My First Meeting! - 27/09/17
On Wednesday 27th of September I had my first meeting regarding work experience. In November, I will be working with Lovin' Dublin Media Group. A link to their website is supplied below. It is an online magazine that pushes out content about the city and everything it has to offer. Emails were flying back and forth between myself and Hugh O'Flanagan, the commercial director of the company, for about two weeks prior to the meeting, making arrangements about the upcoming date and what not. I finished school at 1pm on the Wednesday as there was no training or match scheduled for that day. I had a shower and prepped myself for the encounter. At 3pm I got a taxi from Enniskerry to 'Union Cafe' in Mount Merrion where I got a coffee and then later met with my mum who was able to drop me to 'Roly's Bistro and Cafe' in Ballsbridge. It was here where I met Hugh. He was young for the amount of power he upheld in the business, which I admired. We sat down and he took out a notebook and pen. He placed it at the top of the table so as he could write and I could have full view of the plans. He began to draw out what looked like a structured mind map, here he explained what sectors the business was broken into. At the top of the pyramid is the MD, who's name is Trevor. Below Trevor there are two leaders who control the subdivisions, there's Megan who tends to the editorial aspect of the business. It is her team that create the content for the website and the social media platforms. In this section, according to Hugh, I would be using literacy skills and innovative skills to help the team to write posts for the website which really would be a dream come true as journalism is something I would be looking at for a future career. Hugh is the other leader. He manages the commercial aspect of the business. This is how the company makes it's money and how it is able to pay it's employees. This didn't sound like something I would be interested in until Hugh went into depth about his job. The final agreement was made that I would work in the editorial sector on Monday and the the commercial sector on Tuesday. Hugh and I will get together for another meeting at the end of Tuesday and then I can decide which sector I would like to work with for the rest of the week. I really think great opportunities can come from this experience and I know that it will be an amazing company to begin my work experience with for the 'year of trying'!
Lovin' Dublin Day 1 - 06/11/17
Day1
"OK, it's day 1 of work experience, it is Monday morning, it is 7:80am and we are on our way in, we're just passing Dundrum now. Can't wait for Lovin Dublin I have to go in and ask for Hugh O'Flanagan and then we'll get started. I start at 10am today but I start at 9am every other day and I'm really excited! "
"Nice breakfast roll to start the day"
"Never seen cooler offices in my life"
"So already been to two meetings and been given 4 assignments to do by the end of the day and it's only 1:30pm"
"Day 1 Complete :) "
"So I finished my first day in Lovin' Dublin work experience and it was honestly an amazing day, I did so much! I went to 5 different meetings, 4 of them were in the office space and 1 was out past Grafton street in a bar and I was checking out a venue with one of the team because they are hosting an event and it was really cool to kind of see how that worked out of the office time, so that was really cool. I got 4 assignments to do and when I came home I finished off two of them and I'm finishing off a third one now just to kind of keep up to date with everything because the more I do, the more they'll give me and the more experience I get in the end which will be good!."
So at the end of each day I'm going to see if I can think of 3 new things that I've learnt even if it's just how to make coffee with their machine or something like that so I'm going to try my best. So number 1 today I leant three peoples names, Katie Cathal and Caoimhe, oh and also Eadaoinn also. The second thing is, I learnt what Katie does for her job and all about the new campaign that she's running and how I'm going to help her which all sounds really good, and the third thing was that I leant how the whole business works out financially and what each sector does and how much each sector has to make, which was all briefed in one of my meetings and really it was so good to learn it all!"
Day2
"When you have a press conference in Arnotts"
"I have the coolest job ever"
On day 2 we were given the press release for the new Arnotts Christmas window and the video consists of the head of PR at Arnotts explaining the story behind each window and what it has in store.
Once you place your hand on different elements of the window it activates something on the inside, whether is letters blowing in the wind or flashing lights so in the following video I just demonstrate how it works.
Eaodaoinn asked me to post on their instagram stories for her and over 110k people saw my posts which was incredible !
"When you have a press conference in Arnotts"
"I'm getting free Scrumdiddly's, can this job get any better? I'm not joking, oh my god I'm in love!!"
