Recent Graduate, Sophie Ogle, has given us some insight into what it’s like to work as a CRM Executive at Manchester retail giant N Brown. In this fast-paced role, she has learnt a number of new skills and is kindly sharing this invaluable knowledge with us which any budding CRM Executive will find beneficial!


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What do you find the most challenging at work?
I think the most difficult part of my roles is juggling 3 brands at once. As much as I enjoy how fast-paced my job is, sometimes it can be a little overwhelming. Trying to keep up with what’s happening on-site, changes to the selling plan, meetings about different brands and managing the email plans for Home Essentials and High & Mighty, when Jacamo should be my main focus can be intense!  Things can get stressful at peak times too, Black Friday and Cyber Monday were crazy!

What type of person is best suited to this role?
I would say the ideal candidate for a CRM role is someone with strong technical and analytical skills, but with a creative flair. Also, good communication skills and enjoying working with others is vital, you need to communicate between all different areas of marketing. We work mostly with our eCommerce team, but we have to collaborate with brand, design, social and PR, graphic designers and CRM teams from other brands too.

How did you know this would be the right position for you?
I think I possess a similar skill set to the one highlighted above. Some days I really enjoy getting into the numbers and looking into how best to optimise our emails, and some days it’s nice to just make things look pretty! I really enjoy working in CRM and can definitely see myself continuing to follow this career path.

Top tips for someone trying to get into a Marketing role:
If you are interested in pursuing a marketing role, I would definitely suggest:

1. Really thinking about what your skill set is and what marketing roles your skills lend themselves to.

2. Looking at job roles which you’re interested in, and ensure you’re including examples of what they’re asking for in your cover letter and interviews.

3. If you’re looking for an entry-level role, don’t just apply for specific jobs, drop your CV into talent pools for companies you’re interested in working for, that’s how I got my role!

4. Make sure to get as much work experience as you can if you’re looking for an entry-level role too. I would say, in my interview for N Brown, I talked 80% about my experience in the industry and 20% about my qualifications. Experience really is key in a competitive job market.

A huge thanks to Sophie for sharing this with us! Are you looking to find a role in CRM? See what we've got here! 

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