When I first joined apt in June 2013 to begin my placement year I didn’t know what to expect. My work experience before joining here consisted of working in a local community centre either working behind the bar or sticking up skittles! I had never worked 9-5.30 and knew this would be a complete shock to my system!
Taking to my saddle at 8:30 in the morning is usually a challenge as my body is still waking up, but having cycled the same route, at the same time for 15 months, I have found several people to say ‘hello’ to and share a cyclist’s nod with, that makes the cycle ride even more worthwhile.
When I first get into the office the first thing I usually do is check all the social media platforms for any interactions that need responding to – it still feels strange actually being allowed to go onto Facebook and Twitter during work!
I’ve gotten into the habit of writing a ‘to do’ list at the end of every day (thanks to Victoria’s help) so I know straight away what jobs need doing and in what order. There are a lot of emails that come in throughout the day with jobs that need adding to the list. The main thing that I love about working at apt is how diverse the workload is. There are so many different clients that jobs are never the same. One minute I’m preparing a festival emailer, the next I’m updating a recruitment website or preparing a bike tweet, and then I could be working on a marketing blog or even printing Angie some labels out!
It doesn’t take long for talk to turn to lunch (usually started by Abbie) and before we know it it’s time for our daily trip to ASDA. The afternoon then consists of carrying on working through my work list, lots of tea, and Victoria and Abbie pinching my Polo’s. Before we know it, its 5:30, time to load up the dishwasher and cycle home – which usually involves an unfair race between myself, Abbie and Sarah (who drive) up to B&Q.
A year and 3 months since joining, I can safely say working at apt has been better than I could ever have expected. Every day is different and there are always new things to learn. Each day is filled with hard work but also fun, laughter and lots of tea – I’m pretty sure tea is flowing through my veins!