Work experience with Air Social
Written by Holly Wilson
Having recently developed an interest in marketing as a possible career option, I decided to spend my work experience week wisely with the goal to learn as much as possible about the industry in the short space of time we are given. I came up with a 3 point plan allowing me to define what I was searching for from a potential work experience place.
My three points were; No.1: To be based local(ish); living about 20 minutes away from Guildford by train allowed me to narrow my options down to marketing agencies in Guildford and the local area. No. 2: The company itself had to actually accept work experience placements (actually a lot less common than you’d think). No. 3: I was looking for a work experience placement which felt inviting and somewhere I could feel comfortable.
Following these three points, I started my search and got in contact with Air Social.
Admittedly I was nervous as I had already had three other companies turn me down which wasn’t the biggest boost to my confidence; but in hindsight, I am glad I did get rejected as it led me to work with Air Social. Initially, I spoke to Oliver, who put me at ease and was very welcoming. Having agreed a week to start, I immediately felt like my time would be well spent at Air Social who have the skills and experience to introduce me to marketing.
I went to introduce myself in person the next day and was greeted by the friendly, upbeat atmosphere of the office which immediately draws you in and makes you feel welcome. The office also has fun decor (the bean bags, quirky pictures and footballs in particular) showing both clients and students like me that Air Social is a fun, enthusiastic, yet professional place to work.
Across the week I was set a variety of tasks to help me experience the different areas of the business. I began with writing a blog, with the help of Oli, about the use of video content in adverts on social media. This, like every task I did during my week, was looked over by one of the team. Then one of the team would provide constructive criticism by creating a list of potential amendments, areas or themes to build on and strengths that were present in the work.
Throughout the week I was encouraged to ask as many questions as possible, which was great, as every question I had was fully explained by Oli or Aaron. The office never seemed to have a dull moment with so many different clients and tasks to be completed, not to mention the argumentative banter between Aaron and Oli which was actually very entertaining and Alex running in and out of the office for meetings.
By far my favourite task of my experience at Air Social was making an animation. I was given a list of hobbies and activities that the team got up to in their spare time. I worked on this for several days, with Aaron providing valuable input on how I could improve certain areas whilst also pointing out the strengths which I should build on. By the end of the task I was able to download an animation which will now become a part of my portfolio for future job applications.
Air Social has offered me the experience that can open many doors for my future by provided me with valuable skills and information I need in order to understand the marketing industry. The leadership style of Air Social is simple yet effective with their small scaled team working together to provide their clients with the best experience they can. I was really very impressed with how organised and ready the team were to respond to clients and to anything I needed myself.
