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Initial impressions
In February 2021, I was contacted on LinkedIn by my now manager Jules, making me aware that a job opportunity had opened up at Gather Social. At the time, I was casually looking for job roles but found most jobs were advertised through recruitment agencies, or they were labelled as marketing jobs but when it came to reading the job descriptions, marketing barely came into the job responsibilities. But with Gather Social, it was different from the off. Upon reading the job description, it was abundantly clear that my role would be heavily marketing focused and my responsibilities would contain a lot more than making the teas - something that I expected in my first marketing role.
After reading the job description for Gather, I then went to the socials to see if I could gain a good impression of the business so that I could gauge if I had a place within the business. One thing I noticed was that all staff members, whom I’d come to know from the website, were all present on the Gather Social Instagram and TikTok. The social media accounts all gave a strong sense of positive work culture and it seemed that everyone, no matter their position in the company, was getting involved.
Fast forward to applying and receiving a job offer, I found myself sitting in the Gather Social office on my paid trial day to see if the job was right for me. The trial day was a great way for me to figure out what my usual workday might look like and for me to get to know the team, all without any pressure. After a very successful trial day, I became an official new employee at Gather Social Limited in April 2021.
I will always remember walking in to work on my first day. Not only was there an abundance of pastries and orange juice for breakfast, but my desk was filled with cute notebooks, pens, and of course my work laptop and phone. All of this made me feel that I was a valued employee without even starting any work. Sam also gave everyone a pep-talk before we began work and it made me feel so much more comfortable, as he expressed that this was everyone’s first day with a larger team to navigate and it really helped settle me in for the first day of my new responsibilities.
Personal support
Something that was invaluable during my first 12 weeks in the business was my 1-1’s with Jules. Every Friday I would have an hour with Jules to discuss my progress and any issues I encountered during the week, but these were also focused heavily on me personally. It was here that I learnt how passionate everyone at Gather Social is about employee happiness. There is no point where you feel that everything is about work, there’s always time and space to discuss your personal struggles or achievements. You also get an overwhelming feeling that everyone is here to help one another, there is no part of my job where I feel unsupported or feel I can share things.
Professional development
From day one in my new role, I was given responsibility. It never felt like a responsibility I couldn’t handle and I always knew I had a whole team of people for support if I needed them. I feel this is what has led me to feel so much more confident in my abilities and personally, along with my 1-1’s. Due to constant feedback, I have always had a time and place to express any areas I may feel I’m lacking and I will usually find time scheduled in my calendar to work or train on this particular thing.
The entire 12 week probation period is structured perfectly and I feel this is what allowed me to progress at the perfect pace and I have since passed my probation period feeling confident in all areas of my work and a strong picture of where I will go in the business in the future. I am able to explore my passions more and develop my skills all in one which is something I don’t feel would happen in many other job roles. There’s such a strong emphasis on constantly learning at Gather Social and there are no restrictions on whether this is skills or personal development based.
Overall, I couldn’t be happier with the company I chose to work for and it almost feels like I’ve worked here forever already. Gather Social has lived up to everything and more from my original impressions and I can’t wait to grow with the business. The entire team gets along so well, it genuinely is like a work family, especially when the dogs come to play too.
Find out more about Amy and the rest of the Gather team by reading another blog. Click here to learn more.
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