Cognito’s London office is now accepting applications for their 2015 graduate scheme, beginning this summer!
The programme is designed to provide each graduate with a fundamental understanding of the public relations, marketing, social media and creative design industry with a specialised focus on the finance and technology space.
The integrated nature of our agency ensures that all graduates will come away with a broad understanding of a spectrum of communications practices. What sets Cognito’s graduate programme apart from other agencies is the “hands-on” experience and training with all levels of management and on a variety of work, from existing client projects to prospect pitches.
For more information or to apply, please email:
LondonGrad@cognitomedia.com
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About Cognito
We are an integrated communications consulting
firm for the financial and technology sectors.
With offices in London, New York, Los Angeles and Singapore, we help firms improve their performance and manage their
reputation. We provide planning, marketing, design, PR and social campaigns, together with proprietary software that
delivers measurability and intelligence.
From the start, Cognito has been built on the assumption that finance is different. That’s why since 2000 we’ve consistently
hired people with varied careers and backgrounds, from Ogilvy to Goldman Sachs, with experience in financial journalism,
banking, FS marketing, advertising and social media strategy.
Cognito focuses on providing our clients with a variety of support from marketing, media relations, branding, social strategy or
creative strategic advice and issues management. Whatever their needs, most clients would agree that part of what makes
Cognito an effective partner for them is our specialization and our recognition that finance is different.
Our clients include some of the largest financial institutions in the world, from Bloomberg to ING and J.P.Morgan, and ranges
through to start-ups looking to change their part of the industry. Projects run from launching global products and helping a
bank build a more positive media profile, to working with a company from the very beginning, building their brand and
communications strategy. We also work closely with key partners, including Google and LinkedIn, to ensure we deliver our
clients the best results.
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wit
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We’re small enough to care, but pack a global punch
Working at Cognito means being part of a growing global company. It’s vital that we share experience and build relationships across our different
offices; there are regular trips between our locations and many of our people work on global accounts. The London office serves clients across
Europe and MENA, from Paris and Amsterdam to Frankfurt and Brussels, and we even have a client in Casablanca…
Offices: London – New York – Los Angeles – Boston – Sydney – Singapore
Partners: Beijing – Hong Kong – Tokyo – Frankfurt – Paris – Milan – Madrid – Dubai
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Objective
Provide our graduates with an educational, professional and fun experience that prepares
them to enter the communications industry (and potentially a role with Cognito London).
About
The programme is designed to provide each graduate with a fundamental understanding of the public relations, marketing, social
media and creative design industry with a specialised focus on the finance and technology space.
To get the most out of the three month period, and to provide a more in-depth experience, we ask that graduates apply with a
specific focus area in mind – either an area of communications they have already studied or have experience in, or an area they
are interested in learning more about. These preferences will be taken into account when assigning graduates to one of our
three core teams: public relations, marketing/design and social/digital. We work as an integrated agency so, whichever team you
are part of, you will gain experience across all disciplines and areas of the business.
Although successful applicants will spend the majority of their time with their core team, the integrated nature of our agency
ensures that they will come away with a broad understanding of a spectrum of communications practices. What sets Cognito’s
graduate programme apart from other agencies is the “hands-on” experience and training with all levels of management and on
a variety of work, from existing client projects to prospect pitches.
Programme overview
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• Each graduate will be assigned to a team who will collectively train them, sharing their knowledge of the communication
world and provide guidance throughout the graduate program.
• The programme will start with onboarding with the core team and setting clear objectives for the three months.
• Each graduate will have a manager within their team who will act as point person for the graduate. The manager will
provide one-on-one guidance in addition to weekly check-ins, providing an opportunity for graduates to both receive and
provide feedback on the program and their progress.
• As an integral members of their respective teams, graduates will be given responsibilities across multiple clients and
will collaborate on team projects, applying the skills they have learned throughout the programme and expertise they
already obtain.
• Graduates will be encouraged to participate in all on-site and off-site Cognito activities including training sessions,
lunch-and-learn sessions, educational seminars, team dinners, etc.
• Cognito provides a open door policy, with an open floor plan. We aim to provide an experience for our graduates that
allows them to see the working insides of a communications agency and have access to all levels of management and
the program coordinator at all times.
