Developing Digital Expertise
Developed and refined over many years, the Kinase Training Programme draws on the expert specialist knowledge gained from individuals with up to 20 years of working in digital.
Kinase caught up with 2022 cohort member Faizan, to hear about his experience in one of the industry’s leading training programmes.
One of the most unnerving things about graduating from university is the job hunt which comes after receiving the golden piece of paper - the case for me was no different.
Moving to the UK as an international student, PPC advertising was the career I wanted to pursue. The catch, as it is in many sectors, is that securing a job in PPC relies heavily on people with prior industry experience. While studying, I did as much academically as possible to get one step closer to the industry but with limited job experience outside my studies, I knew securing a role would be more of a challenge. Kinase stood out as they actively hire trainees - Kinase is willing to invest the time to train new recruits, which a lot of other agencies do not. I managed to secure an interview at Kinase for their trainee programme - in fact, they were the only agency in my search with a trainee programme available.
One of the highlights while interviewing for the trainee programme at Kinase was the transparency at all stages. There were three stages – evaluation of technical knowledge, analytical ability, and overall team fit. With two-way communication encouraged, the interview was different to the usual format of answering a barrage of questions to be met with a clammy handshake and the classic 'We'll get back to you in two weeks time!' spiel. It was a real conversation.
The team talked about the Kinase Training Scheme being the best in the industry - a grand claim that could have made this experience an ‘over promise and under deliver’ situation. My expectations were set very high! Luckily, I can now vouch for every word.
Day one of the programme was our orientation and HR induction. This day was a thorough breakdown of Kinase as an agency and the day to day functions of the business.
In the following days the training programme formally commenced. It would be an understatement to call this period rigorous and intensive: it was a complete deep dive into the professional skills and technical aspects of the job. The programme covered the very basics, such as key terms and metrics, to more intensive areas like keyword integrity, forecasting, data analysis, and bid management. This was complemented with training on MS Excel and Skai (our bidding technology), as well as every interface in use across the search department. Everything was put in place to equip people like me with every skill needed to excel in the role and in the wider industry.
When we completed our training, I didn't have much feedback on what could be improved - Kinase's best in the industry claim lived up to my high expectations.
Fast forward to today, and I have been working at Kinase for a year. Now more confident in my abilities and equipped with the skills to succeed, those concepts that once flew over my head back when I was doing more basic Google Skillshop certificates come naturally.
There could have been no better way to learn paid advertising than the way Kinase has developed its program.
Do you want to find out more about the Kinase Trainee Programme?
By Faizan Mallick, Paid Search Executive
