What has your journey into Edelman looked like and how did you get into the communications industry?
I graduated with a Business & Project Management degree from Bournemouth university last summer! I then joined Edelman in September and was delighted that my first corporate job was with such a reputable and well-established communications company. Since leaving school, I always had an interest in project management and so I was very excited to start this role by being a sponge and soaking in as much knowledge as possible from all the expert PMs around me.
Tell us a bit more about the Project Management team at Edelman.
From the get-go, the project management team have been extremely welcoming! During my first week, I had introductory meetings with every one of the project managers, who each gave me a brief overview of their day-to-day lives working as a PM on their account. It soon became clear to me that the team was made of super pro-active, hardworking, and approachable individuals, and as someone junior this made me feel comfortable to ask questions and get stuck in.
What achievement are you most proud of?
I am most proud of how much I have developed and grown in confidence since joining Edelman. In recent months, I have owned the project management of some smaller Microsoft projects and although I am still learning a significant amount every day, I have developed core PM capabilities such as burn reporting/finance tracking and managing resource demands which have each enabled me to confidently begin to manage projects.
What do you find most rewarding about the job?
I find it extremely rewarding seeing a project through from beginning to end, and as a PM, it is all about the satisfaction you get from knowing that your hard work helped contribute to the project’s successful execution.
What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced throughout your time at Edelman?
Edelman is a massive company, and as someone junior who is first starting their career, this can be extremely daunting. There are lots of departments who all do different things and have different specialties, and so I quickly learnt that the only way to truly understand processes and teams was to put yourself out there and ask as many questions as possible! I also discovered that once you get to know people and form relationships, it is much easier to manage your way around the company.
How do you stay motivated?
I stay motivated by setting myself small daily goals. I am a firm believer that a seemingly overwhelming project can be made far less daunting when split into lots of smaller tasks or objectives. Something which works for me is splitting my to do list into ‘Quick Ticks’, ‘Tasks’ and ‘Projects’ as this helps me to manage my time most effectively.
If you could offer one piece advice to someone considering working in the PM team at Edelman, what would it be?
My advice, specifically aimed at someone junior joining the team, would be to always ask questions and offer help where you can! The PM team are often juggling millions of different project elements all at once and if you can be there to offer some light lift from their day-to-day tasks, this is what will make you stand out to the team and help you progress.
What do you do outside work to relax?
I am an avid tennis player and so I love competing when I can (especially in the summer months), but truthfully, my favourite hobby is going out for drinks/dinner with friends and family 😊.
Molly Mackenzie is a Group and Project Coordinator in the Project Management team.