Programme inclusions
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• You don’t need an economics degree to work at Cognito
Our people have a range of academic backgrounds, from art history and archaeology to modern languages and politics. As an
integrated agency it is vital that we have a range of expertise and approaches, from those who think analytically and have
exceptional attention to detail to those with a strong creative streak.
• An interest in finance is important
Finance is a driving force of the UK economy and shapes the world around us. You don’t need to read the FT everyday but being
curious about how the City works, what’s going on in the news and in the financial markets is important.
• We are a fun, growing company and the pace of life here – and generally in finance and technology – is pretty quick
We also think it’s important to have wider interests and skills. Amongst training and other things, we have a book club, do regular
drinks and even run French lessons. If you want to be thrown in at the deep-end, get a good understanding of agency life and the
different services and begin to build work experience in financial services, then Cognito will be a great fit.
Who will the programme suit?
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Warming up for our London 2014 client
Christmas party
Client breakfast event with Syed Kamall
MEP, leader of the Conservatives in
Brussels
Cognicon, Orlando. Our bi-annual all
company conference
Hearing directly from our clients,
such as Bloomberg here, on what
matters to them most
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Katherine Dvorkin
Katherine joined Cognito on the graduate programme in 2012, after graduating with a
degree in history from the University of Kent. Now a Senior Account Executive, Katherine
works on a wide range of clients and projects that regularly take her to Brussels, Paris and
the US.
My job
As a Senior Account Executive, I work closely with the senior managers on the day to day
management and delivery of the account. Working across the communications spectrum
from PR to marketing to social media, across a range of clients from fintech startups to
large, well known financial institutions means that the work is always diverse. Whether
you’re pitching clients to financial press, organising a client event, devising new content
campaigns or drafting a social media strategy, two days are never quite the same.
Katherine Dvorkin – Senior Account Executive
A few quick questions…
Four reasons why I love my job…
•Having access to people of all levels and all regions within the company.
From the get-go, I was working with the CEO and regional MD alongside
senior managers, assisting them from admin-related tasks through to being
involved in project research.
•Opportunity to interact and build strong personal relationships with clients.
Made me feel like an invaluable member of the account team and be
involved in all aspects of the account.
•Being given the opportunity to travel – many of our European clients are
based outside of the UK and I have had the chance to travel near and far for
meetings or events, on behalf of clients.
•A fun, working environment to be in, and having the chance to work closely
with US and Asia colleagues helps to build international friendships. I can
safely say that I have a number of good friends from working at Cognito.
The most challenging part…
The demands of multiple clients and getting
the right balance.
When you have clients across different time
zones, all with projects or launches that are
crucial to them and their business, it can be
hard to push back where needed and work out
your priorities.
The hard parts make my job though, and the
feeling you get when you get your client in the
Financial Times or when you see an ad
campaign go live is amazing.
My favourite Cognito moment…
Cognicon! The whole company descended on
Orlando and we got up to everything from
pitching and team building to listening to some
great presentations.
It was an intense four days but to spend time
with colleagues from other offices, many of
whom you are always emailing or talking to on
the phone, was great.
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Charlie Morrow
Charlie joined Cognito on the graduate programme in 2010, after completing his economics degree at the University of
Nottingham; he is now a Senior Account Manager in our London office.
My Job
As a Senior Account Manager, I oversee several client accounts. The work is continually varied and stimulating, ranging
from getting on the phone and pitching clients to trade and business press, to organizing a roundtable event, writing a new
business pitch presentation, devising a new media strategy, live tweeting from an event or taking clients out for
dinner/drinks. Each day is different and thoroughly rewarding – in the fast-paced market that we operate in, and with
clients demanding truly integrated campaigns, I find that my to-do list quickly changes with every hour.
Charlie Morrow – Senior Account Manager
A day in the life
My Working Day
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Duration: June 2015 - August 2015 (3 months). Flexible start date.
Potential extensions: September 2015+ (probationary period for long-term roles)
Hours: Monday – Friday, 9am-6pm GMT
Remuneration: Graduate salary
Total graduates: 2-3
Programme details
