Life of being on work experience at Orangebox

Hello, I’m Jess, I’m onto my second week of work experience here at Orangebox Training. I found out about Orangebox as my brother and friend have been working here for a couple of years and have told me briefly what the company does for people.

I crossed paths with Michael Glenn who works at Orangebox every year when acting in a dance show.  We were catching up and got onto the topic of what I’m currently doing, I explained how I’m looking for an apprenticeship based around marketing and mentioned how I loved social media. The conversation passed to me speaking with Claire Craig, Professional Development Manager who was also at the dance event got my contact details and asked me to come in for 2 weeks.

Since my first day, everyone has been so welcoming, and made me feel very comfortable in a working environment – ‘I don’t have a negative word to say about this company’. During week 1 of my work experience, I have been working with the Design and Marketing Manager Glen Hughes, learning how to advertise jobs and courses.

During my first few days I created a tiktok account for Orangebox Training which meant starting from scratch and coming up with video ideas to post. Speaking with Glen the Marketing Manager he gave me a video project to work on titled ‘on the spot’. This includes staff picking random questions out of a box and answering them ‘on the spot’ without thinking. I started off by coming up with suitable questions focussing on the company along with everyday life. I then typed and printed them out, then folding and putting in box. Then my next task was to make sure the staff were available for me to take 2/3 minutes of their time. We then picked a suitable location for the interview so the person I was asking questions felt comfortable. I then recorded and edited them using a mobile phone. I double checked with the Design & Marketing Manager to make sure I written the correct information before posting to our social media channels.

In addition, I have been doing a lot of work around graphic designs and advertising.  I started from scratch creating a graphic design, double checking with Glen before writing a draft that accompanied the graphic. My next action was to post on all social channels which was amazing as I have never done this before, but working with Glen who trained me, I can do this with little to no help. I will always double check to make sure it is right before clicking ‘post’ as I will never want to put out the wrong information.

I was lucky enough to attend a full Orangebox Team Meeting this meeting in the first week of me being here as it only happens on a monthly basis, and it was such a good atmosphere. I heard about how much the company had progressed since 2016 which is when Orangebox was created, and I am so amazed! What they’re doing for people who are finding it hard find a job and build a future is astonishing. Based on other meetings I’ve been to at other companies, this one exceeds my expectations as it is very professional but there is also a fun element added to it. The staff would interact a lot and ask questions whether that be about the company or outside of work and I didn’t feel like I had to sit there and listen as I would join in and have a good time with everyone.

I’ve made a lot of progress in the little time I’ve been here, and during my second week, I looked at a new subject area. That being business development, blog writing, and more graphic designs requests. It’s currently Wednesday in my second week of my trial and I am working on the company’s new tiktok channel with is another ‘on the spot’ video. However, this is going to be a special edition as I am asking Simon Corbett CEO of Orangebox Training to pick questions out of the box relating to the company and everyday life. To do this I had to go to his PA Sami Durham and ask for 5-10 minutes of his time as I know he is a very busy person. Liaising with Sami I managed to get a time slot booked in to be able to video his questions. I then asked him to pick out 5 questions which I then recorded, and he answered. Throughout this process, he made me feel very comfortable and we had a laugh even though he has a very busy schedule. I felt very privileged that Simon found the time to see me. I then edited the video, made a few changes and then signed off with Glen to make sure it was suitable to post. Once getting authorisation from Glen I post it to TikTok and Simon mentioned he loved it! He came in the office and praised me as he really enjoyed the video.

To accompany the video I also made a graphic that asked people to go see the video as it was a special edition post and I thought  sign posting people to our new account would help the post again traction. On Thursday I created more professional development graphics and made another TikTok video relating to employability training.

It’s now my last day [Friday] and I’m working on yet another tiktok, only this time its an ‘on the spot’ video about me. There are questions based on my work experience different to the other staff questions and I will be answering them and showing people is the face behind the account. I have absolutely loved my time here and I have enjoyed making the Orangebox TikTok account and helping spread the message to another audience.

Overall, I have really enjoyed my time here at Orangebox, it’s the most positive and motivating company I’ve ever worked at, and I hope to come back in the future. The team are so relaxed even with a lot of work to do and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. It has been such a pleasure working with everyone and learning new things about the company each day.

Jess X