Robert joined marketplace amp in November and is in his final year of a Business Administration and Management degree at the University of Suffolk.
Prior to this, Robert — who flew the nest in Romania to further his education in the UK — used his entrepreneurial flair to successfully build, market and trade via his own webstore, cattyCare, selling a range of products to help cat-lovers take excellent care of their kitties!
Over the last three months, Robert has been researching industry trends in our vertical markets, preparing white papers and assisting agency-wide with analytics and reporting.
We catch up with our Digital Intern to find out what brought him to us and what he makes of life in a high-growth e-commerce agency!
You’ve got an interesting back-story, tell us about why you left Romania to study in England?
I think one of the main reasons was because I wanted to help my family by doing this. I knew that at the beginning it would be an investment and there was a lot of risk in my decision, especially financially. But I knew our parents would not be able to take care of and provide for me and my twin brother, so I decided to try to make a living here whilst at university.
My brother is now earning money as well, so fortunately we can give our parents a break! Needless to say, it has worked out, so I’m really happy that the risk has paid off!
How did the internship with marketplace amp come about?
After almost two years of university, I fell in love with marketing, especially the digital side! I really wanted to develop my knowledge and skills in this area with some proper work experience.
I started looking at how to make money online, discovered drop shipping and within a couple of months I had set up my own e-commerce business, cattyCare. This experience, combined with a university programme called Future Me, eventually helped me to land an internship at marketplace amp!
After sending an application to their Creative Director, Aime, I was lucky enough to be given an interview and then went on to join a brilliant, experienced and fun team where I have been able to learn and develop.
What have you been doing and what have you learnt during your internship?
At first, I was tasked with a variety of market research jobs, creating white papers and helping the Operations Team. Fortunately, now with my extended internship, I’ll be able to contribute to client projects with the Content Team too.
Also, my Mac skills have significantly improved — I had never worked on a Mac before, so it has been an exciting new experience!
How have you found your first taste of working in a busy office environment?
I’ve been pleasantly surprised about life in an office environment — I thought everyone would be in a serious mood, but I’ve probably watched too many movies because it is not even remotely close to that!
Of course, we are serious with the work we do, but we are having plenty of fun, insightful and engaging conversations throughout the day, which I think really keeps us going!
How does your work experience compare to your expectations? Has anything surprised you?
I imagined that I would learn a lot when I first came in, but my experience so far has gone way beyond my expectations.
Comparing where I was when I just started working to now, several months later, looking back and seeing how much of a long way I’ve come, is great. I expected to learn and grow, but at the rate I’ve done it, it’s just mind-blowing!
What do you plan to do next?
I’ve had great news… for the next few months I’m staying with marketplace amp! This is amazing and I cannot wait to start working on our new projects. I’m certainly feeling AMPed about what lies ahead!
How do you hope to use your experience in your future career?
With all the knowledge that I have gathered about online marketplaces, especially Amazon and eBay, I am confident that I’ll be able to apply these skills in my future jobs. Hopefully I can keep working in this rich and awesome environment at marketplace amp.
And we are AMPed to keep you, Robert! Here’s to the next chapter of your internship!
