Coming in on work experience, I found it a little daunting leading up to the big few days. I don’t think movies and TV shows helped – always teasing the junior, but to my reassurance, none of that was (thankfully) the case.
Let’s dive right in and address the question: “Did the reality match my expectations?”
Honestly, it’s not a simple yes or no. When I first explored the Methods website, the sheer variety of their services left me curious yet uncertain about what awaited me. As I approached my first day, I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about stepping into an environment as big as Methods. However, that all changed the moment I stepped through the doors and started interacting with the team, the two warm and bubbly receptionists simply put any doubts at ease.
Throughout my time, I found myself diving into realms I hadn’t explored before, meeting interesting people with fancy job titles that sounded straight off something a bit too formal for my usual life. This hands-on experience allowed me to learn in a way that textbooks could never offer. I found myself saying to everybody that there is so much going on “behind the scenes” that you simply don’t expect, it was fascinating to be around.
Now, onto the next question: “What parts resonated with me, and what presented challenges?”
The highlight of my experience was definitely the interactive nature of the work. While I appreciated all the new territories I was delving into – whether it was presenting data from LinkedIn posts or case studies about HMCTS – my heart truly resonated with the general vibe that everyone created for me – even writing this I have a wide smile on my face.
Being a big fan of the TV show “The Office”, I was already pre-set with a mental image of what an office should look like – boing, mundane rows of wooden desks with robot-like employees tapping away. It was safe to say I was a little taken aback when being shown around at Methods. Their large open spaces were teeming with laughter and collaboration, with multi—coloured meeting rooms with whiteboard walls and comfortable rainbow seats. After a morning of introducing myself and cracking on with some work, a short walk away was all the street food you could dream of! Who doesn’t love that at lunchtime? After watching my noodles get freshly cooked I quickly scurried back onto the top floor balcony, to eat such noodles overlooking London. Safe to say, it was not a bad first lunchtime.
Throughout my time at Methods I was lucky enough to meet with several professional employees who kindly took time out of their day to come and meet with me, to allow me to ask questions about their line of work. From Marketing to Graphic Designers, it was honestly fascinating to understand what they do day to day and special projects they had worked on. I could see all the cogs spinning that make Methods the great company it is.
Even though I was only there for a few days, the great experience will last me a lifetime. I am very thankful to everybody at Methods for making me feel one of the team and providing me with such a level of responsibility that I could not have dreamed of during my work experience.
I hope to cross paths with Methods again soon.