"Yes everyone, it is a dog friendly office"
"So the three things I leant today was, number 1, I leant how to give a good presentation when you are trying to sell something. You have to do three things, you need to give a brief over view of the product, what the purpose is and the mechanics so how it's going to all work out. I learnt how to give a good business call, is number 2. You need to be affirmative and you need to take charge in the call, you need to be the one who is stronger than the receiver and number three is that it's ok not to know what you want to do later in life because even what you think you might want to do now, you probably won't end up doing in the future. Everyone was really really nice today and overall very positive !
Day3
Sarah- "What are we doing?"
Eadaoinn - *giggles as I film her* " We are doing a tried and tested video today for Christmas jumpers"
Sarah- "Lovely"
Eadaoinn - "Yup"
"Hey guys so I didn't put up many videos today because I was busy for the first half of the day but not the second, it was quite quiet. I'm not joking, I've never been more tired in my entire life. I nearly fell asleep at my desk and everyone was looking at me, but I didn't so it was fine! I was waiting for a while because Hugh wasn't in yet and he's the one who gives me all my work but I had nothing to do today so when he did come in I ended up having a meeting with him because we are working on a RedBull campaign, which I think is so cool and I can't wait because I'm really helping on it which is really good and High just told me there that they've come back with loads of questions so I can help them combine a few answers for them. You also saw some photos of the photo shoot that I did with Eadaoinn because edge does a food series of all the best places to eat in Dublin and we got free lunch which was very nice. It was a sandwich with bacon, egg, it had pudding in it, lettuce, relish, it was amazing. After that we did the tried and tested video with the Christmas jumpers which was so much fun. Then got back to the office and didn't have much to do because Hugh left and I couldn't find him, so instead a girl called Anna gave me some work to do. If you've ever heard of the brand called Orangina, it's an orange cordial drink and I am working on a brief for them at the moment
"OK, it's day 1 of work experience, it is Monday morning, it is 7:80am and we are on our way in, we're just passing Dundrum now. Can't wait for Lovin Dublin I have to go in and ask for Hugh O'Flanagan and then we'll get started. I start at 10am today but I start at 9am every other day and I'm really excited! "
"Nice breakfast roll to start the day"
"Never seen cooler offices in my life"
"So already been to two meetings and been given 4 assignments to do by the end of the day and it's only 1:30pm"
"Day 1 Complete :) "
"So I finished my first day in Lovin' Dublin work experience and it was honestly an amazing day, I did so much! I went to 5 different meetings, 4 of them were in the office space and 1 was out past Grafton street in a bar and I was checking out a venue with one of the team because they are hosting an event and it was really cool to kind of see how that worked out of the office time, so that was really cool. I got 4 assignments to do and when I came home I finished off two of them and I'm finishing off a third one now just to kind of keep up to date with everything because the more I do, the more they'll give me and the more experience I get in the end which will be good!."
So at the end of each day I'm going to see if I can think of 3 new things that I've learnt even if it's just how to make coffee with their machine or something like that so I'm going to try my best. So number 1 today I leant three peoples names, Katie Cathal and Caoimhe, oh and also Eadaoinn also. The second thing is, I learnt what Katie does for her job and all about the new campaign that she's running and how I'm going to help her which all sounds really good, and the third thing was that I leant how the whole business works out financially and what each sector does and how much each sector has to make, which was all briefed in one of my meetings and really it was so good to learn it all!"
Day2
"When you have a press conference in Arnotts"
"I have the coolest job ever"
On day 2 we were given the press release for the new Arnotts Christmas window and the video consists of the head of PR at Arnotts explaining the story behind each window and what it has in store.
Once you place your hand on different elements of the window it activates something on the inside, whether is letters blowing in the wind or flashing lights so in the following video I just demonstrate how it works.
Eaodaoinn asked me to post on their instagram stories for her and over 110k people saw my posts which was incredible !
"When you have a press conference in Arnotts"
"I'm getting free Scrumdiddly's, can this job get any better? I'm not joking, oh my god I'm in love!!"
