Deborah

What is your job with London 2012?
I'm the Copywriter at LOCOG - I write, edit and/or proof content for London 2012 publications, the website and internal communications.

How did you get your job?
I got a temporary job through an agency, because someone left at short notice. My original three-month contract was extended. Eventually a permanent position became available; I applied and got the job!

What did you do before joining London 2012?
I was a freelance copywriter and consultant - working especially in the museum world, writing copy for wall panels and coming up with ideas for what people would experience as they walked through a room.

I've also worked at a communications agency and in-house doing communications, PR and editorial for a charity.

What experience and qualifications do you need to do your job?
In terms of experience, anything relevant to what I do now - writing publications of all types, website, news stories, internal comms. Knowing how to upload content onto the Web, including pictures, is important. As for qualifications, I think A-levels were preferred. I have a degree too and have also taken courses in writing.

What training and support are available to you?
I'm planning to improve my skills using digital images and digital photography courses as I also work a lot with images. If there was anything I wanted to do and could justify it would improve my work and benefit the organisation, I would ask.

Describe a typical day.
The world at London 2012 is generally quite hectic and inevitably no two days are quite the same. But an average day might include writing and posting up a web story or two, sourcing a couple of blogs, making a plan for a new internal e-newsletter, editing and proofing copy for a publication going out to our stakeholders, looking for pictures to illustrate a report and posting up a new starter on our intranet.

In between, I'd take a break to admire the view of the North Greenwich Arena - I have a direct view from my desk - and walk past Seb's office everytime I went to speak to a colleague...

What is the best thing about your job?
Are you kidding? I work for London 2012...

What's great, apart from my collection of London 2012 badges, is doing what I enjoy most surrounded by dedicated, vibrant people who are passionate about putting on an exceptional Games, changing the face of east London, getting children active, being green...

Plus meeting top athletes (I sat next to Jonathan Edwards in one of my first staff meetings) as well as up-and-coming ones (chatting to 'ones to watch' like Paralympic Table Tennis player David Wetherill for our printed newsletter)... I could go on...

Maybe the best thing is that I can't think of anything I'd rather be doing.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to work for London 2012?
Generally, the same as I'd give to anyone wanting to work anywhere - know why you want it, make sure you understand the organisation and its aims, know what you have to offer above anyone else who might be going for the role.

Be ready to work hard and cope with the fact that the entire world is watching.