Work placements in smaller organisations

I had my first day at one on of my new placements today, at a PR agency in Newcastle. I would definitely recommend getting some work experience in a small team, (this particular company employs 7 people) as you really do get stuck in with some real tasks, not just the obligatory making coffee and sorting post.

The whole company works from the same office, so I’m getting a really good overview of what’s going on and can actually have a conversation with anyone in the room. There is always the danger that once you arrive at your placement company, they will shove you in a corner and leave you to your own devices, but once again I am lucky enough to find myself in a really good team who all do their best to explain how things work and keep me busy with a variety of tasks.

They have even asked me to write a press release about how the company are proud to take on undergraduates for work placements with the possibility of a full-time job offer at the end. This can only be a good sign considering all the pessimism about graduate jobs in the media at the moment!

I think it’s important that work experience is mutually beneficial. You should feel like you are really gaining something from the experience as well as being able to make a real difference to how the company functions. I feel this all sounds too serious. What I haven’t mentioned is the very first thing I did was attempt to hang my coat up, however I managed to snap the hook off the wall. Oops.