In July, we were lucky enough to have two work experience candidates join us over the space of two weeks.
Here’s what Yegor and Emily got up to:
When I came to my work experience placement at Nielsen McAllister PR Agency, the first thing I noticed was the slogan on the wall in the office – uNMatched! Three whole days I spent with these amazing people exploring what uNMatched PR is all about.
First and foremost it is the talent and charisma of the staff, each clearly in their place and it was immediately obvious to me that they are absolutely passionate about what they do. I was struck by how clearly the business process mechanism works thanks to proper communication and planning of what needs to be done and how it needs to be done, be it research for a client’s market, a post for a social network or the design of a corporate newsletters. As the popular saying goes, what you name the ship, that’s how it sails.
It just so happened to be my birthday on the 4th of July, during my work experience. Surprisingly, despite the fact that I hardly knew my temporary colleagues and tutors, but when they congratulated me, I literally felt at home.
I continued to enjoy every day of my working practice. The number of important and interesting tasks I received made me want to keep trying and working hard. At the same time, the atmosphere in the office was not gloomy. One of the unique things to do at Nielsen McAllister is a interactivity in choice of song of the week, where each employee nominates a song that they think could be in the list.
During my stay in this company I had the opportunity to work in several spheres, such as copywriting, researching, and graphic design. As a person who has graphic design as a hobby, I have noticed the choice of colour scheme in which the agency’s office is decorated – orange and blue.
Orange colour in the interior symbolises optimism and pleasure, energises, promotes creativity, stimulates mental activity. This colour brings a sense of confidence and reliability – attributes that are of paramount importance for business.
Blue in the interior symbolises purity and signifies trust and professionalism. This colour is often associated with corporate and business environments, making it ideal for a professional platform. It evokes a sense of security and trustworthiness, which is very important for building professional relationships. So colours can convey key messages too, and it’s important to know how to use them.
I also now know that the green tree shelters I’ve seen repeatedly along the railway line have made by Tubex, the client for whom I wrote my first social media post. I would really like to thank everyone at Nielsen McAllister for providing me with this opportunity and for their patience with me.
Working at Nielsen McAllister has given me a better insight into the media industry, from digital marketing to press releases. I have learnt a lot in my week here. I have also been lucky to experience the uplifting and motivating atmosphere of the office, this has taught me that everyone contributes to a positive working environment, and I could not have felt more welcome.
I was nervous when I first arrived, especially when I couldn’t even figure out how to open the door, however, when I sat down in the office I felt at ease, and everyone was so friendly. I began my week with an introduction to digital marketing, which intrigued me to say the least. Learning about this job was one of my favourite parts of the week because I got to attain information about an aspect, I had not been aware of before. Finding out about all the different roles that go into PR put it into perspective of how hard working these people are and how broad the industry of “media” really is.
Throughout the week I heard stories of how everyone had gotten into PR, ranging from ex-journalism to apprenticeships, this gave me some sort of reassurance that if they have made it in this industry then what’s stopping me, everyone started off as a student at one point, so who’s to say I won’t end up as one of the next PR agents.
Speaking to Wendy was very useful as her journalistic past was inspiring, she informed me that there is no age limit on writing and that I could even get started now and after this week I may take on her advice. I enjoyed speaking to her and learning more about the world of journalism.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when working in an office, sitting in silence, working endlessly but this has completely changed my opinion of it, I have been shown that working can be enjoyable with the right people.
Throughout the week I have been given different tasks such as writing a fake press release, which although was a little difficult trying to get the structure right, I felt as though I was a part of the team, and it was nice learning something I wouldn’t have been taught in school.
This week someone had left for a new job, everyone assured me its not normally like this and it is a nice place to work but my first thought was how good it must be to work in an industry where you have a lot of opportunities to progress in your career.
I have a lot to take away from this week such as finally knowing what its like to work in an office or all the new knowledge I have of this industry, but most of all ill take inspiration from all the hardworking people I have met this week.