Emotions run high when starting a new job. You are desperately keen to impress, but you have to spend the first couple of weeks being a sponge, absorbing as much information as is humanly possible. It has been a slight shock to the system after university life, but my first month at Thwaites has been nothing short of brilliant.
Mundane tasks are not delegated to the intern at Thwaites, and the small team set-up made it possible for me to experience ‘a day in the life of’ for almost every member of staff. I had heard horror stories from friends saying they’d spent their first fortnight as an intern reading countless documents and information packs that turned their brains to mush. At Thwaites, that is certainly not the case. I was made to feel comfortable, looked after and believed in with a jam packed diary and unwavering support from day one.
During my first week I was embedded with one of our key clients, in their office in Shoreditch and I had the chance to shadow our CEO and Head of Client Delivery. This took me from a kick-off meeting with a new client, to a pitch for a potential client and finally to presenting “Ten fail safe tips for working with the media” to the GCS Academy in Manchester. This exposure to the different aspects that make up agency life in my first week has set me up for the variety of work that an intern should expect when working at Thwaites.
It was an amazing opportunity for me to see my colleagues working in their element. I was able to see our CEO pitch to a new client and then give her my opinion on the pitch in the cab on the way back to the office. This has been one of best things about working at Thwaites – although I am the intern (and realistically the most junior member of staff), my opinion is always valued, and everyone is willing to answer my questions.
The highlight for me has got to be presenting tips to a room of PR professionals (many of whom have worked in PR their whole lives). It seemed very daunting to me – as the intern who had only been working in comms for a grand total of 12 days but I firmly believe that being thrown in the deep end is the best way to learn.
As if all that wasn’t enough, I was fortunate enough to join the whole team on our team offsite in leafy Hertfordshire which gave me a much larger picture of where Thwaites fits into the world as a business, as well as making me realise how fast-paced the world of communications is.
My top tips
- Expect to feel slightly overwhelmed – this is completely normal
- You will be drowning in emails – find a way to keep on top of them, otherwise you will end up spending three hours a day sifting through them
- Take advantage of the people you are working with – they have a lot of experience under their belts, and they are more than happy to help with any questions you have
- Time management is probably the most valuable skill to have in communications, and it’s a good idea to start managing your diary effectively from day one
- Work can be stressful and there will be certain days where your colleagues become dragons – the key is to find something to keep your mind off work
My first month at Thwaites has flown by, and I’ve enjoyed all of it. I have not stopped learning and I know that due to the nature of our client work, I am constantly going to be learning about new concepts and innovation within the STEAM sectors. Each day is different, and I couldn’t have asked for a friendlier, more experienced and welcoming team. Thank you Thwaites!
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