When I began my Enterprise Rent-A-Car journey in 2014 I was quite a timid person and had no idea what kind of career I wanted to pursue. I could never have dreamt that only two years later I’d be a finalist in the Campus Brand Manager of the Year competition.
I’d been training for less than nine months when I was promoted to Management Assistant. At Enterprise, the team give you real responsibility from day one – which gave me both the experience and determination to achieve this first big step. That’s when I realised how much working at Enterprise had improved my confidence, to the point where I could walk into a dealership or garage and speak to anyone without feeling shy or nervous, and make a sale!
I completed my 12-month placement and, with a host of real-world experience, returned to the University of Kent to finish the final year of my Business Management degree. It was here that I was hand-picked to represent Enterprise Rent-A-Car as a Campus Brand Manager (CBM). I had been interested in becoming a CBM before my placement ended because I knew it was a fun job and would give me a chance to use the skills I’d learned in my placement year.
Enterprise offers excellent training for new CBMs, providing all the tools (and some useful free goodies for interested students) you need to become a ‘mini recruiter’ on campus, but it’s important to hit the ground running. I already got on well with the careers team on campus and now I needed to work hard to deepen that relationship; their co-operation would be vital.
Right from the start of term I began to promote the fantastic opportunities that Enterprise has to offer. I got involved in all the careers fairs across both Kent campuses, held on-campus interviews, attended Women in Leadership events, Enactus regional and national competitions (Enactus is a global non-profit organisation that promotes change through entrepreneurism) and a Rate My Placement event. In addition I made sure the Enterprise name was visible everywhere it could be on campus to promote brand recognition.
As 2016 began, many of my students were being offered placement and graduate roles at Enterprise – my hard work was beginning to pay off – and in May 2016 I was crowned best performing CBM for London and the South East. I’m really excited to be representing the University of Kent at the national awards and am proud that the careers team on campus will be there to support me on the day!
I’ve also been invited to help train this year’s new CBMs which means that when I rejoin the Enterprise family on the graduate scheme I’ll be mentoring many of them as they begin their own CBM journey; not only that, but soon I’ll be presenting to other universities and their careers teams to explain how they can make the most out of their CBMs.
I’m passionate about this job (can’t you tell?) and looking forward to convincing the judges that I’m a worthy winner of the overall title. It’ll be tough and if anyone wants to offer their support – hashtag #KATIE4CBMOTY on Twitter – I’d really appreciate it!
Here are my top three reasons why you should become a CBM for your university:
- Networking – you’ll meet other students, other businesses, careers teams and different schools (I even met the mayor!)
- A New Role – it’s unlike any other role you’ll come across in Enterprise and it’s exciting to have such a free rein so early in your career.
- It’s FUN – this is one of the most fulfilling things I’ve ever done. You’ll meet so many new people and get involved in so many different events and activities – and have a great time!
We’ve got plenty of exciting opportunities for enterprising university students – head over to the Jobs at Enterprise page to secure your placement with us today!
