiceNow and felt the old job description – a format used by ServiceNow for years – was dry and outdated. I worked back-and-forth with him to produce a draft he was happy with. It is now under internal review before receiving further changes and then going live.]
At ServiceNow, we make the world of work, work better for people. We’re innovators. We work hard but try not to take ourselves too seriously. We are highly adaptable and constantly evolving. We are passionate about our platform, and we live for our customers. We have high expectations and a career at ServiceNow means challenging yourself to always be better. ServiceNow in the UK is a Certified Great Place to Work. The role: Partnering with an Account Executive, you’ll build and own relationships with senior ‘C’ level technical and business stakeholders. You’ll work together to lead the account strategy for our enterprise-level UK Financial Services customers and inspire them with the value that can be realised from the Now Platform. The skills: To be a great candidate, you’d have experience in innovating with technology in the Financial Services industry. You’ll have a charismatic presence and an adaptable mindset. Experience in building lasting relationships with customer stakeholders at all levels, too, is key. And, you’d be motivated to engage with new workflows and business prospects as part of an inspiring workplace culture. ServiceNow is an equal opportunity employer, committed to building a diverse and inclusive company where employees feel that they belong. This means that individuals seeking employment at ServiceNow are considered without regard to race, colour, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, national original, age, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you are an individual with a disability which is likely to affect you during any part of the application process, you may contact us at [talent.acquisition@servicenow.com] so that we can consider whether we can make any adjustments to the process.
Client: Dave Gomm, Director of Solution Consulting (UK Financial Services) at ServiceNow (LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thegommster/ )