Lauren Allison - Cumbria Talent Force

Q&A

— Give a short overview of your career journey after school

I finished my GCSEs and went onto study A-Levels at Ullswater Sixth Form. I didn't feel college offered the right courses for me at the time and I decided I wanted to go to University to do Events Management so I really knuckled down and did much better at my A-Levels than I did with my GCSEs which just shows you can achieve when you put your mind to it!

I got into Chester University to study Events Management and deferred my place for a year to go travelling after my A-Levels were finished. Once I returned, I actually decided not to go to University and instead went straight into employment as a Wedding & Events Co-ordinator which was my dream at the time, and I was able to complete an NVQ Level 3 with Kendal College alongside this, so it worked out well!

By the end of my career in the hospitality industry, I was a Weddings & Events Assistant Manager and had organised and ran over 100 weddings. Although I loved the wedding world, I wanted to move into a different industry and was very interested in marketing, having enjoyed the events, creative and promotional side of my previous roles. This led me to work in Support and Marketing at Dodd & Co Accountants where I had a varied role and learned a lot. Whilst at Dodd & Co, I was grateful to receive support to study with The Chartered Institute of Marketing alongside my full-time job and gained a Level 4 qualification which is equivalent to a Foundation Degree in Digital Marketing. After a few years with the business, I took an amazing opportunity to be a Marketing Executive at Story Homes which I loved and again, learnt ALOT! This role involved content creation, social media, events, organising photography shoots, website work and much more. I also travelled to various developments in the North of England and spent time in the other regional offices which kept things exciting. Since then, I moved to Genesis Homes as Marketing Executive where I focussed on website, content, PR and digital before being promoted to Head of Communities & Engagement which was a brand-new role for the business.

— What do you love about your job?

I'm very proud of my role, it has such a meaningful impact for the communities in the areas where we build homes. I love how varied it is, from running events to organising school visits and helping design the community spaces on our developments, no day is the same! I also really enjoy getting out and speaking to people - having the flexibility to organise my own diary to accommodate this is a lovely part of the job too.

— What piece of advice would you give to young people about finding their best next step?

It's tough deciding what step to take next but just make a decision and go for it - you can always change it or pivot! Just because you've chosen one path doesn't mean you can't take a different route in the future, and the likelihood is you'll have transferable skills to move across.

The best thing you can do is try to choose something you're interested in. You're way more likely to succeed (and enjoy it in the process) than dragging yourself through a course just because you think you 'should be doing it'.

Something I've learnt is that each step naturally leads you to the next step without you even realising. When I was 16 and set on becoming a Wedding Co-ordinator, there's no way I would have imagined I'd end up being a Head of Communities & Engagement in my 30's but now I realise that everything I did up until now helped me be ready for this position - from events to marketing, PR, communications, admin, building speaking skills on reception, even doing billing/invoices...it's all helped!

— What three essential skills do you think have helped you to be successful in your job?

Speaking, Creativity, Staying Positive.

— What advice would you give to someone considering working in your industry?

Construction isn't just about being a builder, there are so many different opportunities available, so don't be put off by the idea of it being construction.

When I was younger I wouldn't have said this is the industry I wanted to work in, probably being slightly intimidated by the idea of it being male dominated, but it's really not and there are lots of strong female leaders in our business and across housebuilding in general.

— What is the best piece of advice you have been given that has helped you on your career journey?

Put yourself out there and get involved in things! It's not always easy but it shows good intent and helps build connections which are so important. Also, ask the silly questions - you don't know what you don't know. We learn by asking! I still remind myself of that most days.