One thing we love doing at Orca Scan is helping inspire the next generation of talent 💛
We’re big believers in giving people the opportunity to explore new skills, gain confidence, and see what working in tech and marketing is actually like behind the scenes.
Recently, we had Delilah join us for a week of work experience. Delilah is about to head to university to study English Literature and Marketing, so she spent the week with our marketing team learning the ropes, sitting in on projects, and getting stuck into day-to-day life at Orca Scan.
A little bit of context: Meet Delilah 💛
Name: Delilah
Age: 17
Current Education: Sixth Form studying English Literature, Psychology, and RPE
Hobbies: Art and Painting 🎨
Hey Delilah, thanks for spending the week with us! Why did you want to do a marketing placement?
Hi! I wanted to do this because marketing is something I’m really interested in looking into for my future, especially at university and potentially beyond that, too.
I’d never actually been in an environment with a real marketing team before, so I wanted to experience what it was actually like instead of only seeing the surface-level perception of marketing through social media.
I’m hoping to study English at university, because it has always been my favourite subject. I also enjoy art and painting, so combining these two things together, marketing feels like a path that could suit me really well, as it would allow me to use a lot of those creative skills.
This placement felt like the perfect opportunity to see what the future could potentially look like for me.
What did you think about marketing before the week with Orca Scan?
Before Orca Scan, I thought marketing was simply about promoting a product to a wider audience to achieve more sales and engagement through fun advertisements or campaigns.
After this week, I’ve realised how important it is for marketing teams to work alongside every other team in a company and make sure everyone is aligned and highlighting each other’s work.
Marketing isn’t only about consumers. There are also collaborations, partnerships, and communication happening behind the scenes that most people never really see. It’s about shaping how your company or product is viewed by everyone, including the people within it, and building a well-rounded image for the brand.
Something I have learnt this week that people outside of marketing might not realise is how important it is for marketers to truly know the product they’re working with. You need to know all its features in order to reflect it into their marketing strategies, considering every aspect and understanding how to communicate the value in a way that benefits both the company and the customer.
I also realised how much working with different departments helps create stronger marketing overall. Even if something isn’t your speciality, understanding how other teams work helps you build a much more logical and complete strategy.
What surprised you the most about marketing during this week?
The thing that surprised me the most was definitely how involved the marketing team is with every other team in the department.
Before coming to Orca Scan, I expected marketing to feel very separate from the technical side of the business, especially the computing and development side, but this was not the case.
I hadn’t considered how the different teams support each other, whether that’s through crafting a glossary template for the website or using marketing strategies to advise others on what steps they should take next.
I also learned how often companies like Orca Scan speak to different customers every single day, ranging from huge brands to individual small businesses and charities.
It was really interesting to see how common this is, and it added something different to each day at my work experience. I hadn’t realised how much marketing involves understanding customers and what they want from your product, so being able to sit in on these calls was really insightful.
What did you learn from your week with us?
This week I have learnt:
- The importance of putting yourself out there early. I created a LinkedIn account during my placement and was advised to start posting on this as it is such a useful source for employers or even universities to look at.
- How to build your own personal brand. Through watching videos and talks on the importance of presenting your authentic self to others when looking for work opportunities. If you don’t understand how you want to be seen and what you want to achieve, it will make it much more difficult to find work that suits you and that will benefit you individually.
- How connected every team is within a business. Although workplaces are often divided into teams, this doesn’t mean you always work separately. During the placement, I’ve seen a range of teams and how their work all eventually links together, to form the final product, which was really cool to see.
What is the biggest thing you’ll take away?
The biggest thing I’ll take away from this experience, alongside everything I’ve learnt about marketing, is how important it is to be yourself and to have complete control over how you present yourself to the world.
This week, I have been surrounded by a really kind group of people who are all different, yet this is what has resulted in such a successful product, as they can all bring their different strengths into the team and provide their own perspectives.
Going forward, I want to start thinking about what I want for myself in my career and how to present it to others, staying authentic and understanding that everyone will approach marketing differently and that not everyone will be right for every job.
Thank you 🙏
We’ve loved hearing Delilah’s perspective on what work experience in marketing can really look like, and it’s been amazing to watch her confidence grow throughout the week.
If you’re interested in completing work experience with Orca Scan, we’d love to hear from you 👋