My week with Air Social, by Pierre Jamme

When I walked down the high street on Monday morning, I had a good feeling about my
work experience with Air Social. I knew I wanted to learn something new, but I didn’t know
whether I was going to be given work that I would enjoy. I decided to keep an open mind
and I was really pleased that I did. I ended up being given an opportunity that I couldn’t
miss – and I am glad that I didn’t miss it, because I ended up working in an environment
that suited me better than I could have hoped for.

Let me take you back to four days ago, before my work experience started, when I
received an email from Alex (Managing Director of Air Social and my boss for the week).
She explained that Air Social would be delighted to offer me a work experience placement
for the week! In the email, Alex asked me to contact her to organise when to come in and
to chat about the sort of experience I wanted to gain from coming to Air Social. After a few
texts, Monday at 9am was decided upon.

Monday morning came, and initially I had that Monday morning feeling, but my mood soon
changed as I entered the office. I arrived a few minutes early and, as instructed, I rang the
Air Social buzzer which, may I say, was not the easiest to find! I was greeted by a cheerful
voice, and moments later I met Alex. I expected a stereotypical office- rows of chairs and
desks, and an army of workers in suits, but I was wrong. As I entered the office, my line of
sight first directed me to a plump blue bean bag, and to my right was Oli. In front of Oli was
Aaron and Vish, and to my left was Freddie. Although I was wearing a short-sleeved
school shirt tucked in to my school trousers, I did not feel out of place, as every single
member of the team made me feel welcome and at ease. Already I was surprised at the
relaxed, but professional impression the team had made on me.

Vish, my mentor for the week, took me through my tasks for the first two days. My job was
to draft social media posts and create content for different companies that Air Social works
with. At this point, my uncertainties about whether I would enjoy the work were gone. The
management of social media accounts was a task that I found both engaging and
enjoyable.

Now, I said that I wasn’t sure whether the work environment was going to suit me, but I
quickly found out I was wrong. The atmosphere in the Air Social office was not at all
boring, and although everyone was working hard, there was one key difference in the
office culture compared with what I had expected – everyone seemed to have a genuine
interest and passion for the work they were doing, which consequently increased
productivity and made the atmosphere more enjoyable.

One of the last tasks I was given was to research how to write a blog, and then to write
one. I watched videos and read other blogs for inspiration, and after mind mapping a few
ideas, here I am.

I can say that the opportunity given to me by Alex and the team has benefited me in two
key ways. Firstly, it has opened my eyes to a different way of working. Air Social has
introduced me to a whole new world of digital marketing and what goes on behind the
scenes when managing social media accounts. Secondly, I have been inspired to work
hard for what I want and have been reminded of the importance of doing a job that I find
enjoyable.

As Alex said to me, my life is still an open book, and I’m still not quite sure what I would
like to do in the future – whether I will work in social media marketing or not. What I do
know is that I have enjoyed working and gaining priceless experience with Air Social, and
now I have a genuine interest in digital marketing.

Pierre Jamme