What can I say about my first year in a marketing agency? Well, it hasn’t been boring!
Well I say a year, a few things worth reminding myself of:
1. It may be slightly more than a year as I underwent work experience here at Vital nearly two years ago and then carried on working part time until I finished my master’s degree.
2. Time flies, time flies fast!
3. From being a work experience student to now full-time employee, the biggest thing I can say I have learnt straight away is to seize every opportunity that comes your way.
Now, onto the blog…
I would like to think I’m a good worker, eager to learn, but after graduating from university, the five-day week, 9-5 routine (well, technically 24/7 with social media), was a shock to the system and I did miss catching up with Phil and Holly on the occasional morning.
However, the transition from student to employee was a mixture of nerves and excitement to get started and see what every assignment and dissertation was all on about.
After learning the importance of much shorter deadlines and tea breaks (whilst remembering how each tea is different for each colleague and wow, that one really counts), I feel I have learnt to adapt to the fast pace and reactive press office side to consumer facing PR. There are many plates which spin and you have to make sure they don’t fall… sometimes they may wobble but, it’s how you manage them and avoid the smash.
I would definitely say the first year in full time, ‘adult’ life is all about learning…still.
You are very much in the motion of learn/swim/learn/swim…thrown into the deep end to learn how you ‘fit’ into office culture and find out how things work and how they don’t.
But for me, the biggest achievement is starting to have a voice and confidently integrate my knowledge (and opinions) into practice, from social media content creation to digital marketing analytics. And, I have to admit, I do like showing that us millennials are not all snowflakes, but we can work and work hard.
Being surrounded by colleagues with a wealth of knowledge and experience, it can feel daunting to disagree or provide an alternative action, but creating and building those relationships is an integral part as any new employee. It’s important to remember that we are equal and when our opinion is asked for it’s because it matters, not just because someone is trying to be nice.
The next big thing for me at Vital starts in just a matter of weeks, where I’ll be managing our new marketing intern- another plate, another opportunity!
Whether you are finding a job or work placement, a new place and a new start is always daunting but take it like a cup of tea, you don’t know how strong you are until you add hot water.
-Charlotte-
