First impressions mean everything...

When I first heard of Harker, it was because of an advert for a two-week social media placement. As a first-year marketing student at the University of Liverpool, I was searching for opportunities to get more experience but was repeatedly rejected by every ‘entry-level’ spring or summer internship. I thought I would show interest in Harker's placement and, to my surprise, I was asked in for an interview the next week, with very little understanding of what Harker does! I started writing notes, googling what 'SaaS' means, and desperately practising pitching to my parents how I can help Harker solve homelessness with data. Somehow, my ingenuity and determination was enough to earn me a placement, and eventually a permanent role at Harker - where I am solely responsible for all social media channels.

Imposter Syndrome is not a myth

Regardless of my lack of experience,I had no knowledge of software development past Year 7 Python programming lessons. Despite only being halfway through the first year of my degree, I quickly realised that I was going to be given more responsibility than any role I had applied to previously and I felt completely out of my depth. I did not feel in a position to be giving out advice on how a business’ social media should be run, but Zack and James did not choose me because of experience, but my willingness to learn. This changed my perspective on my job as I was not being asked to complete jobs I wasn’t qualified to do, but I was being given the opportunity to learn a new skill. The more I focused on how my imposter syndrome came from me being uncomfortable not knowing everything yet, the more I felt grateful to have the opportunity to grow and be trusted in such a supportive team that I can learn from. In previous jobs, the only culture I have experienced has rarely been positive, but at Harker it really only has been positive. From my interview, still to meetings now, I’m caught up on the years' worth of deep company lore and it was great to witness that atmosphere at its peak at Scapegoat 2025.

Knowledge is not always power

Halfway through my placement, I had a check-in meeting to get some pointers before my final placement presentation, and I got the reassurance I needed to make sure that my ideas and opinions were helpful. Despite me asking questions that was probably common sense for Zack, I was never made to feel like below anyone else in the team or any less knowledgable. To be able to step into a role with little experience, or interest in the field, is down to Zack and James putting so much trust and reassurance into me. Feeling like I could add value to an entry level role by inputting my own opinions, was one of the most rewarding parts of my placement that allowed me to step out of my imposter syndrome and thrive in my daily job.

The responsibility grows

After finishing my two-week placement, I was offered the role of Casual Social Media Executive. If I thought I was given responsibility before, I was wrong. My job shifted from making suggestions, to making change. The planning work had already been done so I knew what needed to be changed: more frequent posting, eye-catching reels, and using relevant hashtags. Luckily, I was eased into it and slowly given the reins to take over all social media channels for Harker and its partner company, Jamescape. Despite what I thought in the interview, I don’t need a computer science degree to work in a tech company. I see myself as bridging the communication gap between our developers and our business network, the majority of who are non-technical stakeholders. Once I changed the perspective of thinking I needed to understand every feature of Harker to be able to do my job, and instead understanding how I can meet the needs of every sector of our audience, my job suddenly made sense. Being at Harker has not only given me the opportunity to kickstart my career at 19, but also to walk away with a better, more practical understanding of my degree. I’m able to compare Harker to case studies, use my job as a talking point in seminars and apply what I’ve learnt in my lectures.