"Yes everyone, it is a dog friendly office"
"So the three things I leant today was, number 1, I leant how to give a good presentation when you are trying to sell something. You have to do three things, you need to give a brief over view of the product, what the purpose is and the mechanics so how it's going to all work out. I learnt how to give a good business call, is number 2. You need to be affirmative and you need to take charge in the call, you need to be the one who is stronger than the receiver and number three is that it's ok not to know what you want to do later in life because even what you think you might want to do now, you probably won't end up doing in the future. Everyone was really really nice today and overall very positive !
Day3
Sarah- "What are we doing?"
Eadaoinn - *giggles as I film her* " We are doing a tried and tested video today for Christmas jumpers"
Sarah- "Lovely"
Eadaoinn - "Yup"
"Hey guys so I didn't put up many videos today because I was busy for the first half of the day but not the second, it was quite quiet. I'm not joking, I've never been more tired in my entire life. I nearly fell asleep at my desk and everyone was looking at me, but I didn't so it was fine! I was waiting for a while because Hugh wasn't in yet and he's the one who gives me all my work but I had nothing to do today so when he did come in I ended up having a meeting with him because we are working on a RedBull campaign, which I think is so cool and I can't wait because I'm really helping on it which is really good and High just told me there that they've come back with loads of questions so I can help them combine a few answers for them. You also saw some photos of the photo shoot that I did with Eadaoinn because edge does a food series of all the best places to eat in Dublin and we got free lunch which was very nice. It was a sandwich with bacon, egg, it had pudding in it, lettuce, relish, it was amazing. After that we did the tried and tested video with the Christmas jumpers which was so much fun. Then got back to the office and didn't have much to do because Hugh left and I couldn't find him, so instead a girl called Anna gave me some work to do. If you've ever heard of the brand called Orangina, it's an orange cordial drink and I am working on a brief for them at the moment
The Ladies Guild Charity Event - 29/11/17 > 30/11/17
I was sitting in Ella Malone's house one day when I received a rather long text from Abbie McCarthy. I read that she would like myself and Ella to help Alison Stanley, a mother in the school community and Chairperson of the Ladies Guild, to run the annual Ladies Guild Dinner. Of course we said yes! We were to go into the Intercontinental Hotel in Ballsbridge on Wednesday and then come back again the next day in black dresses to become prize givers for the event. Abbie, Ella and I arrived later than the other TY students involved but ended up staying later then too. We were first given the task of packing prize bags and transporting them into the main hall where the event would take place. After that the other students went home and we stayed to help Alison and her team with the more maticulous jobs. For example, I used the computer to make a spread sheet of all the raffle prizes and the number of the ticket that matched it. Abbie needed to go with one of the team to collect bottles of wine from a company that was not so close to the hotel. Ella and I would be managing prize tables while she was gone. After many other small tasks were completed and we had a bite to eat, it was time to go home and get ready for the next day as it was going to be very busy!
Thursday came very quickly and the excitement was in the air. The other TY students came in and we all got to know each other as we waited for our orders. Once myself, Ella and Abbie were sent to guard the prize tables, our friend Joe P from Pres Bray walked in alongside his friend Chris who we recognised. It was from this point that our experience became even more enjoyable as we had the boys to laugh along with, especially for the fact that they had no idea what was going on and needed more than just a helping hand a lot of the time. The assignments to follow were very confusing and required a lot of self-discipline to do it correctly. Once the hard work was over we sat back and watched all the women dance to their favourite songs and some of us even had a dance with them. We made memories and friends for life and I am so grateful I was able to be part of the experience. |
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Jack and Jill Foundation Charity Shop - 04/12/17
On the 4th of December, I began a week of Community Service in the Jack and Jill Charity shop in Wicklow Town. I spent the week working on the shop floor selling products and organising the layout of the shop floor. I also helped organise all the donations that we received by cataloguing and pricing different donations.
On the first day, when I walked in, I was surprised to see that Michael Flynn from my year was there as well. We were shown around the shop floor and the basement, where all donations were kept, we were taught how to manage incoming donations, and how to organise all the donations.
We spent most of our first couple of days working in the basement of the shop sorting through the donations, There were so many donations coming in mainly due to how close Christmas was at the time. We were managed by 3 people: Rachel was the shop manager, and Sarah and Sara were also there every now and then to help out Rachel.
