Settling In
At first, I was nervous as I often am when being introduced to masses of people consecutively. There was also a lead-up to my arrival so I felt there was a consensus that I must try and live up to, but people who I met around all different departments were unassuming, and patient when it came to how I could get when meeting people and as I met more and more, I became more comfortable making first impressions.
Being taken around the business before I took on any major project at my regular stationed department was fitting as I didn’t feel like I was working at a place I hardly knew when I began my first project in the second week.
The best experience I had in my first week was eating lunch with my department on the first day - I got a feel of how the department acts around each other and how important comestibles were to the infrastructure of marketing.
Doing What Interests Me
At college two subjects that greatly interest me are film and English, I also enjoy writing and filmography and would consider both of them for a career or as a small part of a future career.
At Whitecroft I have been able to observe on a microcosmic scale what a career in filming is like after observing it when marketing shot their promotional videos.
I have also been able to write extensively at Whitecroft both for my own experience like on my personal learning journal and writing company news (like the Summer Party article); The latter was especially useful for my work experience as I have always done quite well writing by myself but to write on an occupational basis requires different skills like understanding briefs and meeting specifications for different purposes - this kind of skill will be very useful in whatever future career I choose to go into.
Commuting
Before going to Whitecroft I had never taken the train independently, and I picked a pleasant time to do it: an era of unprecedented staff shortages interlaced with record-breaking heatwaves. Overall, however, taking the train has been a pleasant experience: I am able to relax on the train and Whitecroft is just a twenty-minute walk from the train station.
Completing Projects
Completing projects like my social media research or content creation enabled me to gain and expand upon a variety of skills. These skills include scheduling, working to deadlines, presenting to groups and creating PowerPoint visuals, and being involved in peer assessment that actually works. We give peer assessments in college on a regular basis but only in Whitecroft have I actually valued peer assessment as much as I have.
The projects I was set were enjoyable and something I think I did well at, however it was hard to focus on whether I did well at presenting at the beginning of my third week. As I was so nervous, I created a psychophysical bubble for myself while I was presenting, but the information that I did well helped boost my confidence for my next presentation. Writing for the website was the first piece of pre-professional writing I’ve done and showed me what it would be like writing in a professional field.
All in all, people that work at Whitecroft are nice and great to be around, they guided me well through the experience and it was a worthwhile one - serving me skills I’ll be able to use when going into the world of work later on in my life.
I’m Benjamin Cummings, currently completing a three-week work experience programme at Whitecroft. I’m working in the marketing department and working at the forefront of creative-driven projects such as presenting solutions for the company’s social media strategies.
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