Hi there! My name is Callum Keown. I am a marketing graduate based in the West Midlands. Welcome to my page! Since graduating from Birmingham City University in 2019, I have been looking for opportunities to expand my skills and knowledge to build my employability and value as an individual. During my time at university, I have developed and built a range of skills and knowledge within the field of marketing. More recently, I have been focusing my spare time towards creating digital media and content design work, as it is a particular skill that I would love to develop to a professional level and would allow me to create a range of content that a company may want to use for marketing and advertising.
During my spare time I enjoy playing and engaging with various sports, with running and hockey being my two most focused sports. I currently play for the Aldridge and Walsall hockey club third team, being the top goal scorer of this year. Alongside hockey, I am also part of the Tipton Harriers running club and train multiple times a week to improve my physical wellbeing and prepare for races. My most recent accomplishment was running my first half marathon in November of 2019.
My aims for this page are to be able to express myself freely by posting content that I have been working on, as well as showcase what skills I am currently trying to develop through blog posting. Through building a timeframe of content on my social media pages and this webpage, I will be able to showcase my work and development of myself as an individual. I hope you enjoy my work and feel free to get in touch!
My first half marathon ran in November 2019.
My Time at University
My time at university really allowed me to build on all of my core skills and transformed me into the person that I am today. Before university, I was a shy, quiet individual who would second think every decision I would make. Throughout my university life I engaged and got involved with all aspects of a student life; from building theory and knowledge in the classroom to enjoying a social life with the university hockey team, every moment was spent productively.
During this time I learnt how to express myself and be confident in all areas of my life. Throughout the three years of university I developed a range of skills that can be applicable in a working environment. These skills include teamwork, communication, time management, critical thinking, and understanding how to interact effectively with different types of people through different assignments. My course taught me to create strong marketing content through understanding theory and applying it through real life scenarios and creation of a range of assignments. During my third year, I was also part of The Link marketing agency within BCU as an extra-curricular activity to engage within the field of marketing and develop skills that can be used in real marketing scenarios. This activity involved taking a brief from a real client and presenting them with a solution in their head office in their Bullring office in Birmingham.
Throughout my second and third year of university, I wanted to get more involved with the university and actively meet new people, and so began playing hockey for the university team. Although I had never played the sport before, I found it to be engaging, fun, and a great way to meet other students. Playing university sport taught me to feel more confident and express myself around other people, as well as how to understand and relate with others. As a marketer, being able to read and understand what people want is vital, and although not part of my course, playing hockey built fundamental skills that are applicable in my course and all aspects of my work environment. By the end of my course I felt more confident in all areas of my life, I had built a strong grasp of marketing theory and came out with a first class marketing degree.
Presentation for The Link marketing agency during my time at university to the Hammerson group.
Post University Life
Following my graduation in June 2019, I have been actively looking for ways to build myself further as an individual. Within 6 months of finishing my course, I focused on getting my driving licence so that I have more opportunities for work and can expand my job search further (being able to travel freely to is also a nice bonus!). During this time, I also took more responsibility within my current position at Tesco, including managing online customer orders and teaching new employees company functions. During Christmas of 2019,I was in charge of the collection for customer festive orders, ensuring all product orders were accounted for, organised, and correctly given to their customers.
To further develop myself, I am currently learning how to use a range of software to build my digital portfolio, and learn how to create professional looking content that a marketer may have to create for their company. This includes learning how to use Adobe software (Photoshop, XD, InDesign), and building on my current skills within Microsoft Office. Following online courses through Udemy and other online sites gives me a platform to learn and develop content that I have been posting on my social media sites as a way to showcase my work and effectively run a social media page.
Myself, brother and nephews at a family wedding in 2019.
If you have any more questions, feel free to get in touch!