On our breaks we usually went to the local coffee shop for half an hour before returning to work. As well as handling donations, we helped organise the layout of the shop floor and the Christmas window display. We mostly laid out he different prizes available in the christmas raffle which were donated from local businesses.
The donations we received ranged from old/new clothes, old/new toys, DVD’s, CD’s, books, etc… Along with the donations that were use-able, we also got some donations that weren’t fit to be used or re-sold, but most of the time we got very generous donations that could be raffled or sold.
The time we spent in the basement mainly consisted of tagging clothes, a lot of clothes. Using the tagging gun was kind of enjoyable, for some odd reason, and the time flew down there. Donations came in at 15 minute intervals at some stages, and other times it could be 2 hours between donations.
Overall working in Jack and Jill for the week was really enjoyable, I never really got bored and the people running the shop were really brilliant and kind people and the work that they do is so important for others. I wouldn’t hesitate volunteering down there for another week.
On the first day, when I walked in, I was surprised to see that Michael Flynn from my year was there as well. We were shown around the shop floor and the basement, where all donations were kept, we were taught how to manage incoming donations, and how to organise all the donations.
We spent most of our first couple of days working in the basement of the shop sorting through the donations, There were so many donations coming in mainly due to how close Christmas was at the time. We were managed by 3 people: Rachel was the shop manager, and Sarah and Sara were also there every now and then to help out Rachel.
On our breaks we usually went to the local coffee shop for half an hour before returning to work. As well as handling donations, we helped organise the layout of the shop floor and the Christmas window display. We mostly laid out he different prizes available in the christmas raffle which were donated from local businesses.
The donations we received ranged from old/new clothes, old/new toys, DVD’s, CD’s, books, etc… Along with the donations that were use-able, we also got some donations that weren’t fit to be used or re-sold, but most of the time we got very generous donations that could be raffled or sold.
The time we spent in the basement mainly consisted of tagging clothes, a lot of clothes. Using the tagging gun was kind of enjoyable, for some odd reason, and the time flew down there. Donations came in at 15 minute intervals at some stages, and other times it could be 2 hours between donations.
Overall working in Jack and Jill for the week was really enjoyable, I never really got bored and the people running the shop were really brilliant and kind people and the work that they do is so important for others. I wouldn’t hesitate volunteering down there for another week.
Core Media - 26/02/18 > 02/03/18
For my second mandatory work experience week, I went to Core Media. Situated on Sir John Rogersons Quay, the offices had a beautiful view of the Liffey and all the magnificent architecture surrounding it. While working there, I learnt that Core Media has rebranded as Core because it is made up of lots of little companies and the Board of Directors felt that customers would feel more comfortable working with one industrial body rather than multiple associations joining together separately for a project.
I arrived at No.16 Sir John Rogersons Quay on Monday the 26th of February. There were three women seated at the colourful reception. A woman called Gráinne came down and asked to walk with her across the road to Windmill Lane Offices, their second facility, for an orientation slideshow. I was then aware that the other woman was just as clueless as I was.
The slideshow took roughly 45 minutes to complete and I really got to understand how the business is structured and the history behind it. From here I was brought to a woman called Niamh Cleary. Niamh would be my point of contact for the week and I was so glad because she was so lovely. Throughout the two days I got to know her well. She was originally from Bray and moved with her boyfriend to the area that my Mum grew up in so we had a lot in common which was nice.
Niamh brought myself and another TY student from Tallaght, Ellen, to Aisling and Graham. They showed us how they use photoshop to resize advertisements that go into all the papers around the country. I learnt from Aisling and Graham that Core work a lot with the Government and that most Government- owned bodies must publish some kind of report in the local paper on a regular basis. This is a law that I was previously unaware of.
My lunch was an hour and a half long which was nice so I spent it with a bowl of vegetable soup and my phone in a cafe next to No.16. When I arrived back from lunch, Ellen and I met with Luke and Conor. They worked in the Hubble program which is the Graduate student program at Core. They gave us an insight into what they do and about marketing in general. They were really sweet guys who tried to make the slideshow as interactive as possible. Unfortunately for me, I already knew everything they were saying because I had studied it on the Junior Cert Business course but I didn’t tell them that. It was then time to go home at 3pm.
