York St John student has ‘a lot of bottle’

An innovative job application from a final year marketing student at York St John University has wowed a marketing agency and secured him a place on a fully subscribed internship programme. 

Callum Houston, 21, was keen to do something that would grab the attention of a prospective employer. He went to great lengths to create a marketing campaign that included a logo, website and promotional drinks bottles, which he hand delivered to a Midlands-based agency on a 200-mile round trip.

He explains, “The promotional bottle idea came about because I didn’t think my CV was strong enough to get myself a job in such a competitive field.  After applying for a couple of jobs and being unsuccessful, the feedback I gained was that I didn’t have the experience to get a job in marketing. I felt I need to do something to showcase the fact that I have the skills to work in the sector, so I created my own marketing campaign that included a product (the website), a brand image (the lion logo) and promotional media (the bottles) to catch an employer’s eye.”

His approach worked, and Callum, who is in the final year of an honours degree in Business Management at York St John Business School and studied A-levels at Queen Ethelburga’s in the city, has successfully secured a three-month summer placement with Birmingham-based marketing & PR firm, Big Cat Group. 

Keith Brighty, Callum’s tutor and Senior Lecturer in Marketing at York St John University, comments, “The highly competitive world of work requires creativity and tenacity.  As a Business School we encourage our students to be imaginative in their approach.  It is incredibly refreshing to see students like Callum who, not only come up with a fantastic idea, but spend time and effort in applying their creativity.  I am delighted for him and I hope he continues to develop fantastic ideas, as today’s workplace demands such inspiration and resourcefulness.”

Natalie Hartland, Head of Marketing and Communications at Big Cat Group, says, “We initially didn’t have space available on the Big Cat internship programme when we received Callum’s innovative CV but, because of his originality and creativity, we decided that we had to make the time to meet the person who had made so much effort to be noticed.

“After meeting Callum in person we were able to recognise his passion and drive and subsequently made a space available on our fully-booked internship programme within the marketing department. We greatly look forward to working with him this summer.”

Callum starts his placement in July, where he will be working on marketing campaigns and activities including social media and search engine optimisation, giving him a valuable insight into the world of marketing.

He concludes, “The placement is a great opportunity for me to develop my skills and experience in an industry that is so saturated and difficult to get into. Hopefully the placement will lead to a full time job in the sector.”

For more information about York St John graduate internships, contact the university on 01904 876710.