(by Sophie)

My placement at Chatter was ultimately to help me get a feel for the branding and advertising industry – alongside getting some real hands-on experience. It has been a short and fab two weeks…

The Commute

Where do I start? So apparently when the train pulls in, it is every suited briefcase carrier for themselves, and the days of letting a young lady (ish) in front of you are a thing of the past! People sit/stand with their headphones in, and nobody talks, it is AMAZING. No small talk or drunken tramps is striking a trivial conversation with you just get on, get off, and go (can't quite say the same for the local bus to the office - a lot of weirdoes!)

The Office

The office is cool. It's a nice size I especially like Monday comms meetings on the sofas because they're dead comfy! 

The Team

The guys are such a good bunch who have the balance between work and witty banter within the workplace on point. Harry literally makes my day ha I don't think I have ever met a charismatic Southerner and the fact that he is super bright makes him so much funnier.

Tom has got me on board with most of his work while I’ve been here and he's been by my side throughout, he has cleared my mind of a lot and filled in plenty of gaps! I'm grateful to have been able to chat with him about the choices ahead.

Paul is great at his job and he is even better at distracting you when he's taking the Mick out of someone, or a recent news story, or society in general. I have been blessed to have done my placement when Paul is not too busy and is very tolerant - so I’m told.

Lisa is LOUD. Louder than I remember or have ever experienced before, especially when she's on the phone. She's a stylish workaholic who has put my future expectations of a boss on quite a pedestal. I respect her so much for her attitude to work, family and life in general and not trying to make her head as big as her mouth - but she is the person I aspire to be myself.

Banjo (Ashleigh) and Jon are my neighbors at my desk and are always there to answer my whispered queries when I don't want to sound like such a newbie. They know so much stuff about everything! And Google EVERYTHING, so if they don't know, they will in a minute, which has often taken our conversations off on crazy tangents…

21 life skills I've learned on my placement

1. Nobody knows everything, only Google does
2. Radio 6 and Radio 2 are actually decent stations that normal people listen to
3. How to screen grab on a Mac (Googled it)
4. It’s okay to have a blonde ditzy moment in a professional environment as long as you can deal with the banter afterward
5. BBC News notifications usually mean someone has died
6. How to do this job!! And the fact that it is something I would consider post-graduation
7. You will usually email the people in the same room as you about 10 times a day
8. Ask questions, and nobody will get annoyed - What does this mean? How would you do this? Does this make sense? What would you do if -? You’ll learn much more than you set out to
9. Fasting diets send people insane
10. You will be banished if you do not pull your weight in doing the brew round, or make a crap brew (for Paul or Lisa)
11. Also one must always ask if anyone wants anything from ASDA
12. Look smart, work smart
13. Take on board everything people tell you when you’re learning. Listen and engage and it will make you better at your job
14. Getting up early makes you feel, work and sleep better!
15. Lisa apparently knows who's calling when she's on the other side of the room - but she is wrong every time, 99% of the time
16. You will get nowhere in this industry if you are not prepared to work hard every day, in the office at home and anywhere in between
17. Every office needs a Harry
18. Just because people are smart, successful or “have been doing this since you were in nappies” does not mean they're scary and unapproachable
19. Snack-a-jacks and graze boxes are the future of snacking
20. All the “great” music was released when Paul was about 4 - according to Paul Ainley (2014)
21. Advertising is definitely the industry I want to work in. – MISSION SUCCESSFUL

Last shout out to the team at Chatter - thanks for giving me this valuable experience! Don’t be strangers, be prepared for questions from me even when I’ve left and I look forward to seeing you all again in the future (3rd birthday!)