The following day I spent the morning in HR with Niamh and Fiona. Fiona set me work to do and showed me what was currently happening in the HR department. She asked me to come up with ideas in how to make Core a more diverse and inclusive place to work. I found this job very similar to the work I do in YSI so it didn’t take long to come up with ideas.
I then went to lunch on Grafton street where I met up with Adele O’Reilly who was working not too far from me. When I arrived back at the office I was given a presentation, along with other Corew employees, by a member of Irish Life on health insurance and what type of insurance plan Core provides to it’s employees. Talks like these are scheduled regularly at Core and are optional for employees to attend.
All good things must come to an end. The snow came and brought my work experience to a standstill. I really enjoyed my time at Core and hopefully I can resume where I left off with them in the near future.
I arrived at No.16 Sir John Rogersons Quay on Monday the 26th of February. There were three women seated at the colourful reception. A woman called Gráinne came down and asked to walk with her across the road to Windmill Lane Offices, their second facility, for an orientation slideshow. I was then aware that the other woman was just as clueless as I was.
The slideshow took roughly 45 minutes to complete and I really got to understand how the business is structured and the history behind it. From here I was brought to a woman called Niamh Cleary. Niamh would be my point of contact for the week and I was so glad because she was so lovely. Throughout the two days I got to know her well. She was originally from Bray and moved with her boyfriend to the area that my Mum grew up in so we had a lot in common which was nice.
Niamh brought myself and another TY student from Tallaght, Ellen, to Aisling and Graham. They showed us how they use photoshop to resize advertisements that go into all the papers around the country. I learnt from Aisling and Graham that Core work a lot with the Government and that most Government- owned bodies must publish some kind of report in the local paper on a regular basis. This is a law that I was previously unaware of.
My lunch was an hour and a half long which was nice so I spent it with a bowl of vegetable soup and my phone in a cafe next to No.16. When I arrived back from lunch, Ellen and I met with Luke and Conor. They worked in the Hubble program which is the Graduate student program at Core. They gave us an insight into what they do and about marketing in general. They were really sweet guys who tried to make the slideshow as interactive as possible. Unfortunately for me, I already knew everything they were saying because I had studied it on the Junior Cert Business course but I didn’t tell them that. It was then time to go home at 3pm.
The following day I spent the morning in HR with Niamh and Fiona. Fiona set me work to do and showed me what was currently happening in the HR department. She asked me to come up with ideas in how to make Core a more diverse and inclusive place to work. I found this job very similar to the work I do in YSI so it didn’t take long to come up with ideas.
I then went to lunch on Grafton street where I met up with Adele O’Reilly who was working not too far from me. When I arrived back at the office I was given a presentation, along with other Corew employees, by a member of Irish Life on health insurance and what type of insurance plan Core provides to it’s employees. Talks like these are scheduled regularly at Core and are optional for employees to attend.
All good things must come to an end. The snow came and brought my work experience to a standstill. I really enjoyed my time at Core and hopefully I can resume where I left off with them in the near future.
ITOA Workshops
This week for work experience, I decided to work with Ruth Fisher, Claire Fisher's mum in her job and also helping her host her annual ITOA (Irish Tour Operators Association) workshops. This is a really big event for the business and a lot of work always gets put in. This year, myself, Claire Fisher and Adele O’Reilly helped for the week. We were supposed to be in Limerick on Monday and Tuesday but unfortunately we had to post-pone it to the end of March as the weather caused us to have to cancel. On Wednesday and Thursday however, we were in Fitzpatricks Castle hotel In Killiney for the Dublin workshops. I had to do many tasks leading up to the event including putting together 300 badges. All the preparation was pretty much done prior to arriving at Fitzpatricks Hotel but when we got there we had to put up all the Pop-ups for advertising and bells and computers for organisation and planning.
It was an enjoyable experience and I would love to go next year and am very excited for Limerick.
It was an enjoyable experience and I would love to go next year and am very excited for Limerick.