As part of our #UCLInspireMe series, Sophie Neal talks to us about her role at NMPi, an award-winning digital agency in Islington. Sophie graduated from UCL with an MSci in Physics in 2015 and now works as a Performance Marketing Reconciliations Analyst. Here she shares some tips for UCL students who want to get into the sector. For more insights from recent graduates working for smaller organisations, visit https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/ucl-careers/ and search #SMEProfile.

How did you get into your role?

I got talking to someone in the company who recommended it to me. Through email, I asked about any job shadowing or intern positions and was contacted a couple of months later. I had a phone interview and came in to meet my would-be manager and started an internship. A couple of months later I was offered a job!

What does a typical day in your job involve?

My days can vary quite a lot depending on the time of the month and year. I always make sure to check my emails first thing when I come in – if anything has happened overnight I will be immediately alerted and we often receive messages from clients as a growing number are based internationally. Tasks for the day can then include preparing reports that are due to go out, checking and recording any payments that have come in, building new or updating existing accounts or chasing payment issues.

What skills are important in this role?

Being proactive is important as it’s easy for work to mount up quickly. Problem-solving skills can also come in handy.

What are the best things about working in your role?

There are lots of things I love about my role. I love the fact that at times I have the ability to work fairly autonomously but my team still comes together to talk, compare, collaborate and share tips and ideas. I also love the variation of work I have within my role – I never get the chance to get bored.

What are the biggest challenges you face in your work?

I’ve always been quite shy – especially around people I don’t know very well – so personally, one of the biggest challenges for me is if I have to contact new clients or network contacts. When I first started, I felt a little out of my depth with simple things such as excel. Being a physics graduate I had plenty of experience using it but for very different purposes, so it’s something I had to quickly adapt to.

What top tips would you give to a student interested in this type of work?

If it’s something you’re interested in, do your research, take your time to gain a good understanding of the industry and apply.

To see current opportunities at NMPi, visit http://nmpilondon.